Ask a PT

156 Posts
 
Posted - 03/12/2008 :  08:16:15  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Our user asked: "About a month and a half ago, I lost my grip on the high bar and ended up falling about ten feet to land on my head and neck on a rather firm mat. The impact did no damage to my spine but my muscles were so tight and sore that I was bed ridden the next day, and have had somewhat limited mobility ever since. You know that feeling in your back when you've been bent over your table for about three hours? I am still getting that after about ten minutes if I'm not sitting in a chair that has full back support, or if I have to lean over. As a gymnast I had an extremely flexible back, I can still bend forward just fine, but I can barely bend over backwards or twist side to side. My back also starts to hurt when I go running, I think from the small impact of bouncing. And some mornings I still feel a significant twinge of pain when I sit up. I stretch some everyday, but I just feel like I'm not getting much better, is it time to see a physical therapist or am I just being impatient? Or do you have any suggestions for speeding up the healing? Any info would be great, I'm just kinda frustrated in the dark here :/"

Ask a PT Response: "Any fall can result in significant injury, especially one from 10 feet up. Since your accident occured about 1 1/2 months ago and you are continuing to experience pain, limited range of motion, and a decrease in function, I would think it would be very appropriate to obtain further medical attention and consult with a PT or orthopedic doctor now. A PT or other health professional would be able to better determine what might be contributing to your condition ie. joint/facet dysfucntion, disc involement, muscle strain, ligament sprain, etc. Good luck with your condition and thanks for using CyberPT."