What type of doctor should I See for musculoskeletal pain?
Specialists who can treat muscle pain, depending on its cause, include:
- Physiatrists, also known as a physical medicine or rehabilitation doctors
- Orthopedic specialists, medical doctors (MDs) trained to treat musculoskeletal conditions, especially surgically
- Neurologists, MDs trained in brain diseases and conditions, some of which can cause muscle pain
What kind of Doctor treats muscle problems?
These include:
- Inflammatory arthritis: Pain and swelling of joints, generally worse with inactivity and early in the morning, associated with prolonged stiffness. ...
- Interstitial lung disease: Inflammatory lung disease, leading to cough or shortness of breath
- Rash: There are several characteristic rashes in dermatomyositis, often with a dark red or purple hue. ...
What specialist doctor treats muscle or tendon damage?
Sutter network surgeons offer a number of different tendon and ligament repair surgeries, such as:
- Achilles tendon repair
- ACL reconstruction
- Rotator cuff repair
What kind of specialist can treat muscle disorders?
What Are the Different Types of Doctors?
- Dermatologists. Have problems with your skin, hair, nails? ...
- Endocrinologists. These are experts on hormones and metabolism. ...
- Family Physicians. They care for the whole family, including children, adults, and the elderly. ...
- Nephrologists. ...
- Psychiatrists. ...
- Pulmonologists. ...
- Radiologists. ...
- Rheumatologists. ...
What is a muscular system specialist?
Muscular System Specialist. So there are two basic groups of individuals who deal with muscle problems. Some of these specialists are primarily involved in treating injured muscles . And others are involved in treating problems that affect muscles indirectly. Let's start with the former, where the muscle itself is injured.
What is a specialist who works under the supervision of a physician?
Neurologist. a physician specializing in diagnosing and treating disorders of the nervous system. Rheumatologist.
What is the difference between a rheumatologist and a neurologist?
A neurologist is a physician specializing in diagnosing and treating disorders of the nervous system and a rheumatologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating disorders of the muscles, tendons, joints, bones, and nerves that are marked by inflammation, degeneration, or metabolic derangement.
What is the specialty of a rheumatologist?
A rheumatologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating disorders of the muscles, tendons, joints, bones, and nerves that are marked by inflammation, degeneration, or metabolic derangement. This means rheumatologists can treat everything from musculoskeletal pain disorders to osteoarthritis and more.
What is a sports medicine doctor?
Sports medicine physician. a doctor who specializes in treating sports-related injuries of the musculoskeletal system. Physiatrist. a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation; the goal is to restore proper function to your muscle by using a combination of exercise and massage.
What is the best doctor to get you back up and running?
Then you may go see a physiatrist, a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. The physiatrist 's goal is to restore proper function to your muscle by using a combination of exercises, massage, and so on to get you back up and running as soon as possible.
What is a rheumatologist?
Rheumatologist. a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating disorders of the muscles, tendons, joints, bones, and nerves that cause inflammation, degeneration, or metabolic derangement. Learning Outcomes. When the lesson ends, you could be able to:
Who treats skeletal issues?
Orthopedists. While simple bone fractures and other minor bone disorders are often treated by general practitioners or doctors specializing in internal medicine, more serious issues with the skeletal system are usually treated by doctors who have specialized in treating bone and joint disorders, known as orthopedists.
What is the best doctor for bone and joint disorders?
Lesson Summary. There are three main medical specialists that treat bone and joint disorders. Orthopedists, also known as orthopedic surgeons, are medical doctors who have specialized in treating bone and joint disorders.
What is a chiropractor?
Chiropractors are medical specialists who treat disorders of the muscular and skeletal systems by manually manipulating the spine and joints. Chiropractors typically treat patients who have back pain, neck pain, headaches, or pain in other joints. Back pain is by far the most common problem treated by a chiropractor.
What is an orthopedist?
So, an orthopedist is literally a doctor who straightens children. The first orthopedists dealt primarily with correcting skeletal deformities in children, and we still use this word today, even though orthopedists now treat patients of all ages. Orthopedists are also known as orthopedic surgeons.
What is the procedure to replace a joint?
To replace a joint, an orthopedist will cut off the ends of the bones at the joint and insert a metal implant into the bone.
How do orthopedic surgeons fix fractured bones?
In some patients with severe bone fractures, orthopedic surgeons may use metal screws, nails, and plates to hold the pieces of the damaged bone together until they heal. This can be done either internally or using an external fixator with screws that pass through the skin into the bone.
What is a podiatrist?
Podiatrists are doctors who treat disorders of the foot. There are many bones in your foot, so podiatrists often treat patients for injuries or diseases of the bones in the foot. One common foot condition that might be treated by a podiatrist is a stress fracture.
Why do orthopedists specialize in only one area?
Each separate aspect of the musculoskeletal system presents its unique set of challenges, which is why many orthopedists specialize in only one area. For example, certain specialists may choose to focus on the knees, while others may be more knowledgeable about hand ailments. These subspecialties ensure that the best educated and experienced professional of any given region manages the complex conditions related to that body part.
What is the role of the skeletal system?
The human skeleton is a wonder of engineering that consists of a network of bones, tendons, and ligaments that protect the internal organs and give your body its structure. Given the important role of the musculoskeletal structure, maintaining its function and strength is of the utmost importance. A single broken bone can affect the entire skeletal system, and will rarely heal effectively on its own. Orthopedic doctors and surgeons are responsible for maintaining the health of the musculoskeletal structure, ensuring that broken bones and other injuries heal correctly and in a timely fashion, intervening with the healing process through surgical and medical procedures when necessary, and ensuring that the body's skeleton and muscles can function as they were originally intended.
Do orthopedic surgeons have to bring case notes?
Because orthopedic doctors and surgeons are not primary care physicians, their knowledge of new patients' medical histories is rather uncomprehensive. Accordingly, you should bring as many relevant medical documents as possible to your initial appointment, including case notes from the referring physician, X-rays, or MRI images.
Is orthopedic surgery a last resort?
Although a last resort, orthopedic surgery is still quite common as the therapy for joint and musculoskeletal pain. Knee ailments account for a significant proportion of orthopedic operations to repair torn knee caps and tendons and to replace worn or diseased knee structures with plastic implants. Shoulders are also frequently operated on to repair rotator cuff injuries and other ligament tears. Carpal tunnel syndrome affects thousands of wrists each year and surgery to release the constrictions is often successful.
How many people have musculoskeletal disorders?
Musculoskeletal disorders are actually one of the most common medical conditions, affecting approximately one-third of all adults in the United States. And that number is growing exponentially, thanks to an aging and still active population.
How to diagnose musculoskeletal pain?
They will begin by thoroughly reviewing your medical history, looking for possible causes of your pain (strenuous work conditions, sports, repetitive motions, etc.).
Where is the Penn Musculoskeletal Center?
The Penn Musculoskeletal Center, the first of its kind in Philadelphia, is revolutionizing the way musculoskeletal care is delivered. The Center provides the latest diagnostic techniques and the most advanced surgical and non-surgical options for a range of musculoskeletal disorders, injuries and pain found in muscles, ligaments and tendons, ...
What tests are done to determine the source of pain?
Finally, they will likely conduct various diagnostic procedures that may include X-rays, blood tests, CT scans and MRIs, to know the physical extent of that pain.
Is arthritis a musculoskeletal disorder?
Let’s face it, “musculoskeletal” is tough to pronounce, let alone explain or fully understand. Musculoskeletal disorders are actually one of the most common medical conditions, affecting approximately one-third of all adults in the United States.
