You want to keep these two important joints in tip-top shape. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a high-performance athlete, avid sportsman, weekend warrior, casual exerciser or couch potato. Because this joint is deep and complex, none is immune from harm. Every year, almost 15 million Americans seek medical help for a knee injury, and many use physical therapy during their recovery.
The Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Center’s state-of-the-art facility gives us the tools to provide every type of physical therapy to our patients with the utmost precision. We combine our knowledge of traditional methods with advanced technology to get the best results.
Though there are never guarantees, you can lower your chances of harming your knees by following these suggestions.
Pay attention to pain. Your body is warning you that something is amiss. Intermittent aches come and go, but when discomfort puts a kibosh on your normal activities, get it evaluated.
Keep off extra weight. One pound of body weight puts five pounds of force on a knee, so think how 10 extra pounds can overload it. Extra pounds also up your knees’ susceptibility to osteoarthritis, which wears down their cushioning cartilage.
Be nice to each knee’s ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). It’s unusually vulnerable to rupturing because so many popular sports—basketball, football, soccer, racquet sports, volleyball—require sudden jumps, twists and cuts.
Don’t overdo it. An abrupt escalation in the concentration and/or time length of exercise can instigate repetitive strain. Fitness gains come from working your body hard and then following it with a period of recovery. Intense workouts every day aren’t effective and can make a knee come down with pain in its kneecap and tendonitis. It’s important to perform stretching exercises before and after physical activity.
Build up the muscles that support your knees. Strong muscles around the kneecap, hip and pelvis keep the knee stable and balanced by providing support by absorbing some of the stress on the joint.
At the office of The Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Center, we pride ourselves on our sophisticated approaches. Our main focus, however, is to always ensure that all of our patients feel cared for and comfortable. For more information about how we can help you, please call us for an appointment.