knee replacement surgery

Surgery versus PT: What You Need to Know

/in , , , /by

“I have to get surgery for my torn meniscus. I’m going to be out of commission for a while.”

“My back problems have gotten so bad that my doctor says I need surgery to repair the herniated disk.”

“The MRI doesn’t look so good. Hopefully surgery will be a quick fix.”

Sound familiar? Most of us know someone who has been told that they needed surgery for a knee or back issue – or have received that disheartening news ourselves. A herniated disk is one of the most prevalent back problems in adults, and is often treated with lumbar discectomy as the first option. The goal of this surgery is to remove the herniated portion of the disc from the patient’s back, releasing pressure on surrounding nerves and muscles. The goal is for the patient to be able to live without pain post-surgery, but this process usually involves lots of medication and prolonged periods of rest. Another common injury that frequently leads to surgery is a meniscus tear. Your meniscus stabilizes and cushions the knee joint. A tear would be viewed easily on an MRI, which can cause many doctors to immediately prescribe surgery. Following that type of surgery, you would probably spend about two weeks with your leg completely immobilized. Then you would be introduced to a rehabilitation plan that included physical therapy – not to recover from the original injury to your knee, but to recover from the surgery that supposedly fixed it.

Surgery, in the right circumstances, can be extremely beneficial. But unfortunately, it is over-prescribed and often unnecessary, especially for individuals with back and knee pain. Seeing a herniated disc or torn meniscus on the MRI screen may trigger an automatic prescription of surgery and medication- but these “quick fixes” may not be your safest or most helpful options. In fact, MRIs can produce false positives and lead to invasive surgeries for specific injuries that didn’t even exist in the first place. MRIs are a useful tool, but their readings should always be taken with a grain of salt. When given the opportunity, your body will do its best to heal itself. Why not try careful, guided exercise and strength-building before you submit to incisions and long, medicated recoveries?

This is where physical therapy comes in. Consider working with a specialist physical therapist to address your specific injury or pain- someone who doesn’t just prescribe exercise and passive modalities, but genuinely wants to help you recover in a natural and low-risk manner. A specialist physical therapist will carefully listen to your history, analyze your symptoms, come up with a customized plan of action, and problem-solve WITH you versus trying to solve the problem FOR you. One of the primary goals of our practice is to use guided, natural movement to help your body recover to full strength and health based on your own individual needs. Pilates-based rehabilitation is also a uniquely tailored approach to recovery that can make a huge difference. Most knee, back, and other injuries occur because the surrounding muscles are too weak to support those joints and systems properly. You may think that your regular exercise and stretching is enough, but working specific muscle groups can leave others underdeveloped and makes your body unbalanced as a whole. Pilates is a full body workout that starts from your core and balances you both mentally and physically! It won’t create further damage to any injuries because it’s so low impact, and working with a professional will allow you to customize your session to your own individual needs.

Do you live in the Seacoast area and want to learn more about why surgery shouldn’t be your first – let alone ONLY – option for recovery? Click here to get in touch, ask questions, and schedule an appointment. If you’re struggling with back pain, you can even download our FREE report on five easy ways to get rid of back pain WITHOUT surgery! And don’t forget to browse our selection of Pilates classes located right here in Portsmouth.

Five Ways to Keep Your Back from Going Out this Holiday Season

/in /by

The holiday season is supposed to be a joyful, relaxing time, but the reality is that sometimes it’s much more stressful than we’d like. Between family gatherings, shopping, travel, and the disruption of your normal routine, it can be easy for your back to suffer. Here are our tips for staying pain-free this holiday season!

1. Don’t Sit or Stand Too Long

Experts agree that a sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to overall health and well-being. Staying still for too long will make you stiff and could eventually lead to muscle spasms and cause injury. Take time during those long family meals to get up and walk around.  Too much sitting, in particular, has become widely known to cause problems with your back and eventually lead to debilitating episodes.  Read more about that here.

2. Minimize Stress

A stressed mind inevitably leads to a stressed body. When you’re experiencing stress, your muscles tense, especially in your neck and back. It also leads to more “stress hormones” flowing through your body (known as cortisol) which can result in muscle soreness and pain. There are several easy ways to decrease stress without avoiding those important family activities and shopping trips! You can start with simple gratitude exercises. Making your first words of the day a statement of gratitude can make a huge difference in your perspective and how you approach the day. Writing these “gratitudes” down and collecting them is also an awesome way to stay mindful of what’s important to you, and can help you let go of the things that are bothering you. Positive thinking and deep, measured breaths throughout the day’s activities could be the best gift you give yourself this holiday season!

3. Watch Your Posture

Be mindful of your posture and body mechanics while wrapping presents, lifting them in and out of the car, and decorating the tree. All of this bending and lifting can take a big toll on your back. Many people throw out their backs lifting because they aren’t using a safe technique to do so, or they don’t know how to properly engage their core muscles. It’s important to lift with your legs, not with your back, and to NEVER hold your breath. Otherwise you could do significant damage over time to the muscles and connective tissue in your spine, thus limiting your mobility, causing pain and discomfort, and increasing the chances you will “throw your back out”.

4. Make Time to Move

The holiday season can be incredibly busy, but it’s important to give yourself time to move. Taking a group walk outside is a good way to spend time with family and friends while still staying active and healthy. There are also plenty of simple in home exercises you can spread throughout your day. Five minutes of stretching or light exercise every couple hours will leave you way more relaxed, limber, and prevent back pain.

5. Travel Right

Many of us travel during the holidays, which can be a major stressor and lead to back pain. Whether you are traveling by car or plane, you will be sitting for long periods of time in a cramped space. It’s important to take frequent breaks in order to stretch your muscles and prevent joint stiffness. Even if you’re flying, you can get up and walk the length of the plane to the bathroom and back- enough to stretch out and get your blood flowing. In your seat, be mindful of your posture and be intentional about stretching your neck, arms, and ankles. Be sure to bring a blanket or dress in layers as well- planes are generally chillier than most people find comfortable, and cold air makes your muscles tense up. Staying warm will keep you relaxed and pain free!  You can also use your extra layers to throw behind your back to use as a make-shift lumbar roll or pillow.  Having something that acts like a lumbar support behind you while sitting minimizes the load on your spine.

We hope you take good care of your back this holiday season, but if you run into any trouble, give us a call at 603-380-7902 or send an email to [email protected]. You can learn more about all of our specialized Pilates programs that are specifically designed for back-pain sufferers here and stay in touch via Facebook for more helpful information just like this. We’re here to help!

Failed Knee Surgery

Considering Surgery? Read This First.

/in /by

“I have to get surgery for my torn meniscus. I’m going to be out of commission for a while.”

“My back problems have gotten so bad that my doctor says I need surgery to repair the herniated disk.”

“The MRI doesn’t look so good. Hopefully the surgery will be a quick fix.”

Sound familiar? Most of us know someone who has been told that they needed surgery for a knee or back issue – or have received that disheartening news ourselves. A herniated disk is one of the most prevalent back problems in adults, and is often treated with lumbar discectomy as the first option. The goal of this surgery is to remove the herniated portion of the disc from the patient’s back, releasing pressure on surrounding nerves and muscles. The other common injury that frequently leads to surgery is a meniscus tear. Your meniscus stabilizes and cushions the knee joint. A tear would be viewed easily on an MRI, in response to which many doctors would immediately prescribe surgery. Following the surgery, you would probably spend about two weeks with your leg completely immobilized. Then you would be introduced to a rehabilitation plan that included physical therapy – not to recover from your injured knee, but to recover from the surgery that supposedly fixed it.

Surgery, in the right circumstances, can be extremely beneficial. But unfortunately, it is over-prescribed and often unnecessary, especially for individuals with back and knee pain. Seeing a herniated disc or torn meniscus on the MRI screen may trigger an automatic prescription of surgery and medication- but these “quick fixes” may not be your safest or most helpful options. In fact, MRIs can produce false positives and lead to invasive surgeries for specific injuries that didn’t even exist in the first place. MRIs are a useful tool, but their readings should always be taken with a grain of salt. When given the opportunity, your body will do its best to heal itself. Why not try careful, guided exercise and strength-building before you submit to incisions and long, medicated recoveries?

This is where physical therapy comes in. Consider working with a specialist physical therapist to address your specific injury or pain- someone who doesn’t just prescribe exercise and passive modalities, but genuinely wants to help you recover in a natural and low-risk manner. A specialist physical therapist will carefully listen to your history, analyze your symptoms, come up with a customized plan of action, and problem-solve WITH you versus trying to solve the problem FOR you. Pilates-based rehabilitation is also a uniquely tailored approach to recovery that can make a huge difference. Most knee, back, and other injuries occur because the surrounding muscles are too weak to support those joints and systems properly. You may think that your regular exercise and stretching is enough, but oftentimes working specific muscle groups leaves others underdeveloped and leaves your body unbalanced as a whole. Pilates is a full body workout that starts from your core and balances you both mentally and physically! It won’t create further damage to any injuries because it’s so low impact, and working with a professional will allow you to customize your session to your own individual needs.

Do you live in the Seacoast area and want to learn more about why surgery shouldn’t be your first – let alone only – option for recovery? Check out my website here to get in touch, ask questions, and schedule an appointment. If you’re struggling with back pain, you can even download my free report on five easy ways to get rid of it WITHOUT surgery! And don’t forget to browse our selection of Pilates classes located right here in Portsmouth.

Aching Back? Here’s What the Billion Dollar Back Pain Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know.

/in /by

“Lumbar Degeneration” is the intimidating term for a sore and stiff lower back, usually caused by normal wear and tear on the spine. If you have lumbar degeneration, you may have been told that the cause of your pain is arthritis or just aging, and that your only option is to treat the symptoms and cope with the problem indefinitely. However, what many doctors won’t tell you is that there is a simple solution to back pain. It’s not surgery, it’s not drugs, and it’s not weekly sessions with a chiropractor for the rest of your life. On the contrary, it’s taking matters into your own hands and healing your body from the inside out.

Yes, that’s right. You can take matters into your own hands and heal your own body.

The author of the new book Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery says that after six years of searching to rectify her “degenerative disc disease,” the thing that finally brought her to recovery was intensive, directed exercise. She also notes that it can’t just be any exercise that you do on your own. You need to work with someone who understands the true nature of back pain who closely monitors and supervises you. She refers to this dedicated professional as a “back whisperer.”

This, of course, is one of the most basic definitions of physical therapy. It’s also something that can be achieved with even greater success through learning and practicing Pilates. Back problems often occur due to poor movement patterns and habits, and because of weakness in the glutes, thighs, and low back muscles. Once you learn what habits you needs to break and how to move in ways that won’t irritate your back, developing a strong core is the next and most essential step.

Pilates is the perfect full-body, core-strengthening exercise, and it’s so low impact that it doesn’t pose a threat to individuals with more severe back pain. Under the guidance of a certified and specially-trained professional, you can move at your own pace but also receive correction, advice, and be certain that you are performing the movements accurately. Pilates builds deep core strength from the inside out- not just in your abdominals, where most people focus, but also on the often neglected back muscles that support and protect your spine. It also lengthens your spine, improves posture, and is safe on joints. Back pain is a $100 billion a year industry because MRIs, injections, surgeries, and opioids are all easy to sell. Physical therapy and exercise systems like Pilates simply aren’t advertised- not because they’re ineffective, but because they’re inexpensive.  They aren’t the “quick-fix” you’ve been lead to believe exists and they give you the power to be in control of your own health long-term. That’s not something  the billion dollar back industry wants you to know about…

Is all of this sounding a little too familiar?

Here’s your opportunity to take charge of your own recovery and get back to a pain-free lifestyle. Check out our website here to request a FREE Discovery Session, or click here to get started with Pilates! We even offer a free Pilates “taster session” so that you can see firsthand why we love it so much.

Dry Needling: What it is, How it Works

/in /by

Getting to the Point with Dry Needling

Trigger Point Dry Needling (let’s face it the name sounds painful) is a procedure whereby very thin acupuncture needles are inserted under the skin into muscles that are in spasm.  The spasm causes the muscle to be in constant tension which reduces blood flow, decreases oxygen, and can produce fibrotic unhealthy tissue over time (scarring).

When I insert a dry needle into a knotted up muscle (the trigger point) it creates a local twitch reflex. Research shows that this not only relaxes the muscle, it breaks up the pain cycle by improving blood flow and oxygen to the muscle.  This whole process helps to reduce and normalize inflammation in the area to promote healing.“After two back surgeries in my 20s and a new hip at 58, I figured I was lucky just to be walking,” said my patient, John Decker.  “Dry needling has transformed the way I move. I’m more flexible. My walking stride has more length and I can stand longer.”

(woohoo! I love hearing this)

Does it Hurt?

For some it does. But Ashley Jane Kneeland described it in Everyday Health as “The Most Painful Thing I’ve Ever Loved.” Some say the twitching muscle caused by the needle is painful. Some say inserting the needle into the skin causes pain. Others feel no real pain at all.  The good news is that for many it is a wonderful healing tool that can be taken in very small steps to see if it works for you.

Is Dry Needling For You?

The easiest way to find out if dry needling is a good option for you is to talk to a physical therapist near you who is trained in this technique.  I don’t propose getting dry needling as a treatment all on its own.  I believe that it should be used in conjunction with other physical therapy techniques, like hands-on work and specialized, corrective exercises.  If you want to know more about dry needling or have specific questions please reach out!  I would be happy to answer them for you.

Have you every received dry needling before?  What was your experience?  Please share in the comments below.