Will My Pain Go Away on its Own?
Jun 05, 2017
When experiencing pain, one of the first questions many patients have is: “will this go away on its own, or should I seek treatment for my pain?” The answer to this question can vary significantly from patient to patient, but there are some general benchmarks you can use to determine when to seek treatment vs. when to wait. In this patient education article, we’re going to talk about how to determine whether or not your pain is going to dissipate on its own, or whether you need to seek treatment.
Not all pain needs to be treated immediately by a physician. Many people experience mild pain every day that goes away on its own. Take stubbing your toe on the couch as an example. In most cases, a stubbed toe will hurt for a little bit and heal on its own. Of course, some stubbed toes are more serious and require medical attention, but these are rare cases.
A good rule of thumb when determining whether or not to seek further treatment is to listen to your body’s pain signals over the course of a few days. If you stub your toe and it really hurts the day of the stubbing, but dissipates over the next day or two, you are likely OK. However, if the pain does not resolve (or gets worse) over the following couple days, then it’s time to consider seeing a doctor.
There are certain situations in which it’s obvious that you need immediate medical treatment. Severe car accidents, for example, often necessitate a trip to the Emergency Room. For other pain symptoms that require immediate medical care see our article on the topic.
Advanced Spine & Pain Clinics of MN treats patients for acute and chronic pain conditions throughout the Twin Cities. Our board certified pain management specialists have decades of experience treating everything from headaches to degenerative spine conditions. We are well versed in all the most innovative treatment options, including stem cell techniques like PRP injections and Prolotherapy. No matter what type of pain you are experiencing, you have treatment options. Contact our Minnesota pain doctors today to set up your appointment at our Edina or Minneapolis clinics.