BORN WITH DISLOCATED HIPS AND A SHORTER LEFT LEG, NANCY WAS NO STRANGER TO HIP AND BACK PAIN.

However, as she grew older, her symptoms worsened and she needed a better perspective on the issue.

She endured surgery after surgery, but problems in her left hip persisted and all attempts to correct her leg were unsuccessful. At the age of 19, Nancy began to suffer from arthritis and was told she needed a total left hip replacement.

Many years after the hip replacement, Nancy began to feel the pain in her hips worsen once more. She received corticosteroid injections, but they didn’t help, and she eventually developed scoliosis with aggravated lower back pain, as well as loss of bone mineral density. Nancy felt hopeless as she increasingly continued to lose normal body function. This led her to two options from her treating doctors, either she could have another hip replacement, or try a spinal surgery.

Before deciding, she remembered having access to an expert medical service through her employer and thought an expert’s opinion would be helpful, if for nothing but peace of mind.

The report gave me clarity on my condition”

said Nancy after receiving a detailed report from a specialist with recommendations on how to proceed with her condition.

The service collected her complete medical history and selected a top orthopaedic surgeon to review her records. The specialist determined that Nancy was suffering from intervertebral disk degeneration, a chronic and painful condition, which was causing her back pain and arthritis. She did not have scoliosis after all.

The expert pinpointed two more sources of pain, her loosened left hip, which was causing pain in her lower limbs, and arthritis in her left knee. The expert advised against spine surgery, and instead helped Nancy prioritise her health concerns, indicating testing procedures for each one, as well as treatment options depending on the results.

As Nancy had hoped, the report gave her clear recommendations with highly effective options for pain relief treatment and medications that she could take to her treating physicians.

All of this and the constant support from her doctors gave Nancy a chance at living a better quality of life with light at the end of the tunnel.

My doctor was impressed”

said Nancy after sharing the detailed direction from the expert with her treating doctors. This action plan could change her life.