So far in this series on knee pain, we’ve covered a lot of different topics. We’ve looked at the 3 things you could be doing that make knee pain worse, which included wearing the wrong shoes, sitting with your legs bent and taking it too easy. We then looked at the 3 ‘quick fixes’ people think will help knee pain, but don’t. (Painkillers, resting and wearing a support). Next it was looking at whether knee replacement surgery could be avoided, and how. And most recently, we looked at how to stop arthritis before it stops you. That’s a lot to cover in just 4 weeks, but we’ve still got more to cover. Knee pain is something that a lot of people struggle with at any time of year, but especially when in the warmer months, as people tend to be more active. Which leads me to this week’s article… This question was sent to me yesterday by a reader suffering with knee pain: “Jennifer, I’ve been suffering with on-off type knee pain now for more than a year. What I can’t put my finger on is when it started or why, and what’s more confusing is that my pain gets worse as the day goes on. But whenever I wake up, the pain is gone – or is considerably less. Yet by the end of another day, my knee aches, sometimes it feels hot and swollen and I’m often in considerable pain – especially if I’ve been out… Read More

Many people just like you are becoming victims of knee pain – sometimes arthritis. This is quickly becoming one of the most common things we see at Penrose Physical Therapy, and one of the areas that we treat the most too. But before I tell you why, have a look and see if this sounds familiar to you? There’s a familiar pattern that emerges with knee pain (before arthritis sets in). It starts with a few clicks of the knees, just here and there. But nothing painful, and you think nothing of it. Then as the years go on, some of those clicks become painful, and they start to ache a little bit more, commonly under the knee cap and inside of the knee. Walking around the stores for a few hours and they begin to feel sore. And getting back up again after sitting down watching your favorite TV show, you notice it takes a few steps for them to ‘get going’… And they become even WORSE in the cold weather. Does that sound familiar? I thought it might. So why does this happen, and why so more now than ever before? Well, let me share this with you; so many people are becoming victims of bad footwear trends. Footwear To Avoid For Day-To-Day, Long-Term Use Plimsolls and pump-style shoes are the top of that criminals list that I come across almost on a daily basis, but there are many more besides them, more commonly work now than… Read More

Most people think that when they get knee pain, it’ll eventually “ease off” and go away on its own. That they’ll wake up one morning and like “magic”, knee pain will be a thing of the past… But then 6 months later you’re still living with the discomfort of knee pain and worry about knee replacement. Another scenario we see all the time at Penrose Physical Therapy is when people go to their doctor, and the well-meaning doctor tells them to “rest”, “try these painkillers” and “come back in 6 weeks if it’s no better”… But then, 6 weeks later, they end up going back to the same doctor again because it hasn’t gotten any better, only to be given ANOTHER prescription of even stronger pills, maybe a knee support – or worse, told that the ONLY thing left to do, is to go down the route of knee replacement surgery. f The Stories I Hear… I hear worrying stories each week from people who have said yes to knee surgery – to find 6 months down the line, knee pain comes back. Knee pain after knee replacement surgery is a tricky topic. Most medical professionals will tell you that knee replacement surgery is the “solution” for anyone with arthritis and painful knees that have lasted for months. But the reality is, once the procedure is done it doesn’t guarantee you won’t have pain after knee replacement surgery. Which worries me! Especially when we’ve helped so many people like… Read More

A patient came into the clinic last week limping with knee pain and wanted to know if there was something we could do to help him. Here’s what he told us had been going on the last few weeks. “I’ve had this knee pain for a few weeks now, I’m not sure what I’ve done to it but I’ve tried taking painkillers and that didn’t help. I was trying to rest it so that it wouldn’t hurt, but whenever I stood up and started moving, it hurt again so I had to sit down. Now I’m wearing a brace to see if that helps, but I can still feel the pain when I take it off. Is there anything else I can do to get rid of the pain?” Does That Sound Familiar? I know how frustrating it can be when you’re not sure what you’ve done to hurt your knee, and even more frustrating when everything you’re trying to do to get rid of the pain – doesn’t do a thing to make it feel any better. Everyone always thinks and hopes that there will be a “quick fix” to their problem. And because we see people confused, fed-up and even skeptical about what can be done to help with their knee pain, I wanted to address this idea of “quick fixes” for your knees – or for any joint problem, whether it’s your knees, back, neck wherever, and… Read More

That is a quote from a previous patient at our previous balance screening event. You don’t want to miss it! If you or a loved one have fallen recently, or felt unsteady on your feet – that it has knocked your confidence to move around independently, or even leave your house without someone there to help support you just in case you fall – then I’d like to invite you to attend this FREE balance screening! It may be the most important thing you do this year. It may help you find out if you have problems with your balance that you weren’t even aware of, and exactly what to do to get back on your feet and the life you deserve before balance issues struck… Think About This… A life where you can walk around the store without relying upon the shopping cart, or a loved ones arm to keep you steady… A life where you can move around the house independently and not take 20 minutes to move from the couch, without feeling lightheaded and dizzy… Onewhere you can pick up and play with your kids without worrying when a ‘dizzy spell’ is going to come on and leave you feeling worried… A life where you can do and enjoy all the things you see so many others doing and enjoying, but a fear of falling has kept you from going out and crippled your confidence… Basically, a life without the fear of falling and feeling unsteady on your feet. If… Read More

Over the last few weeks we’ve covered a lot of ground related to balance and osteoporosis and osteopenia. This included a wide range of topics; how it’s not normal to shrink and what you can do to gain height, as well as what can be done about soft bones, what things could be causing falls in your or a loved one and what you can do to prevent them at home. Even the common signs and symptoms to look out for when it comes to wobbly balance and an increased risk of falls. Why a doctor would be telling you to stop bending from the spine and how you can achieve that when it comes to having osteoporosis or osteopenia, the two types of vertigo and what “BPPV” is and last week we looked at the story of one of our patients who came in with balance issues, how we helped her improve her balance and mobility and what her treatment looked like to achieve this. That’s A Lot Of Ground To Cover! With any luck, you’ve had a chance to digest some of this information. Maybe you’ve even started trying some of the tips that I’ve given you over the last few weeks. Or maybe you’ve been able to share this information with a friend or loved one. If this sounds like you or a loved one, and you’d like more information about how to avoid another fall, regain confidence and maintain independence,… Read More

There’s lots of little signs that your balance is off, and although some are more extreme than others like falling over unexpectedly and feeling worried to leave the house…Some are more subtle, but if you notice and act on them quick, you can help lessen the risk of falls and get better balance in good time. Low back pain is also a sign that your balance is slowly getting worse. The back and core help support the body and keep you standing tall, but if the muscles are weak and your back isn’t straight, then your back will be in pain. And believe it or not, low back pain can be brought on by bad balance and a weak core. In fact, all of them go hand in hand together! Stooped posture often happens gradually and with poor balance people start to bend their necks down to look at their feet all the time. It is wise to see what is coming but many people start a habit of looking down all the time and that affects their posture and their balance. Our current world has been built around computers, cell phones, reading, watching TV and many other activities that often cause us to slouch or stoop our posture. Here are a few balance and posture tests you can try (please be safe and be at a counter ready to hang on): 1. Stand with one leg in front of the other and see… Read More

If you’ve been following our osteoporosis, balance and falls series over the last 5 weeks, you might be wondering how to put all of this information together. In today’s article I’m going to help you do just that. I’ll do it with a story about a lady we worked with recently in the clinic. Let’s call her Susan. As I go through the story, I’ll tell you how we assessed her 3 Balance Systems as well as the other various factors that contribute to her balance. Then we’ll discuss how we used this information to design a successful treatment plan for her. Here’s Susan’s Story In A Nutshell: Susan came into the clinic after she fell 6 months ago while walking to her car in a gravel parking lot. She ended up with a couple bumps and bruises, but otherwise was uninjured. However, over the next several months, she became more and more worried about having another fall, so she started limiting her activity level, and she specifically avoided things like walking on uneven surfaces (since walking on the gravel was part of why she fell). She decided to come in for physical therapy because lately she’s been feeling even more unsteady on her feet, and she’s had several near-falls where she’s had to catch herself on a piece of furniture or a wall inside her home. Can You Relate? If you have had a few falls where you… Read More

I know so many of us have faced losses of various kinds these last 6 months. My grandmother passed away and still no funeral to have closure or celebrate her life with family members. My kids all have had disappointments and losses of various degrees. We are all tired of virtual gatherings and yet it is vital to stay connected in some way. We all feel like we have very little control over things in our lives right now. This is why this article will focus on what you can do and what you can control. Covid-19 is giving everyone more time at home. Now there are blessings and curses to that (Yes with 3 boys at home I’m sure you can imagine. I’ve survived 2 broken windows thus far). As much as all of our routines and planning has been thrown off psychologists still recommend that you establish healthy routines. Continue to get good sleep, eat well, and plan your exercise routine. In fact, many people have discovered with less time going to and from places they have more time to do their home workout. The Breakdown We are finding there are 2 types of patients since Covid-19. See which one you fall into. One group become more sedentary: more time on social media, zoom calls/work calls, teleworking, playing virtual games with friends etc. This group has noticed increased stiffness and aches in the hips, neck, back etc. Another group decided it was a great time to pick… Read More

This was a reply by one of my patients that really was at a loss of how to move without bending the spine. She truly loved Yoga and wanted to know if there was any possibility of modifying yoga. Yes it is possible and I will explain more. How to bend without bending at the spine is one of the most common questions I get from my osteoporosis and osteopenia patients. It is often one of the most difficult things to learn in the beginning and once you have it down it becomes how you move all the time. Anytime our body has to learn how to move differently it feels very awkward and difficult. Learning to bend without bending the back will also prevent a low back injury! (We really should move like this all the time for good spine health!) First of all, why is it critical to learn to avoid bending the spine with osteoporosis and osteopenia? Because bending the spine when it rounds like the letter “C” places stress on the softened bone and can create a compression type fracture. More than likely you won’t feel it! They call them “silent” vertebral compression fractures and the research says 700,000+ happen a year. It’s more common than cardiac and stroke events combined! One happens every 45 seconds. What’s The Alternative and What Are The Benefits? If you can learn to bend correctly, you will decrease your risk for creating a compression fracture. Think about all the… Read More

A gentleman called the clinic the other day with growing concerns about his wife and asked us: “Why does my wife keep falling over?” He continued to tell us that his wife, Sally, 71, generally has good health. But lately she’s been having difficulty controlling her balance and loses confidence every time she falls. So much so, that she’s scared to leave the house without him, or their daughter by her side just in case. The Fear Of Falling Is Real Losing your balance is a scary thing. And it’s something we hear people worrying about all the time. It’s not uncommon that as we get older we begin to feel unsteady on our feet. People have told us that when they’re shopping they have to rely on the shopping cart. Fear of falling spoils their confidence to leave the house alone, or even get up and move around the house independently. It’s a worrying thing that happens. And most of the time, people don’t understand why it’s happening to them all of a sudden. So why is it that falls are one of the main causes of accidents and injuries in people aged 65+? Here’s just some of the reasons why falling can become more of an issue as we get older… When Senses Begin to Fail Poor eyesight and difficulties with hearing are one of the most common changes that comes with ageing. Any issues with hearing and eyesight will make you feel unsteady. Let… Read More

Did you know that some people suffer from headaches so frequently that they consider them to be a regular part of life? That’s why things like aspirin and other headache pills are such big sellers. In my years of experience, it’s often the case that, if someone is suffering from regular headache episodes, they just haven’t got to the real, underlying ROOT CAUSE of the problem. Many times, the recurring headaches may be the result of a dysfunction with the shoulder, jaw or neck… and it is usually possible that an expert in recognizing relief from headaches could help someone like you! If You Feel Let Down, Disappointed, And Even Skeptical About What Can Be Done To Help You, Then Read On… My name is Jennifer Penrose, Lacey’s leading neck pain specialist, and I have been helping people live with much less neck pain for more than a decade now – all across the state. And what we know now is that so many people are confused by the advice they’ve previously been given, unsure about why it didn’t work out… perhaps even skeptical about their best chances of living with less neck pain in the future… and that’s why I created this one hour Workshop entitled: “The Best Kept Secrets Of Easing Neck Pain And Headaches” – and decided to make it FREE to the residents of Lacey. When you attend, first you’ll discover just how many other options there are – then we think you’ll agree with the many attendees who’ve already gone… Read More