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Your Visit: What to Expect and Questions to Ask Your Doctor

DoctorPreparing for the visit to your doctor can be stressful. You want answers, and ultimately you want a solution to your chronic back pain. However, you may not fully understand what’s going on in your body and where your pain is coming from.

To aid in that discovery process, we've assembled a few online tools and resources to assist you.

Understanding the Back's Anatomy
Understand the anatomy of your back and match your possible symptoms to a condition so that you can better understand it with your doctor. learn more>

Glossary of Terms
The terminology that goes along with your consult can be confusing. Reference our online Glossary of Terms. You may also print it out and bring it with you for quick reference. click here>

Frequently Asked Questions
Reference our list of commonly asked questions. click here>

Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Your doctor may ask you to rate your pain on a scale from zero (no pain) to ten (unbearable pain). This pain scale is called a Visual Analog Scale, or VAS. You may have seen a chart reflecting this scale:

VAS Chart

Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)
You may or may not be asked to take a questionnaire which asks a series of questions related to your pain, and how your pain is affecting your daily life. The answers to this questionnaire are calculated into a percentage index called the Oswestry Disability Index, or ODI.

Tips for a Good Visit

The key to a good visit with your doctor is to get all of your questions answered and leave feeling good about your consult.

  • Be sure to write some of your questions down first - before meeting with your doctor - so you can get your questions answered.
  • Take notes and learn as much as you can before and during your consult.
  • Gather information from other resources on the web.

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to meet with your doctor. If you suffer from chronic low back pain and you want to alleviate that pain, your doctor is there to help you eliminate it and get you back to a normal, healthy life without pain.

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