What else to do?

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Post Edited (ChelseaFootball) : 1/18/2015 9:34:23 PM (GMT-7)

PT is often painful, and there are times where patients need rides with them because they will not be able to drive when finished with a session. The longer you got without "using it" the more likely it is that there will be pain-and maybe a LOT.
Vickie's example about post-op is spot on. When I had the TMJs replaced, I had PT in my hospital room next morning. Gone are the days of wiring the jaw shot for weeks.

This is not to say you aren't in real, or even in a TON of pain. But PT is almost always going to be a must in a pain practice.

I do hope you are able to find some relief.

Chelsea,

I know it's not easy, but the others are right. You need to give it a chance. The PT situation with the assistant is not ideal, that they have to go back and forth to see what to do next, but sometimes you just have to put up w/ the frustrations and tell yourself you will give it a shot because that's what the doc thinks will help. You went to the doc for advice, and he has been through years of schooling and dedicated his/her life to handling problems with the body and pain, so even if he can't tell you exactly what is wrong, he is suggesting things that he truly believes will help your situation.

Not at all trying to be rude/mean here, but what is the solution you are looking for? It seems like you have some idea in your head of what you think would help, or what you want to hear from the doc. Do you know what that "thing" is?

I know I have been through countless treatments for various health problems, some of which I thought "this will never help, or it's such a waste of time" but, in the end, if you want a doc to help you, and you go to him/her for their expert advice, you have to give it a chance to work. Sometimes things end up not working. But you will never know unless you try.

I hope you consider going back to PT if you can. It's not going to be a quick fix, and it will be painful and tough. I'm in PT right now for my neck, and it's definitely painful at times, and the exercises seem silly…but things have started to improve. If you do go back, see if you can talk to the PT about things…ask questions, have them explain why they want you to do the things you are doing there. Maybe an explanation would help you to see the bigger picture and understand the rationale behind the things that seem like a waste of time.

And a good doc is one that will try the less invasive methods, like PT, before anything else. And if you won't follow their suggestions, they aren't going to want to help you or offer any other treatments, cuz they'll figure you won't follow thru with those either.

I truly hope you do find some pain relief soon. Good luck to you.

I agree, you give up easily on treatments, but I understand. You want something that's going to work RIGHT NOW and ease your pain. I totally get that.

I think you should try a new therapist. If this was your first appointment they should be evaluating you to see how much you can do w/o pain and also sit down with you to make goals. You may have left before that happened.

But, is this a really busy PT place? I go to a place where the PT works directly with me, no assistants. It is affiliated with a hospital. That might be better for you. I agree it is very frustrating when it is done that way that you spoke of.

As far as no pain, no gain, that is true to a certain extent but your therapist should also know when you've had enough.

And even though you've tried some of those things before, you haven't tried them the way and with the frequency they do them at the PT office. At the very least, the exercises they give you to do at home have always been valuable to me.

(((HUGS))) For the pain you're going through and your frustration in trying to figure it out. I understand, and all I want you to do is to not give up so easily. Nothing is going to fix it right away, girl. <3

Have they considered an EMG? This test nerves and muscles.

Admittedly, I have emotional problems with authority figures, so physical therapy with a person telling me I need to do something painful would just make me shut down, and I'd probably walk out too. But if I decide to do the same thing myself, alone or with a neutral non-commenting person like my wife, I can handle the pain much better.

I agree with those who've asked, what solution are you looking for? Do you think the PT exercises would be useful to gradually increase strength and mobility, even if they were cut back a little when the pain is worst? Could you do them better as home exercises and handle a little of the pain, without the PT environment?

My one brief encounter with PT was when my oncologist referred me while I was hospitalized, because he didn't want me to lose muscle strength or lung capacity due to not moving because of pain. He didn't know I'd been forcing myself for the last several weeks to walk a mile on a hilly country road morning and evening, regardless of the pain in my side. With my wife and the dog along, it was "fun"--sort of, as much as anything that painful could be --but if I'd had to do it on a treadmill with a physical therapist monitoring my speed and progress, no way. I would have walked--er, hobbled--out too.

The physical therapist had me walk the hospital hall with her at a brisk pace, which was actually easier than the hilly road, and immediately afterward she said I was doing fine and there was no need for any therapy--just keep doing what I was doing.

So it's maybe possible in some cases for a dedicated person to do PT-type exercises at home, if that works better psychologically. (Speaking mainly about myself--don't know enough about specific exercises recommended by PT's for other problems.) But of course that still means doing them regularly and being convinced they're the solution in the long run, and probably still suffering some pain, or at least pushing right up to the point of pain and trying to increase over time.

There is a huge difference between a chiropractor & a medical doctor. Because you do not have anything showing on the MRI of your knee that requires surgery, all any medical dr can offer is what is called conservative care which is trying a steroid injection & physical therapy. The dr explained to you of there was any inflammation in the knee the steroid shot should take care of it. The purpose of physical therapy is to help strengthen the knee & build up any muscles that may have weakened as a result of the person guarding or protecting the knee. Inflammation does not show up on an xray & neither does a weakened muscle.

Hang on to your wallet if you go with chiropractic care. Insurance companies place a limit on the visits for a reason. They also tell every patient that they need an extensive program of months of chiropractic care which is really expensive & most of the time useless. Just like they tell everyone they have one leg longer than the other, one leg bigger than the other.

Chiropractors cannot write prescriptions, instead they sell expensive supplements.

Some drs won't give or continue to give pain meds if the patient is prescribed PT and doesn't go and coorperate for the most part with the therapist.

how long was this? A sprain can hurt for several months too. Can you describe the pain you have? i.e.: burning, sharp, dull, tingling, etc....
What makes it worse/better?
is it constant, fluctuating, etc?
does it feel bone,muscle, tendon, nerve-like?
is it in the back, front, sides, or all over?
Do you have pain elsewhere like the hip, back area?
do you have a history of back pain?


does it hurt when not moving?

these can help understand the pain you have. Did the chiro order you'r MRI? Nor really sure what a chiro can do for a knee? Have you seen an Sports med MD?
Sorry for all the questions, just looking to see if anything you answer can help us rack these brains of ours.