Lacey WA – Autumn is around the corner and so is the time where people clean up their yard, house, and roof to prepare for winter. It is also the time of year when I see more patients with knee pain! I want to share some tips for knee pain by using a patient’s story that I hear quite frequently. Nancy gave us permission to share her story. See if you can relate.
“I thought my knee pain was just due to age or arthritis. I didn’t want to bother the doctor about it.” Nancy, a retired nurse, was 62 years old when she came to see us for knee pain. She had 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 any longer. “I had no idea that my knee pain was not the joint itself, but a hamstring issue that was easily resolved with physical therapy! The hands-on treatment and the exercises worked. 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 diagnose whether it is soft tissue or joint. Nancy did have an x-ray prior to coming to physical therapy confirming NO arthritis, which she had assumed was part of her problem. However, her doctor was not able to tell her WHAT tissue specifically was causing her pain like we did, WHY it started, WHAT to do about it, and how to PREVENT it again. The doctor left that up to us. Family doctors are great at what they do, which is looking out for disease issues, ordering the correct tests, and referring you to specialists like us.
Now, why did her hamstring bother her for 3 years? As we listened to her story, we find out she had been working at the gym with a trainer. That is awesome! We love to hear that people are staying committed to their health. However, there was a particular exercise that kept bothering the back of her knee/leg, but she continued to “work through the pain” because she thought that was what she was supposed to do. She did not make the connection that this exercise was actually keeping the hamstring muscle strained, which caused her knee pain later. We hear stories like this ALL the time! “I just thought it was no pain no gain” and yes, that is partially true. A good workout should leave you sore, but there is a difference between causing a strain vs building more strength.
She was relieved to know that her knee pain was treatable. We were happy to help Nancy in 5 weeks’ time. She is now able to get up and off the floor easily without pain. She can play on the floor with her grand kids and enjoy traveling and retirement. She is so glad that she didn’t chalk it up to age or “it is what it is.” Thanks, Nancy, for letting us share your story!
Do not ignore pain! Many times the pain you fear and its cause are not what you think. Even if you are in a healthcare field like Nancy, you may be surprised at what physical therapy truly does. Physical therapy helps you get back to your life with improved mobility and less pain. It is not just for after surgery or major trauma. We are here to help you with that annoying pain that seems to stick around and gradually starts to impact your quality of life. Slowly, you start to avoid things or slow down compared to others. My advice is that if you have had pain for 2 weeks and it is not improving, come see us. There is no need to suffer longer. Life is too short!
EVEN IF you do have arthritis in your knees, we have helped many people gain strength and mobility that they didn’t think was possible. It is hard sometimes to figure out on your own which exercises are ones that won’t stress the knee joint, which ones are most effective, and what a few changes with your walking can do to decrease the impact at the knee joint.
In addition, how about the hips? If your hips are weak, then they don’t help support the knee during walking, and you have limited shock absorption. How about your foot structure? If you had certain inserts that helped absorb impact by 25%, wouldn’t that be meaningful to you? We look at your hips, knees, legs, feet, and gait/walking to see how we can help decrease knee pain. There are so many details we look at besides the knee. We are like mechanics with the human body: When you affect one area, it has an effect elsewhere. If you have knee pain you might need a “tune up” that will decrease your pain and help you function better!
I look forward to talking to you next week!
The author, Jennifer Penrose, is a Physical Therapist and owner of Penrose Physical Therapy. If you have any questions about knee pain, you can call (360) 456-1444 or email jennifer@penrosept.com.
P.S. If you want to hear more healthy tips from Dr. Penrose, tune into her monthly podcast “Stay Healthy South Sound” on iTunes, Google Play or Spotify.
