I've always had crazy medical problems. Always. I have Lyme Disease and tendinitis. I am accident prone and I bruise VERY easily (as in..if you poke me, I will bruise). So, I wasn't surprised when I randomly ended up with back pain. I've had it before and it has always gone away. Not this time. I've had it for over two months and it was only getting worse. It got so bad that there was one morning where I bent over and found myself is so much pain that I couldn't move and I was actually screaming aloud with the pain. Joseph didn't even hesitate as he told me that I HAD to make a doctor's appointment that day. I did and went to the appointment where I was told to take prescription muscle relaxants and to do some back exercises and to come back if my back was still bothering me in two weeks. Three weeks later, my back had only gotten worse so I set another appointment for this past Monday. Physical therapy was recommended and so I went. Tuesday was evaluation day and it included poking, prodding, and exercises. I now have 5 weeks of PT every Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday evening I made sure to do my exercises to work on stretching loose my lower back muscles. Tuesday night, I silently cried myself to sleep. I've never been in such pain before. Last night wasn't much better.
The plus side of the exercises, I felt great yesterday. I would have felt great today as well, but the work stress beat out the exercises. *shrug* oh well, you can't win every day. This afternoon was my very first full physical therapy appointment. I learned new exercises, laughed with Ryan and Anna (my PTs), had ultra-sound therapy done on my back, followed by electrical stimulation and ice to finish it off. Oh! and in between the ultrasound and electric stimulation...an amazing massage! I had no IDEA that massages came with physical therapy! I would have gone to the doctor sooner.
I have to say, that after my session today, my back has not felt better in months. It still hasn't returned to hurting, however...I did finally pick up my new prescription tonight and tried it out when I got home. Maybe it's actually working.
So, I need to know...Did YOU know that physical therapy includes massages?
5 comments:
Brian's chiropractor was able to get our insurance to cover massage therapy for him. Too bad the OB didn't try that for me :^) Hope you feel better soon.
I did physical therapy for my back for a YEAR and they would do this amazing cracking thing to align it followed by a massage every time. sigh. it was so nice.
You need to go to the chiropractor! If I have back pain for a week I go and it's gone in a day. Seriously, don't take medicine - go to the chiropractor.
Oh, and my chiropractor gives a short massage after each adjustment.
Most medical problems are the manifestation of emotional, spirtual and mental issues. You need to figure out what's wrong with you emotionally, spiritually, and mentally, then the ailing physical parts of you will take care of themselves. Meditation, relaxation, etc. are good starters, and there's nothing wrong with a good therapist now and then if you need it to talk things out.
PS Losing weight is also a definite must, especially if you are younger. Carrying a lot of extra weight around is unhealthy and creates additional health problems including not being able to get pregnant.
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