Keri Markut

Regarding 'good' posture, I like to say the best posture is your next posture. Recent evidence has shown that there is not one best posture to be maintained. Humans are meant to move, slouch, be erect, curve, etc. As long as we don't maintain one posture for too long, our bodies should be adapt.
However, if your question refers more to forward head and rounded shoulder posture, then yes, there are great PT interventions (stretching of the front chest, strengthening of the back scapular muscles) to create better postural awareness and correction.

Hi Neil, first - I would inquire this question to your treating chiropractor as they may have a different response since they know more about what adjustments they are doing on you. But as a PT who does manual therapy, I don't suggest any duration of time avoiding activity post-manual therapy session. If you are still suffering from symptoms/pain, then modify what exercises to do at the gym. Best thing for bodies is to keep moving, modifying as needed.

Hi. It depends on your definition of "effective". Disclaimer: there is a special certification of education that specifically treats scoliosis. You could look into a PT who specializes in Schroth Method. A general orthopedic PT can help guide you on a mobility and strength program to manage symptoms and keep your body moving well. However, in my experience (and I am not certified in Schroth Method), I have not seen physical therapy to 'correct' the curvature of a scoliotic spine. I treat the individual's symptoms and complaints and help them achieve their functional goals, despite their anatomy.

YES! Shoulder impingement most often is caused by repetitive positions/activities that cause the tendons in the shoulder to be somewhat compressed and irritated in the normal small space they live and glide through. PT can help find what movement pattern dysfunctions may be contributing to your situation and guide exercises to increase shoulder range of motion and balance out strength of shoulder stabilizing muscles to reduce flare ups in the future.

Hi! If you mean a disc herniation, then YES! physical therapy can be very effective in managing the symptoms that sometimes come along with an acute spinal disc herniation. However, the fact that the disc is herniated is NOT necessarily the cause/origin of your pain/symptoms. Many people have herniated discs and do not have pain. Those are not synonymous terms. However, in an acute disc herniation situation, there is often an inflammatory process going on and the disc itself may be pressing on other structures causing irritation to those tissues and this can cause radiating symptoms (such as a nerve). Extension-based exercises and movements (and avoiding flexed postions - sitting, slouching, forward bending, etc) can facilitate your body's natural healing process. Without any PT interventions, over time, your body will rid itself of the inflammatory chemicals, and the acute irritation will subside and symptoms will resolve. PT can be beneficial to keep the muscles, joints, and nerves in the irritated area mobile which leads to improved symptoms.

YES! PT can help athletes suffering from a back injury. Depending on what the nature of your back pain is, there are several interventions to facilitate recovery and transition return back to sport. Sometimes this requires modification of what exactly you can participate in your sport (high impact vs low impact, contact vs non-contact, etc), but PT can definitely help you program a transition out of pain back into sport.

There are physical therapists that specialize in neurological conditions, like stroke. I would search for a Neuro PT specialist.

Hi. There can be a few different things going on that a PT would take you through a thorough subjective history of what specifically makes it aggravated and what eases symptoms. But from this very limited amount of information, I would consider origin from the neck that may be radiating symptoms down the arm (like a pinched nerve), or origin at the shoulder radiating down (like a shoulder tendon issue). Or it could be a combination of both, again - depending on a series of other information that would require a consult for further investigation.

To be honest, this is a very specific situation and is difficult to answer anything other than generally. I think it'd be best for you to get with a PT to be assessed and make a specific plan for your situation. I'm curious if your symptoms are just the sensation that joints are moving or is there also pain associated with this?

Having said that, I think isometric strength training could be very beneficial for a strengthening program where you are limited with range of motion. You can create an isometric hold in a variety of ranges as well. Other things to consider is the load in which you are using for the isometric exercise.
Other ways to incorporate concentric strengthening are to perform in partial range of motion. For example with a bicep curl. Let's say it's painful to go from fully extended elbow to fully flexed elbow. You could start the exercise at fully extended elbow and only curl halfway up for some reps. Then you could start at 90 deg flexed elbow and curl to fully flexed.
Other great strengthening, that are low-impact on joints is aquatic exercise. The use of different floatation devices as added resistance can really build up muscle strength as well.

Sorry to her about how bad your pain is! I'd recommend sciatic nerve glides and piriformis stretching and prone press ups. Here are a few youtube links of those: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS931US933&sxsrf=APwXEdfn0S1sh6NMqNA25pmHuOFD-5r3Kg:1686483564243&q=sciatic+nerve+glides&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwillpDukLv_AhU8lWoFHV8fA6MQ0pQJegQIChAB&biw=1311&bih=687&dpr=2#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:43a771d2,vid:XP1yzpFR6ho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oPHrX_oALk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqSP7ZrHxRE

Hope these help until you get into PT!