Treat Your Pain at its Source with Physical Therapy
There are a multitude of reasons why you may be experiencing aches and pains in your hip or knee. In fact, hip and knee pain are some of the most common types of pain people deal with – they are some of the top pains listed on the Centers for Disease Control surveys of adults reporting joint pain.
From excess weight, to sports injuries, to rising age, to repetitive motion injuries, there are many ways that the hips and knees can develop uncomfortable symptoms. Regardless of the cause of your hip and/or knee pain, if you experience it regularly, physical therapy can help you manage it.
Many people use pain-management drugs such as anti-inflammatories to minimize their discomfort. However, these drugs do have potential side effects, so it would be a better bet to find a safer, natural way to relieve your pain. Physical therapy may be the solution you’ve been looking for!
Why pain management drugs are not ideal
If you have been prescribed pain relievers by your doctor, it is best to follow the advice of your doctor. However, you are welcome to discuss physical therapy with your doctor or one of our licensed physical therapists, as well.
If you find that your pain level has decreased through physical therapy, you can discuss reducing the use of your pain reliever so you can focus on natural treatments.
Physical therapy can treat persistent pains
It is likely that you will begin to notice pain relief while you are participating in your physical therapy treatments, but what about when you go home? Your physical therapist’s main goal is to heal your injuries or symptoms over the long term, so you can live a comfortable, pain-free life.
The various exercises and treatments that your physical therapist will prescribe will consistently work to improve your condition so that you experience less pain on a daily basis. As your body grows stronger and more mobile during your physical therapy treatments, you are likely to experience less persistent pain in your hips and knees.
How can physical therapy help me find relief?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, hip and knee pain are both commonly reported areas of discomfort across the United States.
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.
- Ice and heat 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.
Consult with a physical therapist today
Please contact Zoan Physical Therapy today to schedule an appointment to help relieve your hip and knee pains. We’ll help treat your pain at its source so you can enjoy long-term relief!