The Physical Therapy/Gentle Movement Accountability & Resources Thread

[Dollar Slice]

I had two disks replaced, one for the arm numbness and one for shoulder pain. Miraculous life changing results.

That's good to hear. I am starting to wonder if I may end up there at some point. My left hand/arm is getting worse pretty rapidly, which we think is due to to my neck.

I'm retracting my earlier statement about my PT session being good on Tuesday, my arm was so aggro all week afterwards that I feel like we did some damage instead of doing something good for it. I think specifically the aggressive massage she did on the upper arm may have really aggravated the muscle there and caused it to seize up in self-defense somehow. I've been doing everything I can think of (icing, gentle heat, TENS vibration, etc.) but it's definitely still worse than it was pre-session, and still sore to the touch.

I also had two miserable doctor's appointments Thursday and Friday and my back is really aching and other parts of me as well (I had many blood draws/attempts and a bunch of X-rays which I think got my back aching from being in weird positions on the table). So... kind of a wreck. I'm thinking of begging one of my doctors for some muscle relaxants. I've been having such weirdly crampy/spazzy muscles the last couple of months and I'm so achy all the time. Maybe it would help my body chill out.

[oneday]

So sorry that PT is aggravating your mystery issue.

[sonofsven]

I am using the local pool enough that it made sense to pay for a monthly pass ($8/visit vs $70/month). I'm definitely feeling a lower level of chronic pain due to the pool visits.
I've always been a good swimmer, and went through YMCA lifeguard training when I was younger, but I never actually worked as a lifeguard. But I haven't swam much lately so I've been easing back into it. Some positions are uncomfortable, like the breast stroke, due to my lower back and SI joint issues. The most comfortable stroke is the backstroke that is essentially the breast stroke reversed, and the side stroke. I do one length of crawl stroke and return with that easy back stroke. I'm up to five laps now.
The hot tub there, with really strong jets, is worth the price of admission all on it's own.

[Frugal Lizard]

PT changed up the physio routine last week and it took until yesterday to get into the routine. (i.e. be able to run through all the various movements without having to stop and review the instructions or try things three or four times before I could get the timing, positioning, breathing correct)

I continue to improve! I am much more active, and pain is way down to the point where it is bearable at any point in the day. By evening, I just have to go to bed because my body is done. I have asked a lot of it, so it is OK that I just rest up for the next day.

[oneday]

@sonofsven that sounds like really great progress. Also, a lot of fun (I like to swim). With my shoulder impingement, I don't do the crawl, but do cycle through all the other strokes I know. Would be terrible exacerbate an injury treated by recreation that was done in order to heal the injury!

@Frugal Lizard great report, as always! You have been so dedicated and come so far. I hate that period after everything gets changed by the PT and have to learn the routine all over again.

[Dollar Slice]

I think I may have FINALLY had some kind of (minor?) breakthrough with my shoulder/arm. Definitely having a little bit of extra movement - which I noticed because in the shower today I went from my usual "after four or five attempts I am going to have to declare this armpit close enough to being clean" to "after several attempts I can confidently say I have completely cleaned this armpit for sure!" Not an ideal state, but a definite improvement.

I also can't find the weird sore spot that I've had in my upper arm for like 9 months straight. This may be linked. Not sure if it will be back or if it's intermittent... but... it's encouraging. I assume this is some kind of murphy's law because I finally gave in and made an appointment with the doctor to say "NOTHING IS WORKING PLEASE HELP WAHH!" this week. But it's OK, if my arm is miraculously healed, I will ask her about my leg... or my back... or my other arm... :-|  I should just get a lemon tattooed on my ass.

[Metalcat]

I think I may have FINALLY had some kind of (minor?) breakthrough with my shoulder/arm. Definitely having a little bit of extra movement - which I noticed because in the shower today I went from my usual "after four or five attempts I am going to have to declare this armpit close enough to being clean" to "after several attempts I can confidently say I have completely cleaned this armpit for sure!" Not an ideal state, but a definite improvement.

I also can't find the weird sore spot that I've had in my upper arm for like 9 months straight. This may be linked. Not sure if it will be back or if it's intermittent... but... it's encouraging. I assume this is some kind of murphy's law because I finally gave in and made an appointment with the doctor to say "NOTHING IS WORKING PLEASE HELP WAHH!" this week. But it's OK, if my arm is miraculously healed, I will ask her about my leg... or my back... or my other arm... :-|  I should just get a lemon tattooed on my ass.

DH affectionately calls me "mon 'tit citron" (pronounced very roughly: mo tee see tro) which translates to "my little lemon."

[RetiredAt63]

Time for an update?

We've been working on my back.  All the muscles that connect from the scapula to the shoulder/arms were tight on my right side, some so tight that they were "knotted".  My physiotherapist has been working on loosening them, and I have been doing the exercises, and we are a the point where we will go back to the hips and knees.  I used to have one super sore tender spot, and now it is just a general diffuse sort of ache.  This is super common - we all sit too much and are on the computer too much.  Except I have had this since I can remember, and what was I doing at 3 to cause it?

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I apparently need to re-commit to PT on my wrist. It hurts again. I have booked another cortisone shot for it. Apparently they were supposed to tell me to do PT so the pain didn't come back? That step seems to hae been missed along the way.

But hopefully by the time the shot wears off THIS time, my baby will require less "toting about." She can walk, she just doesn't take direction yet!

[Frugal Lizard]

I am having a bit of a PT funk. Not necessarily from PT. There are just too many stressors in my life right now activating pain. BUT I am going three full weeks between PT appointments for the first time ever. If I can successfully use all the tools to get through this funk, then, maybe I can start stretching out appointments and stop spending everything I earn on therapy.

[oneday]

@La Bibliotecaria Feroz sorry that the pain is back and your provider did not tell you to do the PT. That is sub-par customer service right there. Hope the second go-round and the baby's changing capability work better for you this time.

@Frugal Lizard sorry about your funk! Sounds like a tough time. You have been so determined for so long, I hope you can find the strength needed to kick the funk and a way to balance all the stresses of your life now so that you keep healing.

[FrugalShrew]

Checking in. I have been doing some combination of PT/gentle movement/myofascial release every day. Some days it's only 5 or 10 minutes, but the habit of doing something every single day is really solid at this point, which I consider a huge win.

I still have a lot of problem areas, and it can feel like whack-a-mole trying to address them. But my knees which were the biggest issue for a long time have been continuing to do great. That is also a huge win.

My neck and shoulders have not been doing as well, and I have only been sporadic in my PT on this front, so I think I need to move it up on my list of priorities.

It's funny, I hadn't really been feeling like my home PT efforts were going all that well because I still have a lot of problem areas and there are many days where I would like to do PT/gentle movement for longer than I do. But reflecting on it here, I can really see that I have come a long way. My daily PT habit is solidified, and my knees are healed. That is pretty amazing!

Thanks to everyone here for this lovely thread that has certainly been a boost with ideas and motivation!

[Dollar Slice]

I assume this is some kind of murphy's law because I finally gave in and made an appointment with the doctor to say "NOTHING IS WORKING PLEASE HELP WAHH!" this week. But it's OK, if my arm is miraculously healed, I will ask her about my leg... or my back... or my other arm... :-|

Post-doctor update... I asked the doc for some muscle relaxants since my back, shoulder and arm has been so twitchy/spazzy and it's been interfering with my PT exercises and is generally unpleasant (I'm 80% thinking it's related to the shoulder problems, 20% concerned it's some sort of systemic issue since I've also had some vaguely crampy feelings in my leg/foot; I have a PCP visit in a few weeks, I guess I'll ask her?). She is ordering an MRI of my shoulder since it hasn't improved much in two months of treatment. And she's put in a referral for PT for my back/leg pain, although I don't know if I'm going to get many visits approved since I have a pretty low cap on visits/year from my insurance and I've already got a bunch of visits for my shoulder. Maybe I can ask for exercises to do at home and go every two weeks or something. :-/

[oneday]

@FrugalShrew what a great accomplishment, to have that new habit! And it's done wonders on your knees. It does sound like time to move up the priority on the other aches and pains.

I will echo your thanks to everyone for participating and making this thread so successful. I started it for motivation with my own PT, because I do well with accountability buddies. It's such a boost to know that it's helped others so much, too.


@Dollar Slice decent update, since the doctor is still seeing you, taking your insurance, taking you seriously and getting you "next steps" for the shoulder that's not cooperating. I hope that you don't have to wait too long for the MRI, and you can find a way to fit  the PT into your insurance's cap.

[Dollar Slice]

@Dollar Slice decent update, since the doctor is still seeing you, taking your insurance, taking you seriously and getting you "next steps" for the shoulder that's not cooperating. I hope that you don't have to wait too long for the MRI, and you can find a way to fit  the PT into your insurance's cap.

They offered me an MRI on Wednesday (Aug 30) but I turned it down because it would have been 18 hours before my biopsy, and I absolutely cannot handle that level of medical stress on top of all the pain I've been in and my weird mystery illness. Ended up scheduling it for Sept 5th. Followup appointment at the end of September, but hopefully if they found something dire on the MRI she would send me a message.

In re: PT, I guess if it were really urgent I could pay out of pocket for extra sessions. But it's pretty expensive. And also I think it starts over at the end of the calendar year, so I would have coverage again in January. If I keep doing one a week I think I would run out in November? The problem would be if I added a second one every week for my back, I would run out earlier. I guess I'll ask my PT what she thinks.

[sonofsven]

I've been going to the pool every day except Sunday, when it's closed.
I signed up for PT from the clinic attached to our local hospital, they offer in pool sessions as well.
Just waiting for the referral from my PCP to clear so I can get an appointment.
I'll be paying mostly out of pocket as I'm self employed with an HSA plan.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I've started doing the PT for my wrist again as well as icing daily, taking Aleve twice a day and sleeping in a soft brace. They can't get me in for the cortisone shot until 9/7 and last time the shot took a full 2 weeks to work, so I have a while to go!

[RetiredAt63]

My back has been doing well so I am on a 3 way rotation at physiotherapy now.  We did hips and knees this week, it has been a long time since we did them.  But I have been doing my exercises at home, and my PT said he could see the improvement since we last did them, just as a result of the exercises.

Our goal is to get me to where I am only coming in every 2 or 3 weeks for each area, and then taper to even less, until I am done.   ;-)

I just bought Fascial Fitness and will report on it here once I have absorbed the theory and done the exercises for a few weeks.  Just from what I have read so far, medical understanding of what connective tissue does has increased massively since I last looked at it.  My Physiology texts are really out of date, all the gut microbiome info and now this has really changed the way we understand how our bodies work.

[oneday]

@Dollar Slice Aug 30 or even Sept 5 is decently quick. It must be tough balancing all the different needs of your body, not to mention other life stuff. I can see how a biopsy and an MRI in 2 days would be too stressful.

@sonofsven I've never heard of in-pool PT. That sounds amazing. Tell me what you think!

@La Bibliotecaria Feroz hang in there.

@RetiredAt63 looking forward to your book report. I know virtually nothing about connective tissue, so maybe some education in that quarter would be useful.

[Dollar Slice]

@Dollar Slice Aug 30 or even Sept 5 is decently quick. It must be tough balancing all the different needs of your body, not to mention other life stuff. I can see how a biopsy and an MRI in 2 days would be too stressful.

I would have had Dad's birthday Sunday, spine doc Monday, PT Tuesday, MRI Wednesday (at rush hour), and biopsy Thursday. All via public transit, while feeling like absolute crap from my mystery disease, being in pain and not sleeping. Whatever can be offloaded from this week: yes, please.

Meanwhile, the doctor forgot to actually put in the referral for PT (again) and one of my prescriptions...

[Metalcat]

@Dollar Slice Aug 30 or even Sept 5 is decently quick. It must be tough balancing all the different needs of your body, not to mention other life stuff. I can see how a biopsy and an MRI in 2 days would be too stressful.

I would have had Dad's birthday Sunday, spine doc Monday, PT Tuesday, MRI Wednesday (at rush hour), and biopsy Thursday. All via public transit, while feeling like absolute crap from my mystery disease, being in pain and not sleeping. Whatever can be offloaded from this week: yes, please.

Meanwhile, the doctor forgot to actually put in the referral for PT (again) and one of my prescriptions...

I got in the habit of having my doctor's offices send me my chart notes and orders after every visit, so I would know what they recorded and what was ordered. I send written notes to be added to my chart if I feel something I said or did was not recorded properly, and I immediately follow up with any prescriptions or referrals to make sure they were received properly.

[FrugalShrew]

I got in the habit of having my doctor's offices send me my chart notes and orders after every visit, so I would know what they recorded and what was ordered. I send written notes to be added to my chart if I feel something I said or did was not recorded properly, and I immediately follow up with any prescriptions or referrals to make sure they were received properly.

I did not know you could do this. What would an example of that look like? Do doctors ever get offended that you are "correcting" their notes?

My PCP's healthcare system is really annoying because they make it "easier" for the patient by giving me a call for any referral to another doctor or specialty within the same healthcare system. It's better in the sense that I don't have to sit around waiting on hold, but it takes them like a week to call, so it makes it much harder to track whether my doctor forgot to put in the referral. Now I put a note on my calendar about a week and a half out to call in if I haven't heard from them by then.

[Metalcat]

I got in the habit of having my doctor's offices send me my chart notes and orders after every visit, so I would know what they recorded and what was ordered. I send written notes to be added to my chart if I feel something I said or did was not recorded properly, and I immediately follow up with any prescriptions or referrals to make sure they were received properly.

I did not know you could do this. What would an example of that look like? Do doctors ever get offended that you are "correcting" their notes?

My PCP's healthcare system is really annoying because they make it "easier" for the patient by giving me a call for any referral to another doctor or specialty within the same healthcare system. It's better in the sense that I don't have to sit around waiting on hold, but it takes them like a week to call, so it makes it much harder to track whether my doctor forgot to put in the referral. Now I put a note on my calendar about a week and a half out to call in if I haven't heard from them by then.

You can't correct what they've written, it's a legal document that is not allowed to be altered, but you can absolutely ask for your own written content to be added to the official chart documents.

I used to cut and paste patient emails into their charts to legally document exactly what they had said when they had concerns. I don't know about your jurisdiction, but where I live, if I ask for something I've written to be added to my official chart, they have to add it, and I follow up to make sure they do.

It will 100% piss off some providers, but I'm quite frank that I've had some very poor treatment outcomes thanks to incomplete or inaccurate documentation, including a hip surgeon who looked like he was going to throw up when he realized *after major surgery* that his resident never documented my complaints about my knee instability.

Granted, I'm a medical professional, so it's easier for me to explain why it benefits them as much as it benefits me.

[Dollar Slice]

I got in the habit of having my doctor's offices send me my chart notes and orders after every visit, so I would know what they recorded and what was ordered. I send written notes to be added to my chart if I feel something I said or did was not recorded properly, and I immediately follow up with any prescriptions or referrals to make sure they were received properly.

I always check the notes after every visit (it's easy with most doctor's offices here; there's a law requiring that patients have access, so mostly you can just read them on your online portal). In this case the doctor wrote in the notes that she was referring me to PT but there was no actual referral entered into the system. And she was prescribing two meds, and only one of them got to the pharmacy. So I gave it a little time to make sure she/her staff wasn't just behind schedule before dropping a note to remind her.

[FrugalShrew]

You can't correct what they've written, it's a legal document that is not allowed to be altered, but you can absolutely ask for your own written content to be added to the official chart documents.

I used to cut and paste patient emails into their charts to legally document exactly what they had said when they had concerns. I don't know about your jurisdiction, but where I live, if I ask for something I've written to be added to my official chart, they have to add it, and I follow up to make sure they do.

It will 100% piss off some providers, but I'm quite frank that I've had some very poor treatment outcomes thanks to incomplete or inaccurate documentation, including a hip surgeon who looked like he was going to throw up when he realized *after major surgery* that his resident never documented my complaints about my knee instability.

Granted, I'm a medical professional, so it's easier for me to explain why it benefits them as much as it benefits me.

That makes sense that the doctor's notes stand, but it's really interesting to think about being able to add my own written content to my chart. I'm going to try and start doing this! Only as needed, of course, but there have definitely been times where the doctor's notes are just flat out wrong.

That really sucks that your hip surgery decision was based on an incomplete medical record (although I think maybe elsewhere/previously you said that it worked out for the best?).

@Dollar Slice Aug 30 or even Sept 5 is decently quick. It must be tough balancing all the different needs of your body, not to mention other life stuff. I can see how a biopsy and an MRI in 2 days would be too stressful.

+1. This seems like very good planning, @Dollar Slice, not to plan a biopsy and MRI back-to-back!

Ugh, it's frustrating your doctor failed to follow up on a referral and one of the prescriptions, though.

[Metalcat]

That makes sense that the doctor's notes stand, but it's really interesting to think about being able to add my own written content to my chart. I'm going to try and start doing this! Only as needed, of course, but there have definitely been times where the doctor's notes are just flat out wrong.

That really sucks that your hip surgery decision was based on an incomplete medical record (although I think maybe elsewhere/previously you said that it worked out for the best?).

Kiiiind of...sort of....maybe....maybe not....still unknown....

It all turned out to be spectacularly complicated well beyond what anyone expected.

[FrugalShrew]

That makes sense that the doctor's notes stand, but it's really interesting to think about being able to add my own written content to my chart. I'm going to try and start doing this! Only as needed, of course, but there have definitely been times where the doctor's notes are just flat out wrong.

That really sucks that your hip surgery decision was based on an incomplete medical record (although I think maybe elsewhere/previously you said that it worked out for the best?).

Kiiiind of...sort of....maybe....maybe not....still unknown....

It all turned out to be spectacularly complicated well beyond what anyone expected.

Okay, that's fair!

[Frugal Lizard]

Had PT appointment today. All is going really well.  Appointments going forward....3 weeks apart.

[Dollar Slice]

Meanwhile, the doctor forgot to actually put in the referral for PT (again) and one of my prescriptions...

After two more appointments...

Last week's doc has sent the forgotten prescription (and thanked me for the reminder). Monday's doc has referred me for a third type of physical therapy (LOL) and an injection to hopefully help with the numbness in my left arm/hand. Waiting on approval from insurance. Physical therapist has, happily, proved very willing to work with me and the insurance and everyone and will try to fix my body as best they can with whatever number of appointments the insurance approves. They gave me some back exercises to take home already even though it wasn't approved by insurance yet for back PT.

[mspym]

Back on running now we have a dog again and that means back on the stretches. The back bedroom is carpeted, currently almost completely empty and sunny in the mornings so I got back from the run, set up breakfast and then did all my stretches and rollouts in a patch of sun with my dog next to me. Ate an orange while doing my quad stretches. I feel pretty great.

[blackbear]

My right knee “clicks” and hurts when I make a kneeling motion. I don’t know why it’s like this, but it may have all started a few years ago when it seemed to “give out” from under me all of a sudden when I was just walking somewhere. Been doing stretching exercises with resistance bands for the past few months, like 3x per week, and doing squats with light weights, which seems to be helping. Keep it up, folks!

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

My poor wrist is getting worse and worse. I'm now sleeping in the brace and trying to put it on every time I pick up baby. So it goes like this: Put baby on changing table, remove brace, change diaper, hand sanitizer, put brace back on while baby is still on table, pick baby back up.

4 more days until the cortisone shot! Meanwhile I am icing at least once a day and taking Aleve morning and night. And doing PT exercises for it.

[Metalcat]

My poor wrist is getting worse and worse. I'm now sleeping in the brace and trying to put it on every time I pick up baby. So it goes like this: Put baby on changing table, remove brace, change diaper, hand sanitizer, put brace back on while baby is still on table, pick baby back up.

4 more days until the cortisone shot! Meanwhile I am icing at least once a day and taking Aleve morning and night. And doing PT exercises for it.

That's horrible. Wrists are a bitch to rehab too because everything is so delicate and prone to rubbing.

[Dollar Slice]

They gave me some back exercises to take home already even though it wasn't approved by insurance yet for back PT.

My back exercises turned out to be kind of a disaster... as some of you might know, a lot of back exercises use your arms (either on your hands and knees, or laying on your back and using your arms to pull on your legs to stretch the back muscles) and this turned out to be way too much for my very fucked-up shoulder/arm. And something they did was causing really sharp pains in my hips as well. So I ended up with a terribly aching arm and sharp hip pains and my back was still killing me. Arg. Between that, my disaster of a thyroid biopsy (which added a lot of neck/back pain) and my shoulder MRI (more arm/back pain from having my arm tightly wedged into the brace and the whole thing being kind of uncomfortable for a bad back) I'm in rough shape. And I skipped a bunch of days of exercises this past week because I had so many bad days where I was hurting so much.

But I went to PT again today and talked to them, they threw out all the problematic back exercises and gave me new ones which don't use my arms, so hopefully that will help. They also helped me interpret the report from the MRI since I have the results in my portal but my doctor follow-up appt isn't for three weeks. (Like every other damn test: unhelpful... lots of age-related wear and tear including arthritis, bone spurs, small tears, tendinitis, inflammation, etc. but nothing specific to show why this isn't healing or why I have been having severe pain for months.)

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

My poor wrist is getting worse and worse. I'm now sleeping in the brace and trying to put it on every time I pick up baby. So it goes like this: Put baby on changing table, remove brace, change diaper, hand sanitizer, put brace back on while baby is still on table, pick baby back up.

4 more days until the cortisone shot! Meanwhile I am icing at least once a day and taking Aleve morning and night. And doing PT exercises for it.

That's horrible. Wrists are a bitch to rehab too because everything is so delicate and prone to rubbing.

Yes! My mom was having her second wrist surgery around the same time of my first bout with the DeQuervain's and we commiserated about it and compared notes on preferred braces and all. I'm worried that my "mother's thumb" will just devolve into the terrible arthritis that she has and it will never feel good again.

Second cortisone shot is on board so fingers crossed for relief soon.

@Dollar Slice I'm glad they gave you some new exercises- I hope they get you relief without hurting your other parts.

[oneday]

@Dollar Slice sorry to hear your back exercises did not help right away. And that you have a PT who listens and pivots when your body's needs require it. I hope the new exercises are do-able without exacerbating other issues, and that they do some good.

@La Bibliotecaria Feroz keep us updated on how the second cortisone shot goes.

[Metalcat]

Fun fact about cortisone shots that I didn't know until very recently: they frequently cause mood disturbances.

I've never ever had an MD who was aware of this, so thought I would share.

I had my first and only cortisone shots last year to buy time before surgery, otherwise I absolutely patently refuse to get them because of the damage they can do to joints (I get prolotherapy instead). And I experienced vague, persistent, inexplicable sadness for a few months, which is super weird for me, when I'm sad it's episodic, not persistent. So a constant nagging sad feeling was extremely strange for me.

I'm on synthetic cortisol pills right now for a totally different issue and the exact same symptoms have come up and that made me look into the research and find out that the same thing can happen with the injections.

But again, most MDs don't know this, so they never warn anyone.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Thanks for asking, @oneday! I seem to have gotten faster relief this time. The first day after was super painful but by like day 3 I was already noticing improvement. I still get some pain if I'm not careful and not wearing the brace so I will probably brace while lifting baby for a while longer.

@Metalcat - That's so interesting! I def. had not heard that about the mood disturbance. I am not at prone to medically induced moodiness (I'm a veteran of a whole lot of IVF and usually sailed through with only minor bumps) but something to be aware of.

I also hadn't heard about the joint damage- casual google suggests it's mostly with repeated injections? Interested in any resources you have to share! I still feel good about my decision to get them because (a) the problem is circumstantial and time-limited- baby will eventually locomote on her own and not need so much lifting and (b) the pain was interfering with caring for and bonding with my daughter.

[Metalcat]

Thanks for asking, @oneday! I seem to have gotten faster relief this time. The first day after was super painful but by like day 3 I was already noticing improvement. I still get some pain if I'm not careful and not wearing the brace so I will probably brace while lifting baby for a while longer.

@Metalcat - That's so interesting! I def. had not heard that about the mood disturbance. I am not at prone to medically induced moodiness (I'm a veteran of a whole lot of IVF and usually sailed through with only minor bumps) but something to be aware of.

I also hadn't heard about the joint damage- casual google suggests it's mostly with repeated injections? Interested in any resources you have to share! I still feel good about my decision to get them because (a) the problem is circumstantial and time-limited- baby will eventually locomote on her own and not need so much lifting and (b) the pain was interfering with caring for and bonding with my daughter.

Yeah, the joint damage risk is infinitely higher for me, even with a single dose because my joints are extremely prone to injury. Joint necrosis with a single injection has been noted with my condition, so it was a not-insignificant risk that I took getting the injections last year.

I just find it fascinating that MDs jump to recommending cortisone as if it's just a step up from advil, when really, it has substantial risks. I always refuse when offered cortisone shots and shockingly, the most common response I get from MDs is "yeah, that's probably a good idea."

It's often a great treatment, just drives me batty that it's treated like it's benign when it really, really isn't.

[Frugal Lizard]

I was offered a place in a virtual persistent pelvic pain support group. Yesterday was session #2. The first session last Tuesday was triggering but I decided to give it a fair trial. Yesterday was helpful. I won't be ceasing physio therapy appointments, but I have paused occupational therapy appointments until after the 8 sessions are done.

I am still seeing reductions in pain overall between physio and new prescriptions.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Thanks, @Metalcat, that's really interesting! So maybe a combo of "more dangerous than commonly known" and "dangerous for you personally." I'm really hoping that PT will keep the wrist pain from coming back... at least for a while. 

[sonofsven]

I got some not surprising news. I'm still swimming daily and it feels good, but my lower back is still super achy and actually feeling a little worse (I overdid the yard work, because I'm an idiot).
I got two massage treatments that were awesome (my partner is a masseuse/acupuncturist) and they suspect that I have disc damage.
I got x rays, which of course don't show soft tissue problems, and now I'm waiting for my MRI request to go through insurance.
The not surprising part is that I have advanced arthritis in my hip.
I asked if that means I need a hip replacement. The doctor said at some point I will, but I'm "a little young" (56).
The lower back is definitely more problematic than the hip, but how much is the hip affecting the back, and vice versa?
My inclination is to just get the hip replacement now. I'm not sure why I should wait?

[Metalcat]

I got some not surprising news. I'm still swimming daily and it feels good, but my lower back is still super achy and actually feeling a little worse (I overdid the yard work, because I'm an idiot).
I got two massage treatments that were awesome (my partner is a masseuse/acupuncturist) and they suspect that I have disc damage.
I got x rays, which of course don't show soft tissue problems, and now I'm waiting for my MRI request to go through insurance.
The not surprising part is that I have advanced arthritis in my hip.
I asked if that means I need a hip replacement. The doctor said at some point I will, but I'm "a little young" (56).
The lower back is definitely more problematic than the hip, but how much is the hip affecting the back, and vice versa?
My inclination is to just get the hip replacement now. I'm not sure why I should wait?

That would be a very good question for your surgeon.

I literally just had my femur broken just to buy time before likely needing hip replacement, so yeah, the waiting part is important.

Why? Because hip replacements have a lifespan and because you can only replace them so many times.

No one can tell you what that lifespan will be (could be 15 years, could be over 25), and when it fails, it makes the revision surgery harder and less predictable, and "success" is seen through the lense of patients having "realistic" expectations of how a second artificial hip should function.

That said, you also don't want to wait too long, at a certain point damage can make the surgery less predictable as well.

So there is some golden window for hip replacement, but who knows what the hell that actually is for an individual. Hence why the consensus is basically: put it off for as long as you can reasonably function.

For me, I was 38 when I lost my ability to walk due to hip damage, but I had almost no arthritis and breaking and rotating my femur could theoretically prevent arthritis, but most likely would buy me 20 years before hip replacement, otherwise I would need hip replacement before 40.

A friend of mine had the same exact issue (no coincidence, we're friends because we have the same issue). But she was 43, obese, and a former smoker, she also had substantial arthritis. Breaking her femur wasn't a great option, so she got hip replacement in her mid 40s.

We were both needing wheelchairs by the time we had our surgeries, so both had urgent need for intervention of some sort. The choice for either of us wasn't obvious, and strong patient preference could have theoretically tipped the scales for the surgeon (same surgeon) to change the plan in either case.

All this to say, it's pretty nuanced, and the key is to find a surgeon whose instincts you trust.

ETA: don't ask me how my surgery turned out, my surgeon has aged a few years thanks to my case. Not his fault, I'm just more nuanced than expected. My buddy though, she's doing great and was hiking by month 2.

[sonofsven]

I got some not surprising news. I'm still swimming daily and it feels good, but my lower back is still super achy and actually feeling a little worse (I overdid the yard work, because I'm an idiot).
I got two massage treatments that were awesome (my partner is a masseuse/acupuncturist) and they suspect that I have disc damage.
I got x rays, which of course don't show soft tissue problems, and now I'm waiting for my MRI request to go through insurance.
The not surprising part is that I have advanced arthritis in my hip.
I asked if that means I need a hip replacement. The doctor said at some point I will, but I'm "a little young" (56).
The lower back is definitely more problematic than the hip, but how much is the hip affecting the back, and vice versa?
My inclination is to just get the hip replacement now. I'm not sure why I should wait?

That would be a very good question for your surgeon.

I literally just had my femur broken just to buy time before likely needing hip replacement, so yeah, the waiting part is important.

Why? Because hip replacements have a lifespan and because you can only replace them so many times.

No one can tell you what that lifespan will be (could be 15 years, could be over 25), and when it fails, it makes the revision surgery harder and less predictable, and "success" is seen through the lense of patients having "realistic" expectations of how a second artificial hip should function.

That said, you also don't want to wait too long, at a certain point damage can make the surgery less predictable as well.

So there is some golden window for hip replacement, but who knows what the hell that actually is for an individual. Hence why the consensus is basically: put it off for as long as you can reasonably function.

For me, I was 38 when I lost my ability to walk due to hip damage, but I had almost no arthritis and breaking and rotating my femur could theoretically prevent arthritis, but most likely would buy me 20 years before hip replacement, otherwise I would need hip replacement before 40.

A friend of mine had the same exact issue (no coincidence, we're friends because we have the same issue). But she was 43, obese, and a former smoker, she also had substantial arthritis. Breaking her femur wasn't a great option, so she got hip replacement in her mid 40s.

We were both needing wheelchairs by the time we had our surgeries, so both had urgent need for intervention of some sort. The choice for either of us wasn't obvious, and strong patient preference could have theoretically tipped the scales for the surgeon (same surgeon) to change the plan in either case.

All this to say, it's pretty nuanced, and the key is to find a surgeon whose instincts you trust.

ETA: don't ask me how my surgery turned out, my surgeon has aged a few years thanks to my case. Not his fault, I'm just more nuanced than expected. My buddy though, she's doing great and was hiking by month 2.

Thanks for the good insight.
Sorry you have such good insight.

[Metalcat]

I slacked on PT last week and have to get back at it.

I had a crazy weekend, so I'm actually really looking forward to getting back at it and my body feeling less kinked.

[oneday]

I am still seeing reductions in pain overall between physio and new prescriptions.

That's great, Frugal Lizard!


I did some ad-hoc PT. While helping a relative clean up trash on their property, any time I found a long stick-like object, I carried it to the trash pile held overhead and slightly behind me, with a wide grip. This mimics one of the PT moves I am supposed to do. It was a bit helpful in that by the end of the afternoon, I was able to move the pole overhead, then down behind me. I suppose if I did this more often, the move would be natural by now. Really need to see if my gym has a suitable piece of equipment for this...