Wednesday January 18, 2012
Once again, another study has been published examining hip strength in females with patellofemoral pain (PFP). The study by Khayambashi, et al is published in the January 2012 issue of the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy.
The researchers recruited 28 females with PFP and randomly assigned them to an exercise group or control group. The exercise group performed hip abductor and hip external rotator strengthening exercises 3 times per week for 8 weeks. The control group was instructed to take 1000 mg of Omega-3 and 400 mg of calcium as a placebo. Both groups were allowed to take pain medication or anti-inflammatory medication as needed.
Outcomes measures included pain, health status and hip strength. Assessments were made at baseline, at 8 weeks post-intervention, and at 6 months post-intervention.
The results indicate significant changes in pain, strength, and health status in the exercise group as compared to the control group after 8 weeks. The exercise group maintained gains at the 6 month follow up period. No person dropped out of the study, and no detrimental effects were reported in either group.
This study supports the growing body of evidence that hip strength, particularly the hip abductors and external rotators, plays a major role in PFP. It is thought that these muscle groups help stabilize the thigh bone and don't allow the thigh bone to rotate internally. Internal rotation of the thigh is thought to change the forces around the knee cap and cause the pain associated with PFP.
If you are having knee pain, a visit to your physical therapist may be in order to help determine the cause of the problem. While some focus should be placed on the knee, be sure that your PT checks out the strength of your hips. The evidence indicates that hip weakness could be the culprit.
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Wednesday January 18, 2012
The Home Depot is known for offering free workshops for customers to improve their homes. One of the workshops offered this month teaches people how to improve the safety of their bathrooms. Participants can learn about bathroom safety items, learn how to install chair height toilet seats, and learn how to install safety grab bars.
Falls can be a scary experience and can lead to serious injury. By learning how to keep your house in tip-top shape and your bathroom safe, you may be able to prevent falls.
More information about the Home Depot Workshop can be found at www.homedepot.com/workshops.
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Tuesday January 17, 2012
"A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life." Muhammad Ali
Today is the 70th birthday celebration of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. Although he is best known for his flashy style, trash talking poetry and knockout punches, in the physical therapy arena he is one of the celebrity faces of Parkinson's disease.
While watching a televised interview of Ali earlier today, I could notice the difficulty with speaking, the loss of motor control, and the tremors that are typical symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
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Thursday January 12, 2012
One of my favorite things about being a physical therapist is the opportunity to interact with so many different people on a daily basis. I love working with my patients to help them feel better and function better. And I love talking with my patients, chatting it up with them to learn who they are, where they are from, and what they hope to do. Each patient comes in to the clinic with different expectations, different motivations, and different hopes and dreams.
Ah, dreams. Those tiny morsels tucked away in our minds that keep us moving in a forward direction. Today I treated ten patients; ten people with ten different dreams. Some dream to be free from pain. Some dream to run faster or longer. Some dream for their foot to work better or for their shoulder to stop hurting. Some dream to live on a boat...
That's right. Live on a boat. I have a patient who I have treated for various ailments in the past who wanted to live on a boat. I treated her husband and her daughter as well in physical therapy, and the story was always the same: "We dream of moving to Florida to live on a boat."
Now I get the opportunity to treat a lot of patients and I have heard a lot of pipe dreams and big ideas. I once had a patient who wanted to live "off the grid." Many of my patients dreamed of playing professional sports. Some dreamed of opening a business or curing cancer.
And one family dreamed of living on a boat.
Well, I got a call last week from my patient. She and her husband bought a sailboat. They are moving to Florida to live on a boat. She wanted to stop by and say farewell. (She dropped off some pumpkin bread too!) They are living proof that dreams do come true. Bon voyage, old friends!
