All posts in Knee Pain

What Do Physical Therapists Treat

What Do Physical Therapists Treat

When you think of a “physical therapy patient” what comes to your mind? I’ll bet that for most people it’s someone who just had surgery and is rehabilitating their knee or shoulder. While it’s true that many conditions we treat are following surgery, did you know that the majority of our patients never set foot in an operating room?! Today on the Fit Stop Blog, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, is discussing some of other common conditions we treat as physical therapists – some that you may not even know we treat! Keep reading for more…

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Strengthen the hips to keep the low back and knees healthy

Strengthen the hips to keep the low back and knees healthy

As a physical therapist, I am in the business of prescribing exercise.  It is something I do all the time – all day, every day.  As a physical therapist, I am also in the business of treating pain related to the joints in the back and knees.  These two joints contribute a good portion of the pain that a lot of us experience every day.  At the Fit Stop,  these two areas (back and knees) make up the largest portion of what we treat every day. That being said, it may come as something of a surprise, that when I prescribe exercise for these two joints, a good chunk of those exercises actually have to do with the hip joints.  Does this make sense?  I believe it makes a lot of sense.  Today, one of our orthopedic specialists, Toby Bluth, will explain why we look to the hips when we treat back and knee pain, and share a few of his favorite hip exercises with you.

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Heat Or Ice For Pain?

Heat Or Ice For Pain?

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Should I put heat or ice on my injury?

We’ve all heard that you’re supposed to put ice on an injury. We’ve all heard that heat can help, too. But which one is it? And how do you know? As physical therapists, this is a question that we answer all day long from our patients, so today we wanted to share this knowledge with you! One of our sports injury experts, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT is here to answer your questions about the implications for heat vs ice when it comes to injury management. Keep reading for more!

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How to fix chronic pain

How to fix chronic pain

We’ve all been there before. You have an injury that, for some reason, is hanging around a lot longer than it should. You’ve “tried everything” including ice, ibuprofen, rest/taking time off, and every rub/salve/pain patch you can find, and yet your pain persists. What gives? How come you just can’t heal like when you were younger (we get that question A LOT!)?? Well chances are you’re doing a lot to treat the SYMPTOMS of your pain, but nothing to address the CAUSE of your pain. Today one of our specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, is discussing why you might be hurting for longer than necessary and what you can do to start to feel better. Keep reading for more!

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What you need to know following knee surgery

What you need to know following knee surgery

None of us want it. Many of us need it. A lot of us eventually break down and get it.

Knee surgery.

We’ve seen it from just about every angle imaginable: “I blew out my ACL skiing,” “I tore my meniscus playing _____,” “It’s been bone-on-bone for years,” and my personal favorite – “It was an old high school football injury from ___ years ago”. Whatever the reason and whatever the surgery, did you know there are some important steps that you can take following your surgery that will help you to heal better, quicker, and with decreased pain? Today on the Fit Stop Blog, one of our knee specialists, Tyler Bluth, PT, MPT, is sharing everything you need to know following your knee surgery to get back into action as quickly as possible. Read more below:

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6 Tips To Keep Your Knees Healthy

6 Tips To Keep Your Knees Healthy
I’ve come to conclude that knee pain is just a fact of life. Whether it was high school football, an old skiing injury, or just the wear and tear of a healthy life, your knee joints are a common area for pain to occur. Luckily, however, there’s a lot that you can do to help mitigate some of this pain and remain as functional as possible! Today Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT is sharing 6 tips to keep your knees healthy, active, and pain-free! Keep reading below…

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Patellofemoral Pain – Best home exercises for knee pain!

Patellofemoral Pain – Best home exercises for knee pain!

What is Patellofemoral Pain?

 “Patellofemoral pain (PFP)” may not be a familiar term, however there is a good chance you are familiar with the pain associated with this condition (especially if you are young and active!).  PFP has also been referred to as anterior knee pain or chondromalacia patella.  According to the journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy (JOSPT), PFP is the most common reason that active people seek health care.  In fact, JOSPT states that 2.5 million runners are diagnosed with PFP each year.  It is also interesting to note that women are at higher risk for developing PFP, and the pain is most often recurring, meaning even after the pain has gone away, it is pretty likely it will come back.  Recurrence rates have been cited as high as 90%.  So what is the problem?  What is patellofemoral pain, why do you get it, and what are some things you can do to fix it?

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Does glucosamine and chondroitin help joint pain?

Does glucosamine and chondroitin help joint pain?

As physical therapists we deal with joint pain on a daily basis. A common question we get from our patients is “Is their something I can take, a supplement of some sort, that can help my joint pain? I’ve heard glucosamine and chondroitin is helpful.  What do you think?” Today on the Fit Stop Blog Toby Bluth, PT, DPT, shares the best answer to hopefully help you clear up some facts about these supplements and joint pain. Keep reading for more!

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Can physical therapy help my knee pain before surgery?

Can physical therapy help my knee pain before surgery?

You’ve dealt with it for years. You’ve tried injections, braces, and altering your activity but nothing seems to help anymore. It’s finally time to do it – you’ve decided a knee joint replacement is in order. Before going under the knife, however, there are a few things you should know! Today one of our physical therapists, Tyler Bluth, MPT, is sharing some key information that everyone should know prior to going in for his/her knee surgery.

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