Physical Therapy

I finally got my referral and signed up, but I’m stuck waiting until the 19th—the wait times are just ridiculous. I headed over to the Youth clinic on Danicic Street... does anyone actually know how their procedure works?
I’ve never done any kind of therapy before—just some basic electrical stim once—but now my spine is absolutely killing me. My hands and feet are tingling, and the nausea is just awful. I had a full workup last year and remember having a few ***issues and a herniated disc 😳.
I actually tried hitting the gym, but after only ten minutes of doing the absolute bare minimum, my lower back just completely gave out on me within half an hour. I ended up cutting the workout short—mostly out of pure fear...
I really need to see what my physiatrist at the Mayo Clinic has to recommend.
Has anyone else gone through this?

I’ve been over to Danicic Street before and honestly, it was a fine experience—actually felt a bit better than my time at Holy Spirit.
The nurses there are pretty easygoing, and you can usually coordinate your visit with them... just don't forget to bring your own slippers.😁

I think you might be confusing who does what—you should probably be talking to the physical therapists, not the nurses, because the nurses aren't the ones actually running the therapy sessions here. 😁

Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what the physiatrists are like, but the PTs are pretty solid. There's this one grumpy old lady who's always in a mood, but overall, they're better than most other places in Washington, D.C.

If I had to send someone from my own family there, I’d choose either this place or Holy Spirit.

Casey Palmer5 said:I think you might be talking to the physical therapists instead of the nurses, since they aren't actually the ones performing the PT sessions. 😁

👍 You're right about that... sorry! 😉

Prof. deformation, Tanja 🙂

I just can't bring myself to do that with a nurse, though I don't have anything against them...

Sandra Wilson38, what on earth happened to you? How long were you actually there?
I was honestly hoping someone would just tell me which exercises I can handle on my own at the gym... 😢

I went there for my back issues too. They basically just follow whatever is listed on your referral, or your medical history.
I actually had a "connection" there, so I managed to get through almost all the available therapies. Not to be a downer, but they didn't really do much for me.
Regarding the gym, you should definitely ask them what exercises are safe for you. They have an on-site fitness center with equipment, and you'll be supervised while you're starting out, though you'll eventually be flying solo (they told me I'd be exercising 😠 for the rest of my life!
).
Good luck 👍

Lisa Ortiz17 said:I finally got my referral, but I’m booked out until the 19th—the wait times are brutal. I went down to the Youth clinic on Danicic Street. Does anyone actually know how the whole process works?
I’ve never done any kind of therapy before (aside from some electrical stim stuff), but now my spine is absolutely killing me. My hands and feet are tingling, and the nausea is just awful. I had a full workup last year and remember having some *** issues and a herniated disc. At least, that's what I recall. 😳 .
I tried hitting the gym, but after just ten minutes of light movement, my lower back completely gave out on me. It stayed locked up for half an hour. I've basically been avoiding the gym since then, mostly out of pure fear.
I really want to see what a physiatrist suggests.
Anyone have experience with this?

The wait is real—unless you have a connection. If you know someone, you can usually get in by the next day.

My mom deals with spinal issues too. She's actually halfway through her second round of therapy this year. She'll have to check the exact location—maybe pool exercises, gymnastics, or massage?—but I think it's over by the Botanical area.

Oh—and don't forget to bring slippers. 😁

Lisa Ortiz17 said:I wanted to hit the gym, but as soon as I started working out on my own, my lower back completely seized up after just ten minutes of light movement. I ended up avoiding the gym entirely for a while, mostly because I was scared of making it worse.

Yeah, honestly? Don't push it by yourself. You're better off waiting until the 19th and just taking it easy until then.

Lisa Ortiz17 said:Tanja, what on earth happened? How long were you going to those sessions?
I was really hoping someone could tell me which exercises I can handle on my own at the gym... 😢

It’s almost a guarantee that you'll be doing some dynamic lumbar stabilization exercises, maybe even some stuff using a stability ball. They aren't easy... 🙂

Once you wrap up physical therapy, you should definitely ask them for a list of exercises you can take over at the gym. It's expected that you'll keep up with the routine at home once the official sessions end anyway...

placidjackal97 said:It really does take forever, honestly. Especially if you don't have any connections. But if you do, they might even squeeze you in for a second day if it's needed.

My mom is dealing with some spinal issues right now. She’s actually starting her second round of therapy within just six months. I should double-check the exact location—whether it's pool exercises, gymnastics, or massage—but I think it's over by the Botanical area?

Oh, and don't forget to bring your slippers! 😁

It's probably near Mihanovic or at the Mayo Clinic under Drago Čop. When I was there doing my rehab, I used to call the place a correctional facility... seriously. They just hired a new manager lately, so hopefully, things will actually change. The only thing worth anything there is the pool. Everything else feels like passive physical therapy—mostly just getting hit with electrical currents. It feels like an assembly line; there's zero individual attention, and most of the staff is 😲. For example, they'll call out numbers like "who has 101" (that's their code for a specific procedure), or ask a patient, "Is this your first time?" when the poor person is literally finishing up their tenth day of treatment. All in all, 😲.

And what kind of slides are we even talking about here? Can I just wear sneakers? 😕

I honestly have no clue, but if I remember correctly, you aren't supposed to walk on those strings with shoes on.

I’d suggest grabbing a small towel to put under your head so you don't have to lie directly on them if you're doing any kind of exercise like that...

I mean, I wouldn't dream of walking into the hall in boots and just collapsing onto the harp 😉

Honestly, sneakers are fine—whatever works—as long as you aren't wearing what you showed up in.
Slippers are just easier since you have to take them off when you're at the harp.
👋

Casey Palmer5 said:It’s probably the Mihanovic clinic—you know, the Mayo Clinic branch run by Drago Čop. Honestly, when I was doing my rehab there, I used to call it basically a correctional facility. They just brought in a new director, though, so maybe things will actually change. The only decent thing about the place is the pool. Everything else is just passive physical therapy—mostly just getting zapped with electricity—it feels like an assembly line. There's zero individual attention, and most of the staff is 😲. For instance, they’ll shout out "whoever is code 101" (that's their shorthand for one specific procedure), or ask a patient, "Oh, is this your first time?" right as they're finishing up a ten-day session. All in all, 😲.

I don't know, Casey Palmer5, she seemed pretty happy with it. She mentioned she did a lot of exercises and that she actually felt worse during the first couple of days, but after that, the therapy really helped her out.

If she gets another round—what should I recommend? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance? Is there any way to choose the sessions?

Thanks

Nah, if things have actually improved for her there, there’s really no point in switching. Besides, if she’s happy with the results, then everything is 👍
...

Casey Palmer5 said:Nah, if things have actually improved there, there’s really no point in switching. I mean—if she’s happy with the progress, then everything is 👍

I wouldn't rule it out either—they might have been a bit more attentive to her since they already know her. She works over at the Children's Hospital, after all.

I'm actually heading there in about a month to take my exam 😁
...

Don't forget your slippers😁 😁 😁 😉

Lisa Ortiz17 said:Don't forget your flip-flops😁 😁 😁 😉

🙂 tell me about it in a week...😁