Physical Therapy

[judifilksign]

I am both better and worse off than I thought.

I have more flexibility than expected, but much less strength over all.  Some of the exercises, I have difficulty doing not because of pain, but due to lack of toning overall.  *sigh*  I can feel my legs tremble with the effort.  This can only be good for me.

They keep thinking I'm being a "tough girl" and ignoring pain, or a bad diabetic who can not feel pain when things are too much for me.  So, when I say it's starting to bother me, they really back off.

Today, I got medicine put on my foot, and then electrodes put current through, sucking in the medicine directly to the afflicted area subcutaneously.  Pretty kewl concept.  Felt like my foot had been asleep, and was trying to wake up, all pins and needles, for ten minutes during the treatment.  Ow, ow, ow.  But it had a greater range of motion after the treatment.

One of the therapists has the same injury as I, and was marveling at just how my foot looks exactly like hers in the healing process.

I am determined to be of good cheer, which observing other people in therapy is probably easier on my therapists, because many of the other folks coming in are really, really, cranky, and take it out in cussing and snarling at the therapists.  I'm guessing their pain is worse than mine, but still...it isn't the therapists' fault, why take it out on them?

Comments

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

The exercises will be good for you. I've had the electrical treatment too, though in my case without added medicine. To me it the prickles feel kind of good, like sitting in a really hot-but-not-hot-enough-to-hurt bath. But I guess tastes differ on this, and it does take a while to get used to it in any case.

I've always liked my physical therapists. They have hardly ever hurt me and they are so obviously trying to help, it's hard not to like someone like that.

The exercises are probably what ended up fixing me up, so I definitely recommend doing them, unless they make you hurt (stabbing pain hurt, not tired muscle hurt.) Plus if one does make you hurt you should back off, but don't be afraid to try it again in a week. I had one that I flat out couldn't do at first but after a couple of weeks doing the other ones I the one that hurt didn't hurt anymore and I started doing it too. My therapist was kind of surprised that I'd kept trying, but pleased that I was able to do it, when I told her about it.

[huskiebear.livejournal.com]

I had a rotator cuff strain last fall that required PT. A dozen visits worth of exercises and ultrasound did only a little to help my range of motion. In desperation they tried the iontophoresis (the electrical treatment - can't remember the specific drug they used ATM) which pretty much cleared everything up in my last four visits. Could have saved us all a lot of time, money and pain if they'd tried it earlier!

Good luck with the healing!

[needlewomyn.livejournal.com]

Boy, that electrical treatment sounds interesting.

Physical Therapy

[mzwyndi.livejournal.com]

You know, I think you really will come out better for all this. Keep up the good work.