Physical Therapy Newsletter by Back In Motion Physical Therapy.
C o mm o t i o n The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body The Back in Motion
DO YOU HAVE HIP, KNEE OR LEG PAIN? YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Nearly one-third of people said they experienced some form of hip, knee or ankle joint stiffness or pain within the previous 30 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pain in your hip, knee or leg can be debilitating, and prevent you from going to work, attending school, playing sports or taking care of your family. You want to seek treatment, but the risks associated with surgery or drugs may worry you. Fortunately, physical therapy can help alleviate many types of hip, knee and leg pain. About Hip, Knee and Leg Pain Your hips and knees are the largest joints in your body, according to Harvard Medical School. Trauma can cause hip, knee and leg pain, but disease can also cause pain and inflammation in these areas. Pain can occur within the hip or knee joint itself or in the muscles, tendons and other structures surrounding the joint. Osteoarthritis is one of the main causes of hip and knee pain. While this type of arthritis can develop in any joint in the body, it occurs most commonly in the weight-bearing joints, especially the knee and hip. Up to 70 percent of people with knee pain, due to osteoarthritis, have weak quadricep thigh muscles, according to the Arthritis Foundation. The foundation also notes that physical therapists are an important part of the treatment for osteoarthritis, as they perform hands on treatments, and prescribe exercises that improve strength and flexibility. The Importance of Movement While your knees mainly move forward and backward, they do also rotate, andmove slightly side-to-side. This helps stabilize the rest of your body when you walk, run or bend at the knees. These movements are referred to as accessory motions. In addition, the hip also uses accessory motions to stabilize your upper body as you move.
In time, the tissues around your hip and knee joints tighten in response to disease, injuries, prolonged sitting and everyday use. This tightening can restrict accessory motion and even lead to a gradual loss of the primary motions of moving the joint forward and backward. Loss of motion also causes inflammation, which can lead to excessive pressure on the joint and pain. When you lose movement in your hip, knee or leg, muscles in other parts of your body take on the workload. Without relief, this excessive workload leads to abnormal strain resulting in pain. While analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs can decrease inflammation and alleviate pain, it cannot address the underlying cause of the pain. No matter how you ended up with a hip, knee or leg problem, pain and disability can prevent you from leading an active life. If you are like most people, you want relief from the pain but hope to avoid having to take pain medicines, lie in bed all day, receive injections or undergo surgery. Fortunately, physical therapy helps to relieve hip, knee and leg pain without other more aggressive forms of treatment. Get your hip and knee motion back on track by coming in for an evaluation.
www.mainephysicaltherapy.com
3 Powerful Steps To Stronger Hips And Knees
Pain in the hip, knee and leg is often the result of poor flexibility, muscle weakness, lack of coordination, or a combination. You should never feel pain in your hip, knee or leg while you exercise. If you do, talk to your doctor or physical therapist. A physical therapist can target your weak spots then help you improve your balance, strength, posture and joint alignment to alleviate pain. 1. Comprehensive Evaluation Physical therapy always starts with a comprehensive evaluation to determine the source of the hip, knee or leg pain. Our physical therapists examine how you walk, bend, squat and move. Our therapists also evaluate joint movement, and compare the strength and mobility of your joints. 2. Personalized Treatment Plan Our physical therapists then create a personalized treatment plan that includes exercises and special hands-on techniques. This brings quick relief, and the longest lasting
results possible. Physical therapy exercises strengthen, stretch and stabilize muscles surrounding the affected joints to provide additional support. We also advise you on biomechanical devices that help reduce hip, knee and leg pain, such as braces and other orthotics. 3. Meaningful Lifestyle Change Our physical therapists also suggest meaningful lifestyle changes that help reduce your existing pain, and prevent new pains fromdeveloping. As part of your treatment, your physical therapist also can recommend gentle activities that strengthen your legs, such as swimming, riding a bicycle or engaging in water exercises. If you have hip, knee or leg pain, call us to schedule a consultation or evaluation. Our physical therapists help to determine the underlying cause of your pain, and then create a personalized treatment plan just for you. Start enjoying amore pain free active lifestyle by calling us today!
Do You Suffer With Any of The Following Symptoms? Are You Over The Age of 31?
Patient Spotlight
• Pain while kneeling or squatting • Soreness after walking • Difficulty standing for > 20 mins • Pain when trying to sleep • Pain when driving > 30 mins • Difficulty walking or running
Learn How To Alleviate Your Pain Naturally With This FREE Book
I feel great. Bruce W., South Portland
“I came in with significant pain in my left leg: quad, hip joint, and above the knee. The exercises and massage removed the pain. Prior to coming in I was concerned the pinched nerve would limit my future activities. I now feel better than before the pinched nerve started. I also have a set of exercises to provide adequate strength to my back. I feel great.”
GET IT INSTANTLY AT: www.kneebook.net/backinmotion
Welcome: Practice News Prac i s
Celebrations: Don’t forget to wish Donovan Hodges, Tristan Hayes, Paul Brown, Kayla Henderson, and Alex Parrish “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” this month. Welcome Aboard: We would like to introduce you to our newest staff members: Alex Parrish, Patient Receptionist and Charissa Juntura, Patient Representative! You can meet Alex in our South Portland location and Charissa in our Portland location. Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your Turkey Day and remember we will be closed Thursday, November 24th and Friday, November 25th in observance of the holiday. Have fun and be safe at all those Black Friday sales! What are you thankful for? We want to hear about your success! Post a picture on our Facebook page sporting your Back in Motion t-shirt doing something you love that you can now do pain free thanks to PT. Use the hashtag #painfree Back in Motion Gives Back: Our charity for the months of November and December is Family Crisis Services. We will have a ‘Giving Tree’ in each of our three clinics, grab an ornament tag with a gift written on it and bring the unwrapped gift with ornament tag back to the clinic by December 16th. These gifts will bring holiday cheer to families who have been displaced from their homes due to domestic violence. Please note: We will be focusing on gift cards this year so that the families can be independent do their own shopping. Tags will be available in mid-November, additional donations will be accepted.
Does Your Friend or Family Have an Ache? Tell Them to Check Us Out!
Are Your Friends or Family Unable to Do The Following? • Walk without pain • Bend and move joints freely • Balance confidently and securely • Sit for long periods comfortably • Go up and down stairs easily • Live an active and healthy lifestyle • Complete tasks without aches
If you know someone suffering with aches and pains, give the gift of health. Refer them to Back in Motion Physical Therapy today. Pass along this newsletter or have them call us directly for a Free Pain Relief Consultation.
Referral Hotline (207) 839-5860
What you can do to relieve knee or hip pain and feel energized! 2 EASY STRETCHES 1. SEATED QUAD SET 2. FORWARD HEEL TAP
Strength
Strengthens Legs
Sit with feet hip width apart. Gently push heels down into the floor as if you were going to stand up. Don’t let your knees go together, keep them aligned with feet and hips. Hold for 10 seconds, repeat 10 times.
Standing on the floor with something nearby for balance, move one foot forward and bend opposite knee to tap heel on the floor. Keep the knee of your weight bearing leg aligned with your hip and foot. Do not let your knee go inward or beyond your toes. Complete 2 sets of 10 repetitions on each leg. To increase the difficulty stand on a 2-4 inch step.
Emily Johnson, PTA
Leanna Dalfonso, Aide
Featured Employee: Kevin Flanagan, Patient Account Representative, Portland
Where are you from? Though I was born in Bangor, I attended grades 1-12 in Gorham, so I consider that my “hometown”. What schooling/training do you have? I have an Associate’s degree in Business Administration. How long have you been with Back in Motion? 1 Year What is your best work story (funny, happy, inspiring)? I distinctly remember meeting one of our patients for the first time and her being outright rude tome. Refusing to do paperwork, insultingme and our establishment, she even went as far as calling me stupid to my face; I was a bit shell shocked to say the least. No later than her arrival to her second visit I could sense a drastic difference in her attitude. She was smiling as she walked in the building and greeted me by name. By the time she was discharged
she went as far as telling me she would missmy reminder calls. This experience truly opened my eyes, not only to the fact that her initial transgressions were likely incited by her pain and discomfort, but also how big of an EMOTIONAL difference PHYSICAL therapy can truly make. So my takeaways were… Don’t take patients’ irritation personally; they are irritated with their pain, not with you. Practice understanding and remember the last time youwere in a lot of pain, you probably weren’t a bundle of sunshine. Physical therapy can do so much more than heal a patient’s body it’s truly capable of revitalizing one’smind, body, and spirit. What are your hobbies? I enjoy sports, board games, video games and game design. My favorite game is a trading card game calledMagic: The Gathering.
What is one interesting fact about you that most people don’t know? I paid for my first year of college through a series of cash winnings and scholarships earned from traveling up and down the east coast playing competitive Magic: The Gathering tournaments. (Nerd Alert!) Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Married to my fiancé Reatray, finished withmy Bachelor’s degree in accounting, homeowner, and proud father of 2 healthy cats.
Photo courtesy of Audra Photography
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94 Main Street Gorham, ME 04038 CALL TODAY! GORHAM: (207) 839-5860 SOUTH PORTLAND:
(207) 799-8226 PORTLAND: (207) 699-4111
www.mainephysicaltherapy.com
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