3 Signs Your Pain Needs Professional Help
Ya-Ling Liou, D.C. 
Are you trying to push through your pain but it's not getting better? When should you get help?
I teach and write about the kind of pain that is often referred to as "everyday aches and pains". This kind of pain often gets ignored and pushed aside because it doesn't seem very serious...and it's not technically as serious as something like a broken bone or cancer, but it can feel very disabling when it first strikes. Additionally, if the everyday variety of pain gets ignored and pushed through long enough, it can get worse to the point when it finally stop you in your tracks.
If you find yourself dealing with severe pain that seems to have come from out of the blue, how do you know if it's just "everyday" pain that you should ride out, or if it's more serious and needs medical attention? Here are three signs that will let you know that you should get professional help without delay.
1. Over-the-counter (OTC) medicine doesn't help
Not all OTCs are created equal. Sometimes if one doesn't work, another will, so be sure to try a few different ones before deciding the answer to this question. The common categories of over-the-counter medications that act differently in different people and with different types of pain are: ibuprofen, naproxen sodium and acetaminophen.
If none of the above ease your pain, then you need to seek help.
2. No body position changes your pain
If you are unable to notice either an increase or a decrease in pain with different positions then you need to seek help.
Most pain that eases when you sit down, lie down, stand up or curl up into a ball is the kind of pain that will get better with time and home care. It's even a good sign if you can make your pain worse by changing positions or recreating the situation your were in when the pain first started. That means you have some control over the situation.
3. You also have these other symptoms...
In addition to your pain, are you noticing changes in your bladder and bowel habits? Be careful how you assess this. Many older adults have routine urinary leakage sometimes referred to as "pressure incontinence". Some older adults also routinely experience constipation. When there are routine quirks about our urination and bowel movements, it's easy to miss important changes.
If you have either more difficulty holding your bladder or notice more leakage than usual get some help for your pain. If you suddenly have difficulty voiding your bladder when you feel the need to, get some help for your pain.
If you have bowel leakage or it feels like you can barely hold it before you need a toilet - that's an easy sign to pay attention to and yes, this means you should get help for your pain as soon as possible.
If you have sudden difficulty moving your bowels when you didn't used to, or your usual measures to encourage regular bowel movements suddenly aren't working, you should get help for your pain.
Lastly, are you also noticing weakness or loss of coordination in your legs or feet? Sometimes it's as obvious as having a knee buckle out from under you while walking or standing. Sometimes it's as subtle as stubbing your toes or tripping over things that you normally step over easily. Pay attention and do reach out to your doctor if this is happening with pain.
Get Help
There are a lot of types of everyday pain that respond very well to home care strategies. I help hundreds of people troubleshoot and develop action plans specific to their individual needs when pain first strikes. But when any of the above three signs are present, there's no time to fool around. It's best to reach out to your primary healthcare provider or the nearest walk-in clinic.
