Oakland_Effective Hip, Knee, and Leg Pain Relief

NEWSLETTER Frank Kava DPT • Kristie Kava DScPT

Do you find it harder to walk, run or exercise? Is hip, knee or leg pain keeping you from being active? If so, understanding how your body walks and moves can be the key to putting the spring back in your step. (continued inside) EFFECTIVE HIP & KNEE PAIN RELIEF “Don’t Let Pain Postpone Your Adventures!”

N E W S L E T T E R

FrankKavaDPTandKristieKavaDScPT

• EffectiveHip& Knee PainRelief • Patient Success Spotlight • Upcoming Workshops INSIDE:

“Don’t Let Pain Postpone Your Adventures!” EFFECTIVE HIP & KNEE PAIN RELIEF

Put the Spring Back in Your Step Think of your body as a big spring that stores and releases energy with every step.The efficiency of your walk comes from the effectiveness of your flexibility, strength and balance. When any one of these is off, it affects your ability to walk efficiently and takes a lot of energy. This results in increased forces through different joints and makes muscles work much harder than theyneed to.This leads topossiblepain in theback, hips and knees. It also causes fatigue after walking, even for a little while. If you have finished a course of treatment and you are experiencing pain again, it may be because muscles or joints have tightened or become weak again.

The Remedy The simple solution is to put the spring back in your step. This is accomplished by first analyzing how you walk.There are slight changes in the way that you walk and move, that our trained medical experts can pick up on.This analysis tells us what joints or muscles are stiff, stuck or weak. By pinpointing the exact areas of your body that are not moving as they should, we can make a plan to increase motion, strength and improve coordination.

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“Can You Perform These Simple Movements?” Find Out If You Are Moving Like You Should

Can you do these simple tests to see if your hips and legs are as flexible and strong as they should be? Try them for yourself and let us know how you did. Use caution and common sense when attempting these tests; do not continue if they cause pain or discomfort.  Do not attempt if you have had a hip replacement. • From standing, can you touch your toes? This indicates hip and low back flexibility. • In sitting can you comfortably cross your legs so that your ankle is resting on the other knee? Does one knee go further down than the other? This indicates hip flexibility. If one hip is tighter than the other, it can wreak havoc with your walking and even cause knee pain. • Keeping your feet flat on the floor and holding onto something solid, how far can you squat down? You should be able to squat all the way down so your buttocks almost touch your heels. Don’t let your heels pop up! If you favor movement to one side, you probably have hip weakness on that side or limited motion in the hip joint. • Standing near a counter top put one foot in front of the other so that you are touching heel to toe. Without putting your hands down, see if you can balance for 10 seconds, keeping yourself steady. If you cannot, then you have trouble with the coordination of your balance from the nerve endings in your hip, knees, ankles and feet. Restoring Normal Pain Free Motion Restoring normal motion is key to alleviating pain and allowing you to do the activities you love to do safely. Physical therapy is the key to

restoring normal joint and muscle motion. Our medical experts pinpoint the key problem areas that you may not even be aware of and focus on a custom treatment plan that will restore your normal pain-free motion. Performing at Your Best Whether you are just out for a walk or an avid athlete, we can help you walk, run and play better. With our motion analysis, strength testing, coordination testing and more, we can spot your muscles and joints that need flexibility, strength or coordination. A specific training and treatment plan is then put together to help you reach your peak movement with the least effort. If you are suffering with knee hip or leg pain pain, call us today to learn more about how we can relieve your pain, returning you to a more active, pain-free life! (248) 380-3550

Staff Spotlight Frank C. Kava, MS, PT, DPT, OCS, OMPT, believes in the importance of our primary devotion to our patients in providing carewhich is intheirbest interestof improving their physical and emotional well-being. He has always focused on the patient centered practice. Placing the patient first requires the therapist to be compassionate, caring, and maintain excellence in practice. He received

Fruit Sparklers Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole watermelon • 16 ounces fresh blueberries • Bamboo skewers

Directions Cut watermelon vertically into 1 inch thick slices. Use a small star cookie cutter to cut out star shapes from the flesh of each watermelon round. Thread 7-10 blueberries into the center of each bamboo skewer, leaving enough space at the end for someone to be able to comfortably hold it, and a space at the top for the watermelon star. Place the watermelon star on top and set the fruit sparklers on a serving tray. Cover and refrigerate until ready to enjoy.

his physical therapy degree fromWayne State University School of Medicine in1974.Havingadesire to teachat theuniversity level,he attended the University of Kentucky and graduated with a Master’s Degree in Allied Health Education with an Advanced Specialty in Orthopedic Physical Therapy. He received the Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Wayne State University in 2015. While building the private practice, Frank also taught Orthopedic Physical Therapy at Oakland University for over seventeen years. Frank was one of the first to achieve advanced certification from the International Seminar and Manual Physical Therapy Program at Oakland University in 1992. Frank has continued to be actively involved with hands-on patient care, as well as directing a very competent staff at Oakland Physical Therapy. P.C.

If you, or a loved one, has pain, join us in a complimentary informative workshop on common causes, treatments, and prevention of your pain. Low Back Pain Workshop Saturday, July 21st at 10:00 AM COMPLIMENTARY WORKSHOPS

Patient Success Spotlight

“I used to have a constant ache betweenmy shoulder…not anymore! ”

“In the five weeks I have had my physical therapy my lower back and shoulder pain have decreased significantly. My range of motion has improved as well. Everyday bending down is now almost pain free. I used to have a constant ache between my shoulder…not anymore! Thank you Frank and the great team at Oakland Physical Therapy!” - S. M.

Rotator Cuff Injury Workshop Tuesday, August 7th at 6:00 PM Call (248) 380-3550 or email us at: [email protected]

Exercise Essential

HIP ABDUCTION - SIDELYING While lying on your side, slowly raise up the top leg towards the ceiling. Keep your other knee straight the entire time. The top leg should be straight.

26850 Providence Parkway Suite 365 Novi, MI 48374 Frank Kava DPT and Kristie Kava DScPT

www.simpleset.net

www.oaklandphysicaltherapy.com