Health & Fitness Newsletter by South Valley Physical Therapy
Health & Fitness
“Imagine All The Goals You Could Accomplish If You Received Knee Pain Relief! ” Discover How To Run Injury Free
We all know that running is great exercise for our bodies, but often people stop due to knee or lower leg pain. This can happen for a variety of reasons, but usually ones that we are not aware of. Over 50 million Americans deal with some sort of knee trouble, as the knees are the second most common injured joint, the first being the joints in the spine. Therefore, it is essential to know what you can do to prevent knee troubles from even starting. Most all knee and leg pain can be attributed to the following issues: • Poor muscular strength • Imbalance of muscular strength with certain muscles stronger and others weaker • Poor muscular coordination • Poor biomechanics of walking / running • Lack of flexibility
Inside: • Discover How To Run Injury Free • 5 Ways To Improve Knee Pain • See What Our Patients Have To Say • Word Search
Thomas Sawhill, P.T. Physical Therapist, CEO
Health & Fitness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
“ Life Doesn’t Have to Slow Down When Experiencing Knee Pain.” Discover How To Run Injury Free
Don’t Push Through The Pain While feeling a stretching sensation or muscle burn is a normal part of exercising, feeling pain is not. Sharp or dull pain should be paid attention to and not pushed through. Make sure you are doing adequate warming up prior to exercising as muscles and tissues require internal lubrication to work properly. Warming up brings natural fluids to the area to help with lubrication, improving elasticity and function. In addition, make sure to properly stretch after exercising to ensure that flexibility is maintained and gained. Common injuries with running or
exercising: • Patellofemoral pain • Meniscus tears and pain • Ligament injuries (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL) • Osteoarthritis • Shin splints • Hamstring pulls • Achilles tendonitis
At South Valley Physical Therapy, a physical therapist will be able to tell you howmuch activity you can do depending on the type of knee surgery/ injury you undergo. Your therapist also might have you participate in physical therapy prior to surgery to increase your strength and motion. This can sometimes help with recovery after surgery. Following surgery, your physical therapist will design a personalized rehabilitation program for you and help you gain the strength, movement, and endurance you need to return to performing the daily activities you did before.
www.svpt.net
“ Do You Know The Runner’s Guide To Knee Pain Relief?” 5 SIMPLE WAYS TO IMPROVE KNEE PAIN
1. Increase your leg strength Do wall sits, knee extensions, toe raises, hip side-lifts and more. Speak with one of our professionals for how to perform these exercises correctly. 2. Improve your patella (kneecap) tracking Your patella needs to glide to actually form a C pattern when you bend your knee. Do leg lifts with your whole leg rotated outwards to strengthen the inner thigh and knee muscles. Make sure to stretch your kneecap up and down, side to side, to ensure gliding. Most patellofemoral pain comes from poor patella tracking and a physical therapist is the expert to diagnose and treat this problem. 3. Maintain and improve flexibility With running and exercising it is very common for the powerful muscles in the leg to become tighter. For example, the hamstring and outer tissues of the leg (iliotibial or “IT” band) can become very tight, altering the mechanics of the knee causing pain. Stretch after every time you run and do adequate warm ups prior. Try integrating yoga and stretching into your routines. 4. Improve your balance and coordination Do balance exercises to build up your proprioception (sense of balance position). Exercises such as standing on one leg with and without eyes closed are important. Don’t forget to make sure you setup for safety when performing balance exercises by having a steady surface nearby to hold onto when needed. 5. Improve your agility Many casual runners, simply run, but do not perform other types of
important exercises such as strengthening, balance and agility training. Mix up your workouts to include these other types of exercises. Seeing a Specialist If you have recurring knee pain or discomfort for more than 3 days, it is time to see a specialist. The ideal specialist to see is a physical therapist as they are medical experts in joint movement and function (kinesiology). A thorough evaluation needs to be done of your movement, walking patterns, strength, joint mobility, patella tracking and proprioception. Only then, can the true source of the pain be found, treated and help you understand what you can do to prevent it from returning. In addition, if you are an avid athlete, a physical therapist is key in helping you discover new ways to improve your movement and function, helping you improve your game. Get on the path to healthy knees and call us today for a free joint movement analysis. Discover how liberating it can be to run or exercise pain free.
Health Tips
“Do You Know How To Properly Stretch Before A Run?” Stretching Prior To Runs Prevents Knee Injuries Runner’s Stretch (A) Step your right foot forward and lower into a lunge, placing your fingertips on the floor or on two firm cushions if your hands don’t reach.
(B) Breathe in, then, in one motion, exhale as you straighten your right leg. Slowly return to the lunge position. Repeat four times. Switch sides.
Patient Spotlights Fabulous, must-read stories of success
My mom is much happier than before!
I feel more secure!
Back to an active life!
I feel stronger and I can go about my day pain free. “I played 9 holes of golf walking and was comfortable with NO PAIN! Since starting therapy my hip and leg feel stronger and I can go about my day pain free.” D.B.
“Since beginning physical therapy for my hip I can walk up stairs normally, instead of taking one stair at a time. I can go for walks and just walk in general without pain. I can stand and balance on my left leg. I feel more secure when walking on uneven surfaces and I enjoy physical activities more now and feel better about my overall condition.” J.F.
“Over the years I have had physical therapy at South Valley at least 5 times. I have been extremely pleased with my result which is why I kept coming back when therapy was needed. My most recent sessions were for rehab following bilateral knee replacement…crazy to do it at the same time right? But the therapy I received was fantastic! After 4 weeks I was driving and back to relatively normal activities! I am almost 70 years old and the therapy sessions and home exercises provided by Tom and his staff got me back to my active life in no time. Thank you to everyone who worked with me, you are all fantastic!” M.L.D.
“My mother had a lot of pain in her knees; she couldn’t walk more than 30 feet. She also had a lot of pain when she was using the stairs. Thanks to South Valley Physical Therapy my mother can walk now and she can use the stairs easier. She is much happier than before too! This would not have been possible without physical therapy. Thank you so much.” A grateful son of L.C.
www.svpt.net
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Practice News
We want to not only help our patients but we love to give back to our community. Discover our events, recipes and goings on.
Staff Spotlight Kathy Sawhill Office Manager
With the recent Administrative Assistant Day acknowledgement we thought we would take a moment to highlight our own office manager here at South Valley Physical Therapy. Kathy spent the early years of her marriage being a stay at home mom, busy with raising her 4 children and managing their busy schedules. As the children grew and all 4 were in school she went to work for the elementary school part-time working on yard duty during recess and lunch. Eventually she went to work with her husband Tom the owner of SVPT. In her free time Kathy enjoys spending time with her husband, kids and her 5 precious grandchildren. She enjoys reading and her daily glass of wine! Kathy has been with the company since January of 1998. She started out part time promoting South Valley after her husband Tom took over sole ownership when his business partner sold his shares to him in November of 1997. Kathy would visit doctors’ offices dropping off prescription pads, evaluation letters and treats. It’s a practice SVPT still employs. She then transitioned to working in the front office and doing transcription. Currently she wears many hats in the office. From insurance verification, accounts payable, patient relations, IT, human resources and filling in for any of the front office staff when they are out of the office. The transition to our new practice management software has been her main focus for the past several months and we know she spent many sleepless nights worrying over every detail. Our office really couldn’t function as smoothly as it does without her. So Happy Professional Administrative Day Kathy!
www.svpt.net
Think PT First 9 Move without pain 9 Bend and move freely Why You Need To Come Back In For A Tune-Up Your Body! Minor aches and pains are warning signals from your body to let you know something is not working properly. Don’t put off the pain until it’s too late. Come in today for a “Tune-Up.” Take Care of Your Aches and Pains Before It’s Too Late. 9 Balance confidently and securely 9 Sit for long periods comfortably 9 Walk for long distances 9 Live an active and healthy lifestyle Physical Therapists Are The Mechanics Of
Your Natural Way To Reduce Your Pain In 60 Seconds Great For Hip & Knee Pain Exercises copyright of Great For Knee Pain Share this with a friend or family member to help keep them healthy too!
www.simpleset.net
IT BAND - STRETCH SIDELYING Start by lying on your side with your back near the edge of your bed or table. Your affected leg should be on top. Next, let the top leg lower behind you as you maintain an extended knee as shown. You should feel a gentle stretch along the side of your leg. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 3 times.
HAMSTRING STRETCH While sitting, tighten your top thigh muscle to press the back of your knee downward towards the ground. Repeat 10 times on both legs.
Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.
Getting Fit Can Be Fun
Have Fun Solving This Healthy Word Search!
Q W T H E R A P Y O E L N G R M B U P V X R C A S U E P N E E E P Q M S K A W G R F R E A C T I V E C E O T T L Z N X T I R T K P E O F N A S R E W Z O I R A B E A I L U N G E S L L L N H F D Y E X E
Bored with the same old, same old at your health club? Joining a gym can be a fantastic way to get fit, but it’s not the only way. You can enjoy a variety of workouts at home or outside that will give you the same great results and put a smile on your face at the same time! TRY OUT THESE IDEAS: • Plan a short trip to a beautiful place where you’ll be motivated to be more active than usual • Make your own boot camp
Words to search for:
BALANCE VESTIBULAR
EXERCISE THERAPY MUSCLE ACTIVE
PAIN FREE LUNGES VEGETABLE REFERRAL
THERAPY GRASTON
• Plan a hike • Ride a bike • Join a yoga class • Play with kids or grand kids
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