PTRC.Find Relief for Your Knee and Hip Pain

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KICK BACK AND RELAX! FIND RELIEF FOR YOUR KNEE AND HIP PAIN

Find Relief With These Diy Ice Packs • Ice And Heat— When To Use Which? • Remember To Stay Active Indoors! • Healthy Recipe

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K I C K B AC K A ND R E L AX ! Physical Therapy Newsletter

FIND RELIEF FOR YOUR KNEE AND HIP PAIN

Have you ever thought about how amazing our ability to walk is? It is a complex system of muscles, nerves, and joints working together in harmony to lift you up. But what if you experience pain while walking? If you experience hip, knee, or leg pain, it could mean that the complex system of your gait has been affected in some way or another. For more information regarding how our

If you are experiencing knee pain, there is a good chance the pain is rooted in your kneecap or patella. Every time you bend your knee, your kneecap needs enough space to move up and down between your femur bone and the bend of your knee. Unfortunately, if this area becomes inflamed, then the tissues surrounding the kneecap will become tighter, and the kneecap will not have as much space to move. It will try to squeeze through the inflamed padding, causing pain in the knee, and causing the padding to grow thicker and more irritated. When this happens, the joint fluid inside your knee will begin to dry out, resulting in more friction and pain. How physical therapy helps: When relieving knee and hip pain, it is important to make sure that normal motion is restored. Our physical therapists at PTRC are trained in evaluating your movement to determine the root of your problem, in addition to creating a treatment regimen specific to your pain, and restoring you to your normal mobility and strength. We have years of success in helping patients with their physical needs, eliminating their need for harmful drugs, expensive testing, or harsh surgeries. Our goal is to help you move and walk as comfortably as possible. Schedule a consultation with one of our physical therapists today and get back on track to a pain-free life!

treatments can help you, give us a call today! What causes knee and hip pain?

Knee and hip pain occur when the joints and muscles surrounding those areas lack their normal function. If the joint isn’t functioning properly, it can alter one’s mobility, which will increase pressure on the area. This can cause the area to become inflamed, thus resulting in pain. If you are experiencing hip pain, it is likely that there is a problem with your hip joint. When this happens, you will experience pain inside of your hip, or in your groin area. If you are experiencing pain outside of your hip, in your upper thigh, or buttock region, then it is likely that there is a problem with the muscles, tendons, ligaments, or soft tissues surrounding the hip joint. Regardless of where the pain is stemming from, hip pain is typically caused by injury or strain to the joint or surrounding regions; however, the pain can also be due to an underlying disease, such as arthritis.

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FIND RELIEF WITH THESE DIY ICE PACKS

You may be wondering what exactly telehealth is. Essentially, it is a way for us to make sure that our patients are still receiving the highest possible quality of care they need from a remote location. Telehealth services can be accessed via your smartphone or computer, and you will be able to perform your PT treatments from the comfort of your own home. You will also be able to track your progress and see how you are improving throughout your treatments – without coming directly to our clinic. At PTRC, our telehealth services offer live consultation where you can meet and chat with your physical therapist about your treatment plan. To learn more about how you can set up our telehealth services on your smartphone or computer, give us a call today. At the end of the day, we are all in this together – most importantly, stay calm, and stay healthy. We are here to help you with your needs. WE ARE OFFERING TELEHEALTH!

Use these recipes when your joints are burning after all that walking! 4 Different Methods 1. (3) parts water to (1) part rubbing alcohol. This combination is recommended by physical therapists because it is cheap, it stays flexible, and it works perfectly. There is also minimal mess if there is a leak! Win/win. 2. Corn syrup – Yup. Plain old corn syrup. This one is nice because it stays the most soft and flexible compared to the rest; however, if it were to leak, you’d be left with a sticky mess. 3. Liquid dish soap – You guessed it, another one-ingredient ice pack! This one doesn’t stay quite as flexible as the rest,

but at least the mess won’t be sticky in the event of a leak. 4. (2) parts liquid dish soap to (1) part rubbing alcohol. This is very similar to the one above but stays a bit more flexible. To minimize the risk of leaking after repeated uses, make sure to double bag your ice packs in sturdy freezer bags with a double-lock seal. If you have a vacuum bag sealer, this is the perfect use for it. To get started with physical therapy or Telehealth, visit www.PTRC-TX.com for more information, or call 5 1 2 . 3 5 3 . 4 5 7 5 ( S an Ma r c o s ) o r 512.847.9057 (Wimberley)!

WHAT’S NEW AT PTRC?

Only 11% of all PT’s have some form of board certification via the American Board Of Physical Therapy Specialist. Our own Kirk Painter is at again! He recently became board certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS). Out of the 233,000 physical therapists in the nation, 27,546 individuals have achieved board certification as clinical specialists in physical therapy with 15,896 of those obtaining the OCS

certification - which is about 6.8% of all PT’s in the USA. The specialist certification program was established to provide formal recognition for physical therapists with advanced clinical knowledge, experience, and skills in a special area of practice and to assist consumers and the health care community in identifying these physical therapists.

ICE AND HEAT— WHEN TO USE WHICH? When you’ve just sprained your ankle or pulled a muscle, all you want is some pain relief. If painkillers are handy, you probably pop a couple of them. If not, you ask for some ice... or was that heat instead? When you use a heat pack, wrap it in a towel and check the temperature so it doesn’t burn the skin. When not to use heat

Don’t use heat if you have a painful, red or swollen joint. This increases circulation so that fluid collects, worsening the swelling and stretching or compressing the nerves and surrounding healthy tissue. This makes it still more painful. You’d be better off icing it. When to use neither heat nor ice Whether you use hot or cold packs, be aware that you can damage your skin and deeper tissues by careless use. Don’t use it if you have an open or infected wound. If the circulation or sensation level is poor, as in diabetes, ice and heat could cause the skin to break down, get infected andworse. But in ordinary injuries, ice and heat provide inexpensive, non-toxic pain relief. Visit us for more helpwith using ice or heat. We’ll speed up your recovery and get youmovingmore easily.

To sort out this confusion, let’s see what they really do. Both ice and heat relieve pain and help recovery. Both ice and heat should be used for a maximum of 20 minutes at a time. How to use ice Ice is useful when you want to reduce swelling, which is why ice is usually used in the initial 48- 72 hours after injury. For example, your ankle balloons up after a sprain. This is because blood and fluid collect rapidly, making it both painful and stiff. At this point, an ice pack helps to close off those tiny vessels. The blood flow slows down. Small nerves become numb, so the pain reduces. The muscles also relax. The inflammatory reaction is slowed down. As a result, your ankle is less swollen and painful. How to use heat Heat packs, bottles or infra-red lamps can be very useful if you have a muscle spasm or 48 hours after injury. Icing a muscle spasm contracts themuscle fibers, so they would hurt intensely. On the other hand, heat improves the circulation, soothes and relaxes the muscles by carrying away toxins and bringing in healing oxygen. Heat can comfort a back or neck strain, especially if it has been persisting for some time.

HEALTHY RECIPE : VEGGIE HUMMUS ROLLS!

• 2 vegan whole wheat wraps • 1/2 cup diced red peppers • 1/2 cup diced yellow pepper • 1/2 cup diced red cabbage INGREDIENTS

• 2 large carrots, peeled • 6 - 8 tbsp. no-oil, low-salt hummus • 2 tbsp. raw

sunflower seeds (or your choice of raw seeds)

INSTRUCTIONS Heat wraps for 10 to 20 seconds in the microwave. Spread each wrap with 3 to 4 tbsp of no-oil hummus (depending on the diameter of your wrap). Divide veggies and sprinkle on top of the hummus on each wrap. Make sure to stop your veggies about 2 inches down from the edge of the tortillas (this will help the wraps seal up better). Starting on the opposite end, roll upwards tightly and press down to seal. Eat as whole wraps or cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces to make sushi-like rolls.

REMEMBER TO STAY ACTIVE INDOORS!

ECCENTRIC STEP DOWN Stand on a step. Lower one foot slowly towards the ground. Keep your hips level! Step down and then off the step. Keep your knees aligned over your feet. Repeat 10 times, alternating start legs. Use the appropriate step height for your ability: 2”, 4”, 6”, or 8”.

STRAIGHT LEG RAISE While lying or sitting, slowly raise your leg, keeping your knee straight and your toes pointed outward. Hold for 2 seconds, then slowly lower your leg to the starting position. Repeat 10 times with each leg.