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If a patient has a dx of L/S disc degeneration and the come for a visit stating that the pain in their back is aching, stabbing and throbbing, would this be considered exacerbation of pain?
Exacerbation of pain means that the pain is worsening. What you’ve described here is the quality of the pain, but this doesn’t indicate if it is worsening or if it’s the same kind of pain that the patient has had before. So I wouldn’t conclude that this is an exacerbation just from this.