Doesn anyone else think physical therapy is a complete joke and waste of time?

Biggest mistake PT make is testing a muscle and saying it is "weak" and needs strengthening when the truth is that is has been overworked and needs rest. Most running injuries are from overuse.

I had that happen in the early 80s and didn't run for about 18 years. Turns out it was a tight psoas muscle that was going into spasms from being overworked.

Yesterday I decided to do a hill workout. I went to the local fairground where there is a hill that is approximately 200m long with 50 ft of elevation gain. (7-8%) The mileage goal for the day was 10 miles. Since it was a mile to get there, I needed to run up and down the hill for 8 miles. That ended up being 33 times. Somewhere in the 20s, my right side tightened up. In the evening my back was tight and sore.

I'll "fix" it by running easy for a few days until those overworked muscle can recover. I'll also do a little self pressure point therapy which usually helps.

Yes, complete waste of time. Had a meniscus tear and sent to physical therapy. Multiple sessions. Didn't get me any closer to returning to sports.

Surgeons = very useful

Doctors = often useful

Dentists = necessary evil

Nurses = needed to do the grunt work

Medical physicist = too smart for healthcare

Podiatrist = needed mostly for the elderley population

Audiologist = necessary

Optician = necessary

Occupational therapist = whackos

Social worker = make things worse

Physiotherapist = glorified massage therapist

Admin = underpaid and overlooked

Most running injuries would go away on their own if you take some rest, some down time, and got a basic massage.

I especially think this for all my classmates that are studying exercise science and hoping to go into this field. COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME, PROFESSION OF LOSERS.

I have a friend of mine who's son just graduated with an exercise science degree. He's a smart kid, he's very motivated, but... what the heck is going to do with that degree?

-lifting coach at a college: Ok that is a dream job and those are typically going to someone with connections to the football team.

-lifting coach for a minor league or pro sports team: again, opportunities are few and far between and they are NOT going to someone right out of college.

- go on to PT school: that's expensive and delays actual work by even more years.

- work at a gym: you dont need a degree to work at a gym.

- get certified to teach and be the gym coach: and PE teacher knows this is not about your knowledge of how the human body works. this is managing little kids.

yes.

Surgeons in the emergency context are of course useful but with regards to a lot of running injuries they can result in the runner being more injured than they were in the first place (so actually a liability rather than useful). A lot of the surgical treatments for running injuries such as patellar tendinopathy are no better or even worse than physical therapy rehab programs in terms of outcome and carry all the risks of surgery.

As for sports medicine doctors and running injuries their main use is in writing the prescription that gets you access to having a scan or physical therapy. In terms of diagnosis and treatment they are often worse than physiotherpaists/physical therapists.

do pilates twice a week on an going basis - i think of it as preventative PT - better than any actual PT I did. Strengthens muscles, making sure to engage your core while doing it - make sure and focus on absolutely perfect form. Best rehab you can do for a lot of injuries

Many running injurie are results of biomechanical imbalance. If you do not fix the underlying problem, you will keep repeating the same injury over and over again.

This is my experience will all types of doctors and dentists. Example, my Dr gave me a compression sleeve for my ankle, charged my insurance $120, could be purchased at CVS for $25 or less. They also used incorrect billing codes to bill higher rates, my insurance refused to cover and I refused to pay after discovering their 'error', eventually they removed the charges...I'm guessing this is the norm for these criminals and most are dumb enough to accept it.

A bit off topic, but the only people who should call themselves “doctors” in a healthcare setting or anywhere else for that matter are MDs. Following close behind are PhDs in credible academic fields, which is equally as hard if not harder than medical school depending on the research (for example the hard sciences).

Everyone else is playing a bit fast and loose with the term ‘doctor’ IMO and it’s misleading to those seeking care and/or expertise.

Nothing wrong with being a chiropractor, acupuncturist, PT or dietician or the likes - it’s all helpful in my opinion but you all are not doctors.

I've been burnt too many times by it to think that it's any use.

One of the first experiences was with a knee injury. Was told repeatedly that I couldn't have torn my meniscus because there was a certain exercise they could do with me on my back. Was told over and over it couldn't be that. Months on, I get a scan after a lot of heartache and being told I don't need one/struggling to get the referral. I have a torn meniscus, need surgery. I find this out on vacation. I go for surgery later on, yes, torn meniscus. This tear got way worse after carrying on running on it after being told it was fine to do so, being made out I was weak - why are you not running etc.

Take two - I think I have a morton's neuroma. Different individual. Am told there is no way I can have one, as when they squeeze my foot I do not 'jump off the table'. A lot of strife follows, I can barely walk. Finally get an ultrasound. I have a morton's neuroma.

Last individual. They send me for an MRI to see if it has come back. Am told it hasn't. Find out later that MRI is useless, it should've been ultrasound, as it can't pick up morton's neuroma. This was from someone who was meant to be the best in their field.

The whole thing is a fuccking waste of time. The amount of money I've wasted, but more importantly the amount of wasted time, incorrect information and heartbreak I've had from these supposed professionals is awful. The way I was treated was terrible. It's just an absolute load of shiit. I had another one recommend taping for my foot, and when I went to a second physio he literally laughed and scoffed and said why on earth would someone use taping for that. This first person was meant to be a brilliant physio, degree in physio and one in vet science. This is why I have zero faith in them now - with this many mistakes, and obvious mistakes, how could you ever have faith in any of them again? Another one tore a muscle in my back from a session (pushing me to do free weights til failure). It's stupid.

My wife went to a PT recently for a muscle injury. When she came home she had a stack of papers each with a certain type of stretch that she was supposed to do.

I've been running for 40 years and one thing I know is that stretching is almost never the answer for treating an injury. There are PTs out there who understand this though, but they are few and far between.

My right hamstring tore severely several years ago. Had the choice of surgery or PT, took PT. That choice was fortuitous in that the PT was a Wisconsin Badger graduate (Solinsky and Co.)and really knew her stuff about healing running injuries. Said she'd have me back in action in a few months. True to her word, she saved my running ability. Nothing cute about it; just hard work and patience.

I have had similar experiences as well. As many people have said in older posts, it takes the right PT and the right patient. I've used two PTs in my life to help me work through running related issues. One was a high school teammate that ran in college and went on to be a high level cyclist. The other was a collegiate runner and near sub-4 miler. My experience might have been different had they not understood what I was trying to accomplish and to get back to running as quickly as possible. Of course, I followed my exercise program when I wasn't in the clinic. The second PT I saw literally worked out of a gym. His exam/rehab room was essentially a fitness studio loaded with the ability to do anything. If he didn't have it in their, he could walk out into the gym to use it.

Ever had plantar fasciitis? Stretching calves and toes is the most important thing to speed up the recovery.

High hamstring tendonitis? You need to stretch your hip flexors and quads.

You need to re-read what I wrote.

You wrote "stretching is almost never the answer for treating an injury."