Farnsworth Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Orthopedic Physical Therapy

pain

It’s Hip to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

by

When you have chronic pain, you tend to have a hard time getting a good night’s sleep. Pain and discomfort can distract you from falling asleep or keep you from falling into a deep sleep, when every little movement causes a flare-up with your pain. If you struggle with hip pain, then you may have difficulty finding a comfortable position to rest in because of the pressure and strain on your hip joints. When you are unable to sleep well, it can also make it difficult to heal after an injury or condition that is hurting you.

What Causes It?

Sciatica

The sciatic nerve is located at the base of your spine and travels throughout your hips, buttocks, and legs. When the sciatic nerve is aggravated or injured, it can cause a specific type of discomfort and pain in your lower back and lower half of your body known as sciatica. Some causes of sciatica are caused by a herniated disc in your lower back or spinal stenosis.  You may notice that certain movements or positions can make the pain worse. Common symptoms of sciatica pain include tingling, weakness, and numbness, most commonly in just one of your legs.

Tendonitis

This refers to inflammation that affects tendons that connect muscle and bone. If you develop inflammation of a tendon in your hip, you might experience pain and discomfort with even the smallest of movements. Irritation and inflammation of tendons can lead to muscle tightness, tenderness, pain, and weakness in the area. Tendinitis is common in people who do sports with repetitive hip and leg movements, like running, swimming, and cycling.

Hip Bursitis

All of your joints have fluid-filled sacs that offer support to your joints. These fluid-filled sacs are known as bursae and if one of these becomes inflamed in your hip joint, then you might be diagnosed with hip bursitis. This condition is most often caused by repetitive movements that put strain and stress on the joints, leading to inflammation. If you have hip bursitis, your hip may feel achy and stiff, and you might feel pain with certain movements. Hip bursitis can also lead to sharp, shooting pains and swelling and redness in the area.

 

What to Do At Home

If you experience hip pain when sleeping, the first thing you might try to do is readjust your sleeping position.

Sleep on Your Side

One side may be more comfortable than the other, but side sleeping is a great position for relieving sciatica pain. You can even use pillows to help keep a natural separation between your knees and better support your lower back.

Try Sleeping on Your Back

Sleeping on your back might work best for you, but it may require a bit of trial and error. Try putting a pillow (or two) under your knees to relieve some pain. If that doesn’t work or you’re still uncomfortable, try a pillow or rolled-up towel under your lower back too.

Use Some Extra Pillows

Sometimes a pillow between your knees or under your back can make all the difference. You might want a body pillow or several extra pillows to help you get even more comfortable and maintain your pain-free position throughout the night.

You can also try taking a warm bath or icing the area before going to bed. This can help reduce inflammation in the area while also providing some pain relief. Also be sure to follow good sleep habits, like reducing screen time before bed, avoiding caffeine, and keeping your room at a good temperature. Additionally, you should ask your physical therapist about helpful stretches and exercises to try before bed that can help stretch out muscles that have gotten tight and stiff.

How can we help?

Our physical therapists can help provide you with tips and tricks to relieve hip pain while you sleep. This may include stretches and exercises to improve your strength and flexibility in that area. The supportive muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues that support your hip joint need to be strong and flexible in order to work properly and not cause pain. Your physical therapist can also teach you about foam rollers as well as stretches and exercises to do before and after workouts. Performing certain movements and stretches can also reduce pain if you sit or stand for long periods of time at your job.

If you are suffering from pain in your hips and it’s keeping you up at night, come in and see us at one of our offices.  We can get you back to sawing logs in peace.

 

FOOSH!

by

Fall On Outstretched Hand

Have you ever seen someone fall or had a fall yourself? Typically when you fall, you attempt to use your arm to brace and break the fall. This is your body’s natural reaction. However, it can lead to other complications of the wrist and hand. One of the most common injuries following a FOOSH (Fall On Outstretched Hand) injury is a scaphoid fracture. The scaphoid is one of the small bones in your wrist which sits on the thumb side of the hand. The term scaphoid comes from the Greek work “boat” as the bone can resemble a small boat because of the curved shape it possesses. A scaphoid fracture can occur in people of all ages, as falls can happen at any age.

(A greek cat in her “small boat”)

 

Treatment

The scaphoid has a unique blood flow compared to other bones in the body making it a bit more complicated to treat and heal. Most fractures can heal within about 6-8 weeks, but because of the blood flow, it usually takes at least 12 weeks to heal properly. Often, a scaphoid fracture is treated initially with casting of the hand and wrist for about 4-6 weeks. At that time, patients are usually sent to physical therapy in order to further progress blood flow to the area, as well as restore the normal motion of the wrist and hand.. It is essential to restore your normal range of motion and strength to prevent further complications down the road. Rarely, if casting is not effective or there is displacement in the fracture, surgery can be necessary. However, casting the wrist and physical therapy to follow is usually sufficient during treatment.

Come In for Help

With physical therapy being such an integral part of recovery for a scaphoid fracture, either before or after casting of the arm, it is important to help restore the normal motion and strength of the hand and elbow. If you feel that you have an issue with your wrist or have had a recent scaphoid fracture, feel free to contact our office to see how we can help you.

 

Written by Casey Badder PT

What’s worse? Sitting or Smoking?

by

What is worse?

It’s a popular saying these days that sitting is worse for you than smoking. The truth is that sitting too much, or lack of movement does have very serious health effects. Sitting too much can be bad for your health. But, the problem is being sedentary, not the act of sitting itself. The best thing to do is to aim to reduce the number of hours you spend each day being sedentary. This could be when you are sitting, lying down, or standing. The more time you are required to be sedentary, the more you should do physical activities to balance it out. Changing positions during your day and building in frequent breaks from sedentary positions is very helpful. Keeping a good posture when you sit helps to reduce excessive stress on your tissues. Overall, movement and physical activity are the best tools to reduce your risk of health risks associated with sitting.

What to Do

While you should minimize prolonged periods spent sitting, it is unreasonable to remove it from your day entirely. Therefore, you want to ensure when you are in a seated postion, you are doing so in the best posture that you can. If you are having pain with sitting (or standing) at work, come see us at our physical therapy office. There is no “perfect” posture, but there are ideal postures given your individual anatomical structure. Below are guidelines to get you started on a general good posture when you sit:

  • Keep your hips and knees at 90 degrees.
  • Your spine should be in a neutral position. No slouching.
  • Most of your thighs should be supported by your chair, but not all the way to your knee.
  • Keep you head stacked in line with your torso, no hunching over.

(Not proper posture)

Sitting Has Betrayed Us

Doing it too much can actually get you injured.  It’s sad but true.  Sitting has betrayed us. There are many injuries that can be due to sitting for too long or too often. Some of the most common areas of pain and injuries of this type are:

  • Spinal pain: lower back (lumbar), mid back (thoracic), and neck (cervical)
  • Shoulder pain
  • Hip pain
  • Wrist/arm pain (for example: carpal tunnel or “tennis elbow”)

What can you do to avoid sitting (or standing around) too much?

One of the most important ways to avoid work related postural pain with desk jobs is to reduce the amount of time you are staying in the same position. A good goal is that periods of being sedentary (whether static sitting or standing) are only 30-60 minutes at a time. That means trying to do some active movement for 1-5 minutes at least once an hour. Setting a timer to remind you to move can help. Many activity trackers have settings that will remind you to move at this frequency. There are also apps you can download on your phone to give you reminders. This break from sitting can be as simple as going to the restroom or getting a drink of water. It’s even better if you can take a longer walking lap around your office or climbing up and down the stairs.

Ask yourself about whether there are work tasks that can be accomplished while moving. Using talk-to-text apps you can dictate emails while on a walk and often can take conference calls as well. If you can, take a longer walking or stretching break during lunch. Even briskly walking for 20-30 minutes each day during your lunch break can make a huge difference that you will notice.

Patty Cake Patty Cake Baker’s Cyst

by

What is it?

A Baker’s cyst is a fluid-filled cyst that causes a bulge and a feeling of tightness behind your knee. The pain increases when you fully flex or extend your knee or with increased activity.

A Baker’s cyst, also called a popliteal cyst, is usually the result of a problem with your knee joint. It can be caused by such problems as arthritis or a cartilage tear. Both conditions can cause your knee to produce too much fluid, which can lead to a Baker’s cyst.

Although you may experience swelling and it may make you uncomfortable, treating the probable underlying problem usually provides relief.

Symptoms

In some cases, this issue causes no pain, and you may not notice it. If you do have signs and symptoms, they might include:

  • Swelling behind your knee, and sometimes in your leg
  • Knee pain
  • Stiffness and inability to fully flex the knee

Your symptoms may be worse with increased activity and prolonged standing. And if they don’t improve with a kiss, it’s a strong sign.

 

When to seek help

If you have pain and swelling behind your knee, see your physical therapist.  Though unlikely, a bulge behind your knee may be a sign of a condition more serious than a fluid-filled cyst.

 

Causes

A lubricating fluid called synovial fluid helps your knee flex and extend smoothly by reducing friction between the moving parts of your knee.

The knee can produce too much synovial fluid, resulting in buildup of fluid in an area on the back of your knee (popliteal bursa), causing a Baker’s cyst. This can happen because of:

  • Inflammation of the knee joint, such as occurs with various types of arthritis
  • A knee injury, such as a cartilage tear

If you think you may be suffering from a Baker’s cyst, come in and see our therapists and we can get you on the mend ASAP.

 

Written by Clint Bunker PT

Deep Vein Thrombosis

by

DVT

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is caused by a blood clot (thrombus) forming in one or more of the deep veins in your body, most commonly in your legs. Deep vein thrombosis can cause swelling and/or pain, but also can occur without any symptoms.

Certain medical conditions that affect how your blood clots can make you more susceptible to getting a DVT. A blood clot in your legs can also happen if you don’t move for a long time, such as after you have surgery or an accident, when you’re traveling a long distance, or when you’re on bed rest.

Deep vein thrombosis can be very serious because blood clots in your veins can break loose, travel through your bloodstream and get stuck in your lungs, blocking blood flow (pulmonary embolism). However, pulmonary embolism can occur with no evidence of DVT.

When DVT and pulmonary embolism occur together, it’s called venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Symptoms

DVT signs and symptoms can include:

  • Swelling in the affected leg. Rarely, there’s swelling in both legs.
  • Pain in your leg. The pain often starts in your calf and can feel like cramping or soreness.
  • Red or discolored skin on the leg.
  • A feeling of warmth in the affected leg.

Deep vein thrombosis can occur without noticeable symptoms.

Prevention

Measures to prevent deep vein thrombosis include the following:

  • Keep Moving! If you have had surgery or have been on bed rest for other reasons, try to get moving as soon as possible. If you’re sitting for a while, don’t cross your legs, which can block blood flow. If you’re traveling a long distance by car, stop every hour or so and walk around.
  • If you’re on a plane, stand or walk occasionally. If you can’t do that, exercise your lower legs. Try raising and lowering your heels while keeping your toes on the floor, then raising your toes with your heels on the floor.
  • Don’t smoke. Smoking increases your risk of getting DVT.
  • Exercise and manage your weight. Obesity is a risk factor for DVT. Regular exercise lowers your risk of blood clots, which is especially important for people who sit a lot or travel frequently.

Don’t smoke and end up like Kramer.

 

Written by Clint Bunker PT

Bye Bye Bicep!

by

The “Bi” in Bicep

The front part of the upper arm is known as the bicep muscles. It consists of the coracobrachialis, brachialis and the biceps brachii. These muscles collectively will help flex the elbow and raise your shoulder up in front of your body. The most common muscle of these is the bicep brachii. It consists of two heads, hence the word “bi”. The long and the short head attach in different locations but are both effective for arm movements. Biceps are known as aesthetic muscles. However, the biceps also serve a functional purpose for everyday activity. Like other muscle tissue in the body, they can also have overuse injuries as well as traumatic injuries from these activities.

Injury

Overuse injuries are common in these muscles. They can occur in your shoulder or further down in your elbow area. Common overuse injuries occur in athletes such as overhead throwers, golfers, swimmers, and tennis players. It can also occur in non-athletes with repetitive movements. Work related duties or weakness in your rotator cuff area cause injuries too. It is important to avoid or limit movements that may have caused the injury as well as agents to help the localized swelling including ice and NSAIDs or injections. Physical therapy services can also provide relief to localized area as well as help change mechanics to prevent further injury going forward.

(We can’t all be the hulk)

A bicep tear can also occur in the shoulder or elbow attachment as well. A prolonged overuse injury, fall on an outstretched arm, or rapid twisting movement of the elbow and/or shoulder can be problematic. This can tear the bicep either partially or completely. Lifting a heavy object can also cause a bicep tear. This happens most commonly at the distal attachment. Complete tears will cause the muscle to roll into the mid arm, looking something like Popeye in the old cartoons. A partial tear may not visually be identified. Increased pain and weakness in your bicep as well as a “pop” during the activity are good indications of a tear in your bicep. These issues are typically resolved with surgical intervention followed by physical therapy to help restore normal function of the elbow and shoulder.

Recovery

Physical therapy is such an integral part of recovery for a bicep injury. Before or after a surgery, it’s  important to keep the shoulder healthy to prevent one of these injuries. If you feel that you have an issue with your bicep, feel free to contact our office to see how we can help you.

Written by Casey Badder, PT

Footer Insurance

We accept most insurances!

See a list of our preferred providers.

Sub Footer

Areas Served:

Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Phoenix, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, Tempe, Globe, Gold Canyon

Postal Address

Gilbert Office
730 N. Greenfield Rd.
Gilbert, AZ 85234
Phone: (480) 633-0666

Mesa Office
342 N Val Vista Dr. Suite 106
Mesa, AZ 85213
Phone: (480) 325-3310