Physical Therapy

I am currently seeing a physical therapist to eliminate some muscle weakness and imbalance before the running season gets into full swing. I was given a list of five exercises to do twice a day every day. I had missed one night and felt badly, but was reassured that I far exceeded expectations.

I do not understand that. It's like getting a prescription filled, but not taking the medicine. Why would you pay the therapist $25-$35 per visit, only to ignore everything they say? If you're going to ignore them, save your money and time and don't go to your appointments. That frees up their schedule for the rest of us who are willing to do the needed work.



I don't like the exercises that I am doing for physical therapy. They are working my weakest muscles and they're hard. I have been close to tears of frustration when doing them, but I know that they'll help me in the long run. That is why I do them every day as scheduled.

I ignored the signals my body was sending me last year and ended up with a stress fracture in my femur and six weeks of crutches. I am being careful to listen better this year and tackle any issues early. I hope that this month of physical therapy will help keep me injury free until the marathon, but know that is only possible if I put forth some effort.

Ask your doctor

I can save you the aggravation of trying to schedule an appointment, getting to the office, waiting in the paper robe to talk to him and spending $25 on your co-pay. It's right for you.

The level of exercise will vary from person to person, but you should move. Even if you have to remain seated while exercising, that's fine, just keep moving. Eventually, you will be able to get up and move.

I can't promise that your doctor will give you the same advice, though. If they are heavier than their patients, they are less likely to discuss weight. It's very possible your doctor will merely deal with the symptoms caused by excess weight and lack of exercise, rather than the causes.

Prevention

Healthful eating and exercise can help to prevent many diseases including Type II Diabetes and heart disease. That does not mean that someone who eats well and exercises regularly can avoid going to the doctor on occasion. Prevention involves having routine check-ups that include cancer screening. There is also the likelihood that you will catch an infection that needs treatment or have some kind of injury.

One problem that many people face is that they have a slew of questions in mind when they schedule the doctor appointment, but forget them all when in the paper gown sitting on the examining table. The government has launched a campaign to inform people of the need to ask questions. They've even provided a list of the 10 questions you should ask. They also suggest writing down the questions you have, so you don't forget or get embarrassed when you're naked.

Provider selection

When you pick a hairstylist, you don't want to pick someone with unhealthy, or unattractive hair. You wouldn't pick a butcher who is a vegetarian, or a baker who doesn't eat sweets. Why would you pick a health care provider who is unhealthy? I know I haven't really thought about the health of my doctor, but I may have to change that. It's possible that overweight doctors are less attuned to the weight issues affecting their patients.

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Healthy-weight physicians were more likely to believe that doctors should model weight-related behaviors, such as maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly compared with their overweight or obese counterparts. They also said they believed that overweight or obese patients would be less likely to trust advice given by a physician who also was overweight or obese.

Doctors were more likely to record a diagnosis of obesity or start a weight loss conversation if they perceived the patient's body weight met or exceeded their own.

However, obese and overweight physicians were more likely to think they were successful in helping their patients lose weight, although the actual percentage was very low.

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This study makes me wonder is personal practices affect other aspects of a doctor's care. Would a doctor with a poor diet not see a poor diet in their patient as a problem? Also, if my weight were to sneak up again, would my doctor point it out? These are all issues to consider when selecting a primary care physician.