Has anyone seen this type of doctor? I found a dr. in my phone book who does this here...It is a type of pain management but not like chiropractic I think....Sounds like it may help my back.....I went through a lot of this treatment after my accident at work. All I can say is for me, it helped at the time and I felt good, but by the time I was home the pain was back. It is woth a try, but talk to your Dr first. I found some of these therapy people tried with me to the point it made it worse and I had to quit. An osteopath is a medical doctor who also is trained in giving spinal manipulations, like Chiropractors do.
I have not been to an osteopath but I went to a chiropractor before I knew I had PMR. If this osteopath knows you have PMR and has worked with someone before and knows what PMR is, maybe it would help.
The therapists had me do some exercises that made my back worse. They had me do leg lifts. Those cords in my crotch HURT. Then they would bend my legs and they HURT. I did these exercises when I was on Prednisone and so it didn't hurt as much. The lower part of my back felt like someone had hit me with a board and I felt bruised. When I finally quit doing those exercises my back started to feel better...not perfect, but now my back doesn't feel bruised.
You can not overwork your muscles or strain them with PMR, because they just don't heal up right away. I guess my chiropractor now knows that. When I was diagnosed with PMR, I took him a web page telling what it was. The other day by sister was to this doctor and he asked how I was. She told him that I couldn't exercise very much and he said, "No she can't." Wished he could have had even a small inkling what was wrong with me when I was there.
I figured out why my left arm hurt worse than my right arm. I am right handed and I use it more...but I figured out it was pulling the car door shut. That is what is not good, getting your muscles extended to far away from your body and exerting them. I have keeping it close to my body and it is getting better. When I reach over with my right arm, I am keeping my arm close to my body and that doesn't exert it.
If you exercise, don't do anything that hurts even a little. I can lay on the floor or bed and bring my knees up. That is still keeping the tops of my legs close to my body. No way do I want to bring my leg straight up again. That is exerting it too much. Walking is what I do, but now that the weather is cold, I'm not getting that done.
I only took two Tylenol today, and hurt only a little. I'm hoping I am on the down side of it. Then I suppose one of these days I will turn up aching all over again. Never can tell what each day will be like.
Would be interesting to see what an osteopath did, I wouldn't go to him/her unless they knew what PMR was and had a set program of a tried and true practice on what they wanted to do to help you. Ask before you make an appointment. A massage didn't even make my muscles feel better...in fact I think it hurt worse the next day, but I can't say it was the fault of the massage, because I have good days and bad days. Just my thoughts...
Let us know if you do go and the results. I sure hope it helps you if you go. .Mary
As was said before Osteopaths are physicians who attend medical school