what should I expect? I have had chronic pain for 10 years of my sacroiliac joint. I have documented osteoarthritis and bone spurring in this joint. I had tried acupuincture, physical therapy 3 times, chiropactic, medications, and I take lidocaine patches every day.
This feels like my last resort…. what do you think he will do… my PCP is “afaid” to prescribe me real pain meds… but I am living in pain ALL the time and do not feel as if I can have a normal life. I must mention I am only 34 and have had this for 10 years.
What should I expect?
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I’m in frequent, moderately-severe pain. Please help! Recommendations and “talk to the doc about ____” diagnosis are welcomed…
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I’m a healthy 22 year-old female who suffers from hip pain during rest and activity.
Back in Elementary school (~10 yrs old), I experienced discomfort in my groin– the tendons, I think– when running the mile. It was minimal and very temporary, so my family decided not to do anything about it: we thought it might be brought on by the gym teacher’s insistence on certain performance levels regardless of the student’s athletic ability.
There were no more problems until High School, when I happened to be walking with my hands low on my hips. I could feel the right joint ‘popping’ when I took my weight off it, but there was no discomfort The left hip was fine. Again, we decided to let it go.
In college (~18 or 19yrs old) I discovered that being highly active would cause temporary pain in my hips (localized in the outside-center of either buttock). My right hip was worse and inevitably, the pain started to occur more frequently, even when I was seated. My boyfriend (a paramedic) insisted that I go to the doctor.
I gave her the information above, and I asked her to feel the hip movement as I walked across the room. She told me that she didn’t need to, she believed me, and so she had me lay on my back as she manipulated my legs in different directions (looking for unnatural tension or movement, I guess?). I told her that I didn’t have problems while on my back and she told me that I might have a “loose” ligament that might require physical therapy, or some kind of deformity that might be keeping the joint out of proper alignment.
The x-ray came back negative, so she told me to take two asprin twice a day and call back in two weeks.
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I’m not ashamed to say that I was furious at what I feel was an act of incompetence. I maintain a healthy weight, am active and young, so I firmly believe that I was dismissed on the basis of my appearance. Since I was angry and had informed her repeatedly that I had a chronic problem, I decided not to take her advice and I never called her back.
Surprise, surprise, my hips got worse. It hurts a lot, so please don’t berate me for what I know was a stupid choice. At this point, the pain is interfering with my daily activity (driving, sitting at a desk, during sex, after visiting the gym, prior to going to sleep, etc) and so I don’t have any options but to return to the doctor and get a recommendation. I don’t blame a General Practitioner for overlooking what must be a fairly specific problem, so I’d like to know what I need to say to be fair and get her to direct me to the right specialist. For my hips, should I see a joint specialist or someone else? Is this something a Podiatrist would treat, or a Chiropractor? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks so much.
I have been diagnosed with prolapsed disk at the S1-L5, and i have DDD< and spinal stenosis and found out i have just started osteoporosis i need help i have been through Physical Therapy, injections pain pills and i do not know where to turn anymore i filed for disability and quit my job so i was wanting to know if anyone knows of something i could try to get help with thanks…………….god bless
I have fibromyalgia and degenerative and prolapsed disk disease and diagnosed with osteopenia i have been doing physical therapy for two months no help so doctor is sending me to a specialist i was wondering to if i would be going back to my job i work in a factory setting and alot of lifting and bending and standing i need answers i was wondering should i go ahead and quit my job and try to get disability. thanks so much…
I have SEVERE muscle spasms in almost every muscle in my body. I cannot wear shirts with collars because the muscles are so tight in my shoulders and neck, any pressure on them make me dizzy. I have tried a chriopractor, but after each visit, the dizziness and pain was unbearable, same thing with physical therapy. I get so dizzy after they work on my muscles, I can’t even walk around without holding on to the wall. I dont know what is causing this, or where to go. Does anyone know the technical term for the doc that handles muscles? Thanks
Cardiac rehab is a specialized form of rehab that focuses on the function of the heart. They focus on recovery of endurance and teaching a patient how to work into their appropriate cardiac target zone usually after a heart related incident such as a heart attack or open heart surgery. The focus of their education is in cardiopulmonary function.
A PT also receives training in cardiopulmonary function; and PTs used to do the cardiac rehab training (and in some areas still do), but as the need for more cardiac rehab grew the profession developed as its own. Now, PTs focus more on the functional deficits and reduction of disability that occur…not just with cardiac rehab patients, but also patients with neurological disorders, sports related injuries, etc. In other words, the scope of PT is much broader than cardiac rehab.
A good example of how PTs and CRS differ is in the hospital setting. After open heart surgery, the patient is usually initiated on basic exercises and walking with the cardiac rehab specialist. IF it is found that the patient has underlying balance or gait deficits, or unusual weakness, cannot get out of bed, etc, PT and OT are usually called to help the patient get to a point where they can work more efficiently with the CRS. I often tell my patients “We both want you to walk…but PT is going to focus on how to make is easier and safer for you and the CRS is working to help you improve your heart.” We focus much more on teaching patients how to get in and out of bed, how to go up stairs, how to walk/balance, etc. Once they have mastered these basic skills, we usually just let them keep working with cardiac rehab and PT is discontinued.
Finally, a PT and an athletic trainer both work with injured atheltes, but PT usually takes precedence until it is safe for the ATC to work with them…especially with post surgical cases. Scope of PT is much broader than ATC and allows them to work with many different clientel and for much more different reasons. In contrast to what the poster above states, ATCs are more likely to work for a PT than the other way around (unless the ATC is a clinic owner). ATCs cannot “act as a PT”…it is not within their licensure…although some of the things they do may be very similar.