What questions to ask a physical therapist

[alpinegirl]

Hi. Having had gone through pt 4 times (not visits, but points in my life where it was part of injury recovery for a knee) in my life I am pretty cynical about it. I am honestly pretty adamant about retraining the body to work best, however in all those prior occasions, nobody ever actually saw the issue. 

Now I am finally addressing my wonky shoulder. I work overhead for a living, which is horrible as far as impingement goes, and need to remain gainfully employed. There are also novel things that I like being able to do, like holding a child or sleeping that are difficult. This is all the culmination of doing a lot of stupid things over the course of my life.

I started pt last week and found myself doing the same things that I did for my other shoulder 20 years ago. In considering all this I have barely formed questions for my therapist. Since my last shoulder injury (last, ha) a lot of studies have been published showing that traditional treatment (ice, heat and nsaids) has no long term benefit due to the tissue being poorly vascularized. Blah blah blah.... I have to ask about things such as alignment frequently and I am frustrated. 

What questions should I be asking?

[slopestar]

Cortisone fixed mine... blown front rotator cuff and impingement. Years of pain and lost sleep. Two shots 10+ years ago.

[Ernie00]

I'll make this short.   I have a long nagging history with a back problem and done a lot of PT and everything else with some results but PT is expensive and insurance cover so much.    

I saw this guy https://www.facebook.com/romfitness/   had a talk with him and figured out at the point where I am 90$ is worth the risk if I can gain a little.   Changed my life. 

 

[alpinegirl]

Sadly cortisone will not address muscular imbalances....

I am not stating that it is horrible. I do get some relief after the "joint is released." My range of motion is improving. I just fear wasting a lot of stolen time and disposable income (not really disposable, but I'd rather spend it on stupid hobbies). 

ROM is a huge focus for me in general. So thanks Ernie00. In perusing what he openly shares I have found a lot that I like (like=makes sense to me). 

In general I have just had to be on point when I go in. At least the therapist is engaged and has started to readily answer things. In my crassness it may be abrupt, but I didn't end up in pt due to being inactive. "What muscles am I supposed to be activating??" 

Still open to suggested questions.