I agree with Nanc...I would be cautious about the therapist. It doesn't mean she is bad...but I wouldn't necessarily follow her advice without having even really seen her either. Ice...THAT I would avoid at all costs. The first time I did physical therapy they wanted to do stim and ice at the end of the appointment for pain relief and that was very bad. I told them ice was painful so we switched it to stim with HEAT...worked miracles for me after therapy and brought my pain levels down to the lowest they had ever been.

Physical therapy was HUGE for me and my regaining motion and function though so I am a BIG believer in it. The key for me when I went from being in a wheelchair and not able to stand or walk at all, was to take things slow. I started out with very simple stretching type exercises. No weight bearing...but just movement at first. Then we GRADUALLY increased the difficulty. This way I was able to do my exercises every single day (never worked so hard that I flared up the pain badly to where I couldn't do anything the next day). The progress was slow and steady but I am back to working full time in a job where I am on my feet all day (with a walker...but still...better than a wheelchair).

I did at home physical therapy the second time around and that was actually much better for me. The physical therapist was aware of CRPS but not experienced in treating it. However...she was willing to listen and learn and it was a perfect balance of her pushing me just enough to keep making progress and her not pushing me to a point of it making things worse. What I really liked best about the at home therapy was that every exercise we did WAS something I could do at home on my own. I didn't need any special equipment or anything...so I was able to work on my progress daily instead of just at my PT sessions once or twice a week. The became very important especially later on when (because insurance only allows so many appointments) we went from two sessions a week to one every other week. This was because I was very good at doing my exercises every day but I needed a lot more TIME because progress, while consistent, was slow.

I would probably meet with this physical therapist at least once. Tell her what you feel you need out of treatment, be prepared to educate her about your condition and on how treatment needs to differ than what one would typically do for an acute injury, and see how it goes. If she is open and receptive then she may be just fine...if she gives you a hard time or tries to get you to do things you know are wrong or too painful for you or insists on things like ice...then get away as fast as you can and see someone else. Physical therapy is going to be painful...but if it's going to be successful then it has to be the right KIND of physical therapy that will be worth the pain when you start to improve.

Good luck!