Three Activities to Reduce Knee Pain: Dr. Grace Walker Elaborates

Dr. Grace Walker, physical and occupational therapist, shares three tips to reduce knee pain. Did you know that knee stability has many factors, not only related to the strength of the immediate area, but the surrounding areas as well? These three areas of focus will give you the foundation that you need to reduce knee pain.

• Strengthen your gluteus maximum
• Research has shown that when larger hip muscles are weak, the potential for knee injury is higher. Many people lack the foundational muscle structure above the knee which directly supports lower extremity movement. The outcome of this weakness causes the pelvis to drop and the femur to fall inward.
• Stretch lower extremity (hip and leg) muscles
• When gluteal (butt) muscles become smaller for lack of exercise, the hamstrings and inner thigh muscles need to work harder to offset the lack of strength.
• Strengthen you core muscles
• Strong abdominal muscles help keep your back in a natural position. This places the lower extremities, specifically the knees, in the best position for movement.

See the second part of this article on our Wordpress blog, "Dr. Grace Walker shares two lifestyle tips to reduce knee pain"

At Walker Physical Therapy and Pain Center, we have the ability to help address potential variables that may be causing knee pain. We can help to identify areas of weakness and adapt exercise programs to help overcome knee pain. We look at the "bigger picture" when treating knee pain to provide perspective as to one might be experiencing strain on their knees, but also in the hips, ankles and even a weak "Core". We also look at our patients Body Mass Index as well as the daily activities demand.

We come up with personalized programs for each patient to provide results in a fun and healing environment. Call Walker Physical Therapy & Pain Center to schedule an appointment with an expert and caring physical therapist!

1111 W. Town and Country Rd. Ste. 1
Orange, CA92868

Phone: 714-997-5518



References: Rowe.

N Am J Sports Phys Ther. 2007 Aug; 2(3): 164–169. PMCID: PMC2953297. Hip Strength and Knee Pain in Females

Pregnancy and back pain: Dr. Grace Walker discusses how Physical Therapy can help.

According to Grace Walker, physical and occupational therapist, pregnancy and lower back pain often go hand in hand. Due to the increase in pregnancies in women over the age of 35, it has become more difficult for women to stay physically active in their day to day lives. This decreased activity combined with a sedentary lifestyle, as well as many other factors, often make pregnancy a guarantee of back pain.

At Walker Physical Therapy & Pain Center, our team of expert, hands-on physical therapists will help you develop a personalized solution for your pregnancy back pain, and get you on track for a back pain free pregnancy term.

-DO pull your belly into your spine and breathe.

-DON’T bend at the waist, squat instead.

-DON’T twist while holding something in your arms.

-DON’T sleep on your back.

Physical Therapy helps relieve lower back pain during pregnancy through strengthening exercises to help support back and legs and stretching exercises for muscle flexibility to help with a smoother delivery. We also offer new, innovative Kinesiotaping methods to provide stabilization to venerable muscle groups! Check with your doctor to see if you can benefit from these and more.

Success Story:  “I have had back spasms due to pregnancy.  The relief I have received has been fantastic.  The staff at Walker Physical Therapy is such a fantastic team!  I feel that they have really listened to my problem, have been very thorough in evaluating the source of the problem, and came up with an effective remedy.  I have experienced great relief. The team members have been very courteous and attentive.  This is my third experience with physical therapy and by far Walker Physical Therapy has been the best!  I would highly recommend this practice to anyone I come across needing physical therapy.”       

  ~J. Murrie

Call our office at (714) 997-5518 if you would like to discuss our program in detail.

Grace L. Walker

D.P.T., P.T., O.T.R./L., C.N.

1111 W. Town and Country Rd., Suite 1

Orange, CA 92868

Phone: (714) 997-5518

Fax: (949) 313-1749

Knee Pain: Recent study compares physical therapy with surgery; New England Journal of Medicine

Grace Walker, physical & occupational therapist and nutritionist finds interest in the recent study published online March 19, 2013 by the New England Journal of Medicine that randomly assigned patients with knee pain from meniscal tears and arthritis to be treated with surgery or physical therapy. Guess what they found? At both 6 and 12 months later, both groups showed the same amount of improvement in pain reduction and movement. Yes that's right! Physical therapy was just as effective as surgery!

At Walker Physical Therapy and Pain Center, we design an effective program for each individual. We look at the "whole person" when treating knee pain to provide insights as to why each individual is experiencing excess strain on the knees, instead of just a quick fix! It may be that there is a loss of strength and flexibility not only in the knees, but also in the hips, ankles, and even a weak "Core". We also look at our patients BMI and then look at the daily activities demand. We also have therapist who specialize in Kinesiotape; a new, ground-breaking technique to add support to affected areas immediately.

From seven-figure professional athletes to weekend warriors, to people over the age of 40, knee pain can result and you may benefit from our expert therapist is knee pain relief.

We develop personalized programs for each patient to provide results in a fun and healing environment.

Call Walker Physical Therapy & Pain Clinic to schedule an appointment with an expert physical therapist!

Call our office at (714) 997-5518 if you would like to discuss our program in detail


Warmly,

Grace L. Walker, P.T.

(714) 997-5518
1111 W. Town & Country Rd. Ste. 1
Orange, CA 92868

Do's and Don'ts for TMJ & Jaw Pain

Grace Walker, physical & occupational therapist and nutritionist says: "We are physical therapy experts in providing effective TMJ & Jaw pain relief."

Here is what you should and shouldn't do if you have jaw pain:

• DO use hot pack or ice pack before bed
• DO use chin under fist when yawning or coughing
• DO use correct posture
• DON'T chew gum, ice, or tough, crunchy foods like steak
• DON'T rest your chin/cheek in the palm of your hand when sitting or lying on one side
• DON'T eat, read, or watch TV in bed
• DON'T clench your teeth when tense, jogging, or sleeping etc.
• DON'T lick your teeth with your tongue, bite your nails or lips, lick your lips, or bite or suck your cheeks
• DON'T talk or sing for prolonged periods of time

Call Walker Physical Therapy & Pain Center to schedule an appointment with an EXPERT physical therapist.

714-997-5518
1111 W. Town & Country Rd. Ste. 1
Orange, CA 92868

Physical Therapy is Necessary in Sports Injury Recovery

 

Grace Walker, physical & occupational therapist and nutritionist agrees with author Darice Britt from South University who states that rehabilitation of an injured athlete should be carefully evaluated and monitored on a daily basis.

 

Physical therapists carefully examine the injured athlete to determine whether there are weak or inflexible muscles in the body that could cause future injury. They are trained to target specific joints and muscles in the body through exercise, manual therapy, and pressure point release techniques that help rebuild strength and movement of the body after injury.
 

Since injuries are time-dependent, the normal healing process follows a pattern of acute phase, subacute phase, and chronic phase.

“Each phase dictates a different treatment approach and it is the physical therapist’s responsibility to accurately diagnose which phase and what treatment the patient should receive"  Says Apostolos Theophilou, DPT, clinical coordinator of the Physical Therapist Assisting program at South University 

Theophilou also says:

“Through the years, therapists have been successfully able to log the ‘steps’ for each phase, thus now we have collective treatment protocols that have a complete analysis of what activities and treatments the athlete should be receiving based on his current phase”

Call Walker Physical Therapy & Pain Center to schedule an appointment with an expert physical therapist!

To read the full article, click here

714-997-5518
1111 W. Town & Country Rd. Ste. 1
Orange, CA 92868

Get treatment after work injury or auto accident

Grace Walker, physical & occupational therapist and nutritionist says "Begin treatment Immediately after an accident and start getting some FAST relief!"

It doesn't matter if you have insurance or not, we will work directly with your attorney, at fault party or your insurance company. Typically, there is no cost to you.

We see a variety of the following types of cases:

• Auto accidents whether you are at fault or not. If not at fault, call for a free screen.
• Work injuries
• Chronic pain from an old accident

We work as a Team with Good, Ethical Attorneys and we can refer you if needed!

Call Walker Physical Therapy & Pain Center to schedule your first consultation with an expert physical therapist.

714-997-5518
1111 W. Town & Country Rd. Ste.1
Orange, CA 92868

Yes, physical therapy CAN help your arthritis pain!

Some people think that since arthritis is a condition that stems from degeneration and aging, it cannot be helped by physical therapy.

The truth is that although the pain is chronic and caused by irreversible factors, that same pain CAN be changed through physical therapy. Research shows us these findings:

• One study compared patients with knee osteoarthritis who were treated in therapy with both manual techniques (stretching and knee mobilizations) and with exercises versus people who just did exercises at home. The patients who went to therapy had twice the pain relief and improvement of function compared to the people who did exercises on their own. This relief lasted when they were rechecked a year later!

• Another study compared patients with hip osteoarthritis who were all treated by physical therapists. Half of the patients received manual therapy (stretching and mobilizations techniques to the hip) and half did exercises for the hip only. The patients who had their therapists performing manual therapy on them showed better improvements with pain, stiffness, motion, and function compared to those with exercises only. The improvements with the manual therapy group were still better 29 weeks later when rechecked!

 

From Physical therapy treatment effectiveness for osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized comparison of supervised clinical exercise and manual therapy procedures versus a home exercise program & Comparison of manual therapy and exercise therapy in osteoarthritis of the hip: a randomized clinical trial.

Call Walker Physical Therapy & Pain Center to schedule an appointment with an
expert physical therapist!

714-997-5518
1111 W. Town & Country Rd. Ste. 1
Orange, Ca 92868