Let’s talk about headaches. Ranging from a mid-afternoon head pounding ache, to agonizing pain. They leave you sensitive to light and sometimes feeling sick. Headaches are something most, if not all of us, have experienced at some point in our life. For some, headaches are a bigger problem and can even affect everyday life, just like Lauren who is a patient of mine. Here’s what she wrote in an email to me before she came to see us: “Hi Jennifer, I’m 56 and have been suffering from migraines ever since I was a teenager. I’ve never been able to get to the root of the problem. I don’t know if this is true, but I heard that tension in your shoulders can bring headaches on? I thought you’d be the best person to ask. Is this right or am I being silly? Do I get headaches because of something I eat? I’m tired of getting migraines when I least expect them! It’s awful when they strike in the middle of shopping.” – Lauren, 56, Olympia, WA. Here’s what’s happening… Let me tell you now, Lauren certainly was right about tension in your neck and shoulders being related to this common problem! And I can imagine you would have found it hard to believe me if I told you that 87% of headaches come from tight and tense muscles in your shoulders and neck. But instead the culprit is often tension that you never even knew… Read More

Let’s talk about one of the most common causes of neck and shoulder pain – sleeping! Not just sleeping, but the way we sleep (and even what we do before we sleep). Have you ever woken up in the morning with a stiff and slightly painful neck? Often it’s just an annoying ache that eases off shortly after you’ve got out of bed. After days of waking up feeling like this, it can become a lot more painful. It’s something that we don’t usually think about. One of the most important things to consider is the effect that sleeping can have upon our neck and shoulders. Let me explain. An increase in neck or shoulder pain is a common problem that many people experience. Often times as a direct result of resting for 8 hours or more in an awkward position. Either an old mattress which needs replacing, or on the wrong types of pillows. Why? Because having your neck twisted or bent in a funny position for long periods of time isn’t good for the body. After a while your body becomes used to being in a certain position when you go to sleep night after night. So no wonder the neck becomes painful. But it’s not only down to the way we sleep… Activities to Watch Out For Another thing I see a lot of people do before they turn in for the night is they watch TV or read. 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 gong to make it or not, restricted by a knee so painful. One where you can pick up and play with your grandkids without worrying when your knee is going to stop you from getting back up. 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… Read More

This report is for the person who is suffering from the torment of daily, annoying, chronic knee pain. The type of “ache” and pain where you get so nauseated that you feel your only option is to stop what you’re doing completely. Or to reach for the pain medication drawer and wonder when it will stop. The thing is, all of those pain medications are not good for your stomach. Plus the long periods of rest you’ve been told about is not likely to be doing you much good either. Over the last 10 years I’ve been working on a daily basis to help people aged 45+ find relief from chronic knee pain. What I can tell you is that the cocktail mix of more rest and more painkillers will do absolutely nothing. No matter what most doctors say! Because I’m growing increasingly frustrated with the number of people suffering unnecessarily that I’ve written a report that details the 7 things any person can do to relieve knee pain naturally. And I want to send you this report completely at no charge. Now, I don’t know if these 7 things will relieve you of your knee pain completely. I can’t promise that what worked for my patients over the past 10 years, will work for you too. However, reading my free report is definitely better than spending another day “resting”. Better than “accepting it” thinking “it’s your age”. Or worse yet, masking it with pain medications. If… Read More

Fall has arrived and it is the time people clean up their yard, houses, and roof to prepare for winter. It is also the time of year that I see more knee pain! I want to share some tips for knee pain and a patient story that I hear quite frequently. Nancy gave us permission to share her story.  Let’s see if you can relate to her story.  “I thought my knee pain was just due to age or arthritis. I didn’t want to bother the doctor about it.” Nancy was 62 years old when she came to see us for knee pain and she is a retired nurse. She suffered with knee pain for 3 years before seeking help.  When she could no longer play on the floor with her grand-kids she finally decided she couldn’t just “live” with it! In her words “I had no idea that my knee pain was not the joint but a hamstring issue that was easily resolved with physical therapy! The hands on treatment and the exercises work!  Even if you think nothing can be done – think again!” You see we did a very thorough evaluation to find that her hamstring was more at fault than the knee joint.  We do the same orthopedic tests that orthopedic surgeons do and we are able to diagnosis if it is soft tissue or joint.  Nancy did have an x-ray prior to coming to physical therapy confirming NO arthritis so she was fairly shocked.  However, her doctor was not able… Read More

Over the last 7 weeks we’ve covered a lot on knee pain. I just want to do a quick recap to remind you as we get to the end of this series. We looked at 3 things to know about knee pain including wearing the correct shoes, resting and a simple exercise. We then looked at why knee pain gets worse when you exercise and how to ease it through strengthening. Next we looked at 3 ‘quick fixes’ people think ease knee pain, but don’t. Those things were reaching for the painkillers, resting and wearing a support. We then looked at if knee replacement surgery could be avoided, why knee pain gets worse at night, how to stop arthritis before it stops you and 3 things you could be doing that make knee pain worse. If you’re suffering with any kind of knee pain or swelling, you won’t need me to tell you that it’s “life limiting”. Here are some of the things you would likely be able to enjoy doing again, immediately if you didn’t have knee pain… 1) Waking up in the morning and effortlessly being able to put your own socks and shoes on (without the knee stiffness or sharp pain…). 2) Sitting at work without your knee aching. 3) Taking a long walk with friends and only ending because you’ve decided you fancy a coffee and NOT because your knee is hurting and you’re forced to. 4) Going to bed knowing that you’re finally going to get a good nights… Read More

Got this question sent to me yesterday by a “confused” reader of my newspaper articles suffering with knee pain during exercise… “Hey Jennifer, I’ve been suffering with a pain in my right knee now for a few weeks. What I can’t put my finger on is what I did to make it start in the first place, and even more confusing is that it’s most painful when walking down the stairs, and only comes on 10 minutes into a run. Sometimes it aches, sometimes it feels tender and dull, but I don’t understand why I could run fine before and now I can’t without having to stop after 10 minutes. Can you help?” – Mary, 46, Lacey. There’s a good chance that the same thing is happening to Mary as it does to most people this time of year… And it’s no surprise as we see off the end of Summer and start heading into Fall. This time of year we see more people than ever at Penrose Physical Therapy with painful knees. The reason why? Because it’s around this time of year that people decide to be more active and take things up like running and walking for longer distances, making the most of the nice weather and generally being more active. And even if they’re used to running, people tend to step it up and run a little longer than usual to get ready for upcoming races, sometimes adding in extra running days going… Read More

A few days ago, I was on the phone to one of our regular patient, Lisa, she’s 56 from Lacey and she said… “I was making the most of the Labor Day weekend by visitng Capitol State Forest. I was fine when I got home, but then in the morning when I woke up, my knees had a dull aching pain. At first I thought ‘it’s just an aching knee, I’ve probably overdone it, it’s happened before’… but the pain got worse as the day went on, and it’s still bothering me. My knees ache when I walk, and I’m finding it hard to go up and down the stairs. Any ideas?” Now, this isn’t an uncommon problem, especially not after holiday weekends! And when you consider that 77% of people are more active during holiday weekends, that’s a lot for knees that could potentially become sore. The thing is, many people will put up with bad knees for days, weeks, even months, hoping that the pain will go away on it’s own. But the problem with that is that 9 times out of 10, the pain gets worse and hangs around – which pains me when I know you really don’t have to suffer. So, how about I give you three tips to help you make knee pain much less of a frustration in your life? And even if you don’t go out walking often and suffer from knee pain – these… Read More

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. This 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. 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. 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. I’m often in considerable pain – especially if I’ve been out for a… Read More

Many people just like you are becoming victims of knee pain. This is FAST 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. “Bad” Shoes? 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 before. They have zero support for your feet. 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. Often times its even worse than it was when it came on. It leaves some thinking their only option left is surgery. Does that sound like you? Another scenario we see all the time at Penrose Physical Therapy is when people go to their doctor. 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 then to be given ANOTHER prescription of even stronger pills or maybe a knee support. Even worse, maybe told that the ONLY thing left, is to go down the route of knee replacement surgery. I hear worrying stories each week from people who have had knee surgery – to find out 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 chronic arthritis and painful knees. 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… Read More

A patient came into the clinic a few weeks ago limping with knee pain and asked: “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. 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?” Everyone always thinks and hopes that there will be  “quick fixes” to their problem. I know how frustrating it can be when you’re not sure what you’ve done to hurt your knee. It can be even more frustrating when everything you’re trying to get rid of the pain – doesn’t do a thing. Because we see people confused and even skeptical about what can be done to help, I wanted to address this idea of “quick fixes”. Either for your knees – or for any joint problem and tell you why they’re no good. With that said, here’s the 3 most common “quick fixes” that people THINK ease their knee pain, but that actually do the opposite:  1. Reaching For The Painkillers. Let’s face it, when you’re in pace, one of the easiest things to do is reach for the painkillers to “kill” the pain, quick. It’s also… Read More