If you’re experiencing musculoskeletal pain, it can be confusing trying to figure out where to go first. Primary care physician? Physical therapist? Specialist? Urgent care? Let’s break it down.
First off, what exactly is musculoskeletal pain, and how do I know when I need to see someone for it?
Musculoskeletal pain is pain that affects your bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, or tendons. And there are a lot of variations. It may be limited to one area of your body, or it could be present in your entire body. Sometimes, perhaps as the result of a recent injury, the pain can be sudden and severe (acute) or, in other cases, it can be long-lasting (chronic.)
If that pain interferes with your mobility and function or prevents you from working, enjoying your favorite activities, or participating in your daily life, it’s time to see someone.
Got it. So where should I go if I’m in musculoskeletal pain?
Your physical therapist. Here’s why:
- Your physical therapist can diagnose musculoskeletal injuries with the same amount of accuracy as an orthopaedic surgeon. In the United States Army, patients with musculoskeletal issues are frequently seen first by physical therapists. So, researchers wanted to test if there was any difference in their diagnostic accuracy vs. orthopaedic surgeons, and published their results in the most prestigious journal in orthopedic physical therapy, Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy. The results? Clinical diagnostic accuracy by physical therapists and orthopaedic surgeons on patients with musculoskeletal injuries is not statistically different. And, both providers had significantly greater accuracy (double!!!) than that of nonorthopaedic providers.
- It gets you better, faster. If your first stop is your primary care physician, they will likely refer you to an orthopaedic specialist, who would then send you for physical therapy. Given that the average wait time to see a physician or specialist is 24 days, that process alone could set you back several months. Why wait when you could go straight to the source?
- It costs you less. The right physical therapy within 14 days of the onset of low back pain minimizes the average total episodic cost of care by 50%, because it reduces the need for additional healthcare services. These costs are saved by avoiding surgery, imaging, and prescription medication.