Have you ever had a slight pain in the neck but didn’t really think it was a big deal, especially if you knew it was because you slept awkwardly? Yes? I thought so. I hear this quite often from my clients when they first come in to see us – they’ll mention the annoying pain that’s going on in their neck when it comes to the end of their session because 9 times out of 10, they think it’s something that will “just go away” on it’s own. But here’s the thing – it doesn’t always “just go away”! Think of your neck like this: Your neck supports one of the most vital parts of your body – the skull and the brain. Not forgetting that the top of your neck is where your nerves begin. Now ask yourself this – do you still want to brush off that neck pain you’ve woken up with this morning? I thought not. Some of the main reasons as to why we shouldn’t brush off neck pain is because we all have ways in which we make it worse. We don’t mean to, but sometimes our lifestyle just gets in the way! Have you had your hair done recently? It can often be an enjoyable experience, but have you ever considered how your neck feels? When you’re getting your hair washed make sure the chair and basin are adjusted accordingly. The seats are meant to adjust for a reason! Also, sometimes it can take a… Read More

Then this free wellness/nutrition workshop is for you! In the last few weeks of the healthy tips series we have covered how the right nutrition improves youthful gene expression (the study of epigenetics & how that is helping people feel younger), hydration and the anti-inflammatory diet. Diseases that are linked to chronic systemic inflammation: diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, depression, arthritis to name a few, the fastest easiest ways to decrease inflammation, and how antioxidants help protect our eyes from blindness (aging macular degeneration). And last week you could request my free “Healthy Tips Report” that covered: posture, falls, stretching and more! Well that is quite a bit to cover in 7 weeks!  That is why we decided with all the interest and requests for antioxidant scans to hold a free wellness/nutrition workshop!  Get your antioxidant scan score for free at this workshop if you bring a friend with you! (Normally $25). This science based wellness/nutrition workshop is for you if: You want to know what nutrients are key for energy and improving physical performance. (We will cover the science that has been used in elite athletes and with sedentary individuals) Or, you want to know which nutrients help with cognition, mental sharpness, and memory (according to the science of course!) You want to know if your nutritional plan is working with the antioxidant scan test. And we’ll tell you what it means for your overall health. If you want to know what key nutrients are needed for longevity and optimal wellness You want to know… Read More

If you just nodded your head  “yes please” then let me introduce you to a plant based compound called “AgeLoc Youth”. Yes, “AgeLoc Youth” sounds like it is trying to lock you into your younger years! Sign me up! As my grandmother says “Don’t get old Jennifer. These golden years are not so golden!” So I’m following her advice with the latest science (without synthetic chemicals or pharmaceuticals) I can find and share it with you. As a physical therapist I’m definitely helping my patients improve their physical function so they can travel, visit grandkids, and live life with less pain and ability to keep up! But how is that meaningful if your cholesterol is high and plaque is building up on the walls of your arteries waiting for a heart attack, or you lose your cognitive abilities, or you lose your vision (covered last week!)? Quality of life includes all of those things! First of all, let’s talk about cognition. “AgeLoc Youth” vs placebo given to healthy subjects age 40-65 with normal cognitive function for 6 weeks showed radically improved brain MRI images! Improve cognitive performances on memory tests were also demonstrated by the AgeLoc Youth group. This is exciting news for those of us that want to keep our mind sharp using a plant based compound! Regarding the brain MRI results, Dr. Louis Cady, Psychiatrist, stated: “Of particular interest to me is increased activity in the inferior orbital pre-frontal cortex – which is the executive… Read More

So if you recall in this healthy tip series we talked about the anti-inflammation diet.  We talked about how scientists have found that chronic inflammation is linked to chronic diseases: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, depression, cancer, asthma and more.  Chronic inflammation is exacerbated by lifestyle factors: a diet with unhealthy fats and processed foods (packaged and canned meals), pastas/starches/sugars, lack of exercise and poor dental hygiene or gum disease.  The food we eat causes certain bacteria in our gut to populate and it either curbs or increases our systemic inflammation. Before going further, if you’d like to watch a video for this topic instead of read, follow this link to view it on our YouTube page: https://youtu.be/DPlFedNlgjw One of the quickest things you can do to decrease systemic inflammation is stop eating foods that are processed or laden with unhealthy fats– those quick packaged meals or fast foods.  And avoid lots of starches and artificial sugars.  Those foods increase the gut bacteria that promotes more systemic inflammation!  No one needs more inflammation in their body!  And remember to floss your teeth every day to keep that bacteria from traveling to your gut and creating more systemic inflammation! The next best thing to do to decrease system inflammation is getting half your plate full of veggies and fruits at every meal.  Whoa!  Do you have time for that?  Do you have the money for that?  It is not easy or quick nor is it cheap to buy organic fruits and veggies.  And why organic? … Read More

You can read my blog or watch my you tube channel on today’s topic of screen time and vision.  Click here for the you tube version. Most patients that I help are40+ and trying to be active and enjoy life. I am also in that category. Besides physical and mental function, I also want to have my vision intact for next 20-30 years plus. I am willing to bet that even if you are ok with most aging processes that you don’t want to have permanent vision loss in your 60s-70s? So today I’m going to tackle the issue of aging macular degeneration (AMD). Why is a physical therapist talking about AMD? Well, many of my patients come to see me for neck and back pain from sitting and using laptops, tablets,and smart phones. We do see more people with degenerative changes in their spines due to the amount of sitting and the increased neck bending/flexion from holding devices and looking down for prolonged periods. American adults spend an average of 11 hours a day on screen time. These devices give off blue light that has been found to damage the cells in the back of the retina leading to permanent vision loss from AMD. AMD is the leading cause of vision loss. It affects more than 10 million people. It’s mainly associated with aging, but some forms of macular degeneration affect younger people as well. I don’t know about you, but as someone who must use a computer… Read More

  Within the past few decades, scientists hit upon the discovery that many conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, arthritis, depression, and long-lasting respiratory problems such as asthma, share a common element – chronic inflammation. Scientists suggest that many factors contribute to chronic inflammation, including genetics and exposure to toxic contaminants in the environment. Chronic inflammation also might be exacerbated by lifestyle factors, including a diet laden with unhealthy fats and processed foods, lack of exercise, and poor dental hygiene/gum disease.If we just followed what our parents and grandparents said “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” or “finish your veggies” we likely would have less diseases linked to chronic inflammation. Our diets play an important role in chronic inflammation because our digestive bacteria release chemicals that may spur or suppress inflammation. The types of bacteria that populate our gut and their chemical byproducts vary according to the foods we eat. Some foods encourage the growth of populations of bacteria that stimulate inflammation, while others promote the growth of bacteria that suppress it. Hopefully you are probably already enjoying many of the foods and beverages that have been linked to reductions in inflammation and chronic disease. Anti-inflammatory foods are those that any nutrition expert would encourage you to eat. They include lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, plant-based proteins (like beans and nuts), fatty fish, and fresh herbs and spices. Fruits and veggies: Go for variety and lots of color; reds, oranges, yellows,… Read More

  I have patients tell me all the time “don’t get old” with a laugh. But at the same time it is no laughing matter. I do really want my patients to feel their best for as long as possible. (I also want this for myself). As a health provider who specializes in improving performance of the aging human body, I wanted to find more ways to deliver more life and energy naturally. So over the course of the next several weeks I am going to talk about how you can enjoy life with more energy and feel younger again naturally. Where do we get our energy? Remember back in school when you learned in science that our food gives us energy? When our blood sugar drops and we feel sluggish we know to go eat something. However, what is that “something”? Does it really provide key nutrients to help us with energy and feeling younger again? I think most of us know that nutritional research states we should be eating 1.5-2 cups of fruit and 2.5-3 cups of vegetables a day. The literature is clear that eating more fruits and vegetables adds nutrients to diets, reduces the risk for heart disease, stroke, and some cancers, and helps manage body weight when consumed in place of more energy-dense foods. What is even more interesting in the last decade is finding that our nutrients can actually cause “youthful gene expression”. This is called the study of epigenetics. I am not saying… Read More

If you or a loved one suffer from chronic knee pain – so bad that it can even stop you from walking – then attending this workshop may be the most important thing you do this year.  It may unlock the agonizing mystery of your knee pain and show you a way to get back to the life you deserve…A life where you can walk up and down the stairs without worrying when your knee is going to ‘give-out’, or the pain stop you in your tracks. A life where you can enjoy leisurely walks with friends and family and not worry if you’re going to make it or not, restricted by a knee so painful. A life where you can pick up and play with your grandkids without worrying when your knee is going to stop you from getting backup. A life where you can do and enjoy all the things you see so many others doing and enjoying but your bad knee has kept you watching from the side-lines….Basically, a life without the curse of knee pain. 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, the nations leading knee pain specialist, and I have been helping people live with much less knee pain for more than a decade now – all across the country. And what we know now is that so many people are confused… Read More

Many people just like you are becoming victims of knee pain and knee arthritis. This is FAST becoming one of the most common things we see at Penrose Physical Therapy, and one of the areas 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 program, 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. 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 worn now than before. They have zero support for your feet. Absolutely… Read More

This question was sent to me yesterday by a reader suffering with knee pain at night: “Jennifer, I’ve suffered 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 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 feels hot and swollen and I’m often in considerable pain – especially if I’ve been out for a long walk with the dog. Any ideas?” – Beverly, 57, Lacey. What’s happening here is likely to be a simple case of the muscles around Beverly’s knee joint being “weak”. As in, the muscles just aren’t strong enough to last through the day or cope with what she wants her body to do and where she wants to go. Think of it like this: When you go to bed at night and are ready to sleep – your body is obviously tired from all of the energy you’ve used through the day. And your muscles, well, they’ve been working too. So what happens is that they get a rest when you sleep, you wake up and they ache less because they’re less tired and feel “energized” and ready for a new day. But if a muscle, any muscle, is weak or damaged in some way, it’s not going to be able… Read More

Here is how many people go down the road to a knee replacement surgery.  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 – often even worse than it was when it came on. Does that sound like you? 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 “comeback 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 got 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. 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… 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?” 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 tell you why they’re no… Read More