Got this question sent to me yesterday by a “confused” reader of my newspaper articles suffering with knee pain… “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. What Causes This? 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

Got this question sent to me yesterday by a “confused” reader of my newspaper articles suffering with knee pain… “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. Why Is This Time Of Year Different? There’s a good chance that the same thing is happening to Mary as it does to most people this time of year… 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 from twice a week, to four times a week. What’s likely… 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, 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. 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… Question for Dr. Penrose 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. By the end of another day, my knee aches, sometimes, hot and swollen with considerable pain. It’s especially bad if I’ve been out for a long walk… Read More

Many people just like you are becoming victims of knee pain. 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,  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 – with or without arthritis this is the case for many people.  Well, let me share this with you; so many people are becoming victims of bad footwear trends. What is “bad footwear” 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. Absolutely none. So eventually, with time,… 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 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. 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. They’re often given ANOTHER prescription of even stronger pills or maybe a knee support. Even worse, told that the ONLY thing left to do, is to go down the route of knee replacement surgery. The Reality of Knee Surgeries 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”. Whether for anyone with arthritis or painful knees that have lasted for months. But the reality is, once the procedure is done it doesn’t guarantee anything after surgery. Which worries me! Especially when we’ve… Read More

A patient came into the clinic last week limping with knee pain. He 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 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?” I know how frustrating it can be when you’re not sure what you’ve done to hurt your knee. It’s even more frustrating when everything you’re trying to get rid of the pain doesn’t make it 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 good. With that said, here’s the 3 most common “quick fixes” that people… Read More

Have you ever experienced knee pain? The kind that slows you down in life, niggles when you walk up and down the stairs. It hurts every time you bend down, aches when you sit, and just leaves you frustrate. If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. Painful knees are one of the most common things we see people living with at Penrose Physical Therapy. And a lot of people get frustrated because they don’t understand WHY it’s happening to them. Some people think knee pain is just a part of ‘getting old’. Others, because a friend or close family member told them it happens to everyone. Some people think knee pain is one of those things that comes and goes, hoping it’ll magically disappear one day. The sudden onset of knee pain can be confusing. Sometimes it happens because of a nasty fall or a movement you did that set it off. But more often than not, we see people suffering with knee pain because of everyday habits. They happen without even realizing we’re doing them. Maybe these habits are making your knee pain worse too? Here’s 3 of the most common bad habits we see people doing… 1. Wearing The Wrong Shoes. It’s sad but true, your favorite pair of heels, or smart suit shoes, could be causing your knee pain (and making it worse). High heels change the way you walk, as do smart suit shoes that are too tight, placing additional stress on… Read More

Prevention is a much better choice than the alternative, which is to notice a problem (ex: poor balance since that is our focus this series!) and ignore it or assume there is nothing you can do about it and let it continue to worsen with time. I am amazed how many patients I meet that have resigned to “getting older” means I will just have to live with this balance problem or knee pain or weakness. Be Proactive! With this mindset, the issue will continue to grow bigger until it becomes a major problem (ex: hip fracture from a fall). Once you’ve traveled down this path, you know it takes more time, effort and energy to recover and manage the issue effectively. Being proactive about managing your health is even more important as you age since you are at a higher risk for experiencing declines in your overall health and in your ability to move around. If you want the secret to aging here it is: stay mobile and active and eat more veggies! We all know about prevention. This is why most of us go to the dentist 2x a year. It is also why we go to our annual physician check-up. However, how many of us go to an annual balance, strength, flexibility, stamina checkup? Zero that I know of. So Penrose Physical Therapy is offering a FREE event… 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!) Why Bother Changing How We Bend? 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. If you can learn to bend correctly, you will decrease your risk for creating a compression fracture. Think about all the… Read More

Since we have been talking about balance and falls, we need to talk about what can often lead to falls: vertigo. Let’s start with the basics about vertigo. True vertigo is the sensation of spinning or movement (such as the sensation of swaying). If you’ve ever been sea sick, this is a bit like the swaying sensation, and if you ever got “the spins” in your younger years after too much fun with alcohol, this is similar to the sensation of spinning that some people exercise. There are 2 types of vertigo: “Inner ear vertigo” is the most common type that we help people deal with in the clinic. I’ll discuss it more below. Central vertigo is related to damage to the balance centers of the brain. This includes things like strokes, MS and Parkinson’s. People with central vertigo tend to feel more unbalances or unsteady in general, versus having sudden attacks of spinning. Today I want to focus on inner ear vertigo. People with inner ear vertigo have very specific symptoms. Typically, they have a hard time turning their heads rapidly and walking in busy environments (like the mall). Certain positions can cause a sudden sensation of spinning which can be pretty scary at times. These positions include tipping the head back, bending forward, laying down in bed, or rolling over in bed. What Does This Mean? So what’s going on with these people? Do you remember when you were a kid and you would spin around in the grass until you got really dizzy and fell… Read More

The last few weeks we’ve seen a lot of people coming into the clinic with balance issues. It’s a common problem that we see quite a lot, but not a lot of people know that physical therapists can help with your balance. We like to have a bit of fun when we’re testing people’s balance. We like to play ‘one-legged darts’ and do the ‘can you walk in a straight line?’ test. This tells us how steady (or wobbly) people are on their feet. After we’ve done these little tests, everyone always says: “I didn’t realize my balance was that bad!” And it’s true! Most of us rarely realize we have a problem with our balance until it’s pointed out to us. Even though not all of us have superhuman balance like gymnasts and ice skaters, we need a certain level of balance to help us go about our daily activities without falling over and hurting ourselves. How Do You Tell If You’re Losing Your Balance? So I wanted to share the most common signs and symptoms to lookout for, when it comes to wobbly balance and an increased risk of falls. One of the most common ones is ‘dizziness’. Everyone has a dizzy spell now and then, but the word ‘dizziness’ may mean something different to different people. For some people dizziness might be a fleeting sensation of spinning. While for others it feels intense and lasts a long time. If you find yourself feeling as though the room is spinning… Read More

I work with clients 40+ and I often hear them say with a chuckle; “Yep, I’m shrinking and my feet are getting bigger.” Honestly, this is no laughing matter. If you are shrinking more than 1/2 an inch a year or more than 1.6 inches in your lifetime then you likely have had a fracture in your spine (the vertebral column) due to soft bones, or what we call osteopenia and osteoporosis. Don’t panic. It’s healed but it has healed in a way that has left you shorter. Think of soft bones/osteoporosis like butter and if you slouch or work in front of a computer most of your day (which is almost all of us) then that can load the vertebrae/bone and cause a “silent compression fracture”. A “silent fracture” means you do not feel it happen! You only notice the loss of height or shrinking over time. Can Height Be Gained? Can we help people gain height? Yes, but not by causing the bones to grow. We have seen patients gain an inch in height by stretching the tight posture muscles and giving them posture activities and yoga type exercises. It is a myth to think that shrinking comes with age. It’s also a myth to think you can’t do anything for the rounded upper back posture. You can improve that rounded upper back posture and certainly prevent it from getting worse. If you are a pre or post menopausal woman with a rounded upper… Read More