Can regular physical therapy (not chemotherapy or radiation) cause nausea?!
Question:
Can regular physical therapy (not chemotherapy or radiation) cause nausea?
I just started physical therapy for myofasical dysfunction and occipital nerve tinnitus and whenever I use the ice packs or do the recommended stretches, I get so nauseous that I can barely function. Is this normal or should I be calling my PT to find out what the heck is going on?
Answers:
Myofascial dysfunction is somewhat of a garbage can diagnosis and many people are mistakenly labeled with it. Yet, if you do truely have it, PT certainly may make you feel ill after the first couple of treatments as chemical stasis is released and flushed out of the body.
What many people have misdiagnosed is a derrangement syndrome which is an altered position of the vertebral joints which usually leads to a disc bulge or herniation in the neck. If this is the case, your stretches should never leave you more nausous or dizzy...in fact, it should have the opposite effect if your moving in the right direction. This is a mechanical type of pain and should have immediate good mechanical results. Increase in symptoms is a sign of moving in the wrong direction.
Without knowing you, I cannot tell you whether you are truely a "myofasical pain" person or a "mechanical" disorder such as derrangment syndrome...but either way, inform your PT because he or she may be trying to rule out the very same thing. It may or may not be bad that you are feeling the nausea, but your symptomatic response may help guide the therapist...communication is the key.
If you have no relief with the myofascial approach, I suggest getting a good mechanical assessment by a PT trained in the MDT method. You can locate one at: http://www.mckenziemdt.org