Shoutout to my PT, and PT in general.

[Anonymous]

I came out of this last covid winter feeling sore, immobile, old, and depressed about it, especially with this extended cold spring we've been having. I finally went back to my physical therapist for a tuneup today and I feel SO GOOD—better physically but much better mentally. A little massage, a little manual traction, some supervised review of exercises. Diagnosis about how and why my kneecaps and pelvis are out of whack. She watched me go up and down stairs, which it turns out I can do easily when I'm not tangling with my dangerous basement stairs.

Better than all of that, I feel affirmed, and like I just need tweaking rather than being on a hopeless downhill slide.

If you're having pain or functional problems with movement, and are stressed about it, I recommend physical therapy. You can go without a referral, at least in DC and MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I came out of this last covid winter feeling sore, immobile, old, and depressed about it, especially with this extended cold spring we've been having. I finally went back to my physical therapist for a tuneup today and I feel SO GOOD—better physically but much better mentally. A little massage, a little manual traction, some supervised review of exercises. Diagnosis about how and why my kneecaps and pelvis are out of whack. She watched me go up and down stairs, which it turns out I can do easily when I'm not tangling with my dangerous basement stairs.

Better than all of that, I feel affirmed, and like I just need tweaking rather than being on a hopeless downhill slide.

If you're having pain or functional problems with movement, and are stressed about it, I recommend physical therapy. You can go without a referral, at least in DC and MD.

That's great!

I'd recommend youtube videos by physical therapists as well.

[Anonymous]

Major +1

So much medical stuff ends up being harder/more annoying/more expensive/goes on longer than you think it's going to, but every problem I've ever brought to PT has been solved completely in a reasonable amount of time. They're miracle workers in my book.

[Anonymous]

They are like pharmacists - people don't realize just HOW MUCH medical knowledge they have.

[Anonymous]

NP here - how to find a good one?

[Anonymous]

Is there any need/purpose to start with a PCP? Or just call up a PT office?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there any need/purpose to start with a PCP? Or just call up a PT office?

OP here. In my case, my PCP was pretty useless on musculoskeletal things, whereas the PT's diagnosis was spot on. I have been to the PCP for recent bloodwork etc., so I knew nothing systemic was wrong. I'd go straight to a PT if you're otherwise reasonably healthy. They'll send you back to your PCP or to a specialist if something is beyond their competence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here - how to find a good one?

OP here. I have had really good experiences with Forever Fit—downtown Silver Spring office, but they have other locations. They take insurance and are quite affordable even out of pocket. At the moment I'm going to the head therapist at https://www.quistmd.com/ . They don't take insurance and are expensive, so I try not to go too often, but I get absolutely undivided attention for a solid hour. Forever Fit is more about supervised exercise, almost like a personal trainer, and Quist is more about diagnosis and hands-on treatment. Both really good and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So much medical stuff ends up being harder/more annoying/more expensive/goes on longer than you think it's going to, but every problem I've ever brought to PT has been solved completely in a reasonable amount of time. They're miracle workers in my book.

+1 (OP)

[Anonymous]

Totally agree. I was skeptical, but PT was way more effective diagnosing my back problem and identifying solutions than both a pcp and a self-advertised ‘pain’ doctor.

(I did try the PT YouTube videos first, but in my case the live PT helped a lot and my google search turned up the OPPOSITE ADVICE (which actually caused harm) in YouTube PTs)

[Anonymous]

I love mine too. She's listened to me and addressed issues better than a lot of doctors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here - how to find a good one?

We've had a great experience with NRH Bethesda.