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Does anyone go to physical therapy on a regular basis?

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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 10/22/2010 7:12 AM (GMT 0)
I went to PT for 8 weeks back in 2004 for trochanteric bursitis (both hips). I had a fantastic therapist; he knew a lot about fibromyalgia and told me to be wary of someone who told me they knew about FM but really didn't. After the end of that therapy, I moved two hours away and he called all the therapists in my town and interviewed them, and he couldn't find one that he thought was qualified enough to work on me. He said, in his opinion, I would be better off not seeing anyone than seeing someone who would make me feel worse. So, since then I have not been to a therapist. However, now I have had sciatica going down both legs coming up on three weeks and have been sent to a therapist. When they called to make the appointment, I asked if the therapist was familiar with fibromyalgia and was reassured he was. However, I am having a lot of anxiety about going to the appointment tomorrow. I have been on Valium for the pain and also had a shot of Toradol which helped some. (I don't know why they give Valium for sciatica). I have also been alternating my muscle relaxers and Vicodin to keep on top of the pain, but all the pain/muscle relaxers have made me sleep a lot the last two weeks.

My husband saw this therapist for plantar fasciitis and seemed to like him, but my son also saw this same therapist for back and neck pain and didn't like him, so I'm undecided. I know I can go to him and if I don't like him I can change my mind. Just thought I'd through this out here and see what everyone thinks.

I'm trying to get in to see a pain specialist, but the one I want to see isn't accepting new patients, and neither is his partner. I may call to see if I can get on a list for when they start taking new patients.

Thanks.
Posted 10/22/2010 9:44 AM (GMT 0)
My feelings are that you don't have anything to lose. Who knows.........maybe you'll feel even better with this new therapist. As you said, you can always stop going.
I've been to physical therapists for several months at a time. Some are great, some are just average. The good thing is that your body will tell you if they're good or not!
The weird thing with me and physical therapy is that it helps at first, then eventually I discover that its causing me pain. So I just have to know when to stop!
I had sciatica from using an exercise bicycle.
Be sure your feet are good, because having unbalanced feet can cause hip pain.
Sometimes you think its sciatica, but its something called pyriformis syndrome.
Try to have a positive attitude that this new person will be good too. Good luck to you!
Posted 10/22/2010 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
I've tried 2 different physiotherapists in the last 2 years. The 1st one I saw 2x a week and they did alot of accupuncture and IMS which made me feel worse, not better. they gave me a few exercises, but not alot.

Then I went to the Canadian Back Institute where they specialize only in back pain. I went 3 x week for 3 months and then 5 x a week for 2 months and then I went back to work and decreased to 2x weekly. All it was was exercises, and they taught me alot of techniques for standing, sitting, lifting, cleaning, etc. Some of the things were very helpful and I still do some of the exercises every day. My back and hip is alot better but does flare from time to time.

My only suggestion would be to see a physiotherapist who really knows alot about your condition and is not just used to treating sports injuries. Our bodies do not heal the same way as someone with a sports injury!

Good luck to you!
Posted 10/22/2010 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
Krista.......that's a good point about people who treat sports injuries. I had PT at a sports medicine facility, and even though my therapist was extremely knowledgeable and competent........I don't think she "believed" in FMS. It was very frustrating because there were days when I did everything I was supposed to (exercise-wise), and my muscles were still tight and I was exhausted. She kept thinking if I was doing everything right, it would show. Well.....that's the point........those of us with FMS have funky reactions to things! Even when we do everything right, it doesn't yield the same result as a "normal" person.
Then I went to a therapist who was well acquainted with FMS and she was sooooo gentle. It was wonderful.
But you're absolutely right......sports medicine therapists are trying to make us athletes, and that's just impossible.
Posted 10/22/2010 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
You  all have opened my eyes about the sports therapy vs "our" kind of therapy.  Thinking back to the 2 or 3 times I did therapy and even when I got a referral for neck massages (paid for by insurance) it was a sports massagist (word ?) and I got zero relief. 

I am still trying to get into the pain management place, my doctors are quite slow at forwarding my files.  But from there I am sure they can help me find the right places to go.  This place is the only one relatively close that is listed on the link in our 101 files.

Posted 10/22/2010 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
Hi bwfm. I have gone to several PT's over the years before and after I was diagnosed with fibro. All PT's are trained in sports medicine to a point. They all knew I wasn't an athlete and never treated me that way so I have a hard time believing that is a huge factor. Patients need to remember that there are many, many different types of therapy available to them but not all PT's know them all well enough to practice them with proficiency. PT's are like doctors or any professional in that some are just better than others. None of the PT's I ever worked with hurt me but none really helped me too much. I kept searching for help because I believe physical therapy can be helpful especially when we have orthopedic type issues on top of fibro. I finally found someone who can help me and it isn't a PT. Actually he is a chiropractor that my ortho doctor sent me too. And yes, this guy is a sports medicine/orthopedic specialist. He is good. He doesn't treat/push me like he does his professional athletes but the therapies he uses do apply to both groups. The point I'm trying to make is to keep looking and don't over look any possibility (including sports med guys). I believe that there is help out there. If you don't like this guy, I'm sure there is someone else willing to work with you and able to help you. Good luck, Lisa
Posted 10/23/2010 9:05 AM (GMT 0)
Well, I'm not sure I liked him. He was nice enough, but he wants me to do push ups and sleep on my stomach. Says that will be good for my back. The push ups (from the waist up) do help the pain in the legs and concentrate it in the lower back. I'm supposed to do 5-6 of them every 2-3 hours. Right. I'll be surprised if I can get up and move my arms tomorrow from the seizing up of the shoulder and neck muscles. I got the idea that he didn't really understand FM and what will happen with repetitive motion. He didn't even do any manipulations on me, just watched me bend over from the front and from the back, no physical therapy, no ultrasound, no touching, no nothing. Just a sheet with some exercises. He also says it is bad for my back to live so far out of town because of the time spend in the car when I go back and forth to town and that 20 years in a chair doing medical transcription didn't help any, either.

Maybe needing to sell the house will get hubby off his duff and we can get our house in shape to sell so we can move to town. Poor hubby....took the flu/H1N1 shot today and is miserable. Is running 100.4 temp and has allover body aches. I refuse to take it.

Thanks for your views. I believe I got better treatment from the doctor of osteopathy I went to several years ago.
Posted 10/23/2010 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like you might need to look for another one. I know its a pain........but its just like doctors. You have to keep searching until you find a good one.

When I was having sciatica, here's a couple of the exercises she had me do........lay down on the floor and place a chair facing you, and put your legs on the chair, so that your hips are just off the floor. (I laid on the bed or a couch, since I find it almost impossible to get up and down from the floor and used a stool), It provides traction for your hips.
Another exercise......which I had to laugh at because there's no way my hands/wrists could tolerate this..........was to hang from a strong door.
Have you done internet searches on exercises you can do for sciatica? There are alot of sites out there on these kinds of things.
Another exercise is......lay down on the bed, bend both legs at the knee, then take the leg on the side of the sciatica, cross it over the other knee and pull the knee towards your shoulder. You can feel the stretch in your hip area. You can find this stretch on the internet, if I've confused you.
Could you go back to the same place and ask for a female? Sometimes they are gentler.
Posted 10/23/2010 5:14 PM (GMT 0)
bwfm...the lazy push ups are great and helped me tremendously because I had bulging discs in my low back. As for the sleeping on your stomach, I'm very surprised they would suggest this...sleeping on your stomach is really really bad for your neck. I used to always sleep on my stomach because it was the only way to relieve my low back pain but I think it is one of the main reasons my neck is so messed up now! You should try sleeping on your side with only 1 pillow, have another pillow between the knees and hug another pillow tight against your front. You need to keep your spine completely straight and if your bed is too soft or sagging you might need to put a rolled up cloth or something in the curve of your waist of the side you are laying on. It is very important that everything be aligned because if not you will have pain in your back or neck.
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