Doctor Visit

[jevuki]

Saw the doctor yesterday ESR is quite high (I had been off the pred for 3 months) I went back on right after the last dr visit so we will have to see any improvement next month when I go. I asked about physical therapy to get the stiff joints moving and he thought it was a great idea and gave me script for it. We also spoke about acupuncture I was wondering if anyone had any luck with it?

[polkadotcom]

Are you in the US? I was lucky enough to have a 12 week course of acupuncture (NHS funded) in the early years and I did find it helped a lot. I would have considered continuing and paying myself once the course was over, but my therapist moved away from the area.

I now have regular treatments with Bowen therapy and they are just as helpful if not more so. However, you may have problems finding a practitioner if you are in the US.

[jevuki in reply to polkadotcom]

Thank you polkadotcom, yes I am in the US I am going to try the PT first and then start looking at Acupuncture if I do not see any results. I am determined to make myself more mobile and not allow this disease to put me down.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I haven't tried acupuncture although I know a few people who did and it did nothing for them. OTOH, it worked for polkadotcom as she's said.

I have had something called intramuscular stimulation - it has been mentioned on another thread recently. It originated in Canada and you can find out about it here

istop.org/

with a map with practitioners who have done their course. Some practitioners make a parallel with acupuncture.

It is also called needling and comes in two versions, wet and dry. I have had it in that form - I doubt the practitioners here in mainland Europe did their course but it is a part of traditional medicine in German countries.

It doesn't help the PMR itself - but it does help the add-ons such as myofascial pain syndrome. I have been in quite a bit of back pain due to that recently and about 10 days ago my GP "needled" my upper back using lignocaine (wet needling). The local anaesthetic didn't make a lot of difference even at the time - but over the last week the back pain has faded. I could do with another session - hope she agrees!

Polkadotcom mentions Bowen therapy; You'll get a lot of info here

bowen4life.com/

and lists of practitioners here

americanbowen.academy/

and here

bowendirectory.com/

I also use Bowen - it kept me upright for the 5 years I managed PMR without pred - not out of choice I hasten to say!

[jevuki in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you PMRPRO I am willing to try anything to get relief and get on with my life. This blog is a wealth of information and wonderful people!

[nuigini in reply to PMRpro]

The istop link is great to have.

I've been fortunate to find a Bowen Therapist also trained as a Neurokinetic Therapy. Unfortunately, she is on the other side of the country! I've had quite a few sessions with her while visiting in Victoria, BC over the last 2 years and have learned a lot. At the moment I'm having a lot of pain in my left shoulder and tricep. Thanks to what I've learned I researched trigger points and am working on the shoulder and arm pain which I've determined is likely the trapezius muscle. Did some relevant exercises yesterday and things are much better today. I've also been able to manage bilateral hip/buttock pain with relevant Bowen/Neurokinetic exercise.

Thanks for the info on istop, I may look into therapists in Calgary. Again not where I live, but a place I visit more often than Victoria, BC.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to nuigini]

You never know - there might even be someone at home Get someone in the family to train...