After any knee surgery, the quadricep muscle group becomes difficult to contract and recruit. These inhibition or impairment is usually secondary to both knee pain and knee swelling. Weakness in the quadriceps can lead to pain, impaired leg function, and prevent a full return to life or sport after knee surgery. Physical Therapists often...
The lunge is a very common exercise to strength the lower quarter. I commonly use the exercise to address lower quarter weakness, motor control or coordination impairments, and conditioning needs. Often patients will experience knee pain, either in the forward or backward leg while performing the movement. Changing the alignment of the trunk, hip, or...
In a previous post, we detailed the latest research on the importance of ankle mobility on knee mechanics. During weight bearing the shin, tibia, must be able to move forward over the fixed ankle and foot. Without adequate ankle flexibility and shin moved over the foot to the inside placing the knee at risk of...
Knee arthritis is a common, costly condition affecting a large percentage of middle aged and older adults. Physical Therapy remains the gold standard of care for knee arthritis due to its’ ability to delay or prevent the need for a total knee replacement. One of the foundations of Physical Therapy care includes strength training for the...
Last year over 500,000 thousand arthroscopic knee surgeries (scopes) were performed in the Unites States making it one of the most common orthopedic surgical procedures. In a previous post we highlighted some of the evidence behind this surgery showing it is not superior to a sham or placebo surgery for degenerative meniscal tears. In addition,...
Running remains one of our country’s most popular forms of exercise. This is no more evident than here in Boulder where our citizens have been consistently voted one of the fittest cities in America. Runners of all ages can be seen exercising on our city’s paths, trails, and sidewalks. In our previous blog post we...
Patellofemoral pain, commonly referred to as runner’s knee, is one of the most common reasons patients seek care in Physical Therapy clinics. In short, the symptoms are caused by abnormal forces between the knee cap and thigh bone. The condition is effectively treated by Physical Therapy interventions including manual therapy, exercise, and gait retraining. The...
Foam Rolling is gaining in popularity due to its ability to accelerate recovery, treat sore and painful muscles, and improve flexibility. Within the leg, ankle stiffness or reduced flexibility is commonly found in the ankle. This loss of motion prevents the leg bones from properly moving over the foot during walking and running. These changes in...
Cycling is one of the most popular outdoor activities in Boulder. Cyclists we encounter in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice most commonly complain of pain on the front of their knee or anterior knee pain. Research shows 1 in 2 competitive cyclists have experienced this knee pain resulting in lost training and competitions in over...
Knee replacements are a common and effective solution for end state knee osteoarthritis. Post operative Physical Therapy helps accelerate the recovery from this surgery by reducing pain, improving range of motion and leg strength after this surgical procedure. Research questions remain regarding the optimal frequency and intensity of post operative Physical Therapy visits. A recent...
