Move More Comfortably With Physical Therapy Treatments
Are your weight-bearing joints acting more like pain-bearing joints these days? If you have a hip or knee that cant support your body weight without causing annoying aches or agonizing pain, you may not be able to do your job, play sports, do household chores, or even find a comfortable sitting or sleeping position. These limitations and frustrations may have you tossing back pain relief drugs or considering joint replacement surgery. Luckily, many causes of hip and knee pain respond quite well to physical therapy a natural approach to pain management.
So How Can I Cure My Plantar Fasciitis
The way to actually cure your plantar fasciitis for good is to address the entire pattern of tension thats resulting in your plantar fascia becoming strained, inflamed, and painful.
Clinical Somatics exercises reduce the resting level of tension in your muscles being set by your nervous system. The exercises retrain your muscle memory, allowing you to change deeply learned posture and movement patterns and stop doing damage to your body.
The Level One & Level Two Courses together address the pattern of tension that results in plantar fasciitis pain.
In addition to practicing Clinical Somatics exercises on a daily basis to release your muscle tension, you should:
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Vary your activities and types of exercise.
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Vary your footwear, and dont wear high heels.
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Try to reduce time spent on your feet. If you work on your feet, take frequent breaks.
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Put your legs in the air against a wall this is great for circulation and relieving swollen, inflamed feet.
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Stop doing any deep, static stretching. Read this post to learn why stretching doesnt work, and can actually make muscles tighter.
Talk To Your Pharmacist/gp About Pain Relief
If your pain is having a significant impact on your day-to-day life, then it is important to get your pain under control. Conventional over-the-counter medications like paracetamol and ibuprofen can be extremely effective for joint pain when taken correctly. For further advice on how best to take these, you can always ask your local pharmacist who will be able to tailor advice to your situation. If you are finding that these medications are not giving you sufficient pain relief, then it would be appropriate to seek further advice from your GP, who may be able to prescribe an alternative.
Using ice to ease hot, swollen joints or heat for sore, stiff joints can also be extremely effective forms of pain relief.
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Lumbar Curvature That Developed During Adolescence Accelerates Intervertebral Disc Degeneration In Adulthood
Lets look at a November 2020 study in the aptly named medical journal Spine deformity Here doctors want to understand how the Residual lumbar curvature that developed during adolescence accelerates intervertebral disc degeneration in adulthood. That is actually the title of the paper.
Here are the learning points:
- A total of 102 patients who had developed idiopathic scoliosis at the age of 10-18 years and underwent preoperative lumbar spine MRI after the age of 20 were included in the study.
- These patients were in a group that was recommended for corrective surgery. In fact, they were being classified by surgical plan modifiers. Many of you are probably very familiar with the surgical modifier categories.
The findings:
- Group A patients with lumbar modifier A, a less pronounced C shape to their spine had significant degenerative disc disease at L2/3 and L3/4
- As expected,
- the Group BC patients, with greater abnormal curvature, had significant degenerative disc disease at all levels except for L5/S1.
- The proportion of degenerative disc disease patients was significantly higher in Group BC than those in Group A at L3/L4 and L4/L5.
How Can Physical Therapy Help Hip And Knee Pain
Hip and knee pain can be so debilitating that youll feel pain no matter what you have to do if you move. But in the long run, there are ways to reduce the discomfort. It can take some time and commitment on your part, but for patients of all ages and backgrounds, physical therapy has been proven time and again to help alleviate hip and knee pain.
You might be wondering why physical therapy works so well, and why the benefits of a session can last so long. There are a few reasons, including:
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What Can You Do For Pain In Hips And Knees
The first recommendation I make, if the pain is not chronic, is to exercise correctly. The saying No Pain, No Gain, does not hold true when it comes to hip and knee pain. Especially if the pain comes from arthritis. Switching to a low-impact exercise, like a stationary bike, stair stepper, rowing machine, or yoga are great options. Swimming is an excellent exercise that doesnt place weight on your hips and knees.
Sometimes the answer can be as simple as an orthotic insert in your shoe to help distribute weight away from your arthritic joint. Other non-intrusive solutions include oral anti-inflammatories, such as Tylenol or Motrin. Braces can also be helpful. In many cases, pain can also be controlled through corticosteroid or lubricant injections. Physical therapy can greatly improve the range of motion and strengthen the muscles around the joint to take pressure off of the joint.
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Muscle Or Tendon Conditions
- Bursitis. This condition is caused by inflammation in the fluid-filled ball bearings around the hip joint.
- Sprain or strain. These conditions occur from overusing the muscles and ligaments in the hips and legs.
- Tendinitis. This condition is caused by damage or irritation to tendons that connect hip muscles to bones.
- Hip labral tear. The labrum or cartilage ring socket keeps the hip bone in place.
- Toxic synovitis. This is an inflammatory condition in the joint that causes hip pain in children
- Inguinal hernia. Pain is due to weakness or a tear in the lower stomach wall.
Injuries or damage to the hip bones can lead to pain when walking. This includes cancer that has spread from another area of the body.
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Causes Of Hip And Knee Pain
Hip and knee pain can be caused by a great number of problems.
Some of these are related to musculoskeletal misalignment, poor posture, and/or excess weight others occur as the result of natural aging or unhealthy sports/work habits.
Your hip or knee pain may stem from:
- Infections
- Bursitis, an inflammation of the friction-reducing sacs surround the joints
- Tendinitis, or stretched ligaments
- Osteoarthritis, a painful inflammatory condition involving deteriorated joint cartilage
- Runners knee, and instability of the kneecap
- Postural/alignment issues that throw your body off balance, straining the knees or hips
- Traumatic injuries, such as dislocation of the joint
Our physical therapist can often tell the cause of your hip or knee pain from its location.
For example, pain along the inside of the hip is more likely to be caused by a problem with the bones or cartilage.
Pain along the outer side is typically caused by a problem in the muscles, tendons, or ligaments.
Are All Hip Replacement Implants The Same
Most implants today have become more similar than different as surgeons and manufacturers have determined which designs work best. One variable that still remains is the bearing surface. The bearing surface is the ball and liner that attach to the stem and cup that fix to the bone.
The ball can be composed of either metal or ceramic, and the liner can be made of plastic , metal, or ceramic. The ball and liner can then be used in different combinations and are named for the respective ball liner combination .
In 2015, the vast majority of bearings utilized a polyethylene liner with either a metal or ceramic head, with other combinations being used with less frequency. You can discuss these differences with your surgeon to determine which implant is best for you.
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Nerve Issues Or Damage
Nerve problems in or close to the hip joint can also cause pain when walking. Pinched or damaged nerves in the back can lead to nerve pain in the hip.
- Sciatica. A pinched nerve in the lower back can cause hip and leg pain.
- Sacroiliitis. Nerve damage due to inflammation where the spine joins the pelvis bone can also cause pain.
- Meralgia paresthetica.Nerve irritation in the outer thigh can be due to obesity, tight clothing, or too much standing or exercise.
Unexplained Hip Pain & What To Do About It
When it comes to pain in the leg joints, it seems like the knees get all the attention. But the fact is, unexplained hip pain is a common medical complaint among both women and men, whether you lead an active or sedentary lifestyle.
About seven percent of adults in the U.S. have chronic hip pain according to the CDC, and that doesnt include juvenile patients or adults with sudden hip pain. You might not hear about hip pain as frequently as you hear about knee pain, but that doesnt mean it cant be caused by a serious problem, nor does it mean its OK to ignore hip pain painful symptoms.
You use your hips a lot probably even more than you realize and that means there are a lot of issues that can cause pain and related symptoms. Like any joint pain, determining that underlying cause is the key to treatment and the key to feeling better. You can help Dr. Van Thiel diagnose the cause of your hip pain by considering what your symptoms feel like and whats causing them to occur.
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Causes Of Hip Pain In Women
When a female patient comes to Dr. Siegrist complaining of hip pain, she considers the patient’s age, build, and activity level. If the patient is a thin 20-year-old runner or a heavy, sedentary 80-year-old grandmother, the possibilities at the top of my list will be different, she says.
Among the most common causes of hip pain in women are:
1. Arthritis Chronic hip pain in women is often due to arthritis, particularly osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear kind that affects many people as they age. The ball-and-socket joint starts to wear out, Siegrist says. Arthritis pain is often felt in the front of your thigh or in the groin, because of stiffness or swelling in the joint.
2. Hip fractures Hip fractures are common in older women, especially those with osteoporosis . Symptoms of a hip fracture include pain when you straighten, lift, or stand on your leg. Also, the toes on your injured side will appear to turn out, a sign that can aid your doctors preliminary diagnosis.
Surgery In Teenagers And Young Adults
In teenagers and young adults whose spine has stopped growing, an operation called a spinal fusion may be carried out.
This is a major operation where the spine is straightened using metal rods attached with screws, hooks, and/or wires, and bone grafts are used to fuse the spine in place. This metalwork will usually be left in place permanently, unless they cause any problems.
The surgery will take several hours. After surgery, your child will be transferred to an intensive care unit or high dependency unit , where they will be given fluids through a vein and pain relief. Most children are well enough to leave intensive care after a day or two, although they will often need to spend another five to 10 days in hospital.
After the operation, most children can return to school after a few weeks and can play sports after a few months. Contact sports should be avoided for 9-12 months. Occasionally a back brace may need to be worn to protect the metal rods after surgery.
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The Underlying Cause Of Plantar Fasciitis
Our muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones create a complicated pulley system throughout our body. No part of our body moves independently movement or tension in one part of the body always affects other parts of the body.
When it comes to plantar fasciitis, tight lower back musclesthe quadratus lumborum and erector spinae grouppull the top of the pelvis and lumbar vertebrae closer together. This typically brings the pelvis into an anterior tilt. Tight hip flexors will also tilt the pelvis forward, and often play a role in plantar fasciitis.
An even amount of tension across the lower back might translate into plantar fasciitis pain being experienced equally in both feet. But many people have one side of their lower back or one hip thats tighter than the other.
Imbalanced tightness in the lower back muscles, iliopsoas, and even the obliques can result in us experiencing plantar fasciitis pain more in one foot than the other. Thats what happened with me, and it took me a long time to figure out that my tight iliopsoas on my right side was hiking my right hip up, causing tightness all the way down my right leg that resulted in plantar fasciitis pain in my right foot.
So, when our pelvis is tipped forward, or when one hip is hiked up, our hamstrings get pulled tight. Our hamstrings originate at the bottom of our pelvic bone, run down the back of our thighs, and insert at the tops of our tibia and fibula, the bones of our lower leg.
Chiropractic Care For Scoliosis Hip Pain
Stretching is a good start, but if your hips are uneven enough to cause you pain, youll want to seek chiropractic care for scoliosis. A chiropractor can perform spine and hip alignments, which can get to the root cause of the issue.
But chiropractors do much more than just help to realign your spine and hips. They also help relieve pain, stretch muscles, and correct posture. One study showed that multimodal chiropractic care for adult scoliosis was found to be very beneficial even two years after treatment ceased.
If youre experiencing de novo scoliosis because of bone density loss, a chiropractor can help by recommending nutrition and lifestyle tips. Instead of just treating the symptoms, a chiropractor can help manage the cause. They also work with physical therapists to give you all-around care to get you back on your feet.
This is why seeing a chiropractor for hip pain should always be the first stop for non-invasive, drug-free, and safe treatment options. Whether you know you have some form of scoliosis, or just have painful hips, a chiropractor can help.
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Are There Complications To Thr
- Total hip replacement is an excellent pain relieving procedure, and most patients receive approximately 95% pain relief.
- Although complications are relatively rare , patients may experience a complication in the postoperative period. These include very serious and possibly life threatening complications such as heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism and kidney failure.
- Infection is one of the most debilitating complications and often requires prolonged antibiotics with several additional surgeries to rid the infection.
- A blood clot in the leg is also a relatively common complication requiring some type of blood thinner following surgery to reduce the incidence.
- The implants used can also fail over time due to wear of the bearing components or loosening of the components from the bone, both of which usually occur over many years.
- Another complication specific to hip replacement is dislocation of the joint that may require additional surgery if dislocation becomes recurring.
- Leg length differences following surgery are also a possibility and may be difficult to avoid sometimes in order to insure a stable hip. Often this leg length discrepancy is mild are rarely needs treatment.
The Ligament Problem Is A Clue That For Some Patients Post Knee Replacement Pain May Be A Problem Of Overdoing It Even While In The Hospital Or Nursing Home
In a study from October 2018, doctors writing in the Journal of Pain Research, looking at why some people had excessive pain after knee replacement surgery asked if this was a problem of overdoing it in the hospital following the surgery? The research measured the results of making patients progressively walk more steps in the hospital or nursing home up to 10 days after the surgery.
These are surgeons and pain management specialists from leading hospitals and universities in Japan talking about patients soon after knee replacement during the surgery recovery.
- Poor pacing during physical activity is associated with severe pain in postoperative patients
- Over-activity results in a number of potential injuries to muscle fibers, nerves, bones, and ligaments. These injuries, as well as the repetitive experience of pain, will prolong pain and contribute to neurobiological mechanisms of peripheral and central sensitization.
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