Is there any point in gaining weight if it's not muscle mass?

darreneatschicken

Mellouk89 wrote: »

asianambition wrote: »

Ditto seeing an osteopath. I've had similar problems to you, OP: sciatica running down my left leg, left arm pain after working out, the inability to feel the left side of my body activate.

After seeing countless physiotherapists, chiropractors, and athletic therapists, someone on MFP actually recommended that I see an osteopath. It was my last hope, so I thought: "why not?"

When I finally met this guy, he figured out what exactly was wrong with me: a rotated pelvis, which was causing the sciatica and an imbalance throughout my body.

I treated my rehab seriously and progressed through the exercises that he gave me and now, for the most part, I am pain free!

So if it feels like you've tried everything, then an osteopath might be your only hope as well. It's worth a try. However, you're going to have to figure out a way to get the money. Osteopaths aren't cheap and they aren't covered by most health insurances.

My osteopath charged $110 for each visit and it took me about 5 visits to be fully healed.

Thank you for this post, talking about imbalance, I saw a specialist 2-3 years ago he told me I had one leg shorter than the other and it was evident when he looked at me. He did manipulations and told me had fixed it partially, I didn't do anything on my part afterwards. I didn't realize it may have been the cause of my problems. I just checked right now and my right leg is shorter by almost half an inch. I will surely mention this when I see an osteopath or physiotherapist. Looking at this article a difference of leg lengths greater than 5 millimeters (1/4 inch) can cause all kinds of problems :

https://www.spinemd.com/news-philanthropy/leg-length-discrepancy-linked-to-lower-back-pain

One of my legs is also half an inch shorter than the other. When I saw the chiropractor, he said that this was a structural imbalance (as I grew, one leg ended up growing more than the other).

When I saw my osteopath, he disagreed with the chiropractor: he said that my problem was functional, not structural. One leg was shorter than the other because my pelvis was rotated.

He gave me some exercises to correct my rotated pelvis and the pain went away.

bmeadows380

Finding a qualified PT is well worth it, but you may have to shop around a bit if there are options in your area. My best friend was suffering from severe pain in her side for several months before her doctor finally set her up with PT. She found a very good clinic, and they are the ones who found that her problems were being caused by a rib that was out of place. Several sessions of PT reduced the tightness and inflammation in her muscles, giving her pain relief almost immediately, and loosening things up so that they were able to manipulate the rib back in place without breaking it. She has nothing but good things to say about that particular clinic.

In my area, on the other hand, there's a dearth of good quality PT available. My dad broke his back several years ago and is suffering from arthritis in his spine and some severe pain. His doctor sent him to PT locally. They didn't do any kind of X-rays on his back at all and just started him into routine treatments without giving any consideration to the herniated discs in his back. Not only was the therapy extremely painful for him, it also caused more problems rather than helping. My mother put a stop to the sessions when it became apparent they were making things worse for him, not better.

I'm afraid I have had bad experiences with DO's. In southern WV, pretty much all the phsyicians in the area are DO's because of the School of Osteopathic Medicine here. But I have yet to find one of the local DO's who actually look physical causes as Ann had suggested; all the ones locally just prescribe medication right off the bat. My sister, for instance, has had trouble with her knee and hip on one side since she was born, and its getting worse. She is obese, so I know that doesn't help, but the DO she is currently seeing just brushes her off when she complains about it.

Of course, being that this a poor state and a rural area, I can be honest and admit that this isn't the kind of area that going to attract the top of the class doctors, and I'm sure that if you do your research, you'll be able to find a well qualified DO. Knowing the quality of the local doctors here is the reason why I kept my MD in Morgantown, WV, when I moved south, even though its a 3 hour trip to see her twice a year. She is an excellent doctor and was willing to work with me across the distance.


I'm leery of chiropractors. I've never been to one, so I can't comment as to the quality, but I have seen my share of quacks in that area just through their advertisements. My company, as part of their wellness program, brought one in for a talk one day a few years ago, and I went down to listen, but wrote him off completely when he made the claim that he could get me completely off all my thyroid meds, even when I told him I didn't have a thyroid.......sure, buddy........

ninerbuff

Mellouk89 wrote: »

So i'm 5'9 152lbs, i'm unable to train because I have a shoulder injury and sciatica, it's been that way for 5 years. People often make comments that i'm skinny and should gain weight. But if I don't lift weights i'm just going to gain fat, so wouldn't it be better to stay how I am right row?

Btw the only exercise I can do is walking, but I hear too much walking can lead to muscle loss. I don't know if it's true.

There's ways to workout even with those injuries. If the shoulder is so bad you can't even lift it or move it, then surgery is your option. But if it's just painful, then issues like that can be rehabbed. I have sciatica (mild) for over 25year and have been able to work out regularly. If I don't workout, it actually gets worse. There are ways to still exercise.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

AnnPT77

On the Osteopath issue, to be more clear: I was suggesting a D.O. who specializes in manipulation or at least makes it a major focus of practice, not just a D.O. general practitioner or family doctor. The university-based specialty clinic where I see my D.O. does only manipulation.

darreneatschicken

Just look up osteopaths in your area and email them to see if they specialize in your problem.