When people are in pain they often wonder how long they should wait before seeking treatment. As in how long I need to wait and see and suffer before it is reasonable to seek out medical assistance?

The answer is you DO NOT need to wait.

There is no need to wait and suffer one day longer than necessary. If you are struggling with pain today, there is no need to even wait until tomorrow to make the call.

But won’t the pain just go away on its own in a couple of days? Well, it might, but what if it does not? Those few days become a few weeks. Then weeks become months. Get the picture? People are great at rationalizing, but while suffering in pain many become irrational.

Data on muscle and joint injuries is clear. The longer an injury persists, the longer it will take for the person to recover. If we just consider low back pain, which is highly common, the data indicates the best recovery happens within the first 6 weeks. And even faster if the person is treated inside of 2 weeks. Again, yes, the pain may resolve on its own, but what if it does not? Or worse, what if (when) it comes back? The data say 90% of people who experience back pain will have at least one more episode in their lifetime.

What if you could take preventative steps to prevent those recurrences of back pain? By seeing a physical therapist for your back pain (or any muscle/joint issue), you can speed up your current recovery and prevent recurrent/future issues. Why not take the necessary steps to limit your days in pain?

So, if we double back to the opening question “How long should I wait before seeking treatment”, the answer is you do not. You do not wait one more day to begin feeling better.

If you are ready to be done with your muscle or joint issue, click the following LINK to connect with an expert today who can help get you out of pain.