Physical Therapy

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amymeenieminymo
amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Who here has had physical therapy? Is it normal to feel in more pain after starting? I blew a disc in my back two weeks ago, the pain was getting better last week and then I started physical therapy on Monday. Monday night my back felt really good, but then yesterday it was bugging me a bit and today its pretty sore. I had to pop a vicodin today for the first time in over a week.

I don't think I'm really doing anything strenuous there....so far I just get some sort of ultrsonic massage which feels good, then an ultrasound, then the PT gives me a massage which sometimes hurts when he is pressing down hard but otherwise not too bad, and then I do 10 minutes on the stationary bike. Is it normal for it to get worse before it gets better?

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  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    In my experiences, yes. But make sure you tell your PT how you feel so they can make sure it's a good pain vs. a bad pain and be able to track your progress accurately. But yes, retraining your body and dealing with an injury is going to be painful. Mine was always sore after my evening session and then would let up mid-day the next day. Just make sure you ice/heat, do your exercises and whatever else your PT tells you.

    Good luck!
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    I found that PT didn't work for me with my disc herniation. I go to the chiropractor and he basically does similar things - massage, laser therapy (if I need it) and then working out the muscles and loosening them up.

    I typically do feel worse after a session - not so much after PT but then I didn't see much benefit either. The theory I have is that the muscles are used to being in position A (which is the position where the disc is herniated). They are manipulating them back to normal positions so it puts strain on them. He's also given me a few different exercises that I do that have really helped strengthen those muscles so a session typically hurts less now.

    My suggestion is keep with it. If after a few more weeks you aren't seeing overall results. Ask your doctor to try something different. It'll always feel worse immediately after it, but you should have more mobility overall.

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