Any physical therapy survivors??

[EdiePA]

I'm beginning to think my physical therapist is actually a physical terrorist. ugh. For the second time, in 6 weeks of therapy, I'm bruised. Is this normal? I've had therapy before, for other issues, but never bruising.

I'm being treated for hip bursitis and IT band syndrome. The first bruise was from manual manipulation. Yesterday, he used some sort of "stick" on my IT band.

My bursitis has been on-going for three months and it's getting old. My doc finally did another cortisone injection last week and it is helping about 90%. He did say that when I see him in August, if I'm not "better", we'll discuss an MRI to see if anything else is going on.

Thanks for any insight,
Edie

 

[powellrj]

I had hip bursitis several years ago and physical therapy really helped the problem! I have had lots of physical therapy over the years and am a real believer in what they can do!

Sorry you are in so much pain.

 

[Robinrs]

My physical therapist told me it's her JOB to make me hate her... ... and at first I DID!

I had PT after shoulder surgery and YES, it was horrendous. But today my shoulder is mobile and I survived it. I had several cortisone injections, also but they were temporary. The surgery and the PT is a permanent fix.

Good luck, I know how painful it can be!

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

That is the irony of PT. A lot of the time it hurts in order to help. Bruising depends on the person - I don't usually bruise easily, but I know plenty of people that do. Is there a reason they won't do the MRI now? The reason being that the earlier they catch a problem, the faster they can treat it and the easier they can treat it. Scar tissue is a major obstacle to your options. Do you have an HMO and are just being treated by a General Practitioner and not an Orthopedic Doc? I really would demand an MRI if I were you. I have seen way too many people at PT that had doctors with the same philosophy who ended up needing surgery that could have been prevented if they had their MRI's in the beginning.

Good Luck!

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

oh gosh, I have been in and out of PT for months on end for over 30 years now...it always hurts, ..and always will!

 

[EdiePA]

I'm seeing a major sports medicine/orthopedic guru. He stands behind his diagnosis and doesn't want me to have an MRI unless it's absolutely necessary. He did agree that at my next visit, if nothing has really changed, it will be necessary.

I was really please at my last visit with how well he listened to my concerns and his reasoning behind my treatment. I'm a pharmacist and like I explained to him, I read too much.

Good to know that the bruising isn't unusual. And yes, if he wasn't such a nice guy, I would hate going to physical therapy!

Edie

 

[tiggger1]

my son has been in PT weekly since he was 6 months old.. he will be 4 in Jan. When we first started we were told to give him Tylenol about 30 minutes before because he would get sore..after a few monthly of that he now only gets it before if he misses a session but I will give it to him afterwords if he seems sore... the issue with PT now is that its not hurting him, it wipes him out...and while it seems like a nice idea to have a 3 1/2 year old napping for 4 hours.. its kinda stinks when he is running around the house wide away at midnight!!!!

 

[Gigi22]

I really believe in physiotherapy. Thanks to my excellent physio I re-learned how to walk at the age of 27, after being run over by a car. Yep, it hurt. But I can walk.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have told my PT that he must have worked in a torture chamber in his previous life. Some therapy is going to hurt due to it's very nature. Try having a Psoas that is tighter than tight released. That'll put hair on your chest.

I equate it to this---if you dislocate a shoulder--the doc has to put it back in and it isn't going to feel good when he does it---but it will be a great relief when he is finished.

As for the IT band---that is one of this things that, if it needs
work....it is going to hurt. I have been taught some self treatments and they do hurt. (rolling on a foam roller or using a rolling stick I bought at a running store).

Bruising can happen bit it is hard to say if it was because the therapist did too much or it was a result of needed pressure. A friend of mine and I have used the same therapist. I have never had bruising, but she has. It just all depends.

If it is painful, speak up. That way the therapist can try to adjust. Electric stim is a good example. They turn it up and you tell the when to stop. Over the course of therapy---as your body heals---you will be able to take higher and higher limits.

As for my psoas---as I healed over the course of 5 sessions--his same technique hurt less and less. It wasn't because incoudl tolerate more--it was because the area wasn't as tender as it was in the beginning and wasn't as tight.

You should notice improvement over the course of your therapy. Best of luck and I hope you heal quickly.

My IT band is on fire and they need work. I do not look forward to
it.

 

[Mommee]

I have had more therapy sessions than I can count over the past few years I've had bruising only a handful of times within a few weeks of each other, and the PT was horrified (I'm not normally bruised easily). He sent me to my doctor for a work-up and after ruling out a huge list of culprits, it was decided that it was from the meds I was on. Sure enough, not long after stopping the meds, the bruising stopped.

I would talk to the PT and make sure they know you were bruised, and find out whether they think it's normal for what they were doing. And find out how much something should be hurting and speak up if it hurts more than expected!

 

[Magic Mom]

Yes, when my back was bothering me last year, one of the effects was a muscle in my hip area would knot up into a rock. She (physical therapist) would lean on it with her elbow and push down as hard as she could until it released. Her elbow was bony. It brought tears to my eyes, and one time it hurt so bad that an elderly woman having work done on her shoulder came over and held my hand. Isn't that sweet (the old lady not the elbow)?? That always left a bruise. But it was sooo worth it.

 

[autumnpalm]

Ouch, I've had my IT band worked on with the PT using a roller on it. Ouch!! I always ended up with bruises from that but it really did help. PT hurts but is worth it! I am so grateful to my physiotherapist, he is awesome (but brutal!)

 

[mamacatnv]

Sadist the lot of them
I had my ACL removed last summer, I can walk, run etc. due to the tortures of my PT. I only had brusing in the very beginning when "knuckles" would get his thumbs in and around my knee cap to break up the scar tissue

My chiropractor however has left bruises from working on my low back sciatic nerve area. The skin seems so thin and he did the same elbow trick a PP mentioned.