Summary
Waiting too long to see a doctor can lead to misdiagnosed injuries and unnecessary complications, as seen in a patient’s untreated ankle injury.
Highlights
- Patients often underestimate injuries, thinking they’re minor sprains.
- Delaying medical attention can lead to chronic pain and lifestyle changes.
- Initial tests like X-rays may miss underlying issues.
- Diagnostic ultrasound can reveal hidden injuries, like torn tendons.
- Early diagnosis can prevent the need for more invasive treatments later.
- Don’t ignore persistent pain; it could indicate a serious issue.
- Get injuries checked out sooner rather than later for peace of mind.
Transcript
I have many cases where patients have waited too long before coming to see me. I just did Sergio, a gentleman who had an injury to his ankle over three years ago. Initially, he didn’t think it was anything serious, so he kind of walked it off and thought in his mind that it was a sprain. After about four or five months, he went in to see his primary care doctor. They took x-rays and told him that nothing was wrong, that it was just a sprain. However, he continued to have significant pain and had to completely change his activity level. He stopped running, was in constant pain, and tried many different treatments, but nothing seemed to get better.
When he came in to see me, we took x-rays. The x-rays appeared quite normal, but one of the things I do for all my patients with injuries, including soft tissue injuries, is use a diagnostic ultrasound. With the diagnostic ultrasound, I was easily able to identify that he had a torn tendon, and that tear probably happened at the time of the injury.
If he would have come in and seen us back then, we could have diagnosed it, treated it over four years ago, and he wouldn’t have required the surgery that was necessary at that time. So again, there are a lot of simple things that we take for granted. What might seem simple could actually be more serious, and it’s better to get them checked out.