The Physical Therapy/Gentle Movement Accountability & Resources Thread

[ixtap]

I did ALL of my physio exercises today. Ugh...I don't feel well now. Lol

Ouch.

I got in my morning walk, but yoga was replaced with a couple of my most basic PT exercises and rolling around on the thera ball.

My body is an asshole who likes to get all uppity when I do too much of anything. I literally get flu-like symptoms if I even remotely over exert myself.

DH is similar, except his baseline is pretty high. He just wants more.

[Sailor Sam]

Owwwww. Had a PT appointment yesterday afternoon, and by the nighttime my enter hip throbbed, throbbed, throbbed.

[Frugal Lizard]

@Malcat  and @Sailor Sam -hope you recovery quickly.

I wonder if my physio experience is so different from others experience because it is a pelvic injury and subsequently diagnosed with myofascial pain and assessed at risk of hypersensitive central nervous system.  PT is constantly seeking consent with each step, asking what my pain rating is, and before she starts anything , how did I feel after the last session.  I am tired afterward but always with way less pain than when I got there.

I am making great strides towards being fully healed physically. 

[Metalcat]

@Malcat  and @Sailor Sam -hope you recovery quickly.

I wonder if my physio experience is so different from others experience because it is a pelvic injury and subsequently diagnosed with myofascial pain and assessed at risk of hypersensitive central nervous system.  PT is constantly seeking consent with each step, asking what my pain rating is, and before she starts anything , how did I feel after the last session.  I am tired afterward but always with way less pain than when I got there.

I am making great strides towards being fully healed physically.

I always feel better after my actual PT appointments, but when I talk about doing PT, I mean at-home exercises.


But yes, all PT is different because it treats different things.

If Andrea is actually working on me, she's addressing compressed nerves. I don't do any exercises at my appointments except to demo that I can do them properly

[oneday]

Took a day off of PT after travel (tired), and two days back in the office/at keyboard. Ouch!

I knew office work was bad for me, but what a dramatic illustration. The workstation has already been adjusted for proper ergonomics. I need to be sure I'm sitting properly as much as possible (difficult for 2 hours at a stretch, let alone a full work day or week), and no skipping PT on work days! At least not the shoulder work.

Today, 50% of reps for all exercises, to ease back in.

[Dollar Slice]

I knew office work was bad for me, but what a dramatic illustration.

Sitting at a desk in an office chair is basically the devil, as far as my body is concerned :-/  All pain all the time.

I got all my stuff done today but missed some the last few days. Dealing with another bad migraine. My brain doesn't like me lately. And when Brain isn't happy, ain't nobody happy :-)

[Metalcat]

Took a day off of PT after travel (tired), and two days back in the office/at keyboard. Ouch!

I knew office work was bad for me, but what a dramatic illustration. The workstation has already been adjusted for proper ergonomics. I need to be sure I'm sitting properly as much as possible (difficult for 2 hours at a stretch, let alone a full work day or week), and no skipping PT on work days! At least not the shoulder work.

Today, 50% of reps for all exercises, to ease back in.

I personally have zero faith in ergonomic adjustment of office setup. I've seen so many people get worse after getting an ergo setup. Why? Because they often don't have the strength in the small muscles needed to maintain the ergonomic position that the setup is designed for.

This results in just super creative ways that the body can slump over time. I couldn't stand to watch DH sitting at his "ergonomic" setup before I got him into Pilates and redesigned his setup to account for what he could actually sustain. Then as he gained stabilizer strength, I changed him to a ball chair, an adjustable sit/stand desk, and now his work posture is beautiful. I love walking by and seeing his feet planted flat on the floor, his spine straight, his shoulders square, and his forearms bent at 90 degrees.

I personally can't sit on a chair. The hip dysplasia has always made this impossible for me, so my desk set-up is a lap desk on a chaise lounge, with a pillow under my knees, so that I can keep my neck pulled back instead of strained in a forward head posture.

I got pretty bad "military neck" from my old job, so I've been rehabbing that for years and need to always be mindful of ergonomics that encourage it...y'know, like everything to do with tapping on a phone often, lol.

[oneday]

I knew office work was bad for me, but what a dramatic illustration.

Sitting at a desk in an office chair is basically the devil, as far as my body is concerned :-/  All pain all the time.

R'amen!

Sorry about your migraine. I can see how it might be difficult to build a PT (or other) habit when the repetition gets interrupted randomly by a higher priority health/self care situation.

@Malcat that sounds like magic, the good kind. Will you come to my house and custom design a workstation for me? 😉 Any tips for best using a sit stand desk?* I also fight against military neck. Imagine it must be ubiquitous in the developed world, with our high usage of phones and other screens.

* @philli14 is that something you can comment on?

Roll call! How is everyone doing? Just want to provide encouragement and accountability to anyone who wants it, so please do not feel obligated to respond.

@G-dog @FrugalShrew @mspym @Frugal Lizard @the_hobbitish @sonofsven @tygertygertyger
@Sailor Sam @La Bibliotecaria Feroz @wenchsenior @Dicey @therethere @Serendip @deborah @ixtap


I am so pleased with the participation in this thread, and how quickly it's gotten to three pages! That's a lot of good info and support for all of us.

Last night, the thread fulfilled one of its purposes. Scrolling through the forum, the thread popped up. It was my prompt to do all shoulder PT exercises before going to the grocery store. I knew if I put the PT of until getting back home, I would be "too tired."

Reflection: it was so easy to do all the PT (from several injuries) when I was at Mom's for a week. Gained a lot of mobility in just one week as a result. Analysis:

A. Reduction in factors contributing to injuries, meaning each days PT was more effective:
1. No work - no sitting at a computer 8 hours per day and especially no 10-keying or mouseing.

2. No cat trying to sit on me and forcing me into awkward positions. A multiple times per day struggle at home. Not as big of a factor as #1, but it sure doesn't help.

B. The time factor:
3. Few competing priorities such as chores, errands or fun stuff like house projects and screen time, compared to at home.

4. No work, again. There were 8 more hours in the day in which to "find" time to set aside for PT.

C. The comfort factor:
5. Modern HVAC system means I wasn't bundles in awkward amounts of layered clothing that restricts movement and needs to be shed, but don't want to shed because cold.

6. Space. Mom's place is 2.5x larger than mine, for the same # of occupants. They are also minimalistic, so lots of open space in which to perform the moves, particularly the standing moves.

7. Equipment. Space for a dining set meant that one of her dining room chairs was perfect for doing all the seated moves. This was lucky, and it could have easily been the case that the chairs weren't suitable at all.

[ixtap]

I knew office work was bad for me, but what a dramatic illustration.

Sitting at a desk in an office chair is basically the devil, as far as my body is concerned :-/  All pain all the time.

I got all my stuff done today but missed some the last few days. Dealing with another bad migraine. My brain doesn't like me lately. And when Brain isn't happy, ain't nobody happy :-)

Y'all have pretty succinctly described why DH is no longer working full time and not sure how long he will work part time. He is to the point where anticipating work can be enough to trigger a reaction unless there is something he is genuinely looking forward to.

[Sailor Sam]

Thanks for the check-in batsignal, @oneday. I ran 7 miles on Saturday, and surprise, surprise my hip was pretty unhappy.

I'm at about 90% in doing my exercises daily. One of them is horrifically annoying, and I"m planning on asking for a different exercise during my appointment tomorrow.

To revisit the discussion about good vs bad in-office PT appointments; I've had so much PT, and most of the shops I've been to are excellent. Two of them have been like my current practice, giving lots of neglect, and an overall air of uncaring.

Socialized medicine for the (not always) win!

[Metalcat]

Thanks for the check-in batsignal, @oneday. I ran 7 miles on Saturday, and surprise, surprise my hip was pretty unhappy.

I'm at about 90% in doing my exercises daily. One of them is horrifically annoying, and I"m planning on asking for a different exercise during my appointment tomorrow.

To revisit the discussion about good vs bad in-office PT appointments; I've had so much PT, and most of the shops I've been to are excellent. Two of them have been like my current practice, giving lots of neglect, and an overall air of uncaring.

Socialized medicine for the (not always) win!

I wish PT was included in universal healthcare here in Canada. It seems insane that the most effective healthcare tool for reducing costs is not actually used in our system.

[mspym]

Thanks for the ping. It hit me while I was down in the basement doing weights with my PT exercises worked in to the sets. The only one remaining is my glute roll out and that can wait till I’m not on bare concrete.

[oneday]

@ixtap that sounds so rough! What are his reasons for staying?

I have given myself a 4 year deadline for leaving my desk job. But if I can't manage the pain issues...

@Sailor Sam you are doing so well! If you keep at it, will you eventually be able to run 7 miles with no pain?

Your description of current therapy practices reminds me of when I went to a prior employers worker's comp therapist. "General air of neglect". Bingo!

@Malcat I have a much-maligned HMO here in The States, and yet seem to be able to get PT whenever I want. I'm sure I do have a medical need for it, since HMO's a great at screening out and denying care. But the ease at which I've been able to get and renew referrals speaks to how effective the HMO thinks PT is (very effective).

@mspym  ⭐

[Metalcat]

@ixtap that sounds so rough! What are his reasons for staying?

I have given myself a 4 year deadline for leaving my desk job. But if I can't manage the pain issues...

@Sailor Sam you are doing so well! If you keep at it, will you eventually be able to run 7 miles with no pain?

Your description of current therapy practices reminds me of when I went to a prior employers worker's comp therapist. "General air of neglect". Bingo!

@Malcat I have a much-maligned HMO here in The States, and yet seem to be able to get PT whenever I want. I'm sure I do have a medical need for it, since HMO's a great at screening out and denying care. But the ease at which I've been able to get and renew referrals speaks to how effective the HMO thinks PT is (very effective).

@mspym  ⭐

I literally know virtually nothing about how American systems work or what an HMO is.

Here in Canada, it's complicated because we have a single-payer insurance for medical care. But allied healthcare is private. PT is often free when it's in hospitals, but there's just no mechanism to include it in the universal system without a massive, insane overhaul of how allied care is handled.

They just went through this with dentistry and instead of even touching the universal healthcare system, they just created whole new opt-in dental insurance for low income folks. However, they can't force the dentists to accept it.

So your insurance companies pay for all care, and therefore coordinate what's worth paying for and what isn't.

Our single payer medical insurance pays for medicine. The rest is private so there's absolutely no corporate planning going into figuring out the balance of PT costs vs medical costs. The calculus just doesn't figure because they're entirely separate economies.

It's a bit nutty.

The Canadian system is about the most awkward way of having a universal healthcare system. We don't actually have a universal healthcare system, we have a universal healthcare insurance.

We have private insurance that reimburses a certain amount for PT, dental, vision, RMT, psychology, orthotics, etc, and generally an unlimited amount for drugs. However, because they don't handle the actual medicine, they don't have much power and aren't at all integrated into the system.

They get no say over what practitioners we see, what procedures we can get, what fees are, etc. They can just reimburse or deny claims up to whatever limit the plan has. They typically pay directly for drugs, no submitting for reimbursement.

I think I get something like $300 back for PT, $300 for RMT, $2000 for psychology, $1500 for dental, etc. But I can see whoever I want, as long as they're licensed, I just submit receipts and get reimbursed my 50%/80%/100% depending on the service.

[Dicey]

Dicey has put off setting up a PT appointment because she had no time. Now most of her Big Things have been vanquished and calling for a PT appointment is on her Monday To-Do List. She thanks you for the reminder.

[oneday]

So your insurance companies pay for all care, and therefore coordinate what's worth paying for and what isn't.

Exactly. Health Management Organizations are like insurance companies that also employ the doctors who treat patients. HMO's will not reimburse if you go to an outside doctor (unless it was an emergency). They might include some types of allied care, although I have not personally seen dental coverage included. IME, dental and vision coverages are typically each separate policies.

Your universal healthcare insurance sounds more like our PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), although not exactly. PPO's contract with certain providers for lower costs to the insurance co and the patients, but a patient can see anyone...they would just pay more for "out of network" care. Again including medical and allied care, with the exception of dental and vision.

This is all just based on personal experience, I have no special knowledge in this area.

The Canadian complications are different from the US complications ☺️ From my perspective, it sounds simpler (can see anyone at any time, no gatekeepers), but more expensive on the allied care portion.

[oneday]

Dicey has put off setting up a PT appointment because she had no time. Now most of her Big Things have been vanquished and calling for a PT appointment is on her Monday To-Do List. She thanks you for the reminder.

My pleasure. Sometimes just getting an appointment is like a workout!

[Serendip]

Been sticking with my micro doses of therapeutic yoga and breathwork (mostly on weekdays since weekends are busy with work). It's amazing with 10-15 minutes of varied movement can do, especially since my job is fairly physical and can be repetitive so strength and variety makes a huge difference.

Good job everyone :)

[ixtap]

@ixtap that sounds so rough! What are his reasons for staying?

I have given myself a 4 year deadline for leaving my desk job. But if I can't manage the pain issues...

His manager begged him to stay on in any capacity that would give them access to his knowledge and skill set. He pretty much promised to try for at least a year when they worked out a deal.  He is still decompressing and learning what he can and cannot handle. Two to three hours most days is manageable, but he would like to work up to more hours on fewer days.

Oh, and their health plan is amazing, but the cost is going up for COBRA participants, which stretches out projected budget. He can self refer to PT!

[Metalcat]

So your insurance companies pay for all care, and therefore coordinate what's worth paying for and what isn't.

Exactly. Health Management Organizations are like insurance companies that also employ the doctors who treat patients. HMO's will not reimburse if you go to an outside doctor (unless it was an emergency). They might include some types of allied care, although I have not personally seen dental coverage included. IME, dental and vision coverages are typically each separate policies.

Your universal healthcare insurance sounds more like our PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), although not exactly. PPO's contract with certain providers for lower costs to the insurance co and the patients, but a patient can see anyone...they would just pay more for "out of network" care. Again including medical and allied care, with the exception of dental and vision.

This is all just based on personal experience, I have no special knowledge in this area.

The Canadian complications are different from the US complications ☺️ From my perspective, it sounds simpler (can see anyone at any time, no gatekeepers), but more expensive on the allied care portion.

For the patient, ours is absolutely, 100% simpler.

It's complicated for any major changes to occur in terms of what the universal insurance covers, but from a user perspective your system sounds fucking insane.

[Frugal Lizard]

Keeping up with the PT program.
Experiencing so much improvement in endurance. 

Yesterday I went to a demonstration and instead of going home after the rally speeches, I continued walking around the whole parade route. I was exhausted by dinner, but couldn't believe I did this much city walking!

[G-dog]

Keeping up with the PT program.
Experiencing so much improvement in endurance. 

Yesterday I went to a demonstration and instead of going home after the rally speeches, I continued walking around the whole parade route. I was exhausted by dinner, but couldn't believe I did this much city walking!

This is fantastic progress!

[FrugalShrew]

Thanks for the check-in, @oneday! It was totally welcome and unfortunately needed. I fell off the wagon PT last week between trying to cut out sugar again, and getting a bit frazzled with holiday activities.

This weekend I also told myself the lie when I was running out of time in the morning that I would do my PT later in the day. Realistically I know that in the past year, if I don't do my PT in the morning, it probably ain't happenin' later in the day!

I was a bit embarrassed to read your check-in, which was perfect motivation to make myself do PT again this morning. It was a pretty abbreviated session, but at least it was something.

Yay for accountability, and thank you! :)

[ixtap]

So your insurance companies pay for all care, and therefore coordinate what's worth paying for and what isn't.

Exactly. Health Management Organizations are like insurance companies that also employ the doctors who treat patients. HMO's will not reimburse if you go to an outside doctor (unless it was an emergency). They might include some types of allied care, although I have not personally seen dental coverage included. IME, dental and vision coverages are typically each separate policies.

Your universal healthcare insurance sounds more like our PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), although not exactly. PPO's contract with certain providers for lower costs to the insurance co and the patients, but a patient can see anyone...they would just pay more for "out of network" care. Again including medical and allied care, with the exception of dental and vision.

This is all just based on personal experience, I have no special knowledge in this area.

The Canadian complications are different from the US complications ☺️ From my perspective, it sounds simpler (can see anyone at any time, no gatekeepers), but more expensive on the allied care portion.

For the patient, ours is absolutely, 100% simpler.

It's complicated for any major changes to occur in terms of what the universal insurance covers, but from a user perspective your system sounds fucking insane.

I am having nightmares from comparing ACA plans last week... It feels more like gambling than informed choice.


Getting into the habit of morning movement is really making a difference. I am starting to notice my flexibility increasing, especially when it comes to side to side and twisting. My body isn't thrilled that the walks around here are so flat, but good stretching and core exercises after my morning walk are very impactful.

[tygertygertyger]

Thanks for the ping! My partner has been sick for days now, and I've been teetering on the edge of getting sick. But the dog still gets his walks and I've been trying to stretch daily. I think we'll start easing into more this week.

[Metalcat]

Thanks for the check-in, @oneday! It was totally welcome and unfortunately needed. I fell off the wagon PT last week between trying to cut out sugar again, and getting a bit frazzled with holiday activities.

This weekend I also told myself the lie when I was running out of time in the morning that I would do my PT later in the day. Realistically I know that in the past year, if I don't do my PT in the morning, it probably ain't happenin' later in the day!

I was a bit embarrassed to read your check-in, which was perfect motivation to make myself do PT again this morning. It was a pretty abbreviated session, but at least it was something.

Yay for accountability, and thank you! :)

The key for me is to focus on how I will feel after the PT. I try to do it in the morning, but if I don't, then I conceptualize it as a form of relaxing self care after a hard day. I put on a really good audiobook and focus on doing the easiest, most pleasant exercises that I know will feel soothing immediately.

I have PT routines where I push myself and easy routines, which are just pleasant. I reserve those for the days when I lack motivation, so that I'm never out of the habit. I even have a super quick set of just 5 minutes of little exercises that I make sure I never, ever miss doing no matter how busy I am. They're a tiny set I can do while seated, so even if I'm flying, or working, or watching TV, I still get them done, no matter what.

Again, protecting the habit is the MOST critical part of any exercise routine.

[FrugalShrew]

Thanks for the check-in, @oneday! It was totally welcome and unfortunately needed. I fell off the wagon PT last week between trying to cut out sugar again, and getting a bit frazzled with holiday activities.

This weekend I also told myself the lie when I was running out of time in the morning that I would do my PT later in the day. Realistically I know that in the past year, if I don't do my PT in the morning, it probably ain't happenin' later in the day!

I was a bit embarrassed to read your check-in, which was perfect motivation to make myself do PT again this morning. It was a pretty abbreviated session, but at least it was something.

Yay for accountability, and thank you! :)

The key for me is to focus on how I will feel after the PT. I try to do it in the morning, but if I don't, then I conceptualize it as a form of relaxing self care after a hard day. I put on a really good audiobook and focus on doing the easiest, most pleasant exercises that I know will feel soothing immediately.

I have PT routines where I push myself and easy routines, which are just pleasant. I reserve those for the days when I lack motivation, so that I'm never out of the habit. I even have a super quick set of just 5 minutes of little exercises that I make sure I never, ever miss doing no matter how busy I am. They're a tiny set I can do while seated, so even if I'm flying, or working, or watching TV, I still get them done, no matter what.

Again, protecting the habit is the MOST critical part of any exercise routine.

These are all things I theoretically know at this point, but they're not second nature yet.

Wait a minute, actually, I need to craft a 5-minute easy routine, so that on those days I don't even need to THINK about what the tiny, gentle exercises will be.

[Metalcat]

Thanks for the check-in, @oneday! It was totally welcome and unfortunately needed. I fell off the wagon PT last week between trying to cut out sugar again, and getting a bit frazzled with holiday activities.

This weekend I also told myself the lie when I was running out of time in the morning that I would do my PT later in the day. Realistically I know that in the past year, if I don't do my PT in the morning, it probably ain't happenin' later in the day!

I was a bit embarrassed to read your check-in, which was perfect motivation to make myself do PT again this morning. It was a pretty abbreviated session, but at least it was something.

Yay for accountability, and thank you! :)

The key for me is to focus on how I will feel after the PT. I try to do it in the morning, but if I don't, then I conceptualize it as a form of relaxing self care after a hard day. I put on a really good audiobook and focus on doing the easiest, most pleasant exercises that I know will feel soothing immediately.

I have PT routines where I push myself and easy routines, which are just pleasant. I reserve those for the days when I lack motivation, so that I'm never out of the habit. I even have a super quick set of just 5 minutes of little exercises that I make sure I never, ever miss doing no matter how busy I am. They're a tiny set I can do while seated, so even if I'm flying, or working, or watching TV, I still get them done, no matter what.

Again, protecting the habit is the MOST critical part of any exercise routine.

These are all things I theoretically know at this point, but they're not second nature yet.

Wait a minute, actually, I need to craft a 5-minute easy routine, so that on those days I don't even need to THINK about what the tiny, gentle exercises will be.

Yep, whenever you are trying to forge a rock-solid habit, you need to have a "no excuses" version of the task, otherwise you are just asking for a struggle.

[dandarc]

Because I always need more accountability, joining the party here.

PT now after another iteration of what has become my MO in the last decade or so - injure myself, don't adjust much at all and make it worse over ensuing months and then when it gets bad enough my wife says I'm complaining too much about the pain, do something about it.

Short version of this go-round - injured myself at hockey ~1 year ago, didn't stop until rink closure in March. Basically did nothing exercise-wise for 5 months and then in August decided the best thing to do was to start running. Which actually went great at first, but by October the post-run pain (never during - usually hours later, sometimes lasting for a whole day or two) got to where something just had to be done. So the orthopedic clinic took some x-rays, decided the likely cause was sciatica and now I'm doing PT. One of the things they found was significant strength imbalance - hockey and then running on one good leg will do that. At the initial assessment appointment, the physio also noted how much weaker left leg was vs. right.

First PT appointment was on my 40th birthday in early November, which seems like apt timing in a lot of ways. I have done well with actually doing the exercises except for last week - skipped Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I'm currently doing weekly PT appointments on Fridays mainly for accountability - but with the holiday, there was 2 weeks between PT appointments which I cannot help but think contributed to my lapse. But Friday had PT appointment, so that has me back on track - haven't skipped yet since Friday. Hoping to build this into a habit because I do feel so much better on days I workout in the morning vs. not.

[oneday]

@Serendip micro doses, lol! You are not kidding that small amounts of effort can pay off big time. I think we're seeing it a lot on this thread.

@ixtap how generous of your husband to do such a favor for his boss, at such a high personal cost. Sure hope he can continue to decompress during what sounds like an ordeal. ⭐ For flexibility increases! You are inspiring.

@Frugal Lizard ⭐ for endurance! That sounds like something a totally normal and healthy person could do!

@FrugalShrew my pleasure! Glad to nudge you back in the right direction. It is hard when starting something new, especially like PT when it might be all pain and no gain at first, and especially this hectic time of year! Maybe that's where Resolutions typically happen after the holidays.

That is a very easy lie to tell ourselves, for sure. Not just for PT, but I have caught myself saying, "maybe later" to quite a variety of things I don't want to do. ⭐ For getting back on the wagon.

@tygertygertyger your welcome. I hope you can defeat the creeping crud that's coming after you. Sounds like you are doing a ⭐ job of scaling the activity to fit into your capacity right now.

@dandarc welcome! Glad you are getting your issues addressed now, regardless of past procrastination. Do you see yourself changing your habit of putting off the treatment, maybe for the date if your wife's ongoing sanity? (Seems the pain or whatever other symptoms you are experiencing is not enough motivation). Aren't you concerned, as you move into the 4th decade of life, that your body won't be robust enough to withstand the habits of your prior years?

My last PT offered to email me midway between appointments as an accountability checkpoint. I'm pretty he didn't read my reply, and pretty sure he never planned to, but just getting that email prompted me to make PT a higher priority that day, and for a few days after. Maybe your PT would do similar if there's another holiday interruption?

@Malcat @ixtap I'll come back to the insurance discussion this evening.

[ixtap]

@oneday , to be fair, DH is well compensated, even at 10 hours a week. He does have issues saying no, though. He couldn't manage full time because he "doesn't want to disappoint." I have had to point out that when he stands me up/let's me down in order to not disappoint someone else, he is making them more important than me. This whole part time thing is helping him learn some balance, which is going to be good for both of us. He has had therapy, but he didn't take to that as well as his physical therapy. Still, it takes similar consistent practice, including the "good enough" version.

[Frugal Lizard]

Today is a hard day. I did PT light this morning.
I don't quite understand this but I suspect that I am pain nightmares. 

I had a rough night. Lots of waking/almost waking with feeling not able to move / get comfortable /pain is unbearable. Yet, as I got more awake and started the relaxation and pain management exercises, the pain was not really there.  I would fall back asleep only to repeat the pain is unbearable / no real pain cycle. 

This morning I feel some pain in all the previously injured places - but it is at a level that I can ignore for short stretches, gets a little better with movement but I am not having any stretches without any pain as I enjoyed all last week.

[ixtap]

Today is a hard day. I did PT light this morning.
I don't quite understand this but I suspect that I am pain nightmares. 

I had a rough night. Lots of waking/almost waking with feeling not able to move / get comfortable /pain is unbearable. Yet, as I got more awake and started the relaxation and pain management exercises, the pain was not really there.  I would fall back asleep only to repeat the pain is unbearable / no real pain cycle. 

This morning I feel some pain in all the previously injured places - but it is at a level that I can ignore for short stretches, gets a little better with movement but I am not having any stretches without any pain as I enjoyed all last week.

Lack of sleep just doesn't help the healing process, why do our bodies do this?!?

My shoes were damp from washing the boat down yesterday, so I used the bike in the gym instead of my usual morning walk. I tried the elliptical, but it felt like the machine and my body were not articulated the same...one minute was all I could do. And on the yoga mat, I did precious little beyond my minimum PT exercises. Not sure what is going on, but at least I was moving. And it isn't just the body; I only took about half my clothes into the bathroom when I showered this morning. And not the half that goes on first.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Thanks for the check in, @oneday! I am doing OK at keeping up with my PT. Like you, I have space challenges, especially now that we've added a baby to the family. Our living room is really small and even smaller when the Christmas tree is up, and I can't use the nursery as my workout space anymore. But I squeeze in. I've been pretty good about doing my ITBS exercises maybe twice a week, and foam-rolling almost every day. For my wrists I also try to do a full set of exercises twice a week and intermittently whenever I just do a few stretches that feel good!

I'm trying to rebuild strength, so I've also been doing elevated push-ups (as opposed to on the knees- it's an alternative modification that uses more core muscles) and pull-downs using an exercise band.

[the_hobbitish]

I canceled my appointment and completely skipped everything last week while I recovered from scuba induced eustachian tube issues and vertigo. New appointment is on Friday, so I dragged myself to the gym this morning and feel better for it. Now that I am focused on how my knees track during every exercise it makes me realize all the odd ways I compensate for my hypermobility that are now contributing to pain.

I saw a new primary care physician to get the required referrals to continue PT (and for an ENT for the scuba related issue). I'll definitely stay with her for future physicals and general care. It was really refreshing to have a doctor ask me detailed questions, give a functional explanation of what she saw and how it was likely causing my ear/sinus problem (complete with diagrams), pro con list the range/progression of treatment, and discuss my health in an informative and inclusive way. A completely unexpected bonus to starting PT.

[FrugalShrew]

@the_hobbitish, I have issues with hypermobility and tracking of my knees also! After multiple PTs and assistants recommending the wrong kind of knee brace, my most recent PT finally recommended the right kind: a patellar tracking brace.

I am still working on strength and form, of course, but it's nice to have on the days when I'm being more active. You may already be aware of it, but since it seems even a lot of PTs are confused about it, just thought I would pass it along! :)

[Sailor Sam]

I was feeling very grumpy about doing PT this evening. Yesterday was full of boxes to tick and shit to finish at both work and home, and I getting pretty stroppy about having to WalkTheDogTrainTheDogMakeDinnerDoExercisesPrepTomorrow all over again today.

I mentally emphasized that PT is something I do for myself, and not something external to oppose and fight against. As gross and squishy as this sounds I *sparkly unicorn voice* gave myself space to skip the PT, which gave me the ability to decide to do the PT, which made me actually do the PT.

Feelings are, overarchingly, bullshit. Psychology is interesting.

[mspym]

@Sailor Sam oh i get so grumpy at allthejobsnotanotherjobgoddammit and I resent *obligation feelings* but as you say, letting yourself choose seems to be key at getting me to do it at all. It's like weights - if I don't want to, I'm allowed to just go downstairs, do a couple of warm-up sets and if I'm still not feeling it then I can stop. Which almost always turns into a proper work out.

All of which reminds me, I've done my ankle cracks and glute roll-outs. Time to head downstairs and do some weights.

[Metalcat]

I was feeling very grumpy about doing PT this evening. Yesterday was full of boxes to tick and shit to finish at both work and home, and I getting pretty stroppy about having to WalkTheDogTrainTheDogMakeDinnerDoExercisesPrepTomorrow all over again today.

I mentally emphasized that PT is something I do for myself, and not something external to oppose and fight against. As gross and squishy as this sounds I *sparkly unicorn voice* gave myself space to skip the PT, which gave me the ability to decide to do the PT, which made me actually do the PT.

Feelings are, overarchingly, bullshit. Psychology is interesting.

Lol

Yep. PT is the seld care option I give myself when I feel crappy. I can go lie down and watch tv or I can do some PT before lying down and watching tv, which makes the lying down more relaxing.

PT is what I do to turbocharge the chill. It's not a chore, it's like having a snack or going for a walk. I do it daily because it makes my day better, not because it's obligatory work that I have to do. I have to do it the same way I have to eat and sleep, but those are things I look forward to when I need them.

[RetiredAt63]

I'm signing in too.

For the knees and hips, I have stretching exercises I am supposed to do a few times a day.  None are difficult, none are for strength, only increased joint mobility and muscle/tendon stretching.

I didn't do them while I was sick so that was 3 weeks off (also very little knee movement since I had no energy to do anything).

Today was my first visit back to physio - my knee mobility is fine, my back of the leg tendons are tighter (so my physio exercises were working and not doing them mattered).  The pain from the shock wave therapy was the same so my menisci and tendons are pretty much the same.

I don't do my exercises when I go to physio, except every now and then to make sure my form is still right.  I do a 5 minute knee warm-up on the exercise bike (no load) or they do 15 minutes of hot towels (heaven) before we do anything else.

[oneday]

Welcome to the party @RetiredAt63 !

On a good streak of doing exercises for a few days now.

Everyone is doing so great! Which makes me sad to say I'm going to bow out of the thread for a few days.

I learned today that the parts needed to fix my computer won't arrive until Friday. Previously they were supposed to arrive tomorrow. Posting from the posting and reading from the phone is just not good for my neck, hence the decision. You all will keep up the momentum, right?

[ixtap]

We both did it this morning, but we were both dragging after, rather than energized. Still, my body does feel better for it, I just want to spend the rest of the day on the couch watching Acorn TV.

[Metalcat]

RMT beat me to a pulp, not moving today. Period.

[dandarc]

Skipped yesterday, but did the workout today. My leg is not too happy today, but I guess is still better than a bad day was a few weeks ago. Trying the standing desk for 10-20 minutes (back will for sure hurt standing still longer than that) to see if that helps a bit with the leg pain.

[FrugalShrew]

You all will keep up the momentum, right?

Yes, we will! :) Did some PT yesterday and more today. Getting back into a rhythm.

@oneday, good luck with your computer--protecting your neck is a good call.

@Malcat, I hope the RMT is helping!

[RetiredAt63]

Did one round of all my stretches today.  I could feel the tightness from not doing them for almost 4 weeks.

One I have to do flat on my back, which given my knees means in bed.  So that one I do first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  The others are easy to do in the kitchen when I am waiting for a few minutes for something.  So as I get my energy back I should be able to do them 3-4 times a day.

[Sailor Sam]

I had a PT appointment today. I wrestled one of the PT’s down, and asked them to monitor an exercise and explain. It went fine, but it didn’t magically change anything. Benign neglect reigns.

[Metalcat]

I had a PT appointment today. I wrestled one of the PT’s down, and asked them to monitor an exercise and explain. It went fine, but it didn’t magically change anything. Benign neglect reigns.

It sounds like it's not so much benign neglect as a cash grab.

Why are they having you go in?? I've never had a PT book me to come in unless they need to check my progress/adjust my routine or physically *do* something to me.

If it's just to monitor, my appointment is only 10-15 minutes.

Sounds like they have a set-up where insurance will pay for a set of appointments and they burn through that insurance money by having you come and do your exercises at their expensive gym.

[Sailor Sam]

I had a PT appointment today. I wrestled one of the PT’s down, and asked them to monitor an exercise and explain. It went fine, but it didn’t magically change anything. Benign neglect reigns.

It sounds like it's not so much benign neglect as a cash grab.

Why are they having you go in?? I've never had a PT book me to come in unless they need to check my progress/adjust my routine or physically *do* something to me.

If it's just to monitor, my appointment is only 10-15 minutes.

Sounds like they have a set-up where insurance will pay for a set of appointments and they burn through that insurance money by having you come and do your exercises at their expensive gym.

In the spirit of fairness, most the PT I've had in my life includes an office visit 1-2 per week. The good PT shops has 30 min with the PT for massage & mobility. Then 30 min in a gym with a dedicated student PT watching me do all the assigned exercises.

I assume this place is following the same outline, and just sucking really badly. Also, probably a cash grab too, with how they double stack patients.

I keep going because:
 - Insurance is paying;
 - I need to show compliance with the assigned treatment plan, for future Veterans Benefit down the road;
 - The massage feels nice;
 - I book appointments that benefit, instead of interfering with my day.

[ixtap]

I had a PT appointment today. I wrestled one of the PT’s down, and asked them to monitor an exercise and explain. It went fine, but it didn’t magically change anything. Benign neglect reigns.

Can you find a new PT? It took DH several tries. We specifically avoided some of the chain places with names like "Spine Zone." Even their websites were sleazy.