Can your physical therapist give you any exercises to do at home? My physical therapist made me a home program- with pics to go along with instructions & how often to do each excercise. Maybe your therapist could do the same?

Things I have to do at home for PT (for my legs):
~*Sit in a chair and "march" (even if I am having a bad day and only able to move a tad, it's something)
~*Heel raises
~*Shifting weight from one foot to the other
~*On hands/ knees, shifting weight back and forth (this is actually for the benefit of my hands/ arms/ shoulders as well as my legs, and I use either a large ball or a few pillows underneath my belly for this, to support me/ help in case I fall- which I do)
~*Leg raises (I know you mentioned them, so you know what they are)
~*Walking, walking, walking.

At PT I use a bike, do all of the above excercises, and my therapist does rotations, and moves me every which way.


What excercises are they having you do there? Where is your RSD (like, foot or the whole leg)? Are you able to walk? What about desensitization- does PT do that?

I know for me PT seemed to make everything worse, and I seemed to be going nowhere. Now, after seeing small progress, I have begun to have better days. Yay. Hang in there, maybe after a while it'll get better. I hope so!


Some other things I wanted to add:
~I make sure I take pain meds. 1/2 hr. before PT sessions so that I am in less pain, and able to do the excercises better (and in hopes I have enough pain relief that I'm not crying/ screaming in pain as I do them).

~I use the lidoderm patches and they seem to stick to my legs, but when they are on the bottom of my feet they slip off. I don't know if anyone else has ideas?! I could use them, as well. I know how to un-stick them (stick your foot in water)...




I'll add more later- have to go now.

Tell me if you want more of an explanation on the excercises I mentioned.