Bloom Without Aches: Ease Osteoarthritis Pain
Are you experiencing persistent joint pain, particularly in a weight-bearing joint like your hip or knee? Do you ever notice a clicking or grinding sensation in your painful joint? If so, you may have developed osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis in the United States.
Arthritis is an umbrella term for over 100 conditions that cause joint inflammation and lead to pain and restricted mobility. The source of that inflammation will vary depending on the type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is caused by the degeneration of the cartilage and bone tissue in the affected joint.
Osteoarthritis has no cure and can profoundly impact your overall quality of life, making it harder for you to stay active, keep up with chores, and enjoy time with your loved ones. Fortunately, physical therapy at Nestor Physical Therapy offers several tools and techniques to help you manage your symptoms — often enough that you can delay or even avoid surgical interventions.
If you’re tired of living with osteoarthritis pain, call us to schedule an appointment today!
Understanding Osteoarthritis: Symptoms and Causes
The primary symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and stiffness in the affected joint. These symptoms often manifest in the following ways:
- Pain during activity but not while at rest
- Pain when you press on the joint
- Joint stiffness first thing in the morning
- Joint stiffness after sitting or lying down for long periods
- Noises in the joint, including creaking, cracking, or crunching
While any joint can develop osteoarthritis, it most commonly occurs in weight-bearing joints like the knees and hips. However, it’s also fairly common in the hands, spine, and feet.
The causes of osteoarthritis are complex, and several factors can contribute to it. One of these factors is age: approximately 73% of people with the condition are 55 years or older. That’s not to say osteoarthritis is an inevitable part of the aging process — plenty of older people don’t have it. But your chances of developing it do increase as you age.
Other possible factors contributing to osteoarthritis include past injuries to the joint, gender (women are more likely to develop it than men), body weight, and even genetic predispositions.
How Physical Therapy Helps Manage Osteoarthritis Symptoms
The good news is that you can control osteoarthritis symptoms with the help of physical therapy. Although movement can be painful with osteoarthritis, exercise is one of the best drug-free ways to manage the condition. Our physical therapists will help you find an exercise program that suits your needs.
Here’s how we’ll do it:
- Comprehensive Evaluation: We start by evaluating how osteoarthritis impacts you, including performing simple tests to assess your strength, mobility, and/or balance. We’ll also ask you about the ways that osteoarthritis is negatively affecting your life. For example, which activities do you find challenging?
- Provide Pain Relief: We’ll use manual therapy techniques to help manage your pain and get the joint moving in a gentle way. For example, we might guide the joint through its current range of motion or manipulate the surrounding soft tissue.
- Build Strength and Restore Mobility: We’ll develop a customized, progressive exercise program to rebuild lost strength and mobility in the affected joint. Building strength, in particular, can help support and protect the joint so you can move more easily.
- Develop An At-Home Exercise Program: You’ll supplement your sessions in our clinic with a personalized home workout program to ensure you keep moving! We’ll find something that suits your abilities and interests, such as a walking program or water aerobics.
- Provide Strategies for Activity Modifications: Finally, we can help you identify and avoid any specific activities that might put too much strain on your joints. If needed, we can also show you how to use mobility aids (such as canes or walkers).
Don’t Let Osteoarthritis Pain Hold You Back!
We know that living with osteoarthritis can be difficult, but the physical therapists at Nestor Physical Therapy are here to help you manage your condition and live your life to the fullest. With customized treatment plans, targeted exercise programs, and acute pain management techniques, physical therapy can help you take control of osteoarthritis pain.
Ready to get started? Call us to schedule your initial consultation today!
Get Started with PT Now!
Return to Nestor Physical Therapy and Let’s Continue Your Journey to Wellness Together. Schedule Your Appointment Now!
How Do You Know If You Need Physical Therapy?
Take this 10-question quiz and find out.
- Do you have trouble or pain when bending over to touch your toes?
- Do you have trouble or pain when reaching overhead?
- Do you have trouble or pain when you get dressed or put on your shoes and socks?
- Do you have trouble or pain when trying to get out of a chair? Do you have to use your hands to help get up?
- Do you have trouble or pain when trying to get in and out of a car?
- Do have trouble or pain when walking more than 5-10 minutes?
- Do you have trouble or pain when standing for more than 5-10 minutes?
- Do you have trouble or pain when sleeping at night?
- Are you afraid to fall?
- Have you fallen in the last 3 months?
If you answered YES to the last two questions do NOT try the balance test. You need physical therapy.
Balance Test: Stand on one foot and count how many seconds you last before you must put your opposite foot down or hold on.
If you didn’t meet the age-related norms for balance, you are at risk of a fall.
Age Stand on one foot (time)
40-49 40 seconds
50-59 37 seconds
60-69 27 seconds
70-79 15 seconds
80+ 6 seconds
If you answered YES to any of the questions above, failed the balance test, or could not perform the balance test, you are a candidate for physical therapy.
Now you know you need physical therapy, what is the next step? Just schedule an appointment. Call 401-284-9145 or request an appointment through our website.
Tips for Planting a Potted Herb Garden
Have you been wanting to get into gardening, but don’t have the yard space? Consider planting a potted herb garden!
Container gardening is easy, convenient, and leaves you with a supply of beautiful fresh herbs. Almost any herb can be grown in a container, so the possibilities are endless!
Here are a few tips and tricks to ensure your potted herb garden is successful this spring:
1. Be mindful of what you plant.
One of the exciting things about a potted herb garden is that you can grow as many different types of herbs as you want in the same container. However, before you start planting, be sure to do some research on the sun, water, and soil requirements of each herb.
For example, rosemary prefers hot and dry conditions, whereas parsley requires consistent moisture. As a result, they would not get along in the same pot.
2. Choose the right container.
As long as it has good drainage, you can use almost anything as an herb container. However, it’s important to be aware that using smaller pots means you need to be extra cautious in how much you water your herbs. Too much or too little water can be especially detrimental to an herb in a small pot.
3. Use high quality soil.
The best way to ensure a healthy start to your container garden is by using high quality soil. Container soil should be lighter in density than traditional garden soil. You can also add organic matter, like perlite or peat moss, to the mixture to improve drainage and moisture retention.
We hope you’re feeling ready to get started on your potted herb garden this spring. Remember to have fun and good luck!
Backyard Burger Triple Threat!
It is that time of year when most of you are getting your grills out of hibernation and getting them ready for a Memorial Day cookout. This month I am going to share three cool ways to upgrade your basic backyard burger. My inspiration for these burgers was my wife’s favorite burger, bacon jam, and a pretzel bun. Here is how it all came together.
I used pre-made premium burgers, but feel free to make your own. My wife’s favorite is the California burger, it consists of lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese, ranch dressing, and sometimes bacon. I created bacon jam for the second burger. The bacon jam was made with slivered bacon, caramelized onions and shallot, brown sugar, maple syrup, and chili powder. I love a warm soft pretzel served with cheese or spicy mustard, so I combined all three in my third burger.
I prepare all my accoutrements for the burgers ahead of time to make it easier to assemble the burgers. I seasoned each burger with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. I then grilled the burgers over a hot charcoal fire, but the gas grill will work. Just before the burgers finished cooking, I added a slice of smoked Gouda cheese to one burger and American cheese to another. Once the cheese melted, I removed the burgers. I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer to test the temperature of your burgers.
The California burger started with lettuce on the bottom bun to keep it from getting soggy. Next, the burger with the melted American cheese was placed on the lettuce. The burger was then topped with a slice of red heirloom tomato and avocado. Ranch dressing is spread on the top bun.
The bacon jam burger started with lettuce and slices of a yellow heirloom tomato on the bottom. The burger with the melted smoked Gouda cheese went on top of the lettuce and tomato and was then topped with the bacon jam. To assemble the pretzel burger, I spread warm queso cheese sauce on the bottom bun and topped the burgers with Dijon mustard.
The pretzel burger had spice from the queso cheese and the Dijon mustard. I enjoyed the coarse salt on the bun, just like eating a pretzel. I liked how the spice from the cheese and mustard paired with the burger without distracting from the taste of the meat. The bacon jam was delicious! The lettuce and yellow heirloom tomato added freshness to each bite. The burger was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The smoked Gouda cheese upped the smoky taste from cooking over charcoal. The bacon jam added texture from the bacon and onions. The apple cider vinegar and chili powder balanced the sweetness of the brown sugar and maple syrup. Due to the texture and the consistency of the bacon jam, it was a condiment and a topping all at the same time.
The options for seasonings, cheeses, toppings, buns, and meats are only limited by your imagination. I encourage you to get creative and select your favorite bun, cheese, meat, and accoutrements for the burgers at your next cookout. Enjoy!
Thank You’s:
High Fives all around to all Nestor Physical Therapy patients and
friends who participated in our “Refer a Friend” program last month!
Gabe Danho
Brandon Greenfield
John Small
Louise Barba
Patient Success Spotlights
“I came to Dr. Nestor three months ago with constant neck and shoulder pain that was limiting my ability to be a good father, husband and fire fighter. I had my neck fused last year following an injury at work. I never thought I would be free of pain and back to normal.
After three months of PT and staying consistent at home, I am pain free and life is back to normal.
The team here is amazing and it is clear Dr. Nestor has an eye for talented and caring staff. I will miss coming to PT!
Thanks for everything!!”
-Joshua D.
“The PT at Nestor Physical Therapy has done wonders. I now have no need for bunion surgery.
The strength in my ankles is so much better because of the exercises I have learned.
If I ever need PT for any other reason, I will certainly call for an appointment! Additionally I will recommend Nestor PT to anyone who needs help.”
-Sylvia B.
Foot Study Sign Up
Nestor Physical Therapy is participating in nationwide clinical research! We are testing a device to correct hallux valgus deformity…otherwise known as Bunions!!
- Do you suffer from foot or toe pain?
- Do you have trouble finding comfortable shoes or finding shoes that fit?
- Do you have difficulty walking?
- Do you have to have to limit or stop your regular activities due to toe or foot pain?
- Do you have to stay in bed because your feet hurt?
If you answered YES to any of the questions above, you might be the perfect candidate for our research.
If you can sit in a chair for 20-30 minutes twice a week you can participate in the project.
Ask us how we can relieve your pain!
Show Your Body Some Love This Spring!
Spring is the perfect time to shake off the winter stiffness and get moving again! At Nestor Physical Therapy, we’re here to help you recover from injuries, relieve pain, and improve your mobility so you can fully enjoy the season. Whether you’re looking to get back into sports, prep for outdoor activities, or simply move more comfortably, our expert team is ready to create a personalized treatment plan for you. Don’t let aches, pains, or past injuries hold you back—take the first step toward feeling your best. Book your appointment today and spring into better health with Nestor Physical Therapy!
