Saw the PT today

[Formerly SK]

So I saw a PT today. She examined my knees (and joints in general) and said that basically I am just loosely connected. My patella moves significantly more than normal (most of my pain comes from behind my patella). She wants to see me weekly for 6 weeks to work on exercises and gave me some to do at home.

The exercises are REALLY simple and things I'm mostly been doing already (ie squats). But she wants me to do it with just BW...when I was doing 95lbs two months ago when my knees started really hurting.

I'm thinking that now that I know I'm not doing anything that is damaging my knees I can probably just get back to the gym but cut my weight 50% or something and do high reps. Since the PT costs me $100+ per visit, I'm not too keen on doing six sessions unless there is some magic trick she knows (and she told me there isn't one). I told her I like to lift weights and I'm not a novice re form but I got the sense she didn't believe me.

So....would you do the appointments? I've watched the form videos several times that Pig posted and I'm 99% sure my form is perfect. I thought the whole point of getting stronger was increasing weight while decreasing reps, yet the PT is wanting to do the opposite to strengthen my knees. Seems wacky to me...but then I'm not a PT.

[pig]

PTs always like to treat you as if you're injured. They couldn't find anything "wrong" with you but you complained of pain therefore, they are going to start you off at ground zero. They wanted me to do rotator cuff exercises with a band that I could easily break in any of the exercises and they would do absolutely nothing for me but it's part of their speil. I'd find a weight/rep scheme that doesn't cause you any pain and go from there.

Your other option is to tell them that the movements they gave you do nothing for you and do not cause you any pain. See what they say.

[Formerly SK]

Yeah, I kinda felt like she was treating me like I was elderly or something. And she kept exclaiming my medical history was so great (no cancer, no high BP, no diabetes). I kinda kept thinking, "You know I'm only 38, right? And I'm in good shape so why are you acting as if I'll break at any moment?"

Course the PT looked to be about 25 which made me wonder if she's just very new. I purposely picked a sports injury place vs a general rehab place but maybe they're all like that.

I like the idea of going on my own with some lower weights/higher reps. The problem is my knees usually don't hurt while I'm lifting etc it is usually at the end of the day when it catches up to me. Course, right now they both lightly hurt and I can't sit in any one position for very long. Frustrating.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Here's my 2 cents, after undergoing multiple rounds of PT to recover from hip surgery. Each time, it has been going from zero muscle.

There are 100 ways of doing an exercise, and 99 of them are incorrect. Just a small shift in body weight or in body angle can make a HUGE difference in how the muscle works.....or in WHICH muscle engages.

If you've got pain, there is something that YOU are doing incorrectly while working out. By letting her watch you work, even if you're only doing light weight, you are giving her the opportunity to correct whatever it is that you're doing that causes you pain.

Lemme give you an example. My first visit to PT, the therapist had me do an exercise called a clamshell. You lie on your side, legs bent, and raise your upper knee, keeping your feet together. I could do it, easy peasy. Only problem was that I was doing it wrong. I had shifted my body weight back - only an inch or so - and was using my back to engage the muscles, not my hip. The PT had to wedge her body behind my back to keep me from shifting my weight back so I could do the exercise correctly. Oh......and it hurt like hell and I could barely move my knee. It was an eye opening experience. that such a small change could have such a huge impact upon how a muscle works.

If you're not satisfied with your PT, then by all means, go to someone else. I know that my PT has her MS as well and is a certified pilates instructor. She works with dancers who have had joint injuries, but I knew that she'd force my body to work correctly. She's also in sports medicine. However, I have fired a crappy PT before and IME, getting a good one is either by luck or word of mouth. For mine, it's impossible to get an appointment with her in 2 weeks, I usually schedule my appointments a month in advance (I think I'm scheduled through June right now) and like surgeons, I have discovered that the harder they are to get an appointment with, the better they are.

Sometimes, the most simple exercises done correctly, are the most difficult.

Personally, I'd look for someone older......with more education and experience. I have had the best luck with those PTs who are in the 35+ age range. It means that they've kept up with new procedures and also have experience. Also, that they listen to you better and will address your concerns.

However, if you have knee issues, I would NOT continue on at the rate that you're going. As difficult as hip replacements are to recover from, I would NOT want to be a candidate for a knee replacement (I hear both the rehab and success are far less) and continuing to work through pain could send you there.

JMHO

[ysi]

Did you see a dr before you saw the p.t.?

I went to a p.t. once and cried all the way home convinced I needed surgery-I felt so trapped it was unreal. Made an appt for the surgeon, then the problem all but disappeared by the time of the appt, and the mri proved the symptoms had a completely different cause than what the p.t. thought.

On another occasion, a p.t. gave me excellent advice to strengthen ankles which I roll easily due to multiple sprains in the past. Best exercise in the world and one I never would have thought of doing.