Physical Therapy

[Beckydalton]

I'm starting PT again this week. I am going to a new place because the old one seemed to have me doing the same old stuff. No variety. Is that normal for PT? Anyway what kinds of things do you do for PT?

I was doing stretches, sit down elipitical trainer, walking sideways, weights for upper body.

Maybe I'm expecting too much? How do you know when you are in the right place?

Thanks.

[sulgrifjewls]

I am starting on Monday myself. I am going for hip pain, I think it is caused by my afo for foot drop. So I have to get rid of it. The foot drop not the foot! I have have no idea what to expect. Hopefully it will not take too long I have too much training to do.( My first paratriathlon on the 16th)
Good Luck
Jill

[cruiserkb]

I have been going to PT and OT for over a year. Changing up your workout can good and bad. If you are having a specific issue the therapist will generaly just work that issue. You can ask if there are diferent activities that will still work on the issue at hand. Just don't be in a rush to get out of therapy. Once you start feeling better you still have alot of work left to do. I also stongly sugest that you realy do the work out at home between apointments. Those are actualy more benifishal to you. I have about 2 hours of morning workouts and 1 hour in the evening. If I skip days I can definately feel it at the next visit. I hope this helps.

[Beckydalton]

Should I continue PT?

I am shocked at how little I can do at PT. I am there less than 1/2 hour. Two weeks ago after doing a little more at PT My leg spasms started and I was in bed for 3 days. Just this week having done very little at PT my leg spasms started and I was in bed for two days. Should I hang in there and hope it improves and should I have the PT person focus more on upper body strenght? I am soo frustrated with how little I can do. Thanks for any wise words.

[LivWell]

I had a similar experience and the PT said to ease up on the exercise that was aggravating my muscles. You want improvement certainly.

Maybe it will take a little time before you and the therapist develop a good regimen that works for you. I was very skeptical about PT initially. Having been totally into stretching and strength training, I didn't think there was much PT would tell me that wasn't already on my bookshelf.

What I benefitted most from was how the PT demonstrated for me where I was weak and what I could do to address those areas.

I've been thinking of going back too. I am considering getting an AFO.

[ActiveMSers]

Becky, I bugged my PT sis about your situation. She needs a bit more info. What are your deficits? What's your objective? Your goals? Your PT needs to be working on the right systems to meet your needs. Also, what triggered your spasms? What have you done the last two sessions?

PT can be a bit of trial and error, both with the exercises and the therapist. Hopefully you can find a combo that works. Patience also helps, but if you are not on the right path, no amount of patience will matter. Hang in there!

[Beckydalton]

My problem areas are a really weak left hip flexor, I have a left foot drop. Another problem I think contributes to the problems with PT is that I have lost a lot of sensation on my left side and I can't feel my muscles working, so I don't know they are tired until the spasms start. I have always had spasms but they have gotten worse in the last year, especially when I am tired or if I walk too much (that isn't much at all anymore - bummer). I was hospitalized in July for a relapse, it was my worst, there were 5 days I couldn't walk at all. We actually may have found the problem excercise. She had me stepping up and down on a two inch mat. I only did it five times on my left leg and it put my leg into spasms. This was really hard for me and once we stopped doing it I haven't had much trouble. My physician also increased my Baclofen to 4 or 5 a day. I usually take two before going to PT. Thanks everyone for all the help.

[Beckydalton]

thrown out of pt - well kinda

yesterday when I went back to PT, they said they thought I had gotten all I was going to get out of PT. I wasn't making progress so they felt I could work on the exercises they gave me at home. Another day of realizing where I'm out now.

[LivWell]

Well, hmm.... change can be a good thing.

Do you swim?

Sometimes I so miss swimming. I was a regular at my local pool when I was still doing triathlon. It was indoors and they used a salt instead of chlorine in the water so you didn't feel like a prune once you got out of the pool. I was going at least twice a week, so it seemed worth the membership fees.

You and your hip flexor might like kicking around in the water.

[Beckydalton]

PT

I do swim in the summer, I love it because you can do so much in the pool that you can't do on dry land. I have tried to find a gym with a pool, but the only one I found near me kept their pool too cool. I need to have them at least 86 degrees. I'll keep looking as I think this is my best hope. Thanks Livwell for the information.

[andreagwolford]

The goal of physical therapy is to maintain the patient’s functional status as much as possible. Adding variety can definitely do. I found this link really informative in regards to knowing different ideas for PT http://www.mstrust.org.uk/downloads/exercises.pdf