Does Physical Therapy Really Help?
By MARILYN
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
United States
March 7, 2023 10:47am CST
Happy Tuesday Everyone! it's a sunny but cold day here today. I was a bit surprised to see snow covering the ground when I got up. But, it didn't last long and 99% of it is melted already.
I'm taking today off in anticipation of a busy next few days. My son is supposed to come tomorrow to start the renovation on the bathroom. That will mean noise, dust and commotion. He anticipates that it will take a few days to install the new shower so I'm hoping that by the weekend everything will be done.
My daughter has a zoom meeting this morning which is a good thing instead of tomorrow morning.
She has been going to physical therapy for about 2 weeks now and sometimes she says she feels worse than before she started. I really hope this works and she can get back to feeling like her old self. The doctor suggested physical therapy to help build up the muscles surrounding her knee so that she won't have to have surgery. The physical therapist agrees with the doctor so I assume that the pain my daughter is feeling now is from muscles she isn't used to using. The other day she said she was going to quit but I hope she doesn't. I think in the long run it will help if she can get through the pain and exercises now.
Have you ever gone for physical therapy? has it helped??
26 people like this
26 responses
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
7 Mar 23
I'm going to encourage her to stick with it. I'm sure in time it will help and she'll be happy. It's good to hear it helped your hubby.
2 people like this
@DianneN (247216)
• United States
7 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225 Good. No pain, no gain. Hubs couldn't even lift a soup can and now he can lift me - not that it's easy for him
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
7 Mar 23
Thats encouraging Julia. I guess she was expecting it to be a miracle cure rather than a process that can take time. I'm glad you stuck it out and that it helped your whiplash
3 people like this
@celticeagle (160064)
• Boise, Idaho
7 Mar 23
Physical therapy is just that, physical. There are going to be days when there will be a lot of pain. I think one thing to keep in mind too is that this therapy helps keep these areas of the body that have been injured both pliable and moving. If not a person could really have some major pain when these areas get stoved up and stiff.
3 people like this
@celticeagle (160064)
• Boise, Idaho
8 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225 .........Even doing yoga would probably help keep them limber.
3 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
You're absolutely right about the muscles becoming stiff
3 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
@celticeagle yoga probably would be helpful especially for stretching muscles
3 people like this
@kaylachan (59063)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
7 Mar 23
Now a days it's recommend for most injuries. And, yes, I have cereal palsy, so I'm no stranger to physical Therapy. Hurts like hell, but building muscle usually is an intense and painful process. Don't let her give up, she'll regret it if she does. I don't know if it's really helped me, but it keeps me at my baseline so I suppose it's helpful.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
Thank you for your response. It means a lot that you said it hurts like hell because that's what she is going through. If she can deal with the pain until her muscles get stronger then she'll be happy that she doesn't have to have surgery.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (59063)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
8 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225 Surgery recovery and prep are a lot worse. If she can avoid it, it's to her benefit. And, regardless of whether she gets the surgery or not, then she would still require pt/rehab after surgery.... which would still hurt like hell in a hand basket.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
@kaylachan no escaping the pain or PT regardless
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (460657)
• Switzerland
8 Mar 23
I had physical therapy twice. The first time I had a problem to my shoulder rotator cuff, lifting a too heavy weight. It took 18 sessions to get well, but I avoided surgery. The second time when I fell from the stairs and hurt my knee. Also this time it worked.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (460657)
• Switzerland
8 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225 My family doctor immediately suggested surgery for my shoulder and I had no intention to have surgery. I am glad I have been stubborn.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
@LadyDuck you're lucky you listened to yourself
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
Both sounds like pretty serious injuries Anna and I'm happy that physical therapy helped you especially the avoiding surgery.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40654)
• United States
7 Mar 23
I pray this will be a great help to your daughter. I had a few sessions after rotator cuff shoulder surgery and it did help.
2 people like this
@1creekgirl (40654)
• United States
8 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225 Not feeling too well, but ready to get the treatments started.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
So many positive responses here that my daughter is amazed at how much every one said it helped. I'm glad that it helped with your rotator cuff shoulder surgery
How are you doing these days? I know that you've been through a lot .
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18198)
• Orangeville, Ontario
8 Mar 23
It depends on what they are doing for physical therapy. I had physical therapy (ultra sound, accupunture) on my tennis elbow and it always seemed to come back.
I recently went for the arthritis in my knees. They did have me on the exercise bike which I told them caused a great deal of pain in my hip flexors so they stopped that and just continued with the ultra sound and it helped. I had to stop because insurance ran out but I haven't had to go back again this year (though I'm considering it) and the bigger problem (swelling) has not returned.
2 people like this
@patgalca (18198)
• Orangeville, Ontario
8 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225 Like I said, the exercise bike caused me pain in another area (it was not so much a bike as it was a pedaller). I do remember telling the therapist that my knee was popping while I was pedalling. So she stopped and we just continued with the electronic therapy which worked enough.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
Her problem is her knee so the therapist is trying to build up the muscles surrounding the knee to help stabilize it as well as strengthen her hips etc.
Insurance does play a big part in physical therapy and I'm afraid it will run out before her sessions are finished.
I'm glad that it's helped you but I imagine the exercise bike would be hard.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
8 Mar 23
I had physical therapy after I had carpal tunnel surgery. It did build the muscles back up but it was painful, too.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
9 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225 Oh, yeah... Mom refused to do physical therapy after breaking several bones in a car accident. She never got back her range of motion... and always complained about hurting in those areas. PT does help a lot, in my opinion.
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
The general consensus seems to be pain but the end result is positive. So far everyone has said it helps and it's been encouraging for my daughter to hear all the positive results from everyone here.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
Surgery is the last thing she wants so after all the positive responses here I think she's going to stick it out.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (326873)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225 I had a mistake in my response. I meant to say 'not all etc'. 
@aninditasen (15809)
• Raurkela, India
8 Mar 23
I do yoga and therefore it reduces my knee pain whenever I have it.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
Yoga sounds like a good way to stretch muscles. I'm glad it helps your knee pain
1 person likes this
@aninditasen (15809)
• Raurkela, India
9 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225 Yes, yoga if done regularly according to your constitution cures a lot of diseases.
@Hannihar (129697)
• Israel
8 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225
I am glad that your son is coming to do the renovations. I am glad she has the zoom meeting today and not when the noise will happen and she cannot hear the people speak to her. Yes, I have gone to physical therapy and parts of me that I had to go will never be the same again. I had acupuncture and I really liked it and do not remember if it helped or not but liked it. My physical therapist went to a course to learn it and I was either her first to do it on or one of her first. I recommend it.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
Thank you for your answer. I don't know anyone who's gone to physical therapy so I decided to ask here and see what the general consensus was. I don't want my daughter to quit if the end result will get her knee back to normal. It's hard to see her in pain with the exercises, etc that she has to do.I'm glad that you had a positive experience.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129697)
• Israel
8 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225
The exercises will be painful but hopefully they will ease off after she does them a while. You are welcome.
1 person likes this
@almostoveryou (4253)
• Philippines
8 Mar 23
yes, i went through physical therapy many years ago and they did help. you won't feel the effects right away as you go through several sessions. you will feel it maybe a few weeks after the last session is done. it's a gradual process.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
I'm happy to hear that you had a positive experience with physical therapy. It's also good to know that it takes a few weeks/sessions for it to really help so I'm going to tell my daughter to keep going and not give up. It will be worth the pain shes dealing with now for the end result that her knee is better.
1 person likes this
@lifecoachjerusalem (1134)
• Israel
8 Mar 23
I had trigger thumb a few tim'es. The first time I was so scared of the cortizone shot, that I didn't do it for a year. I didn't have the use of my thumb for a long time, until I finally said ok! I had the shot and a few hours later I could move my right thumb. I'm right handed.
Then I got it again! This time I knew that I could get the shot, but I was told by the primary care physician that I could have physio therapy, So I did it, it was 6 weeks, first a lazer treatment on my hand, then 15 minutes in hot wax wrap, and certain exercises I had to do at home. The rest of the time, immobilized the thumb. Well it worked!!
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
It must have been terrible not being able to use your thumb . Actually I never heard of trigger thumb but I am glad that physical therapy worked.
1 person likes this
@lifecoachjerusalem (1134)
• Israel
8 Mar 23
@Marilynda1225 I was afraid of the cortizone and the side effects the first time I had trigger thumb. But te physio really helped, and I did do the exercises at home too!
1 person likes this
@zulfrontado (199)
• Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
8 Mar 23
I've never had physical therapy, but I think it helps. I have also met people who have been helped.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
Every response here says it's painful but in the long run it works. I've never had physical therapy either so I had nothing to base it on.
@GardenGerty (157917)
• United States
8 Mar 23
Both Bob and I have gone for physical therapy. It helps,if it is addressing the correct problem. Personally, I learned a lot about how to protect my sore old bones and over time have fewer problems. I only went for a month and then decided I could exercise on my own.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
Learning what to do is a great way to keep yourself mobile. My daughter is learning exercises which she has to do at home between the actual therapy sessions and she feels worse after doing them. I sure she hasn't give it enough time yet to see improvement. I've gotten so many positive responses here about how physical therapy does help.
@shaggin (71678)
• United States
7 Mar 23
We were supposed to get snow last night but we didn’t I am happy for that!
If she winds up needing surgery they won’t do it until she has completed the physical therapy so I hope she sticks it out. Poor thing thought it being more painful then before she started.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
7 Mar 23
Our snow was just a covering g and it was gone quickly.
I'm definitely going to keep encouraging my daughter to stick with the therapy. She would be worse off if she had to have surgery
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (171367)
• United States
7 Mar 23
Yes, I think it does. She may need to stick with it for awhile. I know sis was having some disc issues and PT helped her avoid surgery.
2 people like this
@allknowing (130292)
• India
7 Mar 23
I have been doing physio therapy for years for building up muscles to strengthen my legs after that accident and it has helped a lot
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
I'm glad you're doing better after your accident
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (96587)
• Marion, Ohio
8 Mar 23
Physical therapy can be very painful. But compared to surgery and then still needing therapy a lot of times.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
You're right. Hopefully the pain now will be worth it if she can avoid surgery
2 people like this
@sallypup (58362)
• Centralia, Washington
7 Mar 23
Yes I went to physical therapy. I have a fragile back and sciatica. I'd started slowly using a treadmill. About a month of using the treadmill I could barely walk. My doctor referred me to a physical therapist. Dang that therapist put me through the wringer though he also applied hot packs to my back. It hurt to go and it hurt afterwards. BUT he got me walking again and I am grateful for that. I still have sciatica and a bad back and very bad knees. My solution now is to go to a warm water pool and exercise my joints. I can't move my knees and hips etc very well OUT of the water but can in the water. IF I don't keep those joints moving I will freeze up and be in a wheelchair. So I go to the pool twice a week and work out though I hurt before, during and afterwards. My legs are stronger for the effort and that means I am less likely to fall.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80220)
• United States
8 Mar 23
The last thing you want is to end up in a wheelchair. Just the idea of being in pool and being able to use your joints does sound like you found the solution for your sciatica, back and knees. Getting your legs stronger is smart. Thanks for your respsonse as it has been helpful. The general consensus is that physical therapy does work but it's painful.
