"Cheryl" > wrote in message
...
> I finished my last PT appointment today and it just isn't helping. I
> don't know where to go next. I guess I'll have to talk to my orthopedist
> thurs when he fixes my bone spurs on my foot. During my vacation I just
> couldn't walk all of the distances everyone else did. My back was on
> fire. Arthritis at 47. The PT uses TENS but that didn't help. Heat seems
> to help some. Massage helps some. The stretching to decompress my spine
> disks helps but not enough to allow me to walk distances. If anyone has
> gone through PT for arthritis, how long does it take to even feel a little
> bit of relief?
>
> Cheryl, ouchy and disillusioned and not sure where to go from here. If
> you know of a newsgroup that helps to discuss this and has serious
> suggestions, I'm open-minded.
>
>
Cheryl,
I really feel your pain. I'm going through this myself and start PT this
evening. One thing that has seemed to help has been a stretching machine
I've been ignoring at our gym for the last few years. It's a Precor Stretch
Trainer. I used it the last 3 days and my back feels much better for much
longer than it has in the 2 months I've had the problem. Maybe your gym or
physical Therapist has one.

http://www.precor.com/cons/en/stt/?extid=4402

I usually work out in the morning and do the stretching my MD prescribed
(generic lower back stuff), some weights and ~ 30-40 minutes on the
elliptical. It feels pretty good for the rest of the day but by evening I'm
hurting again. When I used the stretch trainer for the last few days I was
good right up until around bed time, when it got sore again. I'm ten years
older than you, so you might even respond better to this type of stretching.

I'm hoping I can get this under control by the end of September when we head
to Paris for a week. :-)
Good Luck,
Jon