Farnsworth Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Orthopedic Physical Therapy

treatment

Raynaud’s Disease

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What is Raynaud’s Disease?

Raynaud’s disease causes the fingers or toes to grow cold, change color, lose sensation due to decreased blood flow. While anyone may experience Raynaud’s disease, women are more likely to experience it.  Most of the time, this is more of a nuisance than a severe medical condition. It was discovered by a man by the name of, you guessed it, Raynaud.

Causes

While we don’t know the specific causes of Raynaud’s Disease, it occurs because the small blood vessels of the fingers and/or toes go into spasm. Your fingers or toes grow numb, and the involved body part changes colors. A lack of blood flow due to lack of oxygen makes the finger change from white to blue, then finally red due to a “flushing” of that body part with richly oxygenated blood.   When the blood flow returns to the body part, there might be swelling, tingling and mild pain.   Cold temperatures and stress are some of the most common things that trigger the Raynaud’s response.

Not all of us can be Elsa.

If the lack of blood flow is caused by a more serious medical condition, this is known as Secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon.  Some conditions that lead to this phenomenon are atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, frost bite, and smoking.  Luckily, this condition is usually not a medical emergency or in need of immediate medical attention.

What Can I Do?

There are certain things you can do on your own to help cut down on the symptoms of Raynaud’s Disease:

  • Keep your hands and feet warm. Use gloves or potholders when getting things out of the freezer or fridge.
  • Exercise (performing finger exercises, arm circles, ankle pumps, toe scrunches, stationary bike, or choose your favorite aerobic exercise)
  • Massaging your fingers or toes to promote blood flow
  • Soaking in warm water or using a moist heat pack or microwaveable hand mitt to hands/feet to increase your circulation.
  • Managing emotional and environmental stress (practice stress reducing techniques like deep breathing, meditation, yoga)
  • Quit Smoking

Get Treated

At our physical therapy office, we have treatments and exercises that we can use to increase blood flow to the affected area and decrease your symptoms.  We also have some techniques we can teach you in person that you can use at home.

Written by Tom Farnsworth PT

Trigger Finger

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What is it?

Trigger finger is when your fingers or thumb get stuck in a bent position – as if squeezing a “trigger.” Trigger finger  occurs in just one or possibly more than one finger. Usually, your ring finger is the trouble finger. The condition is also known as stenosing tenosynovitis for all of you physical therapy fans out there.

Wrong kind of trigger finger.

Who does it happen to?

We see trigger finger most commonly in:

  • People who have jobs, hobbies, or tasks that require strenuous repetitive motions; frequent, strong grasping or gripping, or forceful use of the fingers and/or thumb.
    • Farmers
    • Industrial workers
    • Musicians
    • Gamers
  • People who have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or diabetes
  • People between the ages of 40 and 60.

Keyboard cat would be high risk for trigger finger, but alas, he has no fingers.

Symptoms and Causes

Tendons are bands of tissue that attach your muscles to your bones. In your hand, tendons and muscles must work together to flex and straighten your fingers and thumb. Usually, tendons slide easily through a tunnel of tissue called a sheath. The sheath keeps the tendons in place next to the bones of the finger(s) or thumb. With trigger finger or trigger thumb, your tendons become irritated and swollen and can no longer easily slide through their sheaths. A bump may also form on the tendon, which makes it even more difficult for the tendon to easily glide through its sheath.

Signs and symptoms of trigger finger or trigger thumb include:

  • Snapping or popping sensation when moving the finger(s) or thumb.
  • Soreness at the base of the finger or thumb in the palm, especially while gripping or grasping.
  • Pain and stiffness when bending the finger or thumb.
  • Swelling or tender lump in the palm of the hand.
  • Locking of the finger or thumb in the bent position (in severe cases). Your finger or thumb has to be gently straightened using your other hand.
  • Inability to fully flex the finger.

The stiffness and bent position of your finger or thumb are worse in the morning. The stiffness typically lessens as you use your fingers.

Management and Treatment

For mild cases, the first step is to rest the finger or thumb and limit or avoid the activities that are causing symptoms. Sometimes a splint may be used on the affected finger to keep the joint from moving. If symptoms continue, anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, may be prescribed or steroid injections may be considered.

If the condition does not respond to non-surgical treatments or continues to recur, then we will recommend surgery.

Written by Clint Bunker PT

All Is Swell That Ends Swell

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Swelling is a natural part of your body’s healing process after an injury. When your body needs to heal an injury, it will make it swell by sending blood, lymphatic fluid and special repair cells to the injured area. Too much swelling, on the other hand, or swelling that lingers too long, can slow your recovery by making the injured area more painful and less mobile. So, what can you do to keep yourself at a healthy level of swelling?

(This dog is swelling because he ate a bee.  Do not be like this dog.)

The first resource you have is compression. Compression is very effective. It can be achieved various ways. The most common way to compress a swollen limb is to wrap an ace bandage around it. When you wrap an injury it’s helpful to “grade” the pressure.  That means that you need to make the wrap tighter close to the injury and looser on the end closer to your heart.  Also, compression garments offer a convenient form of compression.  These can be worn all day which can help them be more effective. Most running or athletic stores sell knee-high compression socks for athletic performance that can also be used to manage swelling. These are great if your swelling is in your ankles or lower legs.

 

Another major way to work on swelling is through muscle pumping. Your veins, the vessels that bring blood BACK to the heart, rely on the pumping action of your muscles to move blood back toward your heart. Veins have valves that prevent back-flow but the real action comes when we use our muscles.Your lymphatic vessels also rely heavily on the muscle pump. Long story short, you can help your body get rid of excess swelling by contracting your muscles.  The way you do that is by using them! Exercising the muscles around the swollen area is critical to getting rid of swelling.

Elevation is another tool you can use.  Have you ever noticed that swelling improves first thing in the morning and gets worse throughout the day? When you’re sleeping at night, you’re in a gravity-neutral position, so it’s easier for your body to process the swelling. Throughout the day, gravity pulls the swelling back into your limbs. Elevation is the least effective tip on this list. This is partly because elevation really only works if your swollen limb is ABOVE YOUR HEART. Plus, elevation is usually not very active, and activity and pumping of your muscles. But if you can make sure to elevate the injury above your heart, it can be one more swelling trick up your sleeve.

(This guy has got his injury above his heart.  He gets points for that.  But maybe find a more comfortable place to lay down.)

 

Your last major weapon against swelling is ice.  Ice is especially helpful in the first 24-48 hours after an injury. The cold from ice causes vasoconstriction (narrowing of the vessels) which helps push the swelling out. Another benefit of ice is its analgesic effect. Ice can really help reduce your pain level. If you have pain and swelling, ice is going to come in handy.  Apply ice for 10-15 minutes.  Make sure to put a barrier like a cloth or pillowcase between the ice or ice pack and your skin.  Frostbite is not something that anyone wants.

(Elsa is icing and elevating, she gets it.)

 

These are some resources you can use at home.  If you have a serious injury, see a doctor, and see us for physical therapy.  We have added techniques and targeted exercises that can help you heal quickly and safely.

 

 

Consistency: The Secret Ingredient

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The Secret

When it comes to helping our patients heal there is one factor that stands out, and that is consistency.  At our office we have great equipment to help us strengthen muscles, stretch tendons, and increase mobility.  Our therapists are experienced experts that pinpoint the sources of your pain and other troubles.  They can even teach you exercises to do at home that can have a major effect on your recovery.  But without one secret ingredient all of these resources may come up short.  That ingredient is consistency.

(Don’t tell anyone.  Or actually go ahead, it’s fine)

What Do We Recommend

When you are going to physical therapy, and especially at first, it is very important that you are as consistent as possible.  For most injuries and issues the recommended schedule is to come in  three times per week, for the first four weeks.  Consistently having appointments for your issue is a major step you can take to make sure you recover as quickly and completely as possible. If you are not able to come in consistently and often, it’s much more difficult to tackle the problems you may be experiencing. This is even more important for our patients recovering from surgeries.   Muscles, tendons, joints, and nerves all respond best to physical therapy treatments that are applied consistently.  When you can only receive treatment off and on, you may not see the progress you want.

Make room for the important things in your schedule.

At Home

As you are going through the process of physical therapy your therapist will likely have exercises that they can teach you to do at home that are designed to help you heal the part of the body that you are working on. Since you can’t be at the physical therapy office every day, doing these exercises will ensure that you keep improving.  The patients that we have that see the most success are the patients who come in consistently and who do the at home exercises too.  If you want to get better and get better quickly, then the secret ingredient is consistency.

Getting on your Sciatic Nerves

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The “What” of Sciatica

So, what is your sciatic nerve? Well, it’s the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your lower back down your legs, and ends at your feet. sciatica pains often feel like shooting pains down one side of your body. When you have mild sciatica, your symptoms can build up slowly. They may even go away from time to time on their own. However, if your sciatica symptoms show up suddenly, or if they happen after an injury, it’s important to see your doctor and your physical therapist. These symptoms will most likely be severe since they are the result of trauma around your sciatic nerve. No matter what course of treatment your doctor recommends, it is very likely that they will also recommend that physical therapy.

At-Home Techniques

There are some techniques you can do at home that will help ease some of your sciatica symptoms. First of all, alternating ice and heat can help ease the pain. Also, you can sleep with a pillow between your knees which helps with pain and stiffness in those muscles. Going for a walk or other gentle exercises can also help you to loosen up your muscles. Stretching and warming up your muscles will keep you from getting too tightened up and worsening your pain.

(It is not necessary to walk silly in order to experience the benefits.)

Treatment

If doing simple exercises in reducing your pain and restricted motion, or if your symptoms last for more than a week without getting significantly better, then you should come in for physical therapy. If your symptoms get worse, don’t hesitate to consult with your primary physician. Physical therapy can provide you with the treatment you need to alleviate your aches and pains.  We can help you get back to doing the things you need and love to do.

 

Shin Splints

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A Familiar Pain

This recent pandemic has led a lot of people to re-evaluate their health.  One thing that a lot of people have turned to over the past year in order to improve health is to begin exercising more. In some, this has led to some injuries. This may be a pain along the front of their lower leg. Most of us know what this means. Shin splints is a very well-known term that indicates some sort of damage to our lower leg. This pain is due to an overworking of the musculature on the anterior portion of the lower leg. Another possibility is too much stress on the tibia, otherwise known as the “shin bone.” Those most at risk are the following:

  • Those new to or recently trying high impact activities, such as running.
  • People performing activity over uneven or abnormally hard terrain.
  • Those with old, worn out, or ill-fitting shoes.
  • Those with low or abnormally high arches.
  • Those who use poor form in certain activities.
  • People with weakness in the ankles, hips or core.

This overwork can lead to problems in the musculature, or can even cause stress fractures of the tibia.

The good news is shin splints may go away on their own if you take time off from the irritating activity and let the problem calm down. The problem comes from when you start the activity again, you may suffer from the same pain.

What can be done?

Many times, the problem can be addressed by simply icing your shins and resting. If you are unable to independently manage the pain in your leg, seek assistance from you physician or physical therapist. A physical therapist is uniquely qualified to address any and all contributing factors. One extremely important factor is footwear. Shoes that fit your specific foot are extremely important. Whether you have high, or low arches, or a normal arch, there is a specific shoe which is correct for your foot. If you have incorrect shoes, this can cause problems. A physical therapist or a local shoe store such as Road Runner or the Arizona Walk Shop can evaluate your gait and make recommendations which shoe is correct for you. This is extremely important.

What can a PT do?

Physical therapists specialize in evaluating and treating all injuries and abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system. A therapist can evaluate your gait, test your strength, and find all problematic aspects which may be causing you issues. If you have questions, make sure to make an appointment to get you back on the road to recovery.

 

Written by Rod Walker PT

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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