Treating a shoulder injury shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, but if you’re not careful, the cost of care can spiral further than you’d like. We want you to keep costs in check and help you make the strongest recovery, so we’ve put together a checklist that may allow you to keep some extra money in your pocket as you manage a shoulder issue. Below, we share some tips for keeping costs down when treating a shoulder injury.
Saving Money When Managing Shoulder Issues
When it comes to keeping costs down, it really just comes down to realizing what leads to additional medical costs and working to avoid these situations. For example, a complex surgery that doesn’t go as expected and involves a long and arduous recovery is going to lead to significant costs. So how can we avoid a situation like this? We can:
- Treat Problems Early – Don’t put off treatment until symptoms become severe. Mild issues can usually be resolved with rather simple conservative treatment methods, whereas more serious issues may need professional hands-on care to resolve. Take some proactive steps at the first sign of an issue, and stop the problem before it snowballs.
- Pursue Home-Based PT – Working with a physical therapist is usually very effective, but oftentimes there are costs or co-pays involved. There’s a good chance you can put your symptoms into Google and find some simple PT exercises that you can try from the comfort of your home to see if the issue begins to improve. Just Google “PT exercises for unstable shoulder” or “Shoulder strengthening therapy exercises” and click on a reputable source or two. It’s a free and pretty low-risk option to try and improve your shoulder health on your own with PT exercises.
- Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions – If you do seek out care, heed your doctor’s advice. They can’t just wave a magic wand and make your shoulder better. They will provide advice and develop a treatment plan, but it’s on you to follow through, otherwise there’s a good chance you’ll be back in their office again in the future racking up more medical expenses.
- Care For Your Surgical Site – The last thing you want after undergoing shoulder surgery is to find out that an infection has developed at the surgical site and you need additional care or perhaps another surgery to address the problem. Take good care of your incision site. Clean it as directed, watch for signs of an infection and have another person assist in your management if you can’t easily reach the incision site. Readmission for surgical site infections will be quite costly.
- Choose The Right Provider – Finally, one of the best ways to keep costs down when managing a shoulder issue is by connecting with an experienced professional that will give you the time and attention you deserve to address the problem correctly the first time. You don’t want a provider who is going to write a prescription to calm symptoms without addressing the underlying problem. You want a doctor who will take the time to get to know you, your shoulder and your goals in order to develop an individualized treatment plan suited to your personal needs. Dr. Holloway has done that for countless patients, and he’s confident he can do the same for you.
Shoulder pain is annoying enough to manage without also having to worry about medical bills piling up, so keep these tips in mind and connect with Dr. Holloway if you are serious about finding the right treatment for your shoulder issue. Give his office a call today at (865) 410-7887.
