Are your hips and knees in pain when you wake up? Are you pain when you go to bed? Are the activities you do between sunrise and sunset impacted by chronic hip and knee joint dysfunction? You don’t have to give up hope of living with less pain—nor become reliant on the medicine cabinet, either.
At our physical therapy clinic, we have an experienced physical therapist staff who can help you find more ease, strength, and confidence in your day-to-day-life. We believe, like the American Physical Therapy Association and other organizations, that conservative treatment options like physical therapy are just as if not more effective for pain relief than medications and surgery. We invite you to call us and find out how we can help, and read more to learn what we do every day for our patients in hip and knee pain.
5 Ways a Physical Therapist Can Help You Reduce Your Hip and Knee Pain
1. A physical therapist has advanced training in manual skills that improve joint health.
When you see a physical therapist for hip or knee pain, he or she may use joint mobilizations or manipulations to help promote healing and attract circulation to the inner joint surfaces. These techniques have also been shown to reduce pain and improve joint alignment…and they feel good, too! When complemented with services like massage and Active Release Technique, physical therapy can help you get physical and mental relief.
2. Physical therapy features non-invasive modalities to help relieve pain and heal injured tissues.
You don’t have to rely on over-the-counter or prescription painkillers to ease those achy, stiff, swollen joints! Physical therapy modalities that have been shown to ease pain, reduce spasms, increase circulation, and promote healing include electrical stimulation, diathermy, cold laser therapy, dry needling, and therapeutic ultrasound.
3. Physical therapy improves the strength and range of motion around your joints.
Increasing muscle strength and mobility of the connective tissues around your joints (including the tendons, muscles, fascia, and joint capsules) will help your joints feel better and move better. This can also help you improve your functional activity tolerance, which is essential for work, leisure, and simple daily function.
4. Physical therapy is where you can learn how to move more efficiently and safely.
Many of the impairments you and your physical therapist work to correct—including weakness, poor posture, and limited range of motion—may have been caused or worsened by things you’re unknowingly doing. This includes sitting too much, using poor body mechanics, breathing improperly, and having an ineffective ergonomic set-up at work. A physical therapist can educate you about ways to move in more energy efficient and safe ways to enhance the overall effects of your care and reduce the risk of re-injury.
5. A physical therapist can get you moving again.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, exercise is one of the best ways to manage hip pain and knee pain caused by osteoarthritis. By implementing some or all of the above interventions in a customized treatment plan, a physical therapist can help you get back to regular exercise in a way that is safe and effective for you, based on your current abilities, goals, and needs. This is especially helpful if you’re currently on a fat loss journey, since being overweight is a major risk factor for knee and hip pain.
Do You Have Painful Hips or Knees?
Tired of spending every day in pain? Contact our clinic today to schedule an appointment with a physical therapist and heal from the inside out.
