Physical Therapy

Was going to start a very mild physical therapy routine kind of similar to what is outlined in this link-http://www.lymeneteurope.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=82

I think that article makes very good points in outlining what to do. I went from being a very well conditioned athlete to being knocked down to pretty much zero activity due to this disease and would love to gain back some of my strength very slowly and gradually.

Just wondering if anybody has gone through physical therapy in order to gain some strength and stamina back.

Post Edited (Tick41) : 12/13/2016 12:16:04 PM (GMT-7)

Dr B's guidelines for physio are right on the money...

If you are actually going to see a physiotherapist one word of caution, do not let them push you to hard or to fast. They typically treat people whom are healthy but are injured and can heal within a normal rate of time using standard methods of treatment. They usually do not understand how to treat bodies suffering from lyme infection. Standard / traditional physio treatment could set you back with further injury if the therapist does not understand lyme.

Post Edited (Kirky98) : 12/13/2016 1:36:56 PM (GMT-7)

I'm doing it myself and obviously know my limits. Generally I don't feel well after exertion but this is common with lymies. Just gotta up my detox! Especially after a little exertion :)

From the link - Burrascano: In late stage disease, many degative effects to the body are occurring:the muscles are shrinking, weakening, and are being replaced by scar tissue and fat. "

I credit Dr for actually describing a stepped rehab plan, however, he could improve on it. He mentions scar tissue above, but does not say what to do for it.

The very first step should be identifying your worst specific areas , "damage assessment", paying attention first to scar tissue/adhesion's and tendonitis near joints.. You can only successfully repair muscles after those two areas are taken into consideration, as these are the range of motion "limiters" more than muscle tissue is. Its also an area not studied well in PT, but should be.

Traditional stretching of a hardened tendon or muscle with short ROM from scar tissue or adhesions safely, is not possible to do. In 10-15 years lets hope they understand this part better. The whole active release for tendon repair and scar tissue "grinding", and myofacial release is to traditional PT as LLMD's / NP's are currently to regular traditional MD's.

Also dont forget Foam roller rolling is a great way to warm up / detox the fascia without cardio right on the living room floor. Rolling and static pressure on on golf balls / lacross balls is one of the few ways to detox tendons and denser muscle fiber allowing new fluid replacement with oxygen killing the spirochetes wear there is minimal blood flow. If you have tendon issues I would strongly recommend an active release professional; they fix tendons if PT's cant.
www.activerelease.com/find-a-provider.asp

When tendons are starting to improve, then heavier muscle work can begin.

I can move 25% more weight 5 minutes after 2 minutes of tendon release. That how important tendons are. The more I repeat this, the stronger they get.

Really stuck/hard or shortened tendons can take a long time to correct, but its possible with my stated methods. I have fixed tendons that were said to have permanent damage only repair able by surgery. Even the new prolo injection therapy work for a lot of people, but is spendy- try asking an ortho about that- most dont even know about it yet LOL. Conventional Medicine is so behind the times, its ridiculous.

blueberrymuffin said...
Physical exercise is very good for Lyme patient. I think it is a good way to get your stamina back.
I would like to work with a physiotherapist, but unfortunately I don't have financial resources for that. They are expensive.

I saw 4 (or was it 5) Physiotherapists when I first had symptoms - who were useless...and then I found the one I'm currently seeing.
She has made a big difference...with my frozen shoulder ROM and strength.
She was the first one that actually looked at my left shoulder blade and saw that it wasn't moving properly.

It is expensive, though. I do have Blue Cross coverage...but my yearly limit was reached a while back. I was seeing her weekly for the first several weeks...then every two weeks, now I'm every 3-4 weeks.

We're not working on my stamina, though, I do that on my own. I have an Elliptical machine, and I also do long walks with friends.