Submitted by Penrose & Associates Physical Therapy
Knee pain can be frustrating. You feel it with getting out of a chair, going up and down stairs, getting in and out of the car and just the inability to stand and walk as long as you would like.
You may find that you are starting to limit your activities and missing out on things with your family or friends. We hear that story all the time. I think the other thing we hear is how people just start to accept this is their new normal and that the arthritis is what it is.
In fact, Hellen is a nurse who finished therapy with us and before her doctor sent her to physical therapy she didn’t think she really “needed” us. She had accepted that knee pain and some loss of ability was her “new normal.” You see she had a total knee replacement about a year ago and now a recent menisectomy on the other knee. She was shocked at the improvements we made with BOTH knees! She is able to do stairs 2 at a time and is even thinking about going back to skiing with her husband! She was willing to share her story with you on the Penrose & Associates Physical Therapy Youtube Channel.
You may be surprised to learn that in many cases if you have someone work on and around the knee with specific hands on stretching and massage techniques that will alleviate stress and strain to the knee — so therefore you will have less pain! Additionally, learning what stretches to do each day to maintain that mobility helps as well. Strengthening is added last so as not to irritate the knee. In some cases specific bracing helps take some stress off the specific area that needs it. It’s best to work with someone that is an expert with bracing as just any old brace often fails to bring the relief you are looking for.
My 3 immediate steps you can do today:
- Ice and elevate the knee 10 min 3x a day – getting rid of inflammation will help you sleep better and cause less of the ache and swelling at the end of the day.
- Start gently stretching all the muscles around the knee and work towards more motion in the knee – this will decrease stress and strain to the knee. However it should not hurt. We can always find a different stretch or modify it so it is not painful!
- Increase non weight bearing exercises like the stationary bike, the nu step, or pool exercise until your knee can handle gradual increases in weight bearing exercises on land.
You can instantly download our free tips report & then get continued advice on knee pain on the Penrose & Associates Physical Therapy website.
Happy to help! We are dedicated to helping people be as mobile and independent as possible and free from pain killers!
If you have any questions you can email Dr. Penrose at Jennifer@penrosept.com
