It's hard to work out where your symptoms are located without actually seeing you, but numbness and pain around the front of the hip, in the absence of back pain, could be due to a condition called Meralgia Paraesthetica. This is were the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve becomes is compressed and hence the symptoms. In most situations it settles with rehabilitation or a guided cortisone injection - something we have done quite a few times in clinic. I have attached a link for your information, but I would suggest seeing someone for this if it is becoming more intense or prolonged.

This is certainly a concern for patients with a widely degenerative spine where multiple discs have herniated and there maybe other wear and tear changes. The simple answer is - we don’t know! Your surgeon will operate with the best intentions and provide you with the best service possible. But there are many other factors than the surgeon or surgery itself that can impact on your recovery.

Thanks for the question. You will need to rule out nerve compression in the back. I will suggest MRI of the thoraco-lumbar spine.

Back pain can be due to many different problems including nerve irritation from disc bulges, facet joint irritation, muscle or ligament issues or degenerative changes. If your symptoms keep coming back, then its certainly useful to look into why it is happening. Strengthening your back is definitely an important option and focussed treatments with a physiotherapist can help. However, if symptoms continue, then seeing a Sports/MSK physician is certainly sensible - they can assess you, organise investigations and in some cases give you focussed treatments to help your symptoms.

Hi there, From what you describe, it sounds like you have sciatica - which is basically pain along the sciatic nerve at the back of your leg. This can be due to a problem in the back or from an injury or irritation of the nerve in the leg itself. The first thing to do is to get this assessed, particularly if you are experiencing "red flag" symptoms. A Sports/MSK physician or physiotherapist can assess your back and determine where the pain might be coming from.

Back pain may be from muscle strains to slipped discs or arise from certain joints or nerves. The pain generator in back pain may sometimes be difficult to identify. Usually your doctor will order an MRI of the corresponding area to ensure insidious or life threatening causes are ruled out. Generally, the first stop would be your friendly orthopedic spine surgeon. Once they have ensured that operable causes are ruled out, they may enlist a physiotherapist to help you gain awareness in the painful area.

There are various reasons, depending on mechanism of injury and age. The chronicity or period of pain also accounts for how much relief you obtain from such treatment options. Hence there is no good answer unless a proper history and examination is undertaken. However, most of such causes may he attributed to facetogenic back pain (for ages above 50) and intractable muscular pain for the younger ones. Disc related pain is very specific in the midline and may affect all age ranges. Of course, insidious causes have to be ruled out with MRI imaging.

A single sided shin pain may be common in young active adults. It may also arise from stress in the supporting bones due to weight gain. These are some of the common causes. Worrisome pain is usually accompanied by weight / appetite loss, night sweats or even intractable relentless pain. As always, a consult with an orthopedic or pain doctor is warranted. They will refer you for further imaging to assess the likely causes.

Hi there, The are a couple of ways that I can think off on the top of my head:1. Avoid the injection if possible i. e. consider oral medication where available2. Use the smallest needle possible3. Consider using a topical anaesthetic agent such as Emla cream4. Ask an experienced practitioner to do the injection5. Progressively infiltrate with local anaesthetic while doing the injectionHope this helps.

Hi there Just to add to what Dr Shee Yan has mentioned, if you are having red flag symptoms i. e. issues with bowel control, bladder control or numbness around the back passage (anus) please go and see someone urgently. In many situations, unless there is profound pain or these red flag symptoms, most clinicians will suggest some sort of conservative management first, with pain killers, physiotherapy and sometimes nerve root injections. The latter can be done under CT, X-ray or ultrasound guidance. Hope this helps.

Thank you for your question - I imagine that your symptoms are troubling and causing concern. Shoulder blade pain can be from a variety of causes, including changes in rotator cuff strength, positioning of the shoulder or a scapulothoracic bursa. If you are experiencing pain and a popping feeling around the shoulder then this might be the underlying problem. I would suggest an initial assessment with a Sports/MSK physician - they might provide you with a Bessie ultrasound assessment too before recommending further treatment/ Hope this helps.

The soreness or ache in your muscles are due to an accumulation of lactic acid built up during the exercise. Generally, I recommend to my patients to stop training when there is any pain as it is the body’s way of telling you that you are doing too much. If there is onset of soreness or aches in the muscles 12 – 24 hours after training, it is normal, let the soreness and ache abate before the next session. If the soreness persists without reducing in intensity at all, it is abnormal and please see a doctor for review.

Sorry to hear about your pain symptoms - I imagine it’s quite troubling. Non-surgical management of neck and back pain can include pain relief, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning and also guided treatments such as nerve root or facet joint injections. It would be good for you to be assessed and see what treatments are approate for you. I would suggest seeing a Sports or MSK Physician for this initial consultation. Hope this helps.

These symptoms are consistent with a migraine. If they occur frequently, it is advisable to take steps to reduce the attack severity and frequency. This can be done by well-chosen daily preventative medication used for about 6 months. Although there is no cure for migraines, the condition is very treatable.

This is quite a challening question to answer without further information. You see, it depends on What was the mechanism of injury? What was the injury? What was the operation? Does the patient have any other concurrent medical issues? Did the patient attend follow-up or rehabilitation? If you are having chronic pain following your operation, it would be best to consult your treating clinician in the first instance, or if this is not possilbe, obtain a polyclinic referral to your local hospital for a reassessment. I hope this helps.