Patients with a meniscal tear may experience pain, swelling, locking or buckling of the knee.
Some patients may benefit from knee surgery to repair a meniscal tear. Clinical Director Hector Mayo explains how physical therapy can help restore knee function after a partial meniscectomy.
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia, and it is the most common diagnosis given to patients with medial heel pain. The plantar fascia originates on the calcaneus (heel bone) and plays an important role in stabilizing the foot during walking.
Factors that can increase tension on the fascia and lead to symptoms include:
Chronic tension to the fascia where it inserts on the heel can lead to a heel spur, which is a buildup of calcium. Common symptoms of a heel spur include:
Cortisone injections can give temporary relief, but finding the cause and eliminating it is more effective. Physical therapy can help. Treatment may include:
Do you have pain that starts in your lower back and radiates down your leg? Or do you have tingling or numbness from your lower back to your leg? Pain, tingling or numbness that runs from your lower back down your leg can be caused by lumbar radiculopathy.
Lumbar radiculopathy occurs when a nerve root in your lower back is irritated or pinched. As a result, you may feel pain, tingling or numbness. Sometimes radiculopathy causes sciatica, which refers to pain that travels along the sciatic nerve, which originates in your lower back and runs down the back of your leg.
Causes of lumbar radiculopathy include spinal stenosis, a herniated disk, degenerative changes that come with aging, a traumatic injury like a fall or a car accident, or poor posture.
Physical therapy can often relieve the pain and tingling that comes from radiculopathy. Your physical therapist develops an individualized treatment program based on your symptoms. PT may include exercises to strengthen the muscles that support your spine, stretching, or other techniques to improve mobility.
Your physical therapist will teach you exercises you can continue on your own once therapy concludes.
Strengthening the muscles that support the spine may reduce back pain caused by lumbar radiculopathy. Clinical director Hector Mayo guides a patient in doing oblique abdominal strengthening.
Rotator cuff tears are a significant source of shoulder pain, and more than 200,000 people per year in the U.S. have rotator cuff repair surgery. Studies show that physical therapy supports recovery after surgery to repair the rotator cuff.
Clinical director Hector Mayo divides the PT program for rotator cuff repair into three phases: healing (protective), functional, and restorative.
The healing phase generally lasts from four to six weeks. The goal is to maximize healing while protecting the repair. The therapist will use techniques that minimize pain while increasing range of motion, such as shoulder oscillations and passive range of motion. The patient may do exercises to improve shoulder flexion and extension, horizontal adduction and abduction, and shoulder circumduction in both directions.
The functional phase also lasts from four to six weeks. The goal of this phase is for the patient to regain the ability to use the repaired shoulder for the activities of daily living, such as grooming, dressing, opening a door, or washing dishes. Exercises in this phase are prescribed to increase shoulder stability and muscle strength. The therapist may assist the patient in doing manual resistance exercises. The patient may also do some exercises that improve internal rotation and others that improve external rotation.
The restorative phase can last from six to eight weeks or more. The goal of the restorative phase is to return the patient to full function: carrying loads, lifting, or anything else they could previously do with their arm. The phase includes exercises with a weighted ball to increase strength in the rotator cuff.
For the majority of patients, the goal for physical therapy following rotator cuff surgery is for the shoulder to be fully functional and as strong as possible. Whether the patient is an athlete, an electrician, a carpenter, or anyone else who needs full function in their shoulder, our goal is for them to return to using their arm as they did before tearing the rotator cuff, without limitations.
Hector Mayo demonstrates the physical therapy program following rotator cuff repair.
Physical therapy generally starts 7-14 days after rotator cuff repair surgery. Your doctor will likely recommend the best time for you to start PT.
At Grand Central Physical Therapy, we can usually get you on the schedule in one or two days. We recommend scheduling once your surgery is complete.
For rotator cuff repair patients, we recommend scheduling therapy appointments two to three times per week.
Each appointment is 45-60 minutes. You’ll receive one-on-one care from a senior physical therapist. We don’t use assistants or aides.
Your therapist will recommend when you should start home exercises.
The complete physical therapy program after rotator cuff repair surgery is generally from 14-20 weeks, but therapy may last longer depending on the patient’s progress.
According to the American Journal of Medicine, frozen shoulder most commonly affects adults between 40 and 65 years old. It can cause pain and limit range of motion.
A frozen shoulder occurs when the connective tissue surrounding the joint becomes inflamed and stiff. It can occur in three to four stages.
Loss of motion is the most common symptom of a frozen shoulder. Pain is often the first symptom. The stages include:
Physical therapy may be the best way to treat frozen shoulder. Your therapist may provide moist heat, range of motion exercises, and joint mobilization exercises to loosen the shoulder. Treatment can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Learn more about physical therapy for frozen shoulder by watching the video below.