Esther Said:

No type of pain killer or procedure works on me. Why??

We Answered:

Wow, I'm sorry you are in so much pain. I don't think I have a good answer for you, but I want to relate to you my friend's experience. She was having a variety of symptoms (I don't remember the details), but pain was definitely a problem. She was even having trouble walking b/c the pain was so bad. She tried to lift weights during this period and experienced shooting pains. She was constantly sleeping and exhausted. She saw something like 20 doctors and none of them could provide any answers, though some told her she was a hypochondriac. Finally she saw an endocrinologist, who on a whim, gave her a test for a vitamin D deficiency. It turned out that she had a very severe deficiency, which was not b/c of inadequate intake of the vitamin. Her body was only able to absorb a tiny amount (inadequate). When the doc put her on super levels of the vitamin, all of her symptoms disappeared. Some other vitamins such as calcium cannot be absorbed without the presence of vit D, so I'm sure there was secondary deficiencies. Maybe you can get a detailed blood test that looks at your vitamins/minerals. Also, hormone deficiencies can absolutely wreak havoc (including mysterious pain). An endocrinologist would be able to ID hormone imbalances. I hope you find this info useful and I hope you feel better soon!

Laura Said:

Knee issue being treated with iontophoresis...?

We Answered:

It's an electrical modality that uses a small current to push the ions of a medication that is dissolved as a solute (usually dexamathasoze...kind of like cortisone). The treatment can take anywhere between 6-20 minutes, depending on your tolerance for the current. It feels like a slight burn.

However, if this is all your physician is sending you to PT for, I would look into the "action patch" by Empi. It's a disposable version of ionto that runs off a battery. It takes about 2 hours to finish, then you throw the patch away. The only thing that is difficult is finding a pharmacy to sell you the dexamethasone...this is kind of an atypical use for it. But if you can swing this, you can simply do it at home.

Charlene Said:

Tendon Debridement done on their Posterior Tibial Tendon? Rehab time, results, and back to normal?

We Answered:

Just a debridement usually requires up to 4 weeks in the boot, usually non-weightbearing for a week or so and then partial weightbearing. After the first four weeks, the patient is usually weaned off the boot into a shoe and works on range of motion and then "proprioceptive exercises" in PT for about 4-6 weeks. Return to sport possibly by month 4. However, many factors can affect recovery...body weight, length of time it's been an issue and whether or not there is an actual tear.

The last patient I had with this really did have a tear and thought they could get by with just the debridement. This patient initially did well because she was considerably less active during her recovery, but when she had to return to her normal duties at work, it returned and worsened...she was now scheduled for a tendon transfer which is an even longer recovery. We knew in the beginning it was a possibility that she would need the other surgery, it just came sooner than we expected.