George Said:

Is it sinful in Christianity receive physical therapy?

We Answered:

I don't know how a man can produce sperm without lust involved, and Jesus said that if you look at another person with sexual desire (ie lust), you are already guilty of adultery.

Physical therapy has nothing to do with sex or lust. If PT is sinful, then going to ANY doctor would have to be sinful.

Your question is like comparing apples to oranges - they (the 2 you mentioned) don't relate.

It is not being hypocritical to go to a PT or go to a dr. for pain in your side, or to any other specialist in the medical profession.

Of course, you might then say that the doctor does not allow you to have faith in God, so THAT might be seen as hypocritical, but I believe that God gave them the wisdom to find the cures we rely on, etc. and so forth.

Kimberly Said:

what is usui reiki, some form of physical therapy?

We Answered:

Reiki should never, never, never be associated with physical therapy. Physical therapy is based on science, Reiki is an alternative/complimentary practice that involves the alleged transfer of energy through the palms of one person to the other person. (in a nutshell)

Dave Said:

is physical therapy a form of complementary medicine?

We Answered:

Yes. My husband is seeing an orthopedic specialist for arthritis in both knees, and the specialist is also sending him to a physical therapist twice a week to strengthen the muscles around the arthritis as well as improve the flexibility. That's certainly complementary medicine.

Edwin Said:

I am thinking of becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant.. Any input form PTA's. Do you like it and does it cost

We Answered:

I have freind who does it, she loves it.

Julia Said:

Physical Therapy?

We Answered:

This is a difficult question to answer as many conditions can have pain relief in a few visits, others take months...especially post surgical conditions.

As a general rule of thumb, pain during therapy may occur, but you should not feel significantly worse for prolonged periods of time afterwards. In other words, it's normal to "be a little sore" afterwards, but you should return to your baseline within a couple hours. Furthermore, it is normal and acceptable to expereince muscle soreness for part of the day after a therapy session, but it should not significantly limit your daily activities any more than they are already limited by your current condition.

If your pain gets progressively worse with theraputic acitivties, and stays worse and is unrelentless, it is advisable to return to the physician to rule out medical cause for the pain. If that has already been done, then it is time to examine your pain behaviors and emotion behind the pain. Strong emotional ties to pain (frequent crying, depression, violent outbursts, extreme fear and anxiety) are disruptive to the rehabilitative process and faciliate an improper pain response system (on a neurological level)...in these cases, it is strongly recommened to have these pscyhological components addressed through psychological counseling (cognitive behavioral therapy) and possibly pscyhtropic medication as deemed appropriate by a psychiatrist.

One cannot treat the musculoskeletal system if the psychological system is not imbalance. The person must be treated as a whole...body AND mind.

Vanessa Said:

Is it normal to NOT use ice/heat therapy before/after a Physical Therapy Session?

We Answered:

Hot packs and cold packs are generally never a requirement, but can be nice adjuncts to treatment. Where they tend to really be beneficial is in an acute (less than a few weeks old) joint surgery where it is difficult to obtain range of motion or when range of motion has the potential to cause inflammation because of the breaking of scar tissue. Examples include rotator cuff surgery or a knee replacement. Even when I've used it in my patients who are post op knee replacement, by the two month mark, I've usually let it go.

A discectomy is, in my opinion, a much different story, especially one that is two month old already. There really is little benefit it will have after microdiscectomy. However, I'd consider using it in someone who is having great difficulty regaining their range of motion (I'd use a heat pack before treatment) or in someone who has little tolerance for activity and they get flared up after PT. The only time I can think of where I used hot or cold after a back surgery is in a patient who had Lupus (an inflammatory condition) because she was still in much greater pain that I would have expected at her point and time.

The other thing to consider is that most insurance companies have stopped paying for hot/cold pack application. Very few patients are willing to foot the bill for this (charges usually running between $10-20). At my clinic, we stopped charging for them long ago because the billing caused more of a headache than anything else.

Lastly, let's consider the evidence, while there is some evidence that hot/cold applications have a beneficial effect in the knee and the shoulder, it really hasn't been proven for the back . From a clinical experience, I would say that unless there is another underlying medical condition, hot/cold are of very little benefit for this type of procedure.

You can certainly ask your therapist about it, but don't expect your insurance company to pay for it. Most likely, your therapist will tell you it's palliative at best (makes you feel good, but does nothing to help the healing process) and there is certainly nothing wrong with doing it. As you suggested, it might just be worth it to ice at home.

Best wishes in your recovery