can we talk about PT? (i have Patellar tendinitis)

[thebulldog]

I started seeing an ortho and going to PT twice week in Jan and Feb based on a sharp pain in my knee and inner calf i had in late Dec (did two 1/2 in 2013...this was a few weeks after my last half. i was on an eight mile run). 

Mid-Feb my knee is starting to feel a little better but not 100% but doc said it is ok for me to pick up training again for my late  Feb 1/2. I knew i was undertrained but i was not going to skip it and didn't care about time or anything. 

I run for an hour on the treadmill about five times pre-race. Knee/leg  feel ok before, during and after. Sore but the "i just exercised" type sore not OMG this hurts sore. 

I do my race (hooray for KT tape) and spend the rest of the week walking around Disney World. I did a run/walk combo and i felt fine. I wore compression socks all day the day of the race too. We get back on March 1. I take cardio dance class and do some weights at home week of March 3 and OMG everything hurts. 

I do not do a single form of exercise week of March 10 and it still hurts. Like hurts to walk in the grocery store, stand up out of a chair etc. 

I know i need to go back to the Doc but he is likely going to tell me to just stop running and go back to PT. 

but i am not sure what PT is going to do...all i did there was walk around with rubber bands and do the same exercises over and over again. What am i supposed to look for in a PT office? I have found a handful around my office that specialize in sport medicine but i am not sure what to ask (beyond if they take my insurance). 

Should my appointments be different each time? 
how should the office be measuring my progress? if you had to deal with PT, how long before you felt normal again?

I have had a love/hate relationship with running for a while but last year really made me love it more and I was working at getting better and faster. 

I am already skipping the  10-miler i had registered for on April 6 but don't want to give up all races for the year yet either. 

[hannahb]

Do you think you have patellar tendinitis again or something else? I would go back to the doctor first of all.
PT doesn't necessarily mean doing something different every time you are there. Many things have a cumulative effect. They should be monitoring your progress by looking at your strength, joint mobility, and flexibility. This by law needs to be done every 30 days.
If you have tendinitis and have been doing the exercises and it doesn't seem to be improving, I have found iontophoresis to be effective for the patellar tendon. It's a procedure by which a medication (dexamethasone- an antiinflammatory) is delivered to the tendon. Like a cortisone shot without the negative affects. I'd bring it up if it hasn't already.

[emilyinchile]

When I've gone to PT (including for tendinitis), I've had ultrasound, massage and TENS as well as heat, cold, exercises (sometimes with machines/equipment I don't have at home) and stretching. Of course, just because I've had to do those things doesn't mean they're right in your case, but if you feel frustrated you can always ask if those would be relevant. I've also been prescribed meds like Celebrex and a gel I don't remember the name of right now - again, not necessarily for you but possibly worth asking about. I haven't done different things, just worked up to more resistance/reps/range of motion.

The shitty thing about tendinitis is that it's very very persistent, and the only real cure is rest. I have had it in multiple places, and when I feel one of them start to twinge I try to be proactive about resting, wearing good shoes, and icing after workouts to avoid things developing further. I don't think you need to scrap the whole year, but I'd devote until the end of April to resting, icing and doing your exercises (either alone or back with the PT) and not wearing crazy high heels. Good luck!

[Wines Not Whines]

I'm just starting down the path of PT and healing my injury, but did your doctor tell you what he thinks caused your injury? Like was the underlying problem caused by muscle tightness, an imbalance somewhere, etc.? Maybe you healed the initial injury, but then the underlying problem was still there, so you got reinjured. Are you still doing your PT exercises?

You could always get a second opinion, too. I saw my doctor today (the one who everyone on the DC board loves) and he was really good. And he said I could keep running, as long as I stick to flat surfaces and don't do speed work until I heal. Hooray!