This is beyond disheartening to read bayhorse!
At first, I simply could not believe a physical therapist would have you doing squats with a 5 pound weight! And you are in a major city coping with such frustration in finding appropriate care for your condition. But I am sadly more than fully aware of the many pitfalls in medicine today. Even in top notch medical centers human error can & does happen often. I could write a book on it. Would a personal health & wellness coach be something doable for you? One on one, private sessions? I have such a wonderful gal for 3 years before she gave it up. I was greatly disappointed. We had brief talks about whatever I wished, meditated together & did chair yoga. All wonderful for this senior. I always left our sessions in great condition than when I first walked in. And often I would begin the session feeling quite poorly.
She had appropriate training & always increased her knowledge by taking classes to keep abreast of personalized care for each of her clients…no matter their particular health issues. Don’t give up. Reach out to any one your providers for help or simply do your own search. I hope this can be an option for you. Advocate for yourself before starting with any physical therapist to see if you are both on the same page in your treatment plan. Would your PCP give appropriate referrals for you? Good help is out there. Unfortunately in today’s times one must search & often it’s not easy but can be done. Hang in there! All the best!