What to Expect at Your First Visit with the Orthopedic Surgeon

Have you just made your first appointment with a bone and joint specialist?  Are you unsure of what to expect at this appointment?  When you make an appointment with a specialist, you can first expect to receive highly specialized attention on the part of your body that has the issue or concern.  This also means that you will likely be given more answers than when you have generalized care.  These are a few things that you can expect when you first visit our orthopedic surgeon in Altamonte Springs.

Basic Health Assessment

At the first visit with a specialist, you will need to provide any information that will help them make the right medical decisions for your proper and safe care.  This involves talking about any previous medical history that may apply to your treatment, insurance information for payment assistance, and any other concerns you have.  The more honest you are about your medical history, the better your specialist can treat you.

Evaluation of Your Pain or Concern

When you are experiencing pain and suffering from limited mobility, you need to communicate these concerns to your doctor.  After a basic evaluation of your health, your orthopedic surgeon will then perform an evaluation of your pain and mobility.   They may ask you to make certain movements, perform certain tests, or do a round of exercises.  As they watch or feel your body move, they will be able to make judgments about how to proceed with diagnosis and treatment.

Diagnosis of Your Pain or Issue

After the surgeon evaluates your pain and assesses your body, they will be able to make a diagnosis.  It is often true that surgeons can make a diagnosis based on your movements, conversations, and evaluation of your body, but sometimes they may need more information or testing.  They can likely give you a range of what you may be suffering from, but they may want to substantiate it by ordering tests, like X-rays.

Review of Treatment Options

After a diagnosis is made, your doctor will then give you a course of treatment that they recommend.  They may suggest that you go to physical therapy to work on alleviating your pain through exercise therapy, or they may give you medications that can minimize and manage your symptoms.  Once they assess your situation, they will give you treatment options to start the healing process.

Discussion of Surgery if Applicable

If applicable, they will begin to discuss the possibility of surgery.  Typically, surgery is not a suggested treatment option until all other treatment options have been tried without success.  If your surgeon thinks that you are a candidate for surgery from the very beginning, they may start these conversations with you during your first visit.

These are a few things that you can expect when you first visit your orthopedic surgeon in Altamonte Springs.  If you are concerned with pain, lack of mobility, or recent injury, you may want to be checked out by a specialist.  Contact Florida Bone and Joint to schedule your first appointment with us today.