10 Comments so far

1. kellygirl on January 27, 2014 8:57 pm

   Everyone is different. I didn’t go to PT for very long–maybe four visits. The Dr said most of the stuff I could do on my own and would save me the co-pay. You could start spreading your visits further apart and then just come in for progress checks. That’s what I would have done if I thought my PT was worth the money.

2. Ron on January 27, 2014 9:24 pm

   Hi Steve,

   I would be doing the gym work, treadmill, stationary bike and swimming coupled with my PT.

   Regarding PT’s, they tend to work on the same thing over and over, some of which CAN be done at home. At this point, 1x per week may be better. However, if you are not progressing during each visit, you may be wasting time and money.

   I am also 5 months and only go 1x per week and am moving toward just gym work at this point.

   Hope that helps.
   Good luck and keep us posted.
   Ron

3. normofthenorth on January 28, 2014 3:16 am

   I think it was earlier than you are now, when my PT shifted from massage, gizmos, & take-home exercises, TO gym work rehab. I wasn’t convinced that their work was much better than what I could do at home, to be worth the $ and the trip, so I stopped. I would have resumed competitive volleyball several months later, but a little distraction — having a bum heart valve replaced — slowed me down a year.

4. kimc on January 28, 2014 9:57 am

   Steve,

   I’m mostly doing gym work, but doing some PT exercises daily on my own. I touch base with the PT every other week or so. I’ll be 14 weeks post surgery this week.

   I think the gym work has been especially helpful for me. I did a lot of walking early on, and slowly increased distance and speed. Doing a variety of things also seems to help, although it was important to add slowly and one thing at a time: cycling, pool running, treadmill, core, weights, stability exercises. Just began run/walk intervals last week.

5. steve01 on January 28, 2014 10:22 am

   Hi everyone,

   thanks, as always, for the great feedback! This forum really helped me manage a very trying time, especially during the first few weeks, and its members came through again.

   Best wishes to everyone for a speedy and complete recovery!

   Steve

6. Steve on January 28, 2014 7:15 pm

   Hi Steve,

   Our surgeries were about the same time (8/14/13). I started PT around 9/20/13. My last visit was 11/6. I stopped because they were not pushing me hard enough. Very, very conservative. Since I stopped going, there was a lot more progress. I am walking normally with little to no limp. Just my two cents…:))

   Steve

7. mhamay on January 28, 2014 9:40 pm

   Since workman’s comp is paying for my PT I plan on going as long as the Dr. will let me. I feel like until I am to where I was before the rupture they aren’t off the hook for the bill. Mine understands the things I want to be able to do and pushes me every workout- I go to the pool one day and regular PT 2 times a week. I feel like the Graston Technique massage that they do is really helping to break up some of the scar tissue and loosen the adhesion of the skin.

8. johnsfbay on February 6, 2014 12:56 am

   If you have a good PT, and it is paid for, then there is not much harm in continuing. I decided to take aqua aerobics classes (since PT was only covered for 6 visits) and continued working with a personal trainer 30 minutes twice a week at my gym throughout my recovery. I believe that a personal trainer, if you can find a good one and can afford it, can be very beneficial as they apply a total body rehab approach! It worked for me - back playing recreational soccer again! Good luck!

9. bionic on February 6, 2014 2:01 am

   I have a bit of insight to behind the scenes business in the physio world. Like so many businesses, money drives advice, not your health. Keep that in mind. Of course, there are many great physios. Let them be your guide, but remain your own boss. Be direct with the physio with this type of query. It does not have to be twice a week or nothing. You could check in every few weeks on exercise technique, progress etc. Also different people may benefit from physio for slightly different additional reasons… eg. technique, scheduling, discipline, even emotional support through injury.

10. normofthenorth on February 6, 2014 4:09 am

    Bionic, I’ve said a lot of negative things about some health practitioners hereabouts, but I actually don’t think a lot of bad practice is actually driven by greed. Our brains and “minds” are so complex thay make ankles look like cartoon stick figures, and most of us are so laden with “confirmation bias” that we see our work as something that makes the world a better place, no matter what we do. Yes, there may be health clinic and hospital administrators who actually urge surgeons to help full the ORs (etc., etc.), but I think most of this can be explained by my Daddy’s fave saying, “If you go to a carpenter, he’ll tell you to make it out of wood.” Similar to one attributed to Mark Twain (or Abraham Maslow), “If your only tool is a hammer, all your problems look like nails.”

    Don’t forget that a lot of us chose our professions BECAUSE we thought that job was a Good Thing to Do, maybe even before we worried about making a living. . .