Newsletter by Spaulding Physical Therapy & Wellness Center
NEWSLETTER September 2018
STRENGTH TRAINING & THE IMPORTANCE OF BRACES
Knee osteoarthritis (knee OA) is a progressive disease caused by inflammation and degeneration of the knee joint that worsens over time. It affects the entire joint, including bone, cartilage, ligaments, and muscles. Muscle strengthening. Strengthening the muscles around your knee will be an essential part of your rehabilitation program. Individuals with knee OA who adhere to strengthening programs have been shown to have less pain and an improved overall quality of life. There are several factors that influence the health of a joint: the quality of the cartilage that lines the bones, the tissue within and around the joints, and the associated muscles. Due to the wear and tear on cartilage associated with knee
OA, maintaining strength in the muscles near the joint is crucial to preserve joint health. For example, as the muscles along the front and back of your thigh (quadriceps and hamstrings) cross the knee joint, they help control the motion and forces that are applied to the bones. Bracing. Compressive sleeves placed around the knee may help reduce pain and swelling. Devices such as realignment and off-loading braces are used to modify the forces placed on the knee. These braces can help “unload” certain areas of your knee and move contact to less painful areas of the joint during weight-bearing activities. Depending on your symptoms and impairments, your physical therapist will help determine which brace may be best for you.
NEWSLETTER September 2018
INSIDE: • Who Needs Physical Therapy? • Relieve Knee Pain In Minutes • Patient Success Spotlight • Healthy Recipe EFFECTIVE HIP & KNEE PAIN RELIEF “Hitting A Gutter With Pain Relief?”
an injury develops can help reduce your recovery time and improve your ability to cope with the pain and discomfort by introducing you to targeted exercises and stretching techniques that can enhance your ability to recover from the injury. When you are dealing with a knee or hip injury, every step requires more effort than typical. This can really drain your energy level as you attempt to go about doing even basic tasks, such as taking care of your home or walking around the office. What Can Physical Therapy Do to Help? Physical therapy is not a one-stop cure-all for pain management. This is a long-term solution to pain and suffering through the use of targeted exercises and stretching techniques that are designed to strengthen the targeted areas and help the body recover and heal. By identifying the exact points on the body that are not moving as they ought to be, it is possible to make a plan to increase flexibility, motion, strength and even improve coordination.
Hip & Knee Pain Relief With Spaulding Physical Therapy
Dear Valued Client,
Mark Twain once said that growing old is an issue of “mind over matter,” but if you struggle with knee or hip pain, then you know that this isn’t true at all. Hip and knee pain can really take the spring out of your step, causing you to move slower and leaving you with pain that becomes more difficult to cope with, step after step. There is an endless list of reasons as to why knee or hip pain may develop, from a slip or fall-related accident to a sports injury or even a car accident. Don’t Wait Until It Is Too Late! When an injury develops, seeking the support of a physical therapist is the best course of action. Working with a physical therapist soon after Dr. Leslyn H. Spaulding Owner
Call our clinic at 859-497-2924 to schedule an appointment today to live a pain free and active life!
www.spauldingpt.com
WHO NEEDS PHYSICAL THERAPY?
Are you moving like you should be? Your hips and knees are essential to everyday movement; whether you are sitting, standing, walking or running, you need your hips and knees in great shape. Sometimes, when your hips and knees are in pain, it can cause you to change the way that you are moving, causing you to change the flow and pace of your gait, which is the way that you walk. Other times, prolonged pain can cause you to stop doing movements that are indicative of healthy joints. If you’ve experienced any hip or knee pain and are considering whether physical therapy is a good choice for your health needs, consider the following: • From a standing position, are you able to lean over and touch your toes? If so, then this indicates that you have proper hip and low back flexibility. If not, then you may need to improve your flexibility and joint range of motion, and physical therapy could be helpful. • In a sitting position, can you comfortably cross your legs, leaving your ankle to rest comfortably on the opposite knee? If this is painful, or one knee constantly must be lower than the other, then this may be indicative of knee concerns that could be addressed with physical therapy. • From a standing position, with your feet planted flat on the floor, can you push your body into a squatting position? You should be able to squat all the way down so that your buttocks are almost touching your heels. If you aren’t able to do this, then physical therapy may be helpful in improving your range of motion. • Standing near a wall or countertop, arrange your feet so that you are standing with the heel of one foot touching the toes of the other, as if on a balance beam, and see how long you can stand still. Can you
balance for 10 seconds? If not, then physical therapy may be able to improve balance and coordination. The goal of any physical therapy program is to restore range of motion and improve flexibility and strength while reducing the general experience of pain. Unfortunately, hip and knee injuries often tend to linger. Every movement relies so heavily on the hips and knees that it makes it difficult to allow these joints to actually rest following an injury. Physical therapy provides targeted exercises that support the joints with precise movements that help reinforce strength and range of motion. For more information, contact your physical therapist to learn more about options that will suit your health needs. For more information about overcoming back pain, contact us.
Call us today to schedule an appointment!
HEALTHY RECIPE: VEGGIE HUMMUS ROLLS
Ingredients • 2 vegan whole wheat wraps • 1/2 cup diced red peppers • 1/2 cup diced yellow pepper • 1/2 cup diced red cabbage
• 2 large carrots, peeled • 6 - 8 tbsp. no-oil, low-salt hummus • 2 tbsp. raw sunflower seeds (or your choice of raw seeds)
Directions Heat wraps for 10 to 20 seconds in the microwave. Spread each wrap with 3 to 4 tbsp of no-oil hummus (depending on the diameter of your wrap). Divide veggies and sprinkle on top of the hummus on each wrap. Make sure to stop your veggies about 2 inches down from the edge of the tortillas (this will help the wraps seal up better). Starting on the opposite end, roll upwards tightly and press down to seal. Eat as whole wraps or cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces to make sushi-like rolls.
CALL TODAY! 859-497-2924
www.spauldingpt.com
Hear What Our Patients Have to Say! Patient Success Spotlight
Relieve Knee Pain In Minutes Try this movement if you are experiencing knee pain.
Improves Balance
SINGLE LEG STANCE FORWARD Stand on one leg and maintain your balance. Next, hold your leg out in front of your body for 10 seconds. Return to original position. Then switch and repeat 6 times. Maintain a slightly bent knee on the stance side.
www.simpleset.net
“I was educated on how to continue improving as my health gets better.” Success Story: Alicia G. “ Everyone at Spaulding Physical Therapy is so flexible and kind! Not intimidating like other places. I not only exercised and improved my physical shape, but I was educated on how to continue improving as my health gets better.”
Did you know that we now offer:
Are you suffering from any aches or pains? Do you think you can benefit from any of these programs? Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION with us to find out! Call us at 859-497-2924 to learn more about the benefits of our physical therapy and wellness programs. • Massage Therapy • Group Fitness Classes • Sportsmetrics Youth Injury Prevention Program • Custom Foot orthotics
DON’T RELYONOPIOIDS FOR YOURPAIN 5 REASONS TO CHOOSE PT FIRST
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sales of prescription opioids have quadrupled in the United States, even though “there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain that Americans report.”
You should choose physical therapy FIRST when: 1. The risks of opioid use outweigh the
rewards. Potential side effects of opioids include depression, overdose, and addiction, plus withdrawal symptoms when stopping opioid use. Because of these risks, “experts agreed that opioids should not be considered first-line or routine therapy for chronic pain,” the CDC guidelines state. 2. You want to do more than mask the pain. Opioids reduce the sensation of pain by interrupting pain signals to the brain. Opioids make it so you can’t feel thepain, but, they donot treat thesourceof your pain. Physical therapists treat pain by finding the source and restoring movement and function. 3. Pain or function problems are related to low back pain, hip or knee osteoarthritis,orfibromyalgia. TheCDCcites “high-qualityevidence”supporting exerciseaspartofaphysicaltherapytreatmentplanforthosefamiliarconditions. 4. Opioids are prescribed for pain. Even in situations when opioids are prescribed, the CDC recommends that patients should receive “the lowest effective dosage,” and opioids “should be combined” with nonopioid therapies, such as physical therapy. 5.Pain lasts90days. At thispoint, thepain isconsidered “chronic,”and therisks for continued opioid use increase. An estimated 116 million Americans have chronic pain each year. The CDC guidelines note that nonopioid therapies are “preferred” for chronic pain and that clinicians should consider opioid therapy only if expected benefits for both pain and function are anticipated to outweigh risks to the patient.
“PhysicalTherapyvsOpioids:When toChoosePhysicalTherapy forPainManagement.”American Physical Therapy Association. N.p., 15 June 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.
Is your body suffering from pain and you desire a natural solution? Call us today at 859-497-2924 to schedule an appointment with one of our doctors of physical therapy.
3041 Owingsville Road Mount Sterling, KY 40353
Phone: 859-497-2924 Fax: 859-497-2926
www.spauldingpt.com
DO I HAVE TOBE INACTIVEWHEN I’M INPAIN? EXERCISE&PAINRELIEF
If you have back or joint pain, there are probably some times when all you want to do is lie in bed all day. It’s tempting, but it might make the problem worse. Doctors used to prescribe bed rest for back pain and other chronic pain conditions, but studies have found that people who exercise and stay flexible manage their pain much better than those who don’t. If you do have a chronic pain condition like back pain or hip, knee, or shoulder problems, you shouldn’t begin an exercise program without guidance. Check with your physical therapist first. They have the expertise to help you develop an individualized exercise program. Have
a professional; a physical therapist show you what is appropriate to do given your condition. Here are 7 exercises/activities you should do to alleviate pain: 1. Walking 2. Swimming 3. Yoga
4. Tai Chi 5. Pilates 6. Stretching 7. Aerobics
3041 Owingsville Road Mount Sterling, KY 40353
Phone: 859-497-2924 Fax: 859-497-2926
www.spauldingpt.com
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