Physiotherapy is it worth it

[Squat1]

Hi guys,
I was wondering whether you guys recommend physiotherapy in general.
Currently I have a small groin injury,which is a re-injury of a more serious injury which occurred about a year ago, which I now feel at heavy squat weights.

What I want to know is physiotheraphy worth it?

I am asking about physiotherapy effectiveness because Rip said this:
http://www.startingstrength.com/reso...ad.php?t=13633

[spiderman]

I've had connective tissue injuries throughout almost my whole body over decades of rock climbing.

Earlier in my climbing career, I tried going to physiotherapists with no positive benefits. I think it is fair to say it was a complete waste of time for the injuries I had. Ultrasound and all those other machines that shoot something at your body has never done anything for me. Same for acupuncture and some other stuff I tried.

The only therapy that has ever worked for me, and has worked repeatedly on different injuries, is Active Release which I discovered in the past 10 years. It is a brutally painful massage to break up scar tissue and relax muscles so blood can flow through them. Once blood is flowing to the areas with problems then nutrients can help heal the problems. Once muscles are relaxed then they are not chronically pulling on tendons and tendon-bone connections and keeping them inflamed. I believe foam rolling and the like are very mild cousins related to Active Release. I think any really painful massage by someone skilled to help heal injuries probably will help. I do it to myself now on my arms and it helps almost as much as having someone else do it.

The groin is a difficult place to work on yourself with your hands, a lacrosse ball, or foam roller. I've never had a groin pull that lasted more than a week or so and so never have had one treated.

http://www.activerelease.com/

Good luck. Injuries suck.

[madmaxaus]

Hi guys,
I was wondering whether you guys recommend physiotherapy in general.
Currently I have a small groin injury,which is a re-injury of a more serious injury which occurred about a year ago, which I now feel at heavy squat weights.

What I want to know is physiotheraphy worth it?

I am asking about physiotherapy effectiveness because Rip said this:
http://www.startingstrength.com/reso...ad.php?t=13633

It really depends on the injury. Most people bash physiotherapy because it involves a lot of compliance and most people won't do the rehab exericses enough.

Also, Rip is a advocate of chiropractic, while I believe chiropractic to be for lack of a better word, highly questionable.

In my experience a physiotherapist has a better understanding of the musculoskeletal system and are more qualified, and they don't try and manipulate your spine, which is great.

There are good chiro's, and there are bad phyio's. It's really about personal preference.

[Will Morris]

and they don't try and manipulate your spine, which is great.

Spinal manipulations are a hallmark of manual physical therapy. We are trained fairly extensively on spinal manipulations.

[Buellfool]

Most people bash physiotherapy because it involves a lot of compliance and most people won't do the rehab exercises enough.

This.

[Simon Rest]

as with most things there are good and bad practitioners. I have one physio who is adept at using stretching and electro-magnetics to relieve pain so I see him whenever I injure myself. I went to another who gravely told me I should never deadlift more than 40-50kgs and I needed to see him weekly for many months to address the imbalances in my core or I would be forever in pain. He never got a return visit

[Ken Edwards]

+1 for active release therapy (ART). It's helped me get back training a number of times when I thought I'd be out for a while.

[madmaxaus]

Spinal manipulations are a hallmark of manual physical therapy. We are trained fairly extensively on spinal manipulations.

I just believe spinal manipulation should be performed only by complete experts, not by those with fairly extensive training. Like I said, there are good chiros, but I have been to average chiros too, and after having my body twisted across a bench with my legs hanging over the side and a grown man proceeding to jump onto my legs with his full weight.. in order to 'realign and restore function to the T-spine' I became pretty cautious about manipulation after that.

[morbidlyfat]

The groin is a difficult place to work on yourself with your hands

Huh huh huh.

Seriously though, good post. Thanks for the info.