Physical Therapy Report

I am on week 2 of my fall physical therapy. I am seeing a physiotherapist (that's a combination massage therapist/physical therapist) two times a week for an hour before I head in to work. Although it means getting up at butt crack of dawn, it works out in the long run. I'm much more limber and my pain is lessened with the exercises.

What has happened over the past six months is that I have seriously compromised my lower back alignment. This happens when you walk with a limp, and when you favor one leg over another. The muscles in my abdomen and lumbar area, on the left side, have become much weaker than those of the right side. The result is a great deal of pain, on both sides, since muscle atrophy hurts on the left, and the right side is just tired from doing the left side's work.

The sessions start with deep trigger point massage of the iliopsoas muscle in my abdomen. This isn't really all that much fun; the muscle is very tight and very angry and not very forgiving at this point. She then works on my lumbar muscles, particularly the insertion points on the piriformis.

Each day I get more and more exercises added to an ever-growing corpus. More and more, I am getting to do some strength-building, and this feels awesome. It also hurts afterwards, but I am starting to move with much more ease.

Also, I have continued with the acupuncture sessions and they are awesome. The needle insertion really does help to interrupt the pain feedback loops in which my body is caught, plus the level of relaxation it creates is simply wonderful. I leave each session a bit clearer-headed. I'm grateful that I added this treatment to my wellness plan.

Just 83 days until surgery . . .