Occasionally New Orleans orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Meyer sees patients in his office who were injured one or two days prior to their visit. Far more often though, he treats athletic patients who have been dealing with an injury for a long time.
Why do people wait so long to see a New Orleans orthopedic surgeon? Following are the three reasons Dr. Meyer most often hears from his active patients.
Reason #1: The patient thinks that the pain will go away on its own.
Maybe this way of thinking comes from the “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning” approach to medical issues of previous generations. Your New Orleans orthopedic surgeon finds that many patients are accustomed to immediately applying ice and elevating their injured body part, especially since aches and pains are fairly common with regular exercise and training for sports.
At some point, though, you have to decide if your pain is actually improving.
Reason #2: You don’t want to undergo surgery.
It’s completely understandable for patients to want to avoid surgery and the reality of months of rehab after surgery. A common misconception about New Orleans orthopedic surgeons is that we will find a reason to operate on every patient, even though in sports medicine most injuries don’t require surgery.
Often simple remedies, such as physical therapy or short-term alterations in activity, can resolve the problem before surgery is required.
Reason #3: The patient doesn’t want to be shut down.
The main goal of New Orleans orthopedic surgeons is to get their patients back to the sports and exercise they love. It may require treatments such as physical therapy and occasionally surgery to repair structural damage in the knee or shoulder. And we will let you know if/when you’re doing harm to yourself and making the situation worse. But we’re not looking to shut you down – we’re trying to keep you going!
So, if you’re having a problem doing what you want to do in your sport or exercise as well as you want to do it, it’s a good idea to see New Orleans orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Meyer to discuss simple remedies – and avoid surgery – that could help you get back to your active life.