push ups? sit ups? pull ups? whats the best for polevaulting

[superpipe]

I agree and my wording was definitely too harsh. Just got caught up in my many personal experiences from lots of different PTs, including the training room that supported the Penn State Track & Field team back in 1994 - 1996, when I was there. Simple shin splints ended my jumping b/c I never even got a recommendation from a PT to see a Podiatrist.

PTs are the experts on how to rehab and help prevent injuries if they have a correct diagnosis. In my shin splints case, that still didn't help.

[Cooleo111]

Sorry if I offend any PT's on this forum

You have!
Many PT's are just as capable of diagnosing an injury as an orthopedic surgeon! In medicine, the ability to diagnose a condition is always compared to a "gold standard". In this and many other cases, the gold standard would be some kind of imaging, such as an MRI or x-ray (your best option in this case). These technologies allow you to look at the actual bone, point to a dark spot on the film and say "Ah-ha! There's your fracture!". While such imaging is obviously the best way to go, it is not always necessary, and is very often an expensive option. If an injury occurs that may not need a definitive answer like "where's the fracture?", then an orthopedic surgeon and a PT are very closely matched because they use the VERY SAME diagnostic tests!! In fact, without a definitive answer from imaging or arthroscopic surgery where someone is standing over you actually looking at your injury, ANYONE is just "taking an educated guess".
Getting back to the original post, as part of the .01% of PT's who DO have an idea of what pole vaulting is, my professional advice is this:
1.) Ask your doctor! You are paying them quite a bit for their expert advice, so consult them specifically about what activities you can do and when.
2.) Do exactly as your doctor tells you! If he/she says "no pushups", then don't do them to "test your strength" until the doctor gives you the OK! As EIUvltr said, you are in need of rehab first, NOT strengthening. You just can't get stronger with broken bones!
Good luck, and I hope you are vaulting high again soon!

**Disclaimer: I am not a licensed PT, I am a PT grad student working toward my DPT. Though my experience is limited at this point, I think my knowledge and experience with physical therapy is still significantly more than most people in this forum!

[superpipe]

I'm not sure you have stated anything different than I have already. Just as you pointed out, orthopedic surgeons almost always use imaging to insure their own educated guess wasn't wrong or just to confirm they were right. I've never been to an ortho that didn't at least take an x-ray. The main point is if you can't get a confirmed diagnosis and severity, you are playing with fire and will most likely prolong the injury or your time away from sport. I've lived through it too many times.

[vault3rb0y]

As a hopeful future PT AND as a Penn State Pole Vaulter, I feel you are grossly generalizing among PTs, as well as orthopedic doctors.

It comes down to money (like anything else!!). If your insurance will pay for an MRI or an x-ray for your injury, by all means go get it. But for a large majority of people in athletics, these procedures are not deemed as "necessary" for recovery of injuries that are not hindering your daily activities. As athletes, we have more movement requirement's than the general population, and might not get coverage for diagnostics that are necessary for us, but not necessary for others.

If your insurance won't pay for the imaging procedure, an orthopedic specialist might be able to figure out what is wrong, but isn't as qualified as a DPT to see you through that rehab. They might also charge you more for a diagnosis that a PT will need to do themselves anyway!

I have had orthopedic specialists diagnose my back problem, get stumped after x-rays and MRI's, then send me to a PT. My PT took 20 minutes of the time asking me about how I pole vault and whether I am usually under, out, and even requested video of my vaulting. Turns out, it wasn't for his personal enjoyment. He was taking the time to fully understand what is involved, and how my vaulting is impacting my back. He found muscle imbalances and in-flexibilities my doctor had not, and began treatment. At the same time, i went back to my doctor and told her about these imbalances and in-flexibilities in my hip (internal rotation) and she thought my hip have a bone in it that was limiting my internal rotation, and she set up an x-ray. In the mean time, i told my PT that my doctor thought it might be bone-related, and he said "No, watch this" and he massaged the area in a certain way for 30 seconds, and said "see, you have more mobility after manipulation, and if it was a bone this wouldn't happen". A week later, my doctor concluded the same thing, and my PT continued to treat me. He could find injuries and sources much more easily than any orthopedic specialist I have ever known.

The point is, there are bad PTs, and there are bad orthopedic doctors. However, simply not knowing the right answer does not make them bad. A refusal to refer a patient to someone who might be able to find an injury or help in a different way, makes them bad. Trying to make money rather than treat the patient makes them bad. Charging you for unnecessary diagnostic procedures makes them bad. That can happen in any health care profession, and just because your PT may have treated you badly or not thought to refer you to a podiatrists does not mean that I, a future PT, would do the same. I'm also a pole vaulter, and happen to think i know a good bit about what muscles are involved in vaulting and in what way. So don't blow off the PT. Also, Penn State has changed a lot since '94-'96, so please know that they have an excellent staff of health are professionals as well.

[superpipe]

Obviously could have written my post better, but I also did say PTs are the experts in the rehab process just as you confirmed. Sounds like you saw a lousy ortho and I know tons of bad ones exist just like any profession. Didn't mean to diss PTs because I know and believe in their expertise as long as they have a confirmed diagnosis. That's the hard part and is supposed to be the expertise of an orthopedic doctor, which is why that should be your first stop. I just see tons of posts on here that refer people right past seeing orthopedic specialists. PTs aren't much cheaper for a basic visit and an ortho should be able to tell you if imaging is required to better diagnos an injury before PT is started.

[Lax PV]

Sorry if I offend any PT's on this forum, but DON'T see a PT first! PTs are not orthopedic doctors and can't make a true diagnosis of any injury. They can take educated guesses just like you and me.

Ortho's are great, yes. However, to say that you (or any other joe-shmoe on the street) could make as good of a judgement as a DPT, I think is a little much. They have gone to school for it, they have been nationally certified in it by a board of their peers and have experience dealing with injuries. I will concede they my not know the exact movement of pole vaulting, but given an injury, they do have some rehab insight that you (nor I) have. Better to get opinions from them, than someone without the background--but as you said, probably not as good as a specialty ortho.

FYI... I'm not a PT, not really a fan of PTs either, but they do have a minimum expertise that non-PTs don't have, which they have demonstrated to get their DPT.

I went back and read the posts leading up to this, and just to clarify one of my previous comments, I do not mean to down play PTs. They are great rehabilitationists (if that is even a word?). Unfortunately, some people have had a bad experience with a specific kind of doctor, and have labeled the entire field as crap. They have great insight in treating injuries, and many of them (not all)are former athletes--or have an athletic training undergrad. They can be great resources in the trek back onto the runway.