When does foot and spine soreness become more than just an occasional problem? Measuring pain levels and keeping a diary of good days and bad days is highly recommended: after two or three months, you will have an accurate, detailed record of your body’s highs and lows.

If your pain is spiking — say, a seven or eight at least twice a week — or if it is low level pain that is inconvenient but consistent, this is precisely when to consult an orthopedist.

What women do not often realize is that fashion trends can have extremely harmful long-term effects on their back, feet and spines. After several decades of spending up to 18 hour days wearing high-heeled shoes and boots, American women are increasingly complaining of chronic, low- to mid-level back, neck and foot pain in noticeably higher numbers than men.

General orthopedics can identify chronic stressors and work to relieve symptoms through minimally invasive spine procedures that are usually covered by insurance.

When to consult an orthopedist? If your pain diary indicates that the pain in your joints and muscles is slowly but surely getting worse, even though you were injured months or even years beforehand, it is time. People can become accustomed to pain over a period of time and — unfortunately — adapt to a much lower level of daily activity and functionality.

If you keep a section in your pain diary that lists daily exercises, activities you were able to take part in during physical therapy sessions, and all concerns that you have about your health, your doctor will be very appreciative and much better able to help you.

More than half of all Americans are dealing with back pain that is intermittent or constant, and chances are pretty good (four out of five, or 80%) that you will experience some pain at some point in your life.

Switching to supportive shoes, consulting an orthopedist, engaging in occupational medicine or sports medicine — physical therapy, sports massage — can help manage pain long-term.

In the event that hip surgery, back surgery or knee surgery is needed, an orthopedist will provide guidance and perform the least invasive surgical procedure possible. In the meantime, keeping long-term records of your pain in a diary will help the specialists treat you when you consult with them.