10 Medical Missteps

Most folks will hurry to the emergency room for pain in their chest, belly or head. What many patients don't realize is that pain, numbness or weakness in other parts of the body — particularly in the limbs — can be a sign of something serious too. It could be a fractured bone, an infection or nerve damage and needs to be seen by a doctor immediately. Too many patients compromise their long-term health by ignoring nerve problems like carpal tunnel, tendon issues like rotator cuff tears or curious moles that they assume are harmless. Don't wait until your hand freezes numbly in a claw or your knee is crippled by arthritis or the little black spot on your arm turns into metastatic cancer. By then it's too late. Too macho or scared to see a doctor? Too bad. Don't wait.