Danielle McKinney

Depending on where your pain is in the hip this could be what is known as sciatica. This is a fairly common symptoms during pregnancy due to weakened core muscles and increased fluid volume. Most of the time this pain does go away after delivery. However there are things you can do to treat this even while pregnant. Contact a physical therapist near you to an evaluation.

Depending on what movements cause your shoulder to hurt, you might have impingement of the shoulder. However, with symptoms going down into your hand there could be some neck involvement. I would definitely make an appointment with a PT so that they can screen you and determine if the pain is coming from your shoulder or your neck.

The answer is yes and no. Once your disc is slipped that instability is there for life. However, it is not always symptomatic. Imaging can show your PT which direction the disc has slipped. In the absence of imaging, your symptoms can help inform your PT as to what likely direction your disc has slipped. They can then instruct you in exercises to decrease your symptoms. But the doctor is correct in informing you to be careful. In the absence of a traumatic injury most slipped disc are due to repetitivd poor body mechanics over time. You will want to get training from your PT on propper body mechanics to reduce stress on your back.

Check with your insurance for a pediatric physical therapist near you. Depending on your daughters mobility you may be able to have therapy in your home or you will go to an outpatient clinic. Make sure to get a script from the hospital physician or your daughters pediatrician for PT that says "eval and treat" . This allows PT the most flexibility to address the deficits specific to your daughter.

Thank you for reaching out concerning your Jones fracture. The first step to healing is to give the fracture the right environment to heal. This includes staying off of the foot. How long you will be non-weight bearing will depend on the severity of the fracture and how quickly your body heals. If the fracture is displaced you may require surgery in order to re-align. Physical therapy will be beneficial for returning to activity, but there are a couple of things you will want to do before proceeding with physical therapy.  You will want to see an orthopedic surgeon or a podiatrist in order to get some x-rays and determine the severity of the fracture and where your bone is in the healing process. They will also be able to prescribe a boot and any assistive device if needed. If you have already received x-rays and spoken to the above practitioner/s we can get you scheduled for an evaluation.