AppalachianPT: Don't Let Hip & Knee Pain Keep Things Down

Newsletter by Appalachian Physical Therapy, Inc.

March, 2020

NEWSLETTER

HIP PAIN KEEPING YOU DOWN ON LIFE?

INSIDE: • How Does Hip & Knee Pain Occur? • Exercise Essentials

• Patient Success Spotlights • What’s The Buzzz All About?

March, 2020

NEWSLETTER

HIP PAIN KEEPING YOU DOWN ON LIFE?

Whether you have hip or knee pain or have been suffering for a long time, seeing a physical therapist at Appalachian Physical Therapy, Inc. can help you return to a more active and pain-free life. Give us a call at: • Broadway: 540-901-9501 • Harrisonburg: 540-209-8977 • Pinehurst: 910-215-0541 The hip is a very strong joint comprising of the femur or thigh and the acetabulum or socket. Actually the socket of the hip is made up of three bones which come together to form the hemipelvis. Hemi because each side forms half of the whole or pelvis. The pelvis attaches to the sacrum which is the triangular bone attached to the end of your spinal column. Sounds pretty complicated but it really is quite simple until you begin to try and figure out why you might have pain. Think about it this way. Your hip is always working. It never gets a rest. Obviously standing or walking has at least your body weight transferring through your joint structures and if you are running or jumping, well you can multiply that several times. Sitting puts several muscles and ligaments on stretch that can cause or lead to discomfort. Even sitting on a wallet can fire up structures about your hip that can really be painful. Reclining or laying down also loads the pelvis depending on your position and the list goes on and on.

There are many causes for painful hips. There are just as many treatments and I will go over these for you. The bottom line is most of the time your pain can be alleviated and corrected with proper treatment and stretching along with exercises to keep this from reoccurring.

Common Causes of Hip Pain : • Overuse including tendinitis/bursitis • Muscle strain • Ligament sprain • Weakness and abnormal gait • Sciatica/neural • Poor posture

• Arthritis • Disease • Trauma

All of the above except arthritis, disease and trauma are treatable initially by physical therapy and the latter three will usually filter through our clinic after the disease process or trauma has been identified and treated medically.

Subscribe to receive our digital newsletters on our website today!

www.aptfc.com

HOWDOES HIP&KNEE PAIN OCCUR?

The way you sit such as crossing your legs, side sitting or even children with their hips and knees like the capital “W” puts added stress on your joints and soft tissue. Children over the age of 2-3 should be encouraged in alternative positions to alleviate this added stress which can lead to problems in the future. Poor posture can add stress to the ligaments as well

as muscles and can actually change your bone structure over a period of time. It goes without saying that repetition can cause some inflammation to structures about the hip involving soft tissue such as the muscles, tendons as well as bursa and other soft tissue. Common diagnoses we see are sciatica or inflammation of the sciatic nerve that originates in the low back and travels down the back of the leg. Actually the muscles of the hip can also cause low back pain both centrally and only on one side depending on the affected structures. You have heard of the rotator cuff in the shoulder and we actually have many deep rotators of the hip which are similar to the shoulder. These can get involved and several of them can mimic the lower leg pain one gets with sciatica. Just because one may have pain running down the leg does not necessarily lead to a diagnosis of sciatica.

Obviously experiencing trauma should lead a person to have proper x-rays and scans to rule out fractures or torn tissue. Folks with pain that hangs around for no unknown reason or can not be related to trauma can benefit from being seen by a physical therapist to determine if it is related as stated by posture, overuse, sprains/strains or inflamed tissue. Physical therapists are trained to recognize problems that reach beyond our abilities to treat and to refer those patients to the proper professional when necessary. So are you tired of experiencing hip pain or being a pain in the #$%? You can spell it how you want to but it all of them are debilitating. Call us to schedule an evaluation or if you need more information, a courtesy screen to help you decide you next step. We can get you back in action without pain and discomfort.

Call us today to schedule an appointment!

PATIENT SUCCESS SPOTLIGHTS

“Appalachian is an awesome place for physical therapy!” “I was referred for physical therapy because of extreme pain in my knee. Given a list of locations by my doctor, I decided on Appalachian Physical Therapy because of the good things I read. Karen was my physical therapist and was wonderful to work with. She listened, worked patiently with me to alleviate pain and taught me quite a bit about my condition. With her help, I am now able to do the things I was not able to do for months. She also recommended exercises for strengthening so I will be able to continue on my own and hopefully not have this problem again. Appalachian is an awesome place for physical therapy. It has friendly and helpful staff and is a place I felt totally relaxed. I highly recommend this place for your physical needs. Not only did I have a great physical therapy experience, I made a friend! Thank you Karen for all you did for me!” - Deborah A. “I feel my treatment has been professional and right on target.” “Before therapy, I was having difficulty performing everyday tasks. I was experiencing a lot of pain in my left arm and wrist. With therapy, most of my pain is gone and I have little to no difficulty with normal activities and everyday tasks. You could say I am a new person! I feel my treatment has been professional and right on target. All the staff has been cordial and worked to meet my needs.” - Elizabeth F. “The professionals at Appalachian Physical Therapy have always made me feel as a valued patient.” “I was referred to Appalachian Physical Therapy by my family doctor for what I thought was a pinched nerve in my neck. My therapist was Dr. Linden Daiss. She examined me and began a regiment of stretching, home exercises and various manipulations of my neck and shoulder. I went from a pain level of 9/10 to a 0/10 because of her treatment and excellent diagnosis skills. The professionals at Appalachian Physical Therapy have always made me feel as a valued patient and have always made a visit to their office something to look forward to. The next time I have a need for muscular, joint or deep tissue pain relief, I will immediately get a referral to Appalachian Physical Therapy to reduce and eliminate all pain in a hurry. I am glad and thankful to have such a caring group, especially my therapist Dr. Linden Diass.” -Jeffery P.

- Deborah A

- Elizabeth F.

- Jeffery P.

www.aptfc.com

FREE ROTATOR CUFF WORKSHOP Attention Pain Sufferers!

Who is the Workshop For? The Rotator Cuff Workshop is for people suffering with shoulder pain who are looking to feel normal again and heal naturally without medications, injections and surgery. Don’t delay! Register today! Use the camera app on your smartphone to see the next Rotator Cuff workshop at the location nearest you: REVEALING HOW TO GET BACK TO NORMAL WITHOUT MEDICATIONS, INJECTIONS & SURGERY...

HARRISONBURG, VA ROTATOR CUFF WORKSHOP

ROTATOR CUFF WORKSHOP

PINEHURST, NC ROTATOR CUFF WORKSHOP

BROADWAY, VA

HIP PAIN WORKSHOP BROADWAY, VA

HARRISONBURG, VA HIP PAIN WORKSHOP

PINEHURST, NC KNEE PAIN WORKSHOP

www.aptfc.com

WHAT’S THE BUZZZ ALL ABOUT?

This month I have decided to write a public interest article about honeybees that I ampersonally involved with and have been for the last decade. This article will reflect some of my history as well as interesting facts you may or may not know. Now in case you are wondering if I have ever gotten in a jam with the bees, my answer would be does a bear live (could have said something else here) in the woods? Absolutely I have. It would be akin to playing with matches. Most of the time it has been my fault when I have been stung. Bees by nature are very hard workers and they do not like to think they are being

On a calmer note, this has happened nomore than 3 times in 10 years and it has always been my fault. They in fact are more than forgiving realizing I open up their house every week to check on them during the warm months. What happens on the inside of one of those hives is pure magic. Everyone knows the queen bee is the head kahuna. She guides the hive with her pheromones. As long as she keeps those up to normal levels, the hive is fine. If she gets weak, the bees will quickly start producing another queen cell. It takes just a couple of weeks for that queen to emerge and if the old queen is still alive, let’s just say they get into an altercation. Usually the older queen will kill the new queen as she emerges by stinging her to death. If the older queen is too weak to get to the new queen, they will fight to the death. The winner will rule the hive. Occasionally if the older queen actually dies or leaves the hive, several new queens will emerge. You see, the workers don’t put all their chances on just one queen. They will construct several queen cells and I have seen ten ormore in one hive at a time.Thiswhole process never ceases to amaze me and soon after the new queen takes charge, she has a maiden flight and returns back to the hive to produce more bees. On an occasion, she is either killed, goes in the wrong hive (and is killed there) or for some other reason, does not make it back. Now is when the bee keeper has to be on their toes to recognize the absence of a new queen and get one in there. You see, during the busy season during the honey flow, bees will die in 45 days as they are literally working themselves to death. Being that it takes a new queen 16 bays to emerge from a fresh egg, up to a week depending on the weather to have her maiden flight and then a week to begin laying eggs and then 28 days for a worker to emerge, you can see time is of essence. I think the neatest things about honeybees revolves around their efficiency. Everyone has a job and is very good at it. From the day they emerge from their cell, to the day they expire, honeybees go through several stages. They begin as nurse bees taking care of the fresh brood and making new comb. They will move into bees that help with ventilation, exercising their wings to move air around to control the temperature. From here they start protecting the hive as guard bees, preventing other bees or animals from robbing the hive of their hard work. Lastly, they will become foragers bringing back nectar, water or pollen to nourish the bees and larvae to continue the cycle. Oh I almost forgot the drones or male bees. They basically sit back in lounge chairs doing nothing but waiting for the possibility to mate with a new queen if and when she emerges and goes on a maiden flight. Otherwise they really do nothing. As the end of the fall approaches, the workers actually kick out the drones as they are not needed to mate with a queen and of course they die. When spring comes around, the ruling queen will lay drone eggs (Unfertilized eggs. She has the ability to lay these even though she has been bred) and the cycle continues. Pretty cool huh? So the next time you see honeybees, realize they are really neat creatures and as long as you leave them alone and do not threaten them, they will go about their business of pollinating sowe can have awonderful garden full of vegetables and fruit. Becausewithout them, our life as we know it today will certainly change and not for the better. Support your local beekeepers association; read up on honeybees and enjoy the sweetness of local unadulterated honey. You will be glad you did.

robbed. Neither do I come to think of it. This particular day happened this past summer and I had been working with the bees to keep up with the honey flow which by the way was the best year I have experienced in over a decade. I try andwork

Yes, I always wear protective clothing when working with the bees, including gloves.

with themwhen it is cool so they are not hot or angry. This daywas no different and I mademyway through the 10 hives I have. Everything was just fine. All the queenswere present and laying eggs to keep upwith the honey harvest. I can remember they were really settled and into a rhythm and life was good. That is until later on that day I cut around the hives with my lawn mower!! probably should not do? Listen to it! My little voice toldme “Bill, youbothered those bees thismorning and theymay not be as forgiving the second time around today inbeingdisturbed.Maybe you should leave them alone and just come back later this evening when it is close to being dark”. I rationalized they would be fine and I had done this many times before and to be honest, I had. The difference was this year I had a hybridRussian hive and those guys have a shorter fuse and came out after me like a Ever had that little voice tell you something just prior to completing an action you

Look for the queen in the middle. She has a much larger abdomen and has a bigger thoracic plate on her back.

Nothing sweeter than fresh honey, YUM!

guided missile. Oh my gosh!!! I am sure if someone had seen me going across my field with my lawnmower they would have thought my pants were on fire. What they did not realize was that was in fact what was happening. I had on a tee shirt and shorts and you can imagine the rest. I came back to work on Monday looking like I had been chewed up and spit out. What a mess. I will never do that again; NEVER! ARTWORK AT THE OFFICE

Harrisonburg Artist: Mary Jane Lawhorne Rouse .Oil painting, mixedmedia collage, photography and jewelry are art forms explored by Mary Rouse. Through the use of an eclecticmix ofmaterials, she explores both representational and abstract ideas. Flowers from her garden and the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley have provided inspiration for many of her pieces. Harrisonburg Artist: Trish Bowman, Floral Artist . Since retiring her commercial design studio, Graphic Design, Trish has kept busy with endeavors such as landscape painting, jewelry making, and silk flower arranging. She has assembled a variety of colors and sizes of floral decor suited for any indoor environment.

Shenandoah Valley Native, Rouse, was born in Lexington, VA, grew up in Shenandoah and has lived in Harrisonburg all her adult life. As an active educator and advocate for the arts she has served the Arts Council of the Valley and its predecessors for more than 40 years. Mary Jane’s alluring floral creationswill be displayed at APT this February/March. Some of Trish’s favorites include the realistic succulents, and the mixed orchid arrangements. She says one of the best features of her potted silk flowers is, “You never have towater them!” Trish’s alluring floral creations will be displayed at APT this February/ March.

P i n e h u r s t Artist: Paula Montgomery I love art. I love to look at it and to create it. Santa brought me my first set of oil

using colors that are complementary to the dominant color in my scheme. I loosely sketch in the design and then apply paint and/or paper using brushes and palette knives to develop the composition. I paint and scrape until shapes emerge that are pleasing to my eye. My goal is to create images that are my unique creation. For me, a rose is not a rose but merely an inspiration for something yet to come. I feel I do my best work when I make it up as I go along. Paula’s alluring floral creations will be displayed at APT this February/ March.

paints when I was nine and a couple of years later, I won first place in an art show inmy hometown.The paintingwas an abstract with flowers. Ever since, I’ve had a love affair with painting flowers. My artistic process begins with a design concept and a color scheme. Fromthere, I smear paint on canvas, paper or board

EXERCISE ESSENTIALS Try these exercises to keep you moving...

MAKE PAYMENTS ON OUR WEBSITE! Appalachian PT gives patients the option to pay online using our website. All payments are totally encrypted for security. Select the “Pay” tab at the top of the page. It’s just that easy.

PRONE HIP EXTENSION While lying face down with your knee straight, slowly raise up leg off the ground.

Loosens Tight Hips

IT BAND - STRETCH SIDELYING Lie on your side. Pull ankle of upper leg back as if stretching your quad. Put the ankle of your lower leg on the outside of your knee. Apply pressure downwards to feel a stretch along the side of your thigh. Hold for 5 seconds repeat 6 times on each side.

Stretches Knees

Exercises copyright of

www.simpleset.net

Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.

Why You Need To Come In For Another Check-Up:

� Move without pain � Bend and move freely � Balance confidently & securely

� Sit for long periods comfortably � Walk for long distances � Live an active & healthy lifestyle

TAKE CARE OF YOUR ACHES & PAINS BEFORE IT ’ S TOO LATE!

BROADWAY CLINIC 540-901-9501

HARRISONBURG CLINIC 540-209-8977

PINEHURST CLINIC 910-215-0541

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6

www.aptfc.com

Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter