Do you find it difficult to walk, run, or exercise, as if your knees may collapse underneath you? Are you experiencing sharp pains in your hips and knees that make daily tasks difficult? Does standing up after a lengthy amount of time pose as a challenging feat? If so, physical therapy can help.
Health &Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
AVOIDACHES&PAINS INTHE GARDENTHIS SPRING
Common gardening activities, such as digging, planting, weeding, mulching, and raking can cause stress and strain on muscles and joints. This is especially true for senior citizens and people who are normally sedentary. Different body areas, such as the shoulders, neck, back, and knees can be vulnerable to injury during gardening. These tips can help prevent injuries: • Warm up before you garden. A 10 minute brisk walk and stretches for the spine and limbs are good ways to warm up. • Change positions frequently to avoid stiffness or cramping. • Make use of a garden cart or wheelbarrow to move heavy planting materials or tools. Be sure to keep your back straight while using a wheelbarrow. • If kneeling on both knees causes discomfort in your back, try kneeling on one and keep the other foot on the ground. Use knee pads or a gardening pad when kneeling. • If kneeling or leaning down to the ground causes significant pain in your back or knees, consider using elevated planters to do your gardening. • End your gardening session with some gentle backward bending of your low back, a short walk and light stretching, similar to stretches done before starting.
Author: Andrea Avruskin PT, DPT
www.totalcarept.net
Health & Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
KICK YOUR KNEE AND HIP PAINS TO THE CURB!
Inside: • Are You Moving Correctly? • Patient Success Spotlight • Dairy Free Ranch Salad Dressing & Dip • Exercise Essentials
movement experts who can provide you with the necessary physical skills and techniques you need. This will aid in achieving a full and proper recovery. In fact, this is demonstrated in a 2017 study published by the National Institutes of Health, titled “Effectiveness of Manual Therapy Combined With Physical Therapy in Treatment of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: Systematic Review.” This study used randomized controlled trials to test the efficacy of manual and physical therapy treatments used in tandem with one another for patients with patellofemoral pain. The systematic review yielded positive results, verifying that manual and physical therapy treatments did indeed provide success in pain relief and improved function, especially with the strengthening of hip and knee muscles when applied to the full kinetic chain. While this study focuses primarily on patellofemoral pain, it can be applied to any discomfort felt in the hips, knees, or legs. Restoring normal motion is a key aspect to alleviating pain and allowing you to safely partake in the activities you love. Our dedicated team can help you walk, run, and play better. With our motion analysis, strength testing, coordination testing, and more, we can spot your muscles and joints that are in need of treatment. Your treatment plan will be individualized, based on your specific needs, in order to help you reach your optimum function with the least amount of effort.
Do you find it difficult to walk, run, or exercise, as if your knees may collapse underneath you? Are you experiencing sharp pains in your hips and knees that make daily tasks difficult? Does standing up after a lengthy amount of time pose as a challenging feat? If so, physical therapy can help. Constant hip and knee pains can greatly hinder your daily life. The efficiency of your walk comes from the effectiveness of your flexibility, strength, and balance. When any of these aspects become abnormal, it may cause joints to become strained and work harder than they usually need to, leading to pain in the knees and hips. Physical therapy is an easy, comfortable, and safe way to both identify and relieve pain. If you are suffering from knee or hip pain, contact Total Care Physical Therapy today for relief! Correcting your knee and hip pains with PT treatments: At Total Care Physical Therapy, our licensed physical therapists are movement experts. They will analyze how you walk in order to determine any abnormalities and to pinpoint stiff or weak muscles. By pinpointing the exact areas of your body that are not moving as they should, they are able to create a treatment plan that will improve your strength, coordination, and overall mobility. One of the most important aspects of physical therapy treatments for those suffering from lower extremity pain or injury is an exercise program paired with manual techniques. Our physical therapists are
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ARE YOU MOVING CORRECTLY?
If you are suffering from knee or hip pain, it is important to make sure you contact a physical therapist as soon as possible. However, there are also some tests you can do on your own before your consultation – these simple tests can help you determine if your knees and hips are as flexible and strong as they should be. Practice caution when performing these tests with a painful knee or hip, and do not continue them if they cause your pain to worsen: • When you are standing, can you touch your toes? This indicates hip and low back flexibility. • When sitting down, can you comfortably cross your legs so your ankle is resting on the opposite knee? Does one knee go further down than the other? This indicates hip flexibility. If one hip is tighter than the other, it can impact the way you walk and can cause knee pain. • Keeping your feet flat on the floor while holding onto something solid, how far can you squat down? You should be able to squat all the way down so your buttocks almost touches your heels. Don’t let your heels pop up! If you favor movement to one side, you probably have hip weakness on that side or limited motion in the hip joint. • Standing near a counter top, put one foot in front of the other so you are touching heel-to-toe. Without putting your hands down, see if you can balance for 10 seconds. If you cannot, this may mean you have trouble with the coordination of your balance from the nerve endings in your hips, knees, ankles, and feet.
Contact us today: As noted, physical therapy is an effective mode of treatment for patients suffering from knee and/or hip pain. At Total Care Physical Therapy, we help provide treatment for patients through movement and physical manipulation. Ifyouaresuffering fromkneeand/orhippain,don’thesitate to contact Total Care Physical Therapy to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you kick your knee and hip pains to the curb, so you can live a happy, active, and pain-free life!
Healthy Recipe: Dairy Free Ranch Salad Dressing &Dip
INGREDIENTS • 1 cup raw, unsalted cashew pieces • ¼ cup plain, unsweetened, almond milk (or leave out if you want a thicker dip) • 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons chives, chopped • 3 Tablespoons parsley, chopped • 3 teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar • Sea salt to taste
DIRECTIONS Place the cashews in water and soak overnight in the fridge. Drain and rinse the nuts, the place them in a blender or food processor with the almond milk, garlic, and vinegar. Blend 1-2 minutes adding water as needed to get the consistency you want. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend on low another minute.
Recipe from: http://ournutritionkitchen.com/salads/dairy-free-ranch-salad-dressing-dip/
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Discover How To Live Pain Free!
Patient Success Spotlight
At Total Care Physical Therapy, you will receive hands-on therapy treatments by our friendly, caring, health experts during focused and individualized sessions. 1. CALL AND TALK TO YOUR THERAPIST 2. DISCOVER WHY YOUR PAIN HAS COME BACK 3. GET YOUR CUSTOM RECOVERY PROGRAM FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
“They think out of the box to fix your physical issues.”
Best physical therapy in town! Tom (the owner) and Carlos are incredible PT’s! They are brilliant, caring, and compassionate. They think out of the box to fix your physical issues. I’ve seen other physical therapists in town but never got the great results that I got with Tom and Carlos. So many people I know use them! Five star rating!” - J.M.
www.totalcarept.net
• Cost Effective • Non-invasive • Safe & Natural • State-of-the-art Facility Features of Physical Therapy: DO YOU SUFFER FROMKNEE OR HIP PAIN?
Exercise Essentials Try this stretch if you are experiencing hip pain.
Strengthens Hips
Exercisescopyrightof
CLAM SHELLS While lying on your side with your knees bent, draw up the top knee while keeping contact of your feet together. Do not let your pelvis roll back during the lifting movement. Repeat 6 times on each side.
Mention This Coupon To Receive A KNEE OR HIP ANALYSIS
Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.
Call Today! 908-262-7404
www.totalcarept.net
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