How Physical Therapy Eliminated Nerve Pain in a Patient with a Lumbar Disc Bulge in just 4 Visits!
Patient Spotlight
How Physical Therapy Eliminated Nerve Pain in a Patient with a Lumbar Disc Bulge in just 4 Visits.
Our patient spotlight this month is about a gentlemen named Rick who woke up with severe leg and knee pain out of the blue. The pain was so bad he had trouble moving, walking and required a cane for support. After going to the doctor and getting a script for pain medication and muscle relaxers, the pain really didn’t change much. The doctor recommended PT for his knee and to get an MRI.
During his initial evaluation at Restore PT, before getting an MRI, Dr. Amanda explained to the patient that the pain was coming from his back even though he didn’t have back pain. There was a bulging disc that was pressing on a nerve causing the severe radiating leg pain also known as radiculopathy. The pinched nerve lead to significant weakness in his leg and knee instability. Lack of stability in the knee- caused some inflammation around the joint, which also contributed to pain. It was a domino affect.
After determining the root cause of the pain, Dr. Amanda developed a specific plan that would help to reduce the bulging disc. For Rick, it was a lot of extension based exercises, core strengthening, hip strengthening and neural gliding. In addition to his exercises each visit Dr. Amanda used a variety of manual therapy techniques to improve spinal mobility, improve tissue mobility and traction techniques. In combination of therapeutic exercises and hands on therapy, Rick got better and better each visit. His consistency with PT at home and in the clinic lead him to getting 90% better in just four weeks! He is now back to work. His pain is gone and he is continuing to work on his strength and mobility in a post-rehabilitation program at Olympia Fitness and Performance. This program takes patients after an injury to the next level and essentially helps to prevent an injury in the future and out of the Doctor’s office!
If you or anyone you know has had leg pain that came from a bulging disc in your back and who wants to avoid painkillers, surgery and get back to their life call Restore Physical Therapy at 401-250-3060. We provide free phone consultations and free 20 minute screenings to make sure you are a candidate for therapy!
Rick’s Testimonial:
“I came under Dr. Amanda’s care when I was suffering from extremely severe leg pain in my left leg and knee. This pain was caused by a herniated disc and pinched a nerve in my lower back. I seriously thought I would need surgery because the pain was so excruciating. But physical therapy did the trick for me and made me well again.
Under Dr. Amanda’s care I went from barely being able to walk with a cane to walking normally again. It took a few weeks and a lot of exercising on my own but I got there. For people who say that physical therapy did not work for them I would say that the exercises that you learn in the office need to be done at home in between sessions with the physical therapy for best results.
If you are looking for a top notch physical therapist, I would highly recommend that you see Dr. Amanda Zarriello. Proper physical therapy can improve or solve a lot of your physical problems!”