First session of Physical Therapy today

[scooperhsd]

Y'all remember when I had the accident in November ?

Well, my back between my hips and lowest ribs has never been right since then - especially on my left side. It's Ok when I sit for a bit, then get up, then sit - but my back does not like long car trips (probably not motorcycle trips either), nor working very hard / long. (one GOOD reason I got the snowblower). When I went in for my semiannual lab check with my primary care, I mentioned this and asked if I could get some physical therapy.

So, today was the first session. The therapist spent plenty of time asking questions, and checking out back, legs, hips etc. and how well everything was moving / hurting. As it turns out, left side muscle on the outside is still "strained". He gave me some exercises to workout the kinks, and I'm getting scheduled for twice weekly sessions with a therapist.  Some of the rest is still complaining, but not like that one...

So, my marching orders are to do the exercises and I'll probably get re-started on walking  again now that the weather isn't going to be frozen all day and night.

[DDT (12)]

Scoop,

Good luck with all of that! I dread the possibility of finding myself in that same spot! It can only take one 'ah-shucks' event to completely change our entire lives... I hope I never have cause to fully appreciate what you are going through now... I hope that soon it will all be a fading memory for you.

DDT

[Bret SD]

Good luck Scott, I'm interested to see what the PT says and what kind of therapy they will recommend.

[scooperhsd]

Good luck Scott, I'm interested to see what the PT says and what kind of therapy they will recommend.

Right now - mostly easy stretches. It may be really early, but I think its already helping. I actually had a really good (for me) night's sleep.

[Bret SD]

Good luck Scott, I'm interested to see what the PT says and what kind of therapy they will recommend.

Right now - mostly easy stretches. It may be really early, but I think its already helping. I actually had a really good (for me) night's sleep.

Excellent!

I wonder if there's inflammation in the muscle tissue itself or if it's more a problem where nerves are inflamed. It might be wise for you to invest in a foam roller if you don't have one, they're excellent for gently palpating tissues, especially in the lower back as your weight presses down while you do it.
If you've never had it I would also recommend having the offending muscle worked on by somebody who is competent in Swedish massage or deep tissue massage, they tend to wring out the muscles pushing blood and toxins out of the tissues. You may be in need of some myofascial release as well, sometimes sliding surfaces of muscle fascia lock up, especially in the event of trauma.

You may also look up a guy on YouTube named Trevor Bachmeyer, he's very knowledgeable and has many techniques to help with some of the problems we have. Once you know how to do it gently doing soft tissue work in the area on a near-daily basis will you yield some good results for you. The PT will be useful for guidance but soon you'll be on your own again.

You'll get much more bang for your stretching buck when the muscles are warmed up and supple, stretching cold stiff muscles can be counterproductive.

Trevor's channel is called Smashwerx, he's the real deal.

[sandy]

After I broke my wrist, it took 6 months before I could pull a clutch handle. Stick with it, it will come around.

[scooperhsd]

In some respects, I've been called a Wolverine for some of the things I've gone through, seemingly without major injury. But I have to think how much better I would have been if I had tried some of this before. When the Therapist asked me what I had done to try to heal myself , I said "I have done nothing". The truth is that I didn't know what I should do, and I didn't want to make things worse. I have a feeling my body will respond real well to the right kinds of treatment. 20 years ago - I'd would have been sore for a week or 2, then back to normal. It ain't that way anymore .

Time to go do another round of exercises.

[Oss]

After 4  months of PT and some supplements from Dr Sears (Mobilfy) my meniscus no longer bothers me

PT done right and often is good stuff if you remember to stretch and do stuff on your own as well

Hang in there !

[scooperhsd]

Tomorrow marks my last session (for this incident), and I got to say - it's been worth it. I'm well on the road to my old super -flexible self (for my age ), and I feel much better (and a cough doesn't show me a quick jab in the left lower back any more). On top of that, I now have some tools to keep progressing.

So , my word to others who get injured (especially from a Motorcycle incident) - ask your primary care about Physical Therapy sooner than I did if you aren't making much if any progress on healing.

[Bret SD]

Tomorrow marks my last session (for this incident), and I got to say - it's been worth it. I'm well on the road to my old super -flexible self (for my age ), and I feel much better (and a cough doesn't show me a quick jab in the left lower back any more). On top of that, I now have some tools to keep progressing.

So , my word to others who get injured (especially from a Motorcycle incident) - ask your primary care about Physical Therapy sooner than I did if you aren't making much if any progress on healing.

Good to hear you're feeling better, I would continue doing the same stretching and exercises that were prescribed. As you go along you can tweak things and make adjustments accordingly by doing a simple thing like listening to your body. Listen to your instincts and don't let this thing go, it's going to take awhile to be fully resolved.

Having said that, you'll come away with new knowledge and Power in self care and healing. Translating that into a good, consistent exercise regimen will have you well on your way to being much more Bulletproof.

[98valk]

high chance your problem is Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Pain

The sacroiliac joint, or SI joint, is a common, but often overlooked, cause of lower back pain, sciatica pain, and pelvic region pain.

When not properly diagnosed SI joint dysfunction and/or SI joint instability can lead to frustrating results from traditional treatment for these common conditions (back pain, sciatica, etc).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lAIOBjgYkE