Physical Therapy?

[wonderpup262]

I've been having some trouble with my hips since I ran my first marathon in June and I think it's time to get help. Should I go to my general practitioner first? Or would you just skip the middleman and go directly to a physical therapist? I've never done this and I don't know what the protocol is. Would appreciate hearing about other people's experiences, especially regarding sports injuries.

TIA,
Carrie

[greenbunny]

I had to have knee therapy for several months when I first started exercising. I went to my GP for knee pain and he said I had a problem with the kneecap wearing unevenly. The PT disagnosed me with patello-femoral syndrome. I am supposed to do daily knee exercises, which I don't do because I'm stupid and lazy. I do wear arch supports daily and that helps a ton.

I would go to the GP first, no matter what. You can't be sure what the exact issue is, and plus if you use insurance it's possible your plan will require a referral.

[pewee9196]

A lot of states require you to go to your GP first. They have more access to diagnostic tools etc. I have battled hip problems from running for a couple of years. PT really did help. Good Luck!

[KarenS]

DH has had knee and hip issues ever since he was a teenager - so since we knew what it was and we didn't have to go thru a primary provider, we went straight to a massage therapist. She wound up recommending that we go through our GP and get x-rays taken for her to look at, just to make sure there weren't any bone spurs or other things that needed to be addressed first. But she was our primary contact for DH's issues. After that, he saw her once a week as well as having daily exercises (and for a while daily icing of his joints) to do.

Karen

[wonderpup262]

Greenbunny, Pewee & Karen, thanks for your input. I went to the doc today and she thinks it's just a pissed-off IT band in need of anti-inflammatories, rest, and stretching. She doesn't think I need PT at this point, but if it doesn't start to improve within a month, then she'll reconsider. I'm happy because I don't know how I would be able to squeeze PT into my schedule!