There are lots of factors in making an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.
- Asking all the history questions (digestive history, accidents, surgeries, incidences, dental, bladder, reproductive, head injuries, lifestyle, etc)
- Paying attention to the timeline, what symptom showed up when, after what change and before what symptom.
- Don't dismiss things as "normal". There is a huge difference between "common" and "normal".
- And we want to know about that funny little weird thing that showed up after that incident that seemed unimportant, sometimes those are the golden clues.
- Take the time to take the history. A good history can tell a therapist where to start, how your body may react and how to design and execute your treatment plan.
Help your doctors and therapists out, most try to take under 10 minutes to get your history, many people can't describe their activities from yesterday in under 10 min, let alone their history.