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Vote for us for BEST Physical Therapy Clinic and BEST Rehabilitation Facility in this year's Daytona Beach News-Journal's Reader's Choice "Best Around" of 2012!!!
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290 Clyde Morris Blvd Ste B2 Ormond Beach, Fl 32174 Tel: 386-898-0443 Fax: 386-898-0459
Thursday, June 14, 2012
- Physical Therapist's Guide to Knee Pain
Knee
pain can be caused by disease or injury. The most common disease affecting the
knee is osteoarthritis. Knee injuries can occur as the result of a direct blow
or sudden movement that strains the knee beyond its normal range of movement.
Knee pain caused by an injury is most often associated with knee cartilage
tears, such as meniscal tears, or ligament tears, such as anterior cruciate
ligament tears.
What is Knee Pain?
Knee
pain can be caused by disease or injury. Knee pain can restrict movement,
affect muscle control in the sore leg, and reduce the strength and endurance of
the muscles that support the knee.
The most
common disease affecting the knee is osteoarthritis, which is caused by the
cartilage in the knee gradually wearing away, resulting in pain and swelling.
Knee
injuries can occur as the result of a direct blow or sudden movement that
strains the knee beyond its normal range of motion, as can happen in sports,
recreational activities, a fall, or a motor vehicle accident. Knee pain caused
by an injury often is associated with tears in the knee cartilage or ligaments.
Knee pain also can be the result of repeated stress, as often occurs with the
kneecap, also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome. Very rarely, with extreme
trauma, a bone may break at the knee.
How Does it Feel?
You may
feel knee pain in different parts of your knee joint, depending on the problem
affecting you. Identifying the location of your pain can help your physical
therapist determine its cause.
How Is It Diagnosed?
Your
physical therapist will make a diagnosis based on your symptoms, medical
history, and a thorough examination. X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
results may also be used to complete the diagnosis.
To help
diagnose your condition, your physical therapist may ask you questions like
these:
o Where
exactly on your knee is the pain?
o Did you
twist your knee?
o Did you
feel a "tearing" sensation at the time of injury?
o Do you
notice swelling?
o Have you
ever felt like your knee joint is "catching," or "locking,"
or will give way?
o Do you
have difficulty walking up and down stairs?
o Do you
have difficulty sitting with your knee bent for long periods, as on an airplane
or at the movies?
o Does
your pain increase when you straighten or bend your knee?
o Does
your knee hurt if you have to twist or turn quickly?
The
physical therapist will perform tests to find out whether you have:
o Pain or
discomfort with bending or straightening your knee
o Tenderness
at the knee joint
o Limited
motion in your knee
o Weakness
in the muscles around your knee
o Difficulty
putting weight on your knee when standing or walking
The
physical therapist also is concerned about how well you are able to use your
injured knee in daily life. To assess this, the therapist may use such tests as
a single-limb hop test, a 6-minute walk test, or a timed up and go test.
How Can a Physical Therapist Help?
Based on
the evaluation, your physical therapist will develop a customized
rehabilitation program, including a specific set of knee exercises, for you.
If you
already have knee problems, your physical therapist can help with a plan of
exercise that will strengthen your knee without increasing the risk of injury
or further damage. As a general rule, you should choose gentle exercises such
as swimming, aquatic exercise, or walking rather than jarring exercises such as
jogging or high-impact aerobics.
Consult your
physical therapist about specific ways to maintain your knee health following
injury or surgery. Your physical therapist has the relevant educational
background and expertise to evaluate your knee health and to refer you to
another health care provider if necessary.
Depending
on the severity of your knee problem, your age, and your lifestyle, the
therapist may select such treatments as:
Strength
training and functional exercises, which are designed to increase
strength, endurance, and function of your leg muscles (quadriceps and
hamstrings). This in turn helps support the knee and reduce stress to the knee
joint.
Electrical
stimulation of the knee, which further increases leg muscle
strength and can help reduce knee pain. To increase strength, electrical
impulses are generated by a device and delivered through electrodes to
stimulate the primary muscle that supports the knee, the quadriceps femoris. To
reduce your knee pain, the electrodes are placed on the skin to gently
stimulate the nerves around the knee.
Your
physical therapist can determine just how much you may need to limit physical
activity involving the affected knee. He or she also can gauge your knee’s
progress in function during your rehabilitation.
How Can a Physical Therapist Help Before & After Surgery?
Your
physical therapist, in consultation with your surgeon, will be able to tell you
how much activity you can do depending on the type of knee surgery (such as total knee
replacement) you undergo. Your therapist and surgeon 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.
Can this Injury or Condition be Prevented?
Ideally,
everyone should regularly get 3 types of exercise to prevent injury to all
parts of the body, including the knees:
o Range-of-motion
exercises to help maintain normal joint movement and relieve stiffness.
o Strengthening
exercises to keep or increase muscle strength.
o Aerobic
or endurance exercises (such as walking or swimming) to improve function of the
heart and circulation and to help control weight. Weight control can be
important to people who have arthritis because extra weight puts pressure on
many joints, including the knee.
To keep
knee pain and other musculoskeletal pain at bay, it’s important to maintain an
overall healthy lifestyle, exercise, get adequate rest, and eat healthy foods.
It’s also important for runners and other athletes to perform physical therapist-approved
stretching and warm-up exercises on a daily basis—especially before beginning
physical activity.
Real Life Experiences
At age
56, Monica was in very good health—eating right, maintaining her weight, and
exercising daily at home. One day she fell off her exercise equipment and
twisted her knee. The pain was excruciating. Even though she could walk short
distances, using her sore leg during her daily activities soon became
impossible. Monica made an appointment with her physical therapist. The
therapist reviewed her medical history, conducted a thorough examination, and
consulted with Monica’s physician regarding the need for a series of X-rays to
ensure no bones were broken in the fall.
Consultation
with an orthopedic surgeon confirmed that there were no broken bones and no
need for surgery. Monica's physical therapist developed a program of strength
training and functional exercises to increase her hip, knee, and ankle muscle
strength and endurance. The physical therapist also recommended electrical
stimulation of the knee to increase her quadriceps (thigh) muscle strength.
By
following the physical therapist's regimen, Monica decreased her knee pain, and
her mobility improved dramatically. Regular ongoing strength-training knee
exercises—and more careful use of her exercise equipment—have helped Monica
remain free of knee pain.
Although
all physical therapists are prepared through education and experience to treat
people with knee pain, you may want to consider:
o A
physical therapist who is a board-certified clinical specialist or who has
completed a residency or fellowship in orthopedic physical therapy, giving the
therapist advanced knowledge, experience, and skills that may apply to your
condition
You can
find physical therapists who have these and other credentials by using Find a PT, the online tool built by the
American Physical Therapy Association to help you search for physical
therapists with specific clinical expertise in your geographic area.
General
tips when you're looking for a physical therapist:
o Get
recommendations from family and friends or from other health care providers.
o When you
contact a physical therapy clinic for an appointment, ask about the physical
therapist's experience in helping people with TKR.
During
your first visit with the physical therapist, be prepared to describe
your symptoms in as much detail as possible, and say what makes your symptoms
worse.
article originally appeared on www.apta.org Click here for the link: http://www.moveforwardpt.com/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=b92021cb-a1ec-4f20-8b7e-37d62bc1a52e
Thursday, June 7, 2012
News-Journal's Reader's Choice "Best Around" of 2012!!!
Vote for us for BEST Physical Therapy Clinic and BEST Rehabilitation Facility in this year's Daytona Beach News-Journal's Reader's Choice "Best Around" of 2012!!!
http://www.news-journalonline.com/ads/readerschoice/news-tribune.html
http://www.news-journalonline.com/ads/readerschoice/news-tribune.html
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Daytona Beach News Journal Reader's Choice Awards 2012!
It's time again for the Daytona Beach News Journal's Reader's Choice Awards! Vote for us today for Best Physical Therapy Clinic!
http://www.news-journalonline.com/ads/readerschoice/news-tribune.html
Today's blog shares a link from http://www.apta.org/ about the inspirational story of Laura. Laura is an artist who suffered from a broken wrist and pain related to lymphedema. Her pain became so severe it threatened to end her career as an artist. Through physical therapy she was able to regain her ability to continue her livelihood...click the video link below to hear more about how much of an amazing difference physical therapists can make in people's lives!
Description:
Laura's broken wrist, and pain related to lymphedema, threatened to end her career as an iconographer, but her physical therapist helped her paint again.
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