Thursday, March 26, 2009 JPN asks

Q: Has anyone experience pain from phyical therapy

...that has left them a crumbled mess unable to continue? the doctors say it is just the muscle rebuilding after the surgury for the broken leg. My husband thinks it is more? But what? Nothing shows up in tests. So they say no pain no gain and he is going downhill fast. Anyone else experience this? And if so what did you do?

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Answers (12)
3/27/09 3:52pm

im noticing ive been getting more pain when i come home from therapy also and new pain that i havent had before

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3/27/09 11:55am

I didn't go to physical therapy when i found out my back was hurt. I went to a chiropractor. Big mistake. I would leave there in worse shape than when I came in. I cried many nights and spent hundreds of dollars befor I saw a regular doctor and found out that the only way to fix my problems is to have surgery. Good luck with your therapy and discuss it with who you are working with. Maybe there are other exercizes you can do that are easier on you and will still help your problem.

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3/27/09 4:08pm

I have been going to therapy off more on for the past three years. They fixed my painful knees i had surgery on my neck(3 sliped disc) carpull tunal both wrists. I found that sometimes it does hurt but you are to go home and rest for at less 20 min. after and then its better. Also my therapist said some times it will hurt it the nerves comeing back.

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3/27/09 4:39pm

Hi. I have been going through physical therapy for 2 months to stretch my Achilles Tendon before I have surgery. I have a bone spur that has calcified to my tendon.  I am a 50 year old women who walked 3 miles a day before this injury. And YES I was hurting BIG time after my first 2 sessions. So hang in there. It will get better.

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3/27/09 5:12pm

I had to have Physical Therapy after I had back surgery.  I also experienced an increase of pain after my sessions.  When I spoke with my doctor about this he prescribed a 30 minute message after each therapy session.  Though this didn't make me "pain free" but it did decreased the amount of pain I was in.  Maybe this would work for you.  I hope that all goes well.

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3/27/09 8:43pm

I suffered extremely bad pain after going thru Physical therapy. EVERY time- (i've had 4 back surgeries). Twice my Drs have pulled me out, agreeing it was making me worse, and not better. I just stopped PT again, after having surgery in Oct, but not because of the pain this time, because of insurance issues.  SOME extra pain after physical therapy is expected, and I would bet MOST get it to some degree- but earth shattering, oh my LORD I can't MOVE pain, is not a good thing. Have you thought about getting a 2nd or even 3rd opinion from a different physical therapist?? Maybe even asking your Dr. what they think.....it may just be that the physical therapy you get from one place, isn't what's good for you......and try somewhere else? Good luck!

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3/27/09 10:18pm

well!! i guess you hit the nail on the head with that question! ive been dealin with severe problems in my lower lumbar spine since 1999 and i tell ya,have i put in my share of PT time thats 4 damn sure! i used to dread goin cause i always knew that after i left id feel a little better but after all the "deep heat",tuggin,pullin and exercises they would have me do ta boot! whew! id be alright til about an hour after id get home and then....OMG let me tell ya id be down for the rest of the day! yeah so i talked to my doc and we had dropped from 3 to 2 days a week, then i just wasnt gettin any kind of help over all from it and i was discharged! i guess now after all that babble i can definately tell you that YES it was awful!  

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4/28/09 12:38pm

dude you got it right.first you gotta have the right PT if you don't they just kill you,don't know what they're doin'. i have only had luck w/PT 1 time,after bilateral knee surgery.w/my back injury after car accident,no.after injections into the area i shattered my vertebrae,no tried it twice.i believe in massage therapy w/a person who knows what they are doing. both my parents one in NM one in CA the CA good the NM he did it hisself,went found out what to do then did it religously,they are both good now,well they have new things going on.if it hurts too much ask doc to cut back for awhile to heal some more.i am going to try aqua therapy next.good luck

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3/28/09 2:48am

I was given the wrong type of PT exercise and they pinched a  cervical nerve. I lost the use of my hands and sat in a chair for 3 months. Also perhaps there is something wrong with the surgery and that should be checked out by a surgeon or the PT is the wrong type for the problem or too severe. Usually there is pain, but if it is very strong and continous, I would look into whether fibromyalgia is involved. I agree that the issue should be discussed with the Dr or a physiatrist. Another possible problem is that some people have nerves where there shouldn't be one and the nerves are injured in the surgery, creating a constant pain as a result. A friend of ours who is a Dr. himself, had this happen to him in hip surgery. He eventually had back surgery which relieved the hip.

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3/28/09 3:52pm

Yes. Almost always. Anytime you're moving muscles and joints that are ill or injured it is to be expected, to have pain.

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3/28/09 8:04pm

i feel that it depends on the problem,and of course if the surgeon did not screw up during surgery or order wrong kind of therapy. i hurted myself at work then was in car accident went to chiro/pt for many months (until they used up my insurance benefits,hmmm) did not do me ONE bit of good. now after my double knee arthroscopy it did do good cuz you HAVE to get moving right after surgery i am not self motivated any longer,used to be an exercise freak,hahaha. then i came up w/a horrible horrible horrible problem called myofascial pain syndrome,the doc wanted to send me to pt but if you go to pt w/MPS and they are not familiar w/that syndrome it can become worse,then instead of thinking which mountain you are going to drive off of on the way home you just kill yourself in the office from the pain. 3/30/2006 i broke my back,one doc says pt,before mri or anything F&*@ that the pain was/is too bad.i have an implanted medtronic pain medication delivery system now and i KNOW i need to exercise,water therapy is the only thing that really helps and the pump.so yes/no pt is good/bad.pt person good/bad,i went and tried it after i broke my back 2x's both times it made the pain so much worse i gave up. you need to find out what is right for you and if it is due to car accident don't let them use all your money cuz if/when u get a settlement the insurance company WILL take what YOU owe them.my father did his on his own,he did not want his surgery to go bad and have to have it done again, he is such a good dude. good luck

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4/ 6/09 12:00am

Two years ago I had three herniated discs repaired, L3, L4, L5.  I did go to physical therapy, and felt that the therapist I first saw was really helping.  She left the clinic, and the next therapist was so extreme, that my pain doubled two fold. I dreaded the sessions, as after I had to take extra pain meds, which I was trying to get away from.  Then I went to a spine specialist (and one of the best in northern Caliornia) and when I told him what was happining, his advice to me ( and not to anyone else) was:

"If it hurts , don't do it.  Walk, walk, walk as much as you can, and do some very mild pilates to strengfthen the core muscles, but only if it does not increase the pain."

( holding in my stomach lying down  for small counts progressing to longer times if comfortable) I walk about four miles a week, and could do more as it helps my back so much. I am starting some different and  very mild stretches, very mild, and progressing slowly to longer stretches.  At first it really hurt, so I backed down to a slower rate, and now it is definitely better.  The moral of my story, we are all indivciduals, and the rate we recover might also be relative to our ages, and our sense of purpose. I am 66 years old, and know that if I keep doing this, there is no question I will feel  better and better.  Surgey may not be the perfect answer, but it is sure preferable to the debilitating sciatica, back pain, depression and a growing (then) need for more and more pain killers. Hang in and do your best .Prayer is also a wonderful comfort.

 

Susie

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5/10/09 1:09am

I've had a number of surgeries and accidents involving bones and joints and was sentenced to physical therapy. In all cases more pain was caused than cured an the prescribed teatment regimen was abandoned in fear and terror.

Thank you for asking.

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By JPN— Last Modified: 12/24/10, First Published: 03/26/09