P.T | Arthritis Information

I went to PT today after having so much back pain and MRI not showing much but degeneration.It turns out that the left hip is higher than the right making my leg shorter probably due to falling down the stairs last year.The PT did some pulling exercise on my legThat "no pain, no gain" thing definately does not apply to people with RA (as I've had drilled into me at ASMP School). You need a more patient PT that will get you from point A to point B gradually and with no pain.
If ever I have the need for P.T. again I'll definitely keep your words in mind Gimpy-a-gogo... The last time I had the need for P.T. was long before RA became a part of my life. Thanks for the heads up. Take Care

PT for RA should indeed be a series of small steps. Often times, you have to start with water exercises. And, any time it hurts to that point, they need to stop and back off to a gentler level of treatment. I've had lots of PT with some really good professionals. I've also seen some pretty lousy therapists. You do have to be careful.

What you want to look for in a PT is first, their ability and willingness to listen to you and your concerns. There are somedays with RA that no matter how willing and gun-ho you are, you're body might be in a flare and suddenly you can't do what you were able to do the last time you were there. A well-trained therapist is going to recognize this and either cut back on your exercises for that day or even reschedule your session.

This isn't like sports training where you are delibrately pushing to build muscles. PT is the gentle rebuilding of muscle tissues. The exercises tend to break down your existing muscle tissue and then it rebuilds it. But there are some patients that must have a day for that to happen. Others can go at a much faster rate.

It seems that stretching you so much in your first session was not the wisest of actions. Because we don't realize joint damage is occuring and that our tendons are growing weak, we begin to walk in unhealhy positions. This is probably why you have one leg shorter than the other. The pain is making you compensate for the weakness in that leg. But the transformation to get you to the point didn't happen overnight and an overnight approach is rather rough for someone with RA.

Talk with you PT and really make it clear to them how much you hurt afterwards. If they say that, ok, maybe we need to go at this a little more gently, then you are probably going to do ok with this person. However, if they don't listen or don't want to listen then you may need to consider asking for either another therapist to work with or even a different center.

PT should be licensed and there should be a doctor of PT or someone working on their doctorate in charge of your care. There are some Physical Therapy centers that give a lot of the general patient care to interns. This can be just fine up to a point and that's where you are in what you consider is too much pain. You can get a sense of the care you are receiving. Ask a few questions about how long that particular person has been doing their job, how well they like it, etc. Those answers will help you know what their philosophy is on good patient care.

Just like with doctors, the care with vary with PTs. For the most part, my favorite medical practioners are PTs. They are very hands on of course and they have taught me more about my disease than almost anybody else involved in my care.

Hi Pin

If your PT has done some manipulation you will be sore for a day or two while everthing settles back into place. Is your bath deep enough for you to do some gentle excercises?

I suffered with my back for years until I finally found an oesteopath who put it right, it was bliss after a couple of days and (touch wood