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

Have you ever experienced knee pain? The kind that slows you down in life. It bothers you to walk up and down the stairs or hurts every time you bend down. It aches when you sit, and just generally leaves you feeling frustrated and wondering when it’s finally going to wear off… 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’, 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 when they wake up… (but it ends up staying longer, and sometimes gets worse). 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 we do without even realizing. 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… Read More

Quick question: How many of you have Googled ‘preventing back pain’? I thought so. We’ve all heard and read about what can cause back pain; incorrect lifting, bad posture, sports injury…but did you know that you may be making a common mistake in your daily routine, that might be encouraging back pain? What I’m about to tell you might sound surprising, but hear me out and I’ll explain why it can cause your back pain to worsen, as well as give you some tips on how to change it. Right, here we go… Bad Diet I don’t mean like Weight Watchers! That’s a way to manage your weight. However, I am more concerned about the reason you may go to slimming clubs. Being overweight can have a great impact on your health AND your back pain. If you are overweight then you are putting extra pressure on your back. An example of this can be shown where we store sugar. When we eat sugar, any energy that we don’t use from it, is stored on our back. Another place that it can be stored, along with caffeine, is at your lower back, a.k.a your love handles! If you now think of all that excess weight being carried on your back from sugar and caffeine, is it surprising that a bad diet can lead to back pain? To overcome this issue, try cutting down on the sugar, caffeine and processed foods and choose more natural foods. This could be chicken breasts, potatoes… Read More

Do you work in an office based job? Or find yourself struggling with neck, shoulder or back pain after sitting for long periods of time? Do you wish there was something you could do it reduce the pain? Well there is a solution to create a more safe, healthy and comfortable working environment for you. You don’t have to put up with annoying aches and pains. Let’s start at the bottom with your ankles… Research suggests your ankles should be supported via a foot rest. Keeping the ankle joints at just over a 90 degree angle is best. The same rule applies to your knees, keep them slightly at over 90 degree angles. Do this with at least 80- 90% of your thighs supported on your seat parallel to the floor. Basically, when your feet are planted firmly on the floor, you’re not sitting in a twisted position. I know it can be easy to do after sitting for hours without regular breaks! Low Back Positioning Moving on to those troublesome lower backs… A lot of us are guilty of having poor sitting posture. Slouching in our chairs at work and creating extra unnecessary stresses through our spine and the soft tissues. These muscles, tendons and ligaments support our spine and body! To avoid this extra stress, it’s important to ensure that your butt is touching the back of the chair. So get your wiggle on and shuffle right to the back of your chair. Don’t be worried if your feet come off the floor,… Read More

If you’re driving fairly long distances to and from work every day, it’s likely you’ve experienced back pain. Around 30-60% of drivers report having back pain at some point in their life. We see lots of people in the clinic in pain as a result of 30 minutes+ on the road, almost daily! But why does something as simple as driving trigger off back pain when it’s not exactly strenuous? Driving for long periods of time exposes the body to many different forces. These include acceleration, sudden stops, and most notably vibrations from the road. These forces especially affects those who drive larger vehicles. Driving also involves the use of your feet to control the cars pedals. This means they are not used to help stabilize and support your lower body as they normally would when sitting. It’s no wonder why a combination of these factors, along with inadequate design can cause problems for many of us. Back pain can make driving unpleasant (in some cases, unbearable). So, I put together a list of tips to help make your next journey as pain-free as possible. Here are 7 tips to help you: 1. Get Comfortable Before You Set Off – A small irritation can quickly grow into an unbearable pain. If you’ve got a long journey ahead, or in the car for 20 minutes, this can affect your day. So, before you set off, take a few moments to settle into a comfortable position. Check… 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

Most of the time the ache in our neck and shoulders is from overuse of those muscles. Are you sitting up with good posture at your computer? Do you carry your bag repeatedly on one side with considerable weight in it? Do you use the "arm rests" on your chair to rest your arms and decrease the tension in your neck and shoulders? Is the monitor at the right height so you are not leaning forward or bending your neck too far down? All of those posture issues can create neck and shoulder pain. Read More