while there are many many benefits to doing PT, it also has to be the 'appropriate form for that particular patients issues too. THAT is where the bigger probelm comes in here at all. he simply does NOT actually know what 12 years of ongoing use,wear and tear/aging and what you already had wrong that surgery was actually recommended for back then over a decade ago? THAT one thing seriously is the major 'key" here, finding out what you actually have there and the true overall extent/impact of it NOW on what were the major problem areas first and foremost well before ANYTHING gets done on your body. that part just NEERAB to be identified with at the very LEAST,a good contrasted MRI being done before any doc can simple 'safely' send any patient to rehab/excercise what they don;t even really know could be impacted, even with limited movement to particular areas of more impact within that spinal level at all?
just what did that previous MRI actually state back then as the "problem' areas and what was the severity 12 years ago?? if you could actually just type out what was in that MRI summary at the very end of that report word for word as that interpretting rad actually wrote it, it would help tons in just knowing how really impacted the area was back then and what exact levels and what it could have simply progressed to at this point too? THAT would be most helpful right now to even know.
you kind of have two options here at this point. either calling that surgeons office and simply telling them that you simply really do not 'feel good' about doing ANYTHING as impactful as what PT cpould do if youy do not actually ahve that MRI done first? or, you simply show up for that initial eval with that PT person, tell them just what the MRI age is that the surgeon is actually using and how really afraid you are that you just could easily, and at ypur age too(sorry but it does matter here) really seriously "hurt' something or make a bad situation worse if ypou actually did do anything at all when you have that much real pain and problems going on with NO MRI to even dictate to the PT what even IS the best type of real therepy for you? either way here, if this were me or my hubby, you can bet your butt that i would be demanding that MRI simply be done first and WITH contrast. it is not any type of 'big deal" here for any given surgeon to simply write and order for one and refer you for it when it is just SOOO needed right now for YOUR best interest too.
i would first try calling his office and at the very least speak with either his trusty sidekick that would be his PA or NP and explain the overall situation and your fears/symptoms. i just cannot imagine them not doing this simple and very much safer thing for you first. like i said, basic common sense should always by YOUR guide thru any medical situation? and basic advocating for ourselves whenever we simply feel that anything we are being told is simply 'not right'. in just a couple of phone calls you could easily get that MRI done. or like i said, go to that PT but tell them up front that you don't know and they don't know what they are even trying to treat here with no recent MRI?? that just is NOT what any PT wants to really take on the liability for either.
pain along with esp having ANY muscle atrophy(this is also what PT is supposed to help but only with certain situations) going on as well can come from two totally speprate situations. either an actual muscle is not even actually innervated anymore so it wont move or be changed no matter HOW you actually move it since it is not being properly sitimulated anymore,it is kind of dead in the water so to speak. or the muscles have fallen into atrophy becasue of basic disuse that can come from an actual injury within your spinal itself or the pain has kept you from moving it at all. this is where that MRI would indeed show exactly what levels along with the discs and those crucial nerve roots have become impacted that would possible SHOW why things are the way they are too? and if anything at all has actually even moved more towarRAB your spinal cord? PT in some cases like that could really create huge possibly irreversable problems for YOU, not the doc who decided not to simply order that MRI as an actual 'precaution' first? just be very careful here and push everything you can to simply get what actually just should have been ordered FIRST actually done before consenting to anything more physical. like i mentioned above, this just IS a better safe than sorry type of situation that should have been a total no brainer for that surgeon. maybe another opinion may be in order here? seriously? just a thought. just protect yourself above anything else right now. good luck and please let us know how things go here for ya. marcia