Mark Twain once said that growing old is an issue of “mind over matter,” but if you struggle with knee or hip pain, then you know that this isn’t true at all. Hip and knee pain can really take the spring out of your step, causing you to move slower and leaving you with pain that becomes more difficult to cope with, step after step. There is an endless list of reasons as to why knee or hip pain may develop, from a slip or fall-related accident to a sports injury or even a car accident.
Don’t Wait Until It Is Too Late!
When an injury develops, seeking the support of a physical therapist is the best course of action. Working with a physiotherapist soon after an injury develops can help reduce your recovery time and improve your ability to cope with the pain and discomfort by introducing you to targeted
exercises and stretching techniques that can enhance your ability to recover from the injury. When you are dealing with a knee or hip injury, every step requires more effort than typical. This can really drain your energy level as you attempt to go about doing even basic tasks, such as taking care of your home or walking around the office.
What Can Physiotherapy Do to Help?
Physiotherapy is not a one-stop cure-all for pain management. This is a long-term solution to pain and suffering through the use of targeted exercises and stretching techniques that are designed to strengthen the targeted areas and help the body recover and heal. By identifying the exact points on the body that are not moving as they ought to be, it is possible to make a plan to increase flexibility, motion, strength and even improve coordination.
Are you moving like you should be? Your hips and knees are essential to everyday movement; whether you are sitting, standing, walking or running, you need your hips and knees in great shape. Sometimes, when your hips and knees are in pain, it can cause you to change the way that you are moving, causing you to change the flow and pace of your gait, which is the way that you walk. Other times, prolonged pain can cause you to stop doing movements that are indicative of healthy joints.
If you’ve experienced any hip or knee pain and are considering whether physiotherapy is a good choice for your health needs, consider the following:
- From a standing position, are you able to lean over and touch your toes? If so, then this indicates that you have proper hip and low back flexibility. If not, then you may need to improve your flexibility and joint range of motion, and physiotherapy could be helpful.
- In a sitting position, can you comfortably cross your legs, leaving your ankle to rest comfortably on the opposite knee? If this is painful or one knee constantly must be lower than the other, then this may be indicative of knee concerns that could be addressed with physiotherapy.
- From a standing position, with your feet planted flat on the floor, can you push your body into a squatting position? You should be able to squat all the way down so that your buttocks are almost touching your heels. If you aren’t able to do this, then physiotherapy may be helpful in improving your range of motion.
- Standing near a wall or countertop, arrange your feet so that you are standing with the heel of one foot touching the toes of the other, as if on a balance beam, and see how long you can stand still. Can you balance for 10 seconds? If not, then physiotherapy may be able to improve balance and coordination.
The goal of any physiotherapy program is to restore range of motion and improve flexibility and strength while reducing the general experience of pain. Unfortunately, hip and knee injuries often tend to linger. Every movement relies so heavily on the hips and knees that it makes it difficult to allow these joints to actually rest following an injury. Physiotherapy provides targeted exercises that support the joints with precise movements that help reinforce strength and range of motion. For more information, contact your Bodyfocus Physiotherapy to learn more about options that will suit your health needs.
