Has anyone had positive results from physiotherapy?

I have been going for physiotherapy for not only fibromyalgia, but also an old ankle injury (sprained it a few times tripping over the garden hose, dog was pulling me one way, my body went the other way taking my ankle with it). The nasty sprain caused me to see stars, it was sooo painful, and the doc I had at the time, didn't do anything for it. So it's going to be a long haul for me - up to a year, before that leg gets better, but the physio doesn't seem to be helping the fibromyalgia much ... what about you?

what is physiotherapy?

The short answer is yes, but to echo the posts above it is extremely important to find someone who knows about fibro etc.

I also do yoga twice a day. I know the difference when I skip.

T

Achey Body, ak angel - madisun explained it very well, it's a similar concept. Physiotherapists are trained in all about how the body works to assess your physical mobility and then work you thru a series of exercises to improve your range of motion, muscle strength, posture and gait (balance in standing, walking), etc. For example, if you have a bulging disc, they will do an assessment, then put you in traction (sounds worse than it actually is - you lie down on a bench that has special straps with velcro going around the chest area, hips and a belt between your legs that is hooked onto the the strap around the hips - bolsters are placed under each knee to elevate, then the machine is set for a certain time and pressure, and it physically stretches you out - feels great to have those kinks out and no more back or hip/groin pain). There is a gym in the physio clinic, and depending on what the patient needs, equipment like treadmills, exercise balls, and recumbent bikes is used to build up the patient's muscle strength and endurance. Also there is a spa/pool, and some places use acupuncture as a form of treatment well. They prescribe certain gentle exercises to do at home in between appointments, because it's so important for us fibromytes to keep those muscles from atrophying and feeling worse. So if you've had any sort of a sports injury, or other injury like from a fall or a car accident, you can find a physiotherapist yourself, or the doctor can refer you to a physiotherapist who will then work with your body to improve the condition. I asked my doctor about physiotherapy and whether he thought it might work for me, and he said to give it a shot and referred me to a physio clinic.

MSNova74 is absolutely right, there are some physiotherapists (like massage therapists, naturopaths, chiropractors, doctors, etc.) who are not educated enough about fibromyalgia and so can do more harm than good. I had a massage therapists previously who was apparently familiar with fibromyalgia patients, before my doctor recommended this physiotherapy clinic. She had me in so much pain kneading my thigh muscles that I had tears pouring down the sides of my face while begging her to stop. I couldn't stand it, it was burning so much. She wouldn't - she just kept saying, "oh I know dear, I understand you're in pain, but the reason you're in pain is because you have all these knots that have to be worked out" ... I got off the bench and told her, no more. Never went back there.

As much as I complain about it, the physio has helped with my hip, though not so much with the injured ankle. Like MSNova74, I also can tell when I've skipped doing the prescribed exercises as I am more stiff, more sore (especially if I've been sitting for a long time) and kinda cranky ... I asked my physiotherapist about whether she knows if fibro gets better with the physio treatments and she said it all depends on the person, everyone's different, and the disease affects different people in different ways. It's a matter of finding the right combination of exercises that work for "me", so she's very flexible. She always says, if the pain is too much during the exercises, then to ease up or stop doing them - we'll find something else that works. She seems to know her stuff about fibromyalgia and takes the time to do the research before working on a patient, so I'm very pleased with her and the work she's been doing with me.

I guess I get a little discouraged when I don't see results "right away" - I've been going since January and still have a lot of pain. I force myself to do the exercises even on a bad day, but when it's a tsumani pain day for me, I skip that day.

I asked my doctor about the nausea I'm feeling after every session and he explained that the body is releasing toxins, so the nausea is the body's way of eliminating the toxins and healing. He also said something about the nerve centres (? not sure if I've said that right - fibrofog was heavy that day) colliding while releasing the toxins which also could be why I'm having the nausea. It's not serious and is apparently a good sign, and it goes away with rest.

Thanks for your well wishes - all the best to all of you as well.

blessings and peace

Hey there, CailinGaelach - I see you're a new member, welcome! It's interesting that you mention the "jock" mentality - it's the same thing I encountered when I went to the first physio place, and had a male PT work on my TMJ issue. He actually told me that Fibromyalgia pain is in my head and hauled out some kind of a text book to "educate" me on how the brain's neurotransmitters receive pain signals and therefore, it's all in my head ... I could have cheerfully strangled him at that moment. You're also right about the "no pain/no gain" attitude - "gentle" is not a word in their vocabulary.

This time, I had the foresight to ask for a woman PT and she is wonderful. The big difference between the last two physio-massage therapists I had, and this one, is - this gal listens - really listens, pays attention to how I'm feeling and adjusts her therapeutic touch to suit, and doesn't blather on talking ridiculous nonsense. She respects that I'm in pain, that Fibromyalgia is real, and is super gentle and compassionate particularly on my tsunami days. And she is a self-admitted fitness junkie who spends three hours a day at the gym (yes - 3 hours/daily) and just entered and came in 1st place in a body-building competition. Unlike that male PT I was subjected to, she is truly a gentle healer, despite her "addiction" to staying trim and fit. So what I'm saying is, it's fine if they want to be sports jocks - as long as they can be respectful of our place of pain and the disease we come to them with.

Before she tried the acupuncture on me, she explained the procedure very thoroughly to me as well as the possible reactions to it, and allowed me to make my own choice about trying it. So far I have not reacted negatively to it so we're continuing with the procedure. I'm so sorry that yours was not a more positive experience! This gal is always checking with me, how is that feeling, how am I doing, is it too much, too little, do we need to stop, so she is a real blessing.

Yes I can sure relate to those chemical sensitivities, although I've never experienced anything like you did. Oh my gosh, that was some awful reaction you had!
Any kind of heavy perfumey smells are intolerable for me. I had an episode today when I was out doing some shopping - one of the salesgals was drenched in some vanilla brown sugar stuff that gave me a pounding headache and I had a hard time breathing. Had to cut the shopping spree short and am still suffering with a nasty near-migraine headache along with aching all over. I can tolerate citrusy smells, but in very small quantities. I have issues when I go to the hairdresser because they're always wanting to spray my hair or put some kind of smelly goop into it with a totally overpowering stench.

Yes, it also occurred to me that there is a difference in the way Americans and Canadians use the terminology. I remember that the character Daphne in the sitcom Frasier, referred to herself as a "physical therapist" :)

Thanks for your kind comments, and for your 2 cents! Keep your posts coming :)

blessings and peace

CailinGaelach - I'm so sorry you are into some "bad" days - our thoughts, prayers and best wishes go out to you, that this will pass soon, and yes - you will prevail :)

blessings and peace

ak angel said...
what is physiotherapy?

Physio therapy is a health care profession primarily concerned with the remediation of impairments and disabilities and the promotion of mobility, functional ability, quality of life and movement potential through examination, evaluation, diagnosis and physical intervention carried out by Physical Therapists.

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