Sara E. Richeson, PT, DPT

Great question, physical therapy can absolutely help manage sciatica pain! Sciatica can be somewhat of a catchall diagnosis in that there are many potential causes for this type of pain. It could be irritation or tightness of a muscle in your hip or arthritis or a disc issue in your lower back. It is for that reason that we recommend a skilled physical therapy assessment before prescribing exercises. To help you get started with managing your pain I would recommend finding your position of comfort, where you have the least pain and spend as much time there as you can. This helps decrease the ongoing irritation to the nerve and therefore can decrease your pain ideally while you work to schedule an initial appointment with a physical therapist.

Hi!

Good question as it's always good to be proactive in managing your health, or, in this case, your son's health! Physical therapy is typically most utilized to help recover from an injury as opposed to prevention of injury, however, at Forever Fit PT & Wellness, we believe in a holistic approach to healthcare and offer "Wellness Checks" as a way to screen for any increased risk of injury before it were to happen!

Great question! Kinesiotape is one of many brands that offer this versatile product that has multiple types of applications within physical therapy. The tape itself is made of a stretchy material that can reinforce a muscle contraction, calm down tension in a muscle, control swelling and decrease pain in general. It's typically designed to be worn for 2-3 days at a time and your physical therapist can even teach you how to apply it for yourself!

Hello! Osteoarthritis which is the most likely diagnosis influencing the need for total joint replacement usually responds best to low load exercise activities - examples of that would likely be a stationary or recumbent bicycle and even better than that aquatic exercise can be very effective in off loading pressure form your knee joints. I would always recommend consulting your primary care physician before embarking on any new fitness plan.

Hello! Sorry to hear about the recent development of pain - to help answer your question, it would be best to clarify if there was a specific injury or trauma leading up to the start of pain response. If you can remember a specific movement or moment the pain started, seeking out your primary care physician and/or a consult with an orthopedic physician is likely the best initial route to rule out structural integrity issues. If the pain has been gradually building over the past week, physical therapists have 3 years of specific musculoskeletal training at the doctorate level and while we cannot order tests such as x-rays/MRIs, we can perform objective assessments to help with the diagnostic process. Short answer - if you can remember a moment of specific pain increase, seek out your primary care/orthopedic doctor, but if the symptoms have been gradually changing, PT first could be a good choice! (**Access to PT first can be dependent on your specific insurance provider.)