Do your weight-bearing joints feel more like pain-bearing joints these days? If you have a hip or knee that just can’t support your body weight without causing annoying aches or agonizing pains, you may be unable to perform your job, play sports, handle household tasks, or even find a comfortable sitting or sleeping position. These limitations and frustrations might have you gulping down painkiller or considering joint replacement surgery. Fortunately, many causes of hip and knee pain respond quite well to physical therapy — the natural approach to pain management.

Why Your Hip or Knee Hurts

Your hips and knees do a lot of work over the course of a lifetime. These joints must withstand the majority of your body weight — not just when you’re standing still, but also as you walk, run, climb or jump. It’s not surprising, then, that a variety of ailments and injuries can plague the knee and hip joints. Your pain and stiffness may be caused by:

• Osteoarthritis – Osteoarthritis is a degeneration of the cartilage that normally keeps the bone ends in a joint from rubbing together. The resulting friction causes chronic pain and inflammation.
• Bursitis – Both the hips and knees have fluid-filled sacs called bursae that prevent friction between bones and soft tissues. Unfortunately, these sacs can become inflamed from overuse, a painful condition called bursitis.
• Strains, sprains and ruptures – The knee and hip joints can move thanks to muscles, tendons and ligaments. Repetitive motion or acute injuries can cause a strain (damage to muscles or tendons) or a sprain (hyperextension of a ligament). Athletes are vulnerable to ruptures of the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
• “Runner’s knee” – An unstable kneecap can lead to chronic knee pain. This condition is known as patellofemoral syndrome or “runner’s knee.”

Various health or lifestyle challenges can worsen a case of hip or knee pain. Carrying extra weight is a prime example. A musculoskeletal misalignment or postural imbalance can place unnatural stress on a hip or knee. Lack of exercise can allow the muscles to weaken, setting the stage for chronic strain and joint instability.

Banishing Pain and Optimizing Function through Physical Therapy Techniques

Getting relief from knee or hip pain doesn’t necessarily involve the use of heavy drugs such as opiates or procedures such as joint replacement surgery. Physical therapy can improve your joint function while also easing your pain and stiffness. Our physical therapist can prescribe exercises aimed at addressing your specific condition, such as:

• Knee lifts
• Hip rotations
• Heel-to-buttock-exercises
• Mini-squats
• Hip flexion, extension or abductor exercises
• Leg lifts
• Hamstring curls
• Step exercises

Even an activity as simple as walking to help preserve mobility and reduce pain in arthritic knees or hips. Our physical therapist may also recommend that you receive heat/ice therapy, ultrasound therapy, massage therapy, laser therapy, or orthotic footwear to help normalize your musculoskeletal balance.

Get a Leg Up on Your Pain Relief — Contact Our Physical Therapist Today

The sooner you seek physical therapy for knee or hip pain, the better. Research shows that patients who rehab their hip or knee pain with physical therapy within 15 days of symptom onset have less need for pain injections, medications or surgical intervention. But whatever stage of pain you’re in, it’s never too late to benefit from physical therapy. Contact Next Level Physio to get started!

Source:

• https://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2017/7/11/KneePainPTJ/
• https://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/NewsNow/?blogid=10737418615&id=10737428899
• https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/hip-pain-causes-and-treatment#1
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bursitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353242
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325029.php#hip-extension
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325804.php#step-exercises
• https://www.healthline.com/health/patellofemoral-syndrome

The post Physical Therapy: The Key to Overcoming Hip and Knee Pain appeared first on Next Level Physio.

Lean Protein Choices (Instead of Fatty Fried Meats)

It’s all too easy to settle for hamburgers, fried chicken, deli meats and other convenient protein sources — but they don’t seem so convenient once the pain and inflammation set in. You can easily correct this problem by switching to healthier proteins that include all the nutritional value without the inflammatory properties. Try gracing your table with fish (especially fatty fish such as tuna or salmon, which are high in anti-inflammatory omega-3s), tofu dishes and legumes.

Colorful Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables come in an eye-popping array of colors, from deep purple and brilliant green to neon orange and brilliant yellow. But these colors aren’t just for show; they’re a sign that you really need to be eating more of these foods. The amazing colors are provided by antioxidants, nutrients that posses powerful anti-inflammatory powers. Broccoli and cabbage are loaded with Vitamin K, a notable inflammation fighter. Make fruits and vegetables a cornerstone of your diet, and you’ll be well on your way to feeling better.

Gut-Friendly Yogurt and Fermented Foods

There’s a constant battle going on in your gut between “bad” bacteria (which promote inflammation, chronic pain and digestive discomfort) and “good” bacteria (which support digestive health by crowding out the “bad” bacteria). You can give the good guys an edge by adding plenty of probiotic foods to your diet. Options include low-fat yogurt and fermented products such as kimchi, sauerkraut, miso and pickles.

Health-Enhancing Spices

As delicious as these foods are, you’ll most likely want to add a little spice here and there. Fortunately, mother Nature has provided a whole catalog of herbs and spices that actually help to reduce pain and inflammation. If you enjoy Indian food, for instance, you’ll love the fact that turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful inflammation reducer. Garlic offers high levels of diallyl disulfide, another natural anti-inflammatory. Cayenne pepper is rich in a natural pain reliever called capsaicin. Don’t forget the oregano for a healthy dose of antioxidants.

Naturally Nice Desserts (Instead of Refined Sugar)

Refined sugar is notorious for feeding painful inflammatory disorders and symptoms. In fact, just one sugary soda per day has been shown to increase rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in women by 68 percent. The good news is that you can have a pretty sweet diet without the sugar. Try serving fresh or frozen fruit at the end of a meal for a refreshing change that won’t set off your pain sensors. If you must use a packaged sweetener, a natural option called stevia is probably the next-healthiest choice.

A Tasty Complement to Physical Therapy

As you start to feel the pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory benefits of your new dietary habits, you can get even more benefit from physical therapy and other pain management options. Next Level Sports Physio can help you construct an entire lifestyle plan that incorporates diet, exercises, healthy ergonomics, and other strategies for helping you feel great. Contact Next Level Sports Physio today!

Source:

• https://www.healthline.com/health/anti-inflammation-foods-less-pain-arthritis#3
• https://agilepts.com/ways-nutrition-can-decrease-pain-and-inflammation/
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation
• https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/patient/treatments/alternative/9-ways-reduce-inflammation-pain-through-diet?page=2#top
• http://www.apta.org/blogs/PTTransforms/2016/11/16/nutrition/
• http://www.apta.org/PatientCare/Nutrition/
• https://health.clevelandclinic.org/5-best-and-worst-sweeteners-your-dietitians-picks/
• https://www.webmd.com/diet/anti-inflammatory-diet-road-to-good-health#1
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-super-healthy-probiotic-foods
• https://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/arthritis-diet/best-foods-for-arthritis/best-spices-for-arthritis.php
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-oregano-benefits#section1

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