HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Physical Therapy?

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 4/14/2015 10:06 AM (GMT -5)
I'm having really bad lower back pain and upper back pain.  I have a misaligned hip and my back is curved inwardly and also I have rounded shoulders from poor posture and motor tics over years of having Tourette's.  I've been to PT many times, but it only helped when I was doing rehab post-surgery, every other PT place did not help since I was still not being treated for lyme and I think it worsened my symptoms.  I'd really LOVE to get my body back in alignment and get my posture better, strengthen weak areas, etc. while I'm in treatment.  Is it a good or bad idea to go into PT now to get posture realignment, musculoskeletal balance and strengthen areas that are weak while I'm in treatment for LD/Bart?
Posted 4/14/2015 10:12 AM (GMT -5)
Well...I guess it can't hurt, but your body won't really heal until the infections are gone.
Posted 4/14/2015 10:13 AM (GMT -5)
Sarah- do you think it would hinder my body's ability to heal, even if I was to do light posture alignment work and than increase the difficulty of therapy as I healed?
Posted 4/14/2015 10:53 AM (GMT -5)
DaveNJ41

Dr B's guidelines has a section towards the back about PT do's and don't. Worth the read

http://mylymediseasetreatment.com/dr-burrascanos-diagnostic-hints-and-treatment-guideline/

good luck, before I was diagnosed and became more Lyme Literate myself, My neuro sent me to PT. I received mostly pilate type exercises that I still try to do today
Posted 4/14/2015 10:55 AM (GMT -5)
Dave, I am not familiar with your condition, nor am I a doctor, but I don't think "Light posture alignment work" would hinder your body's ability to heal.
Posted 4/14/2015 11:03 AM (GMT -5)
I happen to believe that it's careful balance - do this too soon and you will experience flares and herxing and if it's too intense, you could kind of set yourself backwards a bit.

But if it's done at the "right time", then it will definitely contribute to your overall healing, as I believe that the body that has most everything working properly so that it's not struggling with other things will be able to put more energy towards healing these infections.

So I agree with Tickbite on reading through Dr. B's guidelines.
Posted 4/14/2015 12:16 PM (GMT -5)
My daughter has requested to start up on some physical therapy, so we'll see how it goes. tickbite, thanks for the info. I'll print it to take to her first appointment.

In the past, chiro treatments didn't tend to hold very long, but I think that has changed now. The place we'll be going does a variety of things, much more than one we took her to in the past. She isn't as sick as many on here are and she had some good improvements in the last year, so this time might work. I think she would've had problems with it a couple of years ago.
Posted 4/14/2015 12:47 PM (GMT -5)
I think adjustments can be a great part of a Lyme protocol. Neck adjustments should only be done by really experienced applied kinesiologists, but there is so much nerve pressure do to the build up of mycoplasma or biofilm in the neck that it can be a great relief.

From a traditional Chinese medicine point of view, adjustments also open the meridians.
Posted 4/14/2015 12:50 PM (GMT -5)
Thanks everyone for the responses! Do you recommend going to an applied kinseio or a physical therapist (are they different or the same?) or would I be better off doing gentle yoga and working my way off to PT? I'm just trying to figre out what the best way to get my body in balance again would be without causing more harm to my body. Has anyone else been in a similar situation?
Posted 4/14/2015 1:20 PM (GMT -5)
Dave, I've done many different forms of therapy to "fix" my body pains.

The most important thing I found out, is the one "they" seem to brush over. its the most important too.

If you have deep muscle knots, muscle roping, or adhesion's, NOTHING will help your muscle pain like its supposed to, not even yoga.

If your unfamiliar with these specific terms/jargen, read up on them and how they effect chronic pain: (deep muscle knots, muscle roping, or adhesion's). Its crucial that you know if you have these, because they shorten muscles and one cannot stretch them out with this. these conditions are corrected with triggerpoint release, myofacial release and the trademarked Active Release Technique.
Posted 4/14/2015 1:35 PM (GMT -5)
Dave imo you need soft tissue physical therapy.

The last thing you need is to go to PT and have them put you to work doing resistance bands or other resistance training. A skilled soft tissue PT will help, and will help you feel better. They will also be able to give you gentle exercises for you to do at home.
Posted 4/14/2015 1:45 PM (GMT -5)
I think PT may help but not to the extend you need it to. I find that some ice and a brace puts my back into place when it goes out. I have herniated disks in lower back and I have done PT but it didn't do much except short term. Now when my back hurts I wear a brace I bought for work out and that supports my back enough to make it fix itself.

FOr the record, the PT told me not to use the belt because they wanted me to have my back fix itself through exercises. He said belts are for old people LOL I disagree, it helped a lot and I went through 2 pregnancies. I do not use the belt every day. I use it only when my back starts acting up--maybe 2 days a months or maybe 2 days in 4 months, it depends what comes down my way.

I think a chiro with a lot of experience can help a lot more than PT, but I was afraid I would find one that make my back worse, not better, so I didn't go to a chiro. Some of them are quite masters, I saw some stuff on you tube that impressed me--and I don't get impressed often LOL
Posted 4/14/2015 2:20 PM (GMT -5)
Hey all, I agree, I'm very skeptical about going to a PT, even if the yelp reviews and front desk staff say theyre AMAZING blah blah. I've heard it before and I've gone to "miracle" workers of PT, and they did nothing. I'm stuck on what to do...because there is no doubt in my mind I am very out of alignment and I have deep, deep knots and trigger points that need to be corrected. I also have shoulder problems I want to get fixed as much as possible. Here is my list of things I want to get better:

-Correct my hip alignment, one side is higher than the other
- I have a swayback in my lower back and rounded forward int he upper back and shoulders
- Get the shoulders and surrounding structures stronger to support the shoulders
- Strengthen my hips, legs and butt and core
- Posture re-training

Will a regulat PT practice, even one that is really good be able to correct these or help with these? Or will I have to find a really good ART, trigger point release. I did myofascial release and it did nothing. I also did ART and did not find it that helpful but I think I did not go to a great place. I really need to get these things corrected, as it's really impacting my body on top of the LD/bart...

...just want to be normal again and back to being healthy...this sucks.
Posted 4/14/2015 3:15 PM (GMT -5)
A chiro can help align hips. My daughter comes out of her chiro visits standing straight with her hips aligned. Now I hope the PT will help the adjustments hold longer. She needs the combinations to fix it. I don't think the place we used to go to would've helped, but I feel this one will since they do more.

This is a rough illness and patience is needed, hard as it is sometimes. I hope you can make a decision and be helped.
Posted 4/14/2015 3:18 PM (GMT -5)
Dave, triggerpoint release, myofacial release and the trademarked Active Release Technique are soft tissue therapy.

I've been promised so many times by PT places, only to have them fail my expectations. They want your business.

ART for us must be done very aggressive. Same with trigger point release. Sometimes that means light bruising..

Unbalanced glutes and leg muscles (L &R) will pull on the hips, creating the tilt. Leg muscles are stronger than the spine extensors, so the lower vertebrea tilt with the hip tilt, and viola ----Pain.

Goggle the knobler trigger point tool, poke all over and find where they are located.

After spending thousands, the the best therapy I got was only after the soft tissue was loosened up manually.

If they throw you onto machines, resistance bands, exercises with out loosening tight restrictive areas, they arent doing their job right and it can create worse problems. Not many places work on soft tissue, thats the tough part.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply