has anyone been referred to a physiotherapist and how does it work (I've got horrible images of ropes from the ceiling and being stretched until I'm 9 feet tall btw thats a joke just in case anyone thought I was being serious) reason I'm asking is I was finally nagged into seeing a doctor earlier this week about my back which I damaged some time in march (what can I say I don't like doctors) and he has referred me to a physio before deciding if I need surgery (I've already decided if he suggests surgery he can bugger off) but having never seen a physio before I have no idea whats involved? anyone got any experience of having been seen by a physio?
In my experience physio's will give you various exercises using body weight and/or machines, medicine balls, etc & various stretches to do, even walking & running. Around here physio's seem to have a hatred & disrepect for chiro's, but seeing both of them gives best results, in my experience anyway, and it does seem logical to me aswell. Physio works on your muscles & joints, chiro gets the spine in alignment, which puts everything else in alignment. Like a good service & tune edit: There is also the issue of having a good diet and even environment to keep your body in top shape of course!
Physical therapists can use ultrasound with the gel to heat up your muscles which feels good. Also recommend stretching and exercises that may help. You're good to try and avoid surgery, unless it's a critical issue, surgery isn't any more helpful in slipped disks than taking anti-inflammatories and stretching/exercises. Chiropractors try and mix a "holistic" approach with a physical structure/function technique, lending to their overall disrespect. Stick with the physical therapist, seeing as they use evidence-based medicine.
When I went to physio it was because I had bent my spine. I picked up something a little too heacy and had the weight on one side of my back. I stretched the... whatever it is between the bones in your back and when it healed the scar tissue was causing pressure because it was larger than the original tissue. He started by putting a hot water pack on my back to losen everything up and the massaged the tissue in the affected area loosening it and pulling it apart. That was it was more flexable, or something. He also showed me stretches that I had to do every day for a while, and some exercises to help build muscle in my back.
Beware of chiropractors that use 'pain free' methods such as electro-therapy and acupuncture. It is the physical chiropractors that manipulate the spine, joints and back with force alone that are the most effective.
Because their profession is 1 part science (for those with bad backs) and 3 parts ******** (for those without bad backs). Unless you have legitimate back problems, don't see a chiro.
On a more +ve note, you might be lucky and get a good looking student physio as I believe they need to do a fair few hours of on the job experience b4 they can become fully qualified. Turns out a friend I knew from school is training to become a physio and lets say I'm pretty sure any man wouldn't mind her rubbing your body. Also how come you are dead against surgery even if it would make your quality of life much better?
Like everyone has said, physio is fine. I've had it multiple times and, I'm not going to lie, it can sometimes hurt, but that depends on the severity of the problemed area. It will be a range of exercises and stretches usually but you have to do them at home and not just at the physio, otherwise it's practically worthless.
Don't get me started on Chriopracters. I've known more than a few and they have only ever made situations worse. I've seen several friends go to registered chriopracters, both recommended and new, and had stuff done. Universally they come back saying "yeah, it was weird and it hurt, but now I feel so much better". That lasts about two days, then it's back to moaning. Meanwhile, when they go to have a check up a few months later I've had three friends who found the doctor said their situation, which should have got better, has been worsened through the use of a chiropracter. My sister even had to go to hospital after the chiropracter snapped and unsnappable. But, who cares, if you've decided you'd rather have the pain than face surgery and get it fixed then you'll probably be up for it. :rollseyes: Physio though is good stuff. It can hurt, but no more than going to the gym.
Its just the thought of allowing someone to cut into me with a metal object (no matter how small the cut is) it just screams out that its wrong somehow and yes I know I'm being stupid (I also don't like needles ) but anyway hopefully it won't come down to surgery hopefully it will all be fixed by the physio and a couple of exercises.
I've heard of a few of horror stories from chiros, but a few people i know that have been seeing the same chiro. She clicks, presses, twists, but nothing painfull tho. I've heard of nothing but good stories such as pains, aches, even headaches that all disappeared after a few visits to the chiro. I also know some people that have fixed problems using physio alone, but how many people are there that injure themselves from not working out or stretching properly? I think both have great techniques that work well when it's performed correctly, but anything done badly is, well basically, bad +1 avoid surgery, leave it as a last resort.
Most of chiropracty is based on the "everything is a subluxation" theory, which is non-scientific BS. However, there are a few good reasons to go to one. I've found that a chiro can be good for getting a back spasm to release -- all the physio in the world won't help until that happens, and chiro manipulation seems to be more effective than physio for getting that initial release. Probably the best thing about chiros is something that has nothing to do with chiropracty itself. ART (Active Release Techniques) is a form of deep tissue work that is very effective (and often very painful, but worth it). Like I said it has nothing to do with chiropracty; any practioner who is qualified to do soft tissue work can become ART certified, so you can get ART from chiros, massage therapists and physios. But often there are more chiros with ART certification to choose from. You just have to find a good one who will just do the ART and not go off on a mystical subluxation tangent.
I've had experience with both on the same area of my body, my dodgey shoulders. Both of the did the whole massage thing whilst the chiro kinda pulled on my shoulder and put my spine straight. Whilst the physio gave me a whole load of exercises to stop my shoulder blade kicking out and to strengthen the muscles. Both lasted about a year to 18 months before I had a relapse so I hope it works out ok for you.
I'm not sure what I technically go to. She massages me, cracks my back a bit to get it back into place properly, but also gave me some exercises to do, much like my physio did. I reckon a combination of the two has done me well.
The physio will spend a lot of the first session poking at your back and shoulders to figure out what's going wrong and where. He/She may have you take off your shirt, lie down, stand up, move your arms in all sorts of strange directions, press various areas to find out where there's pain, etc. If it hurts, say so - that's kind of the whole point of being there. Once they have an idea of what's going on, there's a variety of therapies they use, mostly stretches and exercises as other people have mentioned. (Ultrasound is awesome if you get it, it's a combination of massage and heat.) Most therapy places have a workout room that looks like a well-stocked weight room, with a lot of other stuff thrown in too. Expect to see large inflatable balls, sets of hand rails (for people re-learning how to walk), that sort of thing. There might be a few things that look like torture devices, but they probably won't put you in them. Probably. After the first visit, expect to spend most of your time in that room doing eight reps of this exercise, ten of that stretch, on to the next one... Think of it as a focused workout session. Most importantly: If they give you stuff to do at home, do it! Physical therapy may or may not solve your problem for you, but at least give it a fighting chance, even if you don't think it's working.
