hip and knee pain Archives - Washington Physical Therapy

Find Effective Relief for Your Hip and Knee Pains Today With Physical Therapy

Are You Living With Hip or Knee Pain? Physical Therapy Can Help

There are so many causes of hip and knee pain, from excess weight to sports injuries, advancing age to repetitive motion injuries. Whatever the cause of your hip and/or knee pain, if you are experiencing it regularly you need to find a way to manage it.

Many people use medications like anti-inflammatories to minimize their discomfort. However, these medications have potential side effects, so it can be helpful to find other ways to relieve your pain. Physical therapy may be the solution you are looking for.

The many benefits of physical therapy

Once our physical therapist has isolated the underlying cause of your hip or knee pain, we can prescribe techniques to help you start feeling - and moving - more like your old self.

Physical therapy for hip or knee pain may start with passive exercises, in which we move the afflicted joint for you to increase its pain-free range of motion.

Exercises that reduce the amount of weight on the joints can also be extremely helpful. For instance, we may recommend swimming or “water walking” as a way to exercise the hips and knees without also forcing them to bear your full weight.

Other types of exercises can also help you overcome your hip or knee pain while improving joint function. Strengthening exercises help by reinforcing the muscles and connective tissues that serve the joint. Corrective exercises and neuromuscular re-education can help you maintain a straighter, more symmetrical posture.

Last but not least, physical therapy offers a variety of helpful modalities beyond exercise. We may treat your joint pain with heat, ice, manual techniques, and more!

Physical therapy over prescription drugs

If your doctor has prescribed you pain relievers it is best to follow the guidance of your doctor.

However, you are welcome to discuss physical therapy with your doctor as well.

If you find that your pain level has decreased through physical therapy, you can discuss reducing your pain reliever usage with your primary physician.

Physical therapy for hip and knee pain relief

You may discover pain relief when you are going through your physical therapy treatments, but what about when you go home?

A major goal of physical therapy is to heal your injuries in the long-term. The various exercises and treatments physical therapist’s use with you will steadily improve your condition so that you experience less pain on a daily basis.

As your body gets stronger and more mobile, you are likely to experience less pain in your hips and knees.

What can I expect from my treatment plan?

If your doctor has told you to take pain relievers every day for your hip and/or knee pain, you should follow your doctor’s recommendations. But it also cannot hurt to ask about alternatives like physical therapy.

Working with a physical therapist can help reduce or eliminate your pain in a variety of ways, including:

Ultrasound therapy. Ultrasound is used by physical therapists to apply heat deeper in your soft tissues to provide pain relief. The heat can improve circulation and aid in healing, which can ultimately reduce the pain you experience day to day.
Heat and ice therapy. Heat can be used to improve your mobility and decrease the amount of pain you are experiencing so that you can move more freely. Ice can also be used to lessen pain from your hip and/or knee as well as to reduce inflammation.
Exercises to improve mobility and flexibility. Often hip and knee pain can lead to loss of mobility and flexibility – which then increases the wear on your joints and leads to even more pain. Physical therapists can take you through exercises to improve your mobility and flexibility so that you can move your limbs and joints in the fullest range of motion that is available based on your body and circumstances.
Exercises to increase your strength. Loss of muscular strength can contribute significantly to hip and knee pain because the weaker your muscles get, the more stress is put on your joints. Physical therapy centers around specific exercises designed to target various muscles and strengthen them so that they better support your joints.
Identify the causes of your hip and knee pain. There may be one or several reasons why you are experiencing hip and knee pain. A physical therapist can examine your movement to help identify things that are contributing to your pain, such as poor posture, unhealthy walking patterns, or unhealthy movement patterns at work. Once they identify these kinds of issues, physical therapists can tell you how to correct them.

Find relief today!

Please contact Washington Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation today to schedule an appointment with a physical therapist for your hip and knee pain.

We are standing by to assist you!

Physical Therapy: The Key to Overcoming Hip and Knee Pain

Do your weight-bearing joints feel more like pain-bearing joints these days? If you have a hip or knee that just can’t support your body weight without causing annoying aches or agonizing pains, you may be unable to perform your job, play sports, handle household tasks, or even find a comfortable sitting or sleeping position. These limitations and frustrations might have you gulping down painkiller or considering joint replacement surgery. Fortunately, many causes of hip and knee pain respond quite well to physical therapy — the natural approach to pain management.

Why Your Hip or Knee Hurts

Your hips and knees do a lot of work over the course of a lifetime. These joints must withstand the majority of your body weight — not just when you’re standing still, but also as you walk, run, climb or jump. It’s not surprising, then, that a variety of ailments and injuries can plague the knee and hip joints. Your pain and stiffness may be caused by:

Osteoarthritis – Osteoarthritis is a degeneration of the cartilage that normally keeps the bone ends in a joint from rubbing together. The resulting friction causes chronic pain and inflammation.
Bursitis – Both the hips and knees have fluid-filled sacs called bursae that prevent friction between bones and soft tissues. Unfortunately, these sacs can become inflamed from overuse, a painful condition called bursitis.
Strains, sprains and ruptures – The knee and hip joints can move thanks to muscles, tendons and ligaments. Repetitive motion or acute injuries can cause a strain (damage to muscles or tendons) or a sprain (hyperextension of a ligament). Athletes are vulnerable to ruptures of the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
“Runner’s knee” – An unstable kneecap can lead to chronic knee pain. This condition is known as patellofemoral syndrome or “runner’s knee.”

Various health or lifestyle challenges can worsen a case of hip or knee pain. Carrying extra weight is a prime example. A musculoskeletal misalignment or postural imbalance can place unnatural stress on a hip or knee. Lack of exercise can allow the muscles to weaken, setting the stage for chronic strain and joint instability.

Banishing Pain and Optimizing Function through Physical Therapy Techniques

Getting relief from knee or hip pain doesn’t necessarily involve the use of heavy drugs such as opiates or procedures such as joint replacement surgery. Physical therapy can improve your joint function while also easing your pain and stiffness. Our physical therapist can prescribe exercises aimed at addressing your specific condition, such as:

Knee lifts
Hip rotations
Heel-to-buttock-exercises
Mini-squats
Hip flexion, extension or abductor exercises
Leg lifts
Hamstring curls
Step exercises

Even an activity as simple as walking to help preserve mobility and reduce pain in arthritic knees or hips. Our physical therapist may also recommend that you receive heat/ice therapy, ultrasound therapy, massage therapy, laser therapy, or orthotic footwear to help normalize your musculoskeletal balance.

Get a Leg Up on Your Pain Relief — Contact Our Physical Therapist Today

The sooner you seek physical therapy for knee or hip pain, the better. Research shows that patients who rehab their hip or knee pain with physical therapy within 15 days of symptom onset have less need for pain injections, medications or surgical intervention. But whatever stage of pain you’re in, it’s never too late to benefit from physical therapy. Contact our team to get started!