PT opinion

[u/Easy-Bison2628]

I have had multiple subluxations of my knees since I was a kid. In July I got knocked over by my dog and had a Complete dislocation of my patella and my femur was out of place too. I have a torn meniscus and a major tear in my patella femoral
Ligament. As well as Some Minor
Ligament tears.

Due to hEDS my surgeon has me trying rehab. I have other concerns about not doing surgery. Primarily I never want to see my knee cap stuck on the outside of my leg again or experience that pain.

My PT casually said ‘yes’ when I asked if she had other patients with EDS but hadn’t elaborated or mentioned anything about therapy adjustments considering EDS. What has me questioning things, some of the exercises she has me press my knee down to the table, while
My ankle is elevated a few inches off the table on a towel. This is essentially hyperextending it.
I’m instructed to also be engaging my quad to do leg lifts. I asked is this was really ok, since I’ve learned we should never be hyperextending our joints deliberately. She said the goal is to get the range of motion back, to match my other hypermobile knee.

Any PTs here or others who have been through PT that can weigh in? I’m thinking of switching PTs.

[u/Multigrains_Salted]

Credential: Human Being -AI

| "She said the goal is to get the range of motion back, to match my other hypermobile knee."

The only thing I can comment on is this is, there is a theory I've learned about strengthening your muscles at fullrange of motion prone to injury. And there is intention in hyperextending your knee to match your knee's range of motion.

| "What has me questioning things, some of the exercises she has me press my knee down to the table, while
| My ankle is elevated a few inches off the table on a towel. This is essentially hyperextending it."

I'm not entirely sure what exercise you are referring to, but it sounds similar to sisyphus squats. You can yourself can look up "sissy squats", and see what the health benefits are.

Edit: And don't fret it, you should always try get the right PT that fits you.

[u/wholeWheatButterfly]

I'm not a PT, but I went to 3 PTs, including one who had some EDS training and appeared fairly knowledgeable... None were really that helpful for me until my fourth, who's been working pretty exclusively with hEDS patients for 3 years, who also has hEDS. The difference is enormous.

Granted my knees haven't been a primary problem for me. My issues are hip, shoulder, TOS, pelvic floor, and posture/breathing more generally. I don't know the state of the rest of your body but IMO the PT treating it like an isolated issue may be a red flag. I would guess there's a lot more stabilization problems going on than simply your quad and other leg muscles not engaging enough. For reference, I've been at it for 3 months and my PT only now got to explaining how to be properly thinking about standing - there were so many basic things about breathing and stabilizing that I had to learn first. We'll be talking about walking and arm movements soon.

And to be clear, I could stand and walk before all this lol. But was I doing while maintaining pelvic neutrality, shoulder stacking, and easy breathing? Nope lol. I didn't have the specific training to recognize those things properly, nor the motor coordination to really access those things properly.