Request an appointment with a physical therapist today to find pain relief.
Hip and knee discomfort can be caused by a variety of factors, including excess weight, sports injuries, advanced age, and repetitive motion injuries.
Whatever the reason for your hip and/or knee pain, you must find a strategy to manage it if you are suffering it regularly!
Typically, people lean on anti-inflammatories and other drugs to alleviate pain. However, because these medications can have adverse side effects, it’s a good idea to look for different ways to ease your pain.
The good news is Empower Physical Therapy in AK’s physical therapy clinic could hold the solution you’ve been searching for. Call us today to learn more and schedule your appointment with one of our skilled therapists!
How can physical therapy help with hip and knee pain?
You may get pain relief when you are at the physical therapist and going through treatment, but what about when you go home?
Your physical therapist’s main purpose is to help you heal your injuries over time. The different workouts and therapies they utilize with you will gradually improve your condition, allowing you to live a life free of discomfort.
Your hips and knees are likely to become less painful as your body becomes stronger and more mobile.
What to expect with physical therapy treatment
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:
- Heat and ice therapy. Heat can help you move more freely by improving your mobility and reducing the amount of pain you’re experiencing. Ice can also be used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation in your hip and/or knee.
- Identify the causes of your hip and knee pain. Hip and knee discomfort can be caused by a variety of factors. A physical therapist can check your movement to see whether anything is contributing to your pain, such as bad posture, bad walking patterns, or bad job movement patterns. Physical therapists can inform you how to fix these problems once they’ve been identified.
- Ultrasound therapy. Physical therapists utilize ultrasound to apply heat deeper in your soft tissues to relieve pain. The heat helps promote circulation and aid in healing, which might help you feel less pain on a daily basis.
- 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.
- 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 guide you through exercises to enhance your mobility and flexibility, allowing you to move your limbs and joints through the full range of motion that your body and circumstances allow.
Evidence supporting physical therapy for hip and knee pain
Physical therapy has been proven as one of the most effective treatment methods for knee and hip injuries. This has been demonstrated through several research-based studies, including a 2014 study published by the Journal of American Medical Association.
The study, titled “Effect of a Home-Based Exercise Program on Functional Recovery Following Rehabilitation After Hip Fracture,” focuses on the benefits of exercise programs for those recovering from hip fractures. In this study, patients were split into two groups.
The intervention group received “functionally oriented exercises (such as standing from a chair, climbing a step) taught by a physical therapist and performed independently by the participants in their homes for six months,” while the other group simply received education on cardiovascular nutrition and recovery.
Results from this study concluded that those participating in the in-home physical therapy exercise programs demonstrated “modest improvement in physical function at six months after randomization.”
Our licensed physical therapists are movement experts. They will analyze how you walk in order to determine any abnormalities and to pinpoint stiff or weak muscles. By pinpointing the exact areas of your body that are not moving as they should, they are able to create a treatment plan that will improve your strength, coordination, and overall mobility.
Request an appointment with us today!
Restoring normal motion is a key aspect to alleviating pain and allowing you to safely partake in the activities you love. Our dedicated team can help you walk, run, and play better. With our motion analysis, strength testing, coordination testing, and more, we can spot your muscles and joints that are in need of treatment.
Your treatment plan will be individualized, based on your specific needs, in order to help you reach your optimum function with the least amount of effort.
Please contact us today to schedule an appointment with a physical therapist for your hip and knee pain. We are standing by to assist you!
