Are Your Knees Getting Bigger?

C o mm o t i o n The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body The Back in Motion

ARE YOUR KNEES GETTING BIGGER? A TELLTALE SYMPTOM OF ARTHRITIS

Have you noticed in recent years that your knees seem to be getting bigger? Is this correlated withmore popping, grinding or even pain when you bend, squat or kneel? This can be a sign of advancing stages of arthritis. The knees have twomain fat pads, which reside just above and below the kneecap. These help to cushion the knee and assist with lubricating fluid flow around the joint. With arthritis, inflammation in the joint causes the fat pads to gradually thicken, choking the joint fluid flow. This leads to a vicious cycle of decreased lubrication, more wear, pain, and swelling. Will I need surgery for my knees? The good news is that recent studies show 60-70% of knee osteoarthritis patients can avoid surgery by getting PT first (1). In fact, surgery should always be considered as a last resort after conservative measures have been tried. Furthermore, physical therapy is actually 40 times less expensive than a total joint replacement! (2 ) Improve your joint lubrication A physical therapist can actually help the lubrication in your joints through improved joint motion, strength, balance and coordination. The better lubricated your knee joints, the less friction and wear occur, reducing inflammation and pain. During knee treatments, our therapists work to improve your patella (kneecap) and joint mobility. This improves the mobility of the tissue around the joint, especially the fat pads. This in turn, leads to improved blood flow, joint lubrication and decreased swelling. The result is fast pain relief, improvedmotion, strength, and abilities to do physical activities. Walking, bending, jumping and squatting can then be done without pain. Put your knees on the right path to health with a visit to your physical therapist. If your knees are feeling tight, stiff, weak, or are just starting to bother you, come see us, before it becomes a REAL problem. Call us today and talk to your physical therapist about your knees.

(1). Katz JN, Brophy RH, Chaisson CE, et al. Surgery versus physical therapy for a meniscal tear and osteoarthritis. N Engl J Med. 2013 (2). http://www.healthline.com/health/total-knee- replacement-surgery/understanding-costs#1

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6 Simple Steps

To Make Your Knees Feel Great

4. Gowalking – Sitting for prolonged periods leads to stiffening and weakening of the whole body, especially the lower legs. Try to get out and consistently walk 20-30 minutes a day. Start with a time that you can tolerate and never push through pain. 5. Ice and heat – Heat helps with circulation flow, and feels great to soothe arthritic knees. A hot soak in the bath can go a long way to soothing aching knees. However, if your knees tend to swell after being on your feet for too long, use an icepack wrapped in a pillowcase for about 10-15 minutes. This reduces inflammation; be sure to check your skin regularly to make sure it does not get very red. 6. Get a regular physical therapy checkup – Think of your physical therapist as the mechanic for your body. Give your knees and body a regular checkup. We evaluate the movement of your joints and prevent problems before they really begin to develop. Regular visits to your physical therapist can make a difference in the long-term health of your knee joints, and keep you from spending a fortune on more expensive and invasive procedures.

Knee pain doesn’t have to slow you down. There are many ways to naturally relieve knee pain, and get your joints moving the way they should. Here are some tips to help your knees feel great: 1. Stretch your inner thighs – The adductor muscles on the inner thighs can tighten over time. This increases the pressure on the inner aspect of the knee. Try this stretch; in standing with your feet apart, keep one foot flat on the floor, then lean away bending the opposite knee. Feel the stretch on the inner thigh, but be gentle! Hold for a good 30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times in a row on both sides. 2. Get your kneecap moving – Freely moving patellas (kneecaps), are a sign of good knee health. In a sitting position with your leg out straight, hold onto your kneecap and gently push it down towards your toes and back up towards your head. This should not hurt! Repeat 10 times each direction and then do side to side. Repeat 2-3 times in the day. 3. Strengthen your hip and quadricep muscles – Do exercises to strengthen the outer hip and your gluteus muscles. The stronger your hips are, the better supported your knees are. In addition, doing knee extension exercises while sitting helps to strengthen the quadriceps muscles, which help to support the knee joints. Talk to your physical therapist about which exercises are right for you.

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Do You Suffer With Any of The Following Symptoms? Are You Over The Age of 31?

Patient Spotlight I have my mobility back. Sharon W., South Portland “I came to Back in Motion® with severe pain in my right knee; I was unable to alternate my feet going up and down stairs and at times had difficulty walking. Today I am able to walk without my cane, go up and down stairs freely, and have no pain! My therapist, Claudia, was fantastic and explained everything to me. My PT assistant, Krista, guided me through the stretches and muscle strengthening. Thank you, I have my mobility back!” Think PT FIRST Why You Need To Come Back In For A Check-Up

• 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 eBook

9 Move without pain 9 Bend and move freely

9 Balance confidently and securely 9 Sit for long periods comfortably 9 Walk for long distances 9 Live an active and healthy lifestyle

Take Care of Your Aches and Pains Before It’s Too Late.

DOWNLOAD INSTANTLY AT: www.kneebook.net/backinmotion

Welcome: Practice News Prac i s

Celebrations: Don’t forget to wish Ryan Martin, Phil Joseph,Vanessa Sawyer, and Jordan Hopkins “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” this month. Winter Weather Policy: WE ARE OPEN! We will be here for you no matter what so be sure to come to all of your appointments. Please do your best to give us a 24 hour notice if you need to reschedule an appointment for a different day or time due to weather. DRIVE SAFELY! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! We will be closed Monday, December 26th and Monday, January 2nd in observance of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Back in Motion® Gives Back: We only have a few more weeks to collect gifts for Family Crisis Services. Our ‘Giving Tree’ is well on its way to completion but we have some last minute gifts to purchase. Please help if you can; pick up an ornament tag with a gift written on it from our tree and bring the unwrapped gift with ornament tag back to the clinic by Friday, December 16th. These gifts will bring holiday cheer to families who have been displaced from their homes due to domestic violence. Thank you for your generosity and kindness this holiday season.Thank you to everyone who brought in socks for our Preble Street sock drive; you helped make the Greater Portland area’s homeless a little bit warmer for the winter.

Staying Active During The Winter: Check our website and social media throughout the month for blogs and tips on how to stay active this winter.

Feel Better, Do More & SAVE MONEY This Holiday Season!

The end of the year is approaching faster than you think. Now is the time to take advantage of unused insurance benefits. Remember, what you don’t use by the end of the year you lose. Not sure if Physical Therapy can help? Call to schedule a Free Consult with a licensed physical therapist now and address those “aches/pains” that are slowing you down.

Referral Hotline (207) 839-5860

What you can do to relieve knee pain and feel energized! 2 EASY EXERCISES 1. QUAD STRENGTHENING 2. SINGLE KNEE TO CHEST STRETCH Loosens Knees

Stretches Knees While lying on your back, hold your knee and gently pull it up towards your chest. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 6 times.

While sitting with good posture, straighten your knee as much as you can. Hold for 30 seconds. Relax your knee back to the start position in a controlled manner. Repeat 5 times.

Chance Farwell, PTA

Aga Wojciechowska, Aide

Featured Employee: Phil Joseph, PT Assistant,VP of Operations

Where are you from? Waterville, Maine. What schooling/training do you have? I am a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant. I graduated from Kennebec Valley Community College in 2011 with my associate’s degree. How long have you been with Back in Motion? A little over 5 years now. What is your best work story (funny, happy, inspiring)? To me it has always been about the little things. When I first started back in 2011 I had only had shorter relationships with patients through school. One of my early patients at Back inMotion®was an older woman and one of the bigger goals she had was to be able to do her hair on her own. Now, I don’t have much hair of my own to curl or whatever it is I would need to do, but something as simple as doing her own hair was a really big deal. She was so excited when she came in, had her hair curled, and said she did it herself.

It’s those things we take for granted that make such a big difference when you get them back. What are your hobbies? Maine is a great state to enjoy the outdoors. I like to get out hiking and have been able to take advantage of a lot of the hiking trails southern Maine has had to offer. We recently went to the Fuller Farm Trails in Scarborough and Mackworth Island in Falmouth; we had a great time. When you have a two year old that loves being outside these are perfect, easy walks with plenty of wildlife and foliage to look at. It’s funny how fascinating an acorn can be to someone. What is one interesting fact about you that most people don’t know? A lot of people knownow that I have an identical twin brother, but I think it is still pretty interesting. He is a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps and is currently stationed in Southern California at Camp Pendleton.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 10 years is an awful long time away… In addition tomy growing family I have recently started school at USM. I’m in their Business Administration General Management program. I would like to have that complete and be nearing the end of a Master’s degree.

Photo courtesy of Provencher Photography

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94 Main Street Gorham, ME 04038 CALL TODAY! GORHAM: (207) 839-5860 SOUTH PORTLAND:

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www.mainephysicaltherapy.com