The wait and see approach is often utilized by primary care physicians in the management of musculoskeletal conditions. The underlying idea behind this approach is the improvement of symptoms over time, natural history, of these conditions. The error in this treatment method is the patient has already tried the wait and see approach, and a...
Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder in the United States and commonly affects spinal and extremity joints during the aging process. Researchers estimate 1 in 10 older adults over 60 y.o. currently experience symptomatic knee arthritis. This condition leads to joint pain and a loss of daily, occupational, and recreational function. Patient’s often describe...
In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we still hear old wives tales on the harmful effects of exercise in patient’s with knee arthritis. For example, patients should avoid running to prevent worsening of their knee arthritis despite significant medical evidence to the contrary. Many of these theories are based in an outdated “wear and tear”...
Imaging technologies, including MRI, continue to improve providing valuable insight into the human body. These advancements have made MRI scans extremely sensitive to identifying tissue pathology and the presence of disease within the body. In the musculoskeletal system, the MRI’s sensitivity reduces its’ ability to specifically detect symptomatic vs. asymptomatic pathology. For example, after age...
Knee arthritis will affect many older adults limiting their ability to participate in their daily, occupational, and recreational activities. Lost independence and function is one of the most common concerns among patients with knee arthritis who are treated in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice. In addition to manual therapy to the involved joints, exercise remains...
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, pain under the knee cap, is the most common diagnosis of knee pain affecting both sedentary and active individuals. Muscle weakness in the hip and knee are often present in individuals with this diagnosis, but a cause and effect relationship between strength and knee pain has been difficult to established. In short,...
Knee osteoarthritis is a common and increasing diagnosis that is contributing to an rapid rise in total knee arthroplasty surgery in the United States. Knee Osteoarthritis leads to disability in greater than 10% of those over 55 years, however manual therapy and exercise has shown to be twice as successful compared to a home exercise...
Knee arthritis is most effectively treated in its’ early stages with Physical Therapy including manual therapy and exercise interventions. These interventions have been shown to reduce pain and disability, as well as, prevent or post pone the need for future knee surgery. In later stages of disease progression, knee arthritis is most effectively treated with...
Knee arthritis is a common diagnosis affecting both sedentary and active middle to older age adults. Patients presenting to our Boulder and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics frequently report knee stiffness, pain, lost mobility, and weakness affecting both their daily and recreational activities. Physical Therapy including manual therapy and exercise remains the gold standard of treatment...
Manual therapy and exercise remain the key conservative treatment interventions for patients with knee arthritis. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we successfully treat knee pain and lost function associated with knee arthritis. In some individuals conservative interventions are not enough to improve function and they may elect to undergo a...
