Pain in your hips, knees or spine? The pain could be something minor or it might be more serious.
Aches and Pains
Your hips, knees and spine support your body and help you move. Because of the work they do, aches and pains can happen.
For minor injuries or strains, try the RICE steps: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. RICE helps with swelling or dull pain from standing or walking. Don't do exercises or activities that make the pain worse.
Serious Pain and Diagnosis
See your Primary Care Provider if your pain doesn't get better. They might ask:
- When did the pain start?
- Where is the pain?
- What activity makes it hurt?
Your provider may want tests to see if you have broken bones, problems with tendons, muscles or other issues. The most common kinds of tests are:
- X-rays create an image that shows things like broken bones.
- Electrophysiological tests look for problems with the muscles or nerves.
- CT scans use imaging to look deeper to detect disease and injury in bones and soft tissue.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans create more detailed images than X-rays of the knee, hip or spine to see what might cause the pain.
- Bloodwork gauges your overall health and diagnoses other conditions that could be causing your pain.
More serious pain could be caused by:
- old injuries
- arthritis
- an accident
- a fall
Non-Surgical Treatment
Your provider will try different things to help your pain. They may recommend:
- anti-inflammatory medicines
- pain medication
- stretching
- physical therapy
- changes to your activity
- an assistive device like a crutch, walker or cane
Surgical Treatment
If other treatments don't work, your PCP may refer you to a specialist who may recommend surgery.
Surgery for hip pain is a hip replacement. The surgeon replaces the broken or damaged parts in the hip.
There are several options for knee surgery. It depends on the injury or damage. The knee could be replaced, repaired or reconstructed to fix the problem. Knee surgeries include:
- arthroscopy
- osteotomy
- reconstruction
- replacement
The spine includes disks, nerves and bone. Pain is caused when an out of place disk or bone growth pushes on the nerves. Surgery relieves the pressure caused by the disk or bone growth. Common spinal surgeries are:
- diskectomy
- laminectomy
- spinal fusion
- artificial disks
Don’t Ignore Your Pain
If you have pain that hangs around, don't ignore it. Talk to your PCP about how to find relief from your pain.
Resources for TRS-ActiveCare and TRS-Care Standard
Provider Finder®
Use Provider Finder® to find a doctor to answer questions about your pain. You can search by location, gender or specialty.
Personal Health Guides
Personal Health Guides can help with referrals and prior authorizations if you need a specialist or surgery. Call 1-866-355-5999 or chat through the BCBSTX App, available in the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
Well onTarget®
Well onTarget® has interactive wellness programs and one-on-one support from wellness coaches – at no extra cost.
Member Rewards
Use Member Rewards*, a program that rewards you for choosing a cost-effective, trusted provider for services like MRIs or CT scans. Use Provider Finder or a PHG to help find rewards-eligible locations for a service or procedure.
Resources for TRS-Care Medicare
Personal Emergency Response System (PERS)
Consider keeping a personal medical alert device or phone nearby. As a TRS-Care Medicare Advantage participant, you have access to a personal emergency response system at no added cost. The Lifeline personal response system allows you to ask for help anytime you need it — 365 days of the year, 24/7. Just push the help button on your wearable device and a trained Care Specialist will assist you to get the help you need quickly.
Members, family members, caregivers and health care professional may enroll an eligible member by calling 1-855-595-8485, TTY 711, or visiting lifeline.com/uhcgroup. Please be sure to have the member address (where the service will be provided), telephone number, date of birth and preferred language.
24/7 Nurse Support
UnitedHealthcare 24/7 Nurse Support connects you instantly with an experienced registered nurse anytime, anywhere. Call whenever you need personal care for minor issues or have questions about your care. Start a visit by calling 1-877-365-7949, TTY 711.
$0 Transportation
Following an inpatient hospital stay or skilled facility stay, you get 12 free rides to or from a medically related appointment or to the pharmacy for the year. Schedule a ride by calling 1-833-219-1182, TTY 1-844-488-9724 or visit modivcare.com/BookNow. Remember to mention wheelchair or stretcher assistance if needed.
In-home support
Your plan includes six hours of non-medical support from Carelinx for 30 days following an inpatient hospital or skilled nursing facility discharge. Schedule your in-home support with Carelinx by calling 1-844-383-0411 or visit www.carelinx.com/uhcgroup.
Meals delivered to you You can order up to 28 home delivered meals at no cost to you. The minimum order is 14 meals, and each meal can be refrigerated for up to 14 days. Schedule your meal delivery by calling 1-844-473-6639, TTY 711 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CT Monday - Friday.
Call UnitedHealthcare at 1-866-347-9507, TTY 711, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. CT, Monday – Friday for help accessing your post-discharge benefits.