Physiotherapy

[UnXmas]

I guess this counts as exercise? It certainly felt like exercise when I did it.

I had a lot of physiotherapy to help me get movement back in my arm, hand and leg a little while ago. It didn't restore movement totally, but I think it helped.

I've been getting a lot of back pain and I have balance problems, and I was thinking of asking my GP if physiotherapy could help with these things too.

Has anyone tried it? What for and did it help?

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

It definitely counts as exercise! I did physical therapy for my arthritic hip about 4 years ago (I now have mild inflammatory arthritis in both hips, but at the time it was just in my right hip). My physical therapist assessed me - she determined that my whole body was really weak. She was very good, she said that I needed to work on not just the bad hip, but both hips as well as areas around the hips (abdominals, lower back, thighs, glutes, etc) to support those joints and muscles properly. I had access to a gym and I had a yoga ball and she gave me some resistance bands, so she really had me doing a lot of varied exercises (and that's what got me into going to the gym regularly on my own, the PT exercises felt really good and I wanted to do more to strengthen my body and work on getting my health back). She definitely got me feeling much less hip pain - I went from limping frequently and needing a cane regularly, to walking normally without a cane most days and feeling far less pain (many days no hip pain at all!). So yes, I definitely benefitted from physical therapy, it turned things around for me in a big way.

I know for sure that there is physical therapy available for certain types of balance issues (some types of vertigo really benefit from specific exercises, for example) so presumably they should be able to do something to help your balance issues, and with back pain as well I would think it's definitely worth asking your GP about going to physical therapy. It can't hurt and it should help, and no side effects - I say go for it!

 

[Tuff]

About four years ago I was in hospital for five months. I had a high abscess they couldn't drain, so I was bedridden for six weeks until it burst. By then I was physically weak, and could only walk up a couple of steps. I was then transferred to a long term care hospital for three and a half months. I was booked for physio twice a week, but asked if I could use the gym every day. I did a 30-60 minute work out every day. By the time I was discharged, I could walk from the ground floor to the fourth without getting out of breath. They wouldn't discharge me until the wounds closed.
I think physio would help your back and your balance, and make you stronger.

 

[UnXmas]

Thank you for your replies. I did get that feeling of making myself stronger and healthier by doing physiotherapy, so hopefully I will get that again. I've found physiotherapists have an exercise for everything you can think of (exercising my fingers in the hospital "gym" for exemple) so hopefully they'll know some things I can do for my balance and back pain. I see my GP next week so I should be able to ask then, though I've a feeling my GP has other things she'll want to discuss so it will depend how much time I have (my GP is one of those people who manages to spend an hour talking about things that would take most people ten minutes).

 

[Jennifer]

I've had physical therapy done for my back a few times and it does help. My back pain often came during a Crohn's flare so my exercises were tailored around strengthening my back muscles as my abdomen was quite weak and sore. I've also had it done for arthritis pain to strengthen the surrounding muscles. The main thing you need to do is continue these exercises on your own once your sessions are over otherwise you may find your pain coming back.

As mentioned, physical therapy is often used for balance as well. When my grandpa had his stroke they started PT on him right away to help him find his center of gravity again. Some physical therapists have more experience than others when it comes to these types of conditions so try to get paired with someone with more experience if you can. If you're a fall risk then you may want to bring a cane or other assisted walking device so they can show you how to walk with it properly. They often have equipment there but it's best to bring your own as it's tailored to your height and weight.

Hope PT goes well for you. Let us know how you do.

 

[UnXmas]

Well my GP referred me for physio, she immediately said it was an excellent idea (she's probably glad I'm doing something about my back that doesn't involve more painkillers). I've no idea what the length of the waiting list will be though. Apparently my x rays show I have a fracture midway down my spine and osteoarthritis at the base of my spine. I didn't even know I had osteoarthritis as well until today, and I'm still not clear on whether this is something else caused by osteoporosis or something different. It hurts more than the fracture though.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Sorry to hear about the osteoarthritis! I think Jennifer's arthritis is also osteo (Jenn?) so she might be able to give you some insight in that regard. Hopefully the wait for physical therapy isn't too long. Here in the US it's usually pretty quick to get an appointment for most types of physical therapy, so hopefully it's similarly quick in the UK.

 

[Jennifer]

Yes I have osteoarthritis in my back, hips, feet, hands... probably everywhere. All of my doctors (GI, GP and Rheumy) agreed that it was caused by Crohn's. I have no idea when I developed it though as the imaging tests were only done recently but I've had PT for my back when I was in High school.

PT helped and a heating pad will become your best friend. You're not supposed to lay directly on them but I like putting a thin blanket over it in case I fall asleep but mine also turns off after a while on it's own.

Are you seeing a Rheumatologist at all? They can also help with osteoarthritis if the pain gets too bad or if PT doesn't seem to be helping. If you're able to eat cherries or drink cherry juice it may also help to reduce some inflammation from osteoarthritis. http://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/arthritis-diet/best-foods-for-arthritis/cherries.php

 

[UnXmas]

I haven't sewn a rheumatologist yet, at least not for this issue. But I've been referred to one and he interpreted my scan and x ray results for my GP. I'm waiting for an appointment with him now to arrange infusions of some kind - I can't remember what - instead of alendronic acid as that was awful on my stomach. But I'm sure he will deal with the arthritis too.

I can't imagine how you manage with this type of pain in all those places! I'd not heard of the link with Crohn's either (my GP was running very late so she wasn't able to tell me much at this appointment). I've found some sites online saying osteoporosis can be a factor for osteoarthritis too, so I'm starting to see more and more why this has developed. I'll definitely try cherries too, since that's a very easy thing to try.

 

[Jennifer]

Just throwing this information out there.

"Destructive arthritis of the hip joint is a rare manifestation of Crohn's disease." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8539214

Also malnourishment may cause osteoarthritis (it does in animals) but more research needs to be done.

"Malnutrition might have played a role in the increased prevalence of the disease in Native Americans about 1,000 years ago, the researchers say."

"Over the course of the study the team discovered a rise in osteoarthritis as the moose population increased, and a decrease when the population fell, leading to the idea that the condition is linked to moose malnutrition when food is scarcer."

"Examination of the size of moose foot bones revealed moose that were malnourished when young were more likely to develop osteoarthritis in older age and die with the disease."
http://www.livescience.com/8404-malnutrition-arthritis-moose.html

Personally I think a lot of it has to do with nutrition as we do have absorption issues but the medications we've taken over time may also have played a role.

 

[UnXmas]

Well I'm currently eating some cherries. I'm not sure I've got enough to make a difference to my inflammation, but they taste good.

 

[Jennifer]

This is from the link I gave earlier, not sure if you read it or not.

"In a 2013 article in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, researchers at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center reported that patients who consumed two 8-ounce bottles of tart cherry juice daily for 6 weeks experienced a significant improvement in pain, stiffness and physical function. Study participants also showed a marked decrease in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation Each bottle of juice equaled about 45 cherries."

I know you've had issues with being able to eat or drink enough so hopefully that's not too much for you to get down. The juice should be pretty easy to get at the store and may be cheaper than 90 cherries per day. Still seems like a lot though. I'm sure there could be improvement with less juice though. That's just how much they used in the study.

 

[UnXmas]

Thanks, I did read it, but I don't think I bought enough cherries, even if I was able to eat that many, so I'm not really expecting it to help my pain. I might see if I can find some juice though.

 

[InstantCoffee]

I don't know if it will be the same for you but many peoples' back pains are caused by upper/lower cross syndrome, or extreme lordosis / kyphosis of the spine, which is treatable by stretching and strengthening the right muscles. Many people that lead sedentary lifestyles end up with this postural issue and it can cause pain in every joint because it leads to improper joint mobility throughout the entire body.

I have a blog post on how it works and how to begin treating it

https://beyondtheoddsfitness.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/how-bad-posture-kills-gains/

This is also a helpful website, it's where I get a lot of therapeutic stretches from.

http://www.do-it-yourself-joint-pain-relief.com/

The basics are
Stretch:
-quadriceps
-pectoral muscles
-lower back muscles

Strengthen:
-abdominal muscles (via planks, situps etc.)
-glutes (squatting, glute bridges, reverse leg raises)
-upper back muscles (rows and chinups)

Website to help you find exercises and stretches by muscle:

http://exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html


I see that you had a fracture, I'm not sure if stress from lordosis could be making it worse or not.

 

[UnXmas]

Thanks, but I had a glance at the pages you linked to and they mention things like weight lifting and body building, sit ups.... I'm female, I have the strength of a kitten, I have osteoporosis and a fractured spine, many other medical problems and you're probably lifting weights that are heavier than I am. I will have a look at the stuff on posture but I don't think much else is really suitable, it would probably just do more damage if I attempted it. My previous physiotherapy was to help me start moving my hand and learning to walk after a medical procedure went wrong and my right arm and leg were temporarily paralysed, so I really need to stick with far easier exercises.

(Sorry, I ought to have given more details in my first post.)

 

[InstantCoffee]

Thanks, but I had a glance at the pages you linked to and they mention things like weight lifting and body building.... I'm female, I have the strength of a kitten, I have osteoporosis and a fractured spine, many other medical problems and you're probably lifting weights that are heavier than I am. I will have a look at the stuff on posture but I don't think much else is really suitable, it would probably just do more damage if I attempted it.

Stretching and strengthening can be done without weightlifting. In fact for postural performance I'd say low intensity cardiovascular training is ideal, you want to train the muscle to support the body over a long period of time, not just be strong at contracting.

There's some evidence to suggest that depending on training type you develop the type 1 or type 2 fibers differently, so your muscles adapt to the stimulation placed on them. This is why a sprinter gets huge legs and a long distance runner is thin.

These are generalized therapies tailored to anyone. I just apply them to a weightlifter's standpoint because it becomes even more important to have perfect posture if you intend to lift heavy weights, or the risk of injury greatly increases. Many people are squatting with extreme lordosis of the spine and it's not safe.

Low weight, low impact exercises would be planks, leg lifts (get down on all four and kick back your leg into full extension).

Targeting the upper back without resistance is harder but you can use resistance bands or very little weight, then place your free hand and a knee on a bench / bed / chair to support your back while you do them.

For bands you'd just hold the band in front of your chest and stretch it apart with your hands.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

The thing about cherry juice is interesting. My arthritis pains are typically worse in winter (snow/bitter cold can trigger my hip pains - heavy rain can as well, but snow is usually worse) so I might try some cherry juice in the winter and see if it helps any. I actually have just started looking for a fruit tree to put in my yard anyway - I cut down a shrub that I didn't like, and once I dig out the stump, I'm hoping to put a fruit tree in its place. I was thinking either apple or cherry since those types of trees should be able to handle our winters, and I can put the fruit in my juicer (I could probably freeze the fruit as well and then juice it in winter). So now I'm leaning towards finding a cherry tree for my yard!

 

[UnXmas]

I got my appointment date, but it's not until September.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Wow, that's quite a long wait! I'm not sure how it works in the UK, can you be put on a cancellation list so that if someone else cancels then you could take their appointment slot?

 

[UnXmas]

How it works in the UK is: slowly! But when I was paralysed, from the day after it happened to the end of my hospital stay a few weeks later I had two therapists to myself everyday, then as soon as I was discharged one came to my house weekly, so I'm feeling quite accepting about the wait since they have other people to see.