Hip & Knee
Shoe drop – how the pendulum swings
Put on your high-heel sneakers, Lordy Wear your wig-hat on your head Put on your high-heel sneakers, child Wear your wig-hat on your head Ya know you’re looking mighty fine, baby I’m pretty sure you’re gonna knock ‘em dead – Tommy Tucker Growing up in the 1960s, I remember the song, “Put on Your High-Heel…
Read MoreIt’s not hip to be in pain – Gait analysis & training can improve those pains in the backside
Are you experiencing pain in the lateral aspect (outer side) of your hips and/or buttocks when you walk or run? If so, using slow-motion video to identify gait deviations and working on your gait with a physical therapist can help solve the problem. Gait deviations are movements that differ from the norm. A deviation can…
Read MoreKeeping the Spring in Your Step: Ankle Joint Power & Aging
As we amass more birthdays and get older we tend to walk/run slower, take shorter steps, and fewer per minute. Why do we seem to have less spring in our step the older we get? Kids move fast and crash elderly move slow and crash. One factor is kids have good ankle power elderly have…
Read MoreLateral Pelvic Tilt Sitting
When oriented normally, the pelvis appears level and symmetrical. But in individuals with a lateral pelvic tilt (also called pelvic obliquity), one side of the pelvis appears lower than the other side. Lateral pelvic tilt can both cause and compensation to avoid musculoskeletal pain. It can be a contributing factor to jaw pain, headaches, shoulder,…
Read MoreMusing on Empathy and Pain
Empathy is more than compassion and caring. Empathy is putting oneself in another person’s shoes and actually feeling what that person feels. Recently, I experienced a flare of rheumatoid arthritis with significant disabling hip pain. Deep in misery, I searched for the positive side of my suffering. I thought: “This means I will have more…
Read MoreIT Band Syndrome – Controversy Regarding Stretching Exercise
The Iliotibial (IT) Band is a tendon on the lateral aspect of the hip/thigh/knee. It is a large, wide, thick tendon. A tendon is a structure that attaches muscle to bone. IT band syndrome is a typical injury occurring in runners. A commonly recommended treatment for IT band syndrome is stretching exercise. Searching Google for…
Read MoreWoman’s One-Sided Worries
Over the years, I’ve noticed that my female patients experience unilateral hip and/or knee pain (pain on one side of the body) more often than my male patients do. This predisposition has been observed by others as well Lateral hip pain is typically called bursitis, piriformis syndrome, or gluteal tendinopathy. Studies have shown the incidence…
Read MoreOrthopedic Surgery vs Orthopedic Medicine: Considerations Regarding Elective Surgery
There is a difference between someone who practices orthopedic surgery and someone who practices orthopedic medicine. Orthopedic surgeons are interested in surgical treatment of musculoskeletal problems. Orthopedic medicine practitioners are interested in non-surgical treatment of musculoskeletal problems. Dr. James Cyriax, author of “Textbook of Orthopaedic Medicine,” emphasized this difference. While some orthopedic problems improve with…
Read MoreCuing to Alter Gait Deviation of Too Long a Step
Cuing to Alter Gait Deviation of Too Long a Step Mathematics helps explain walking or running faster. Step length X steps per minute = speed. In order to move faster there are 3 opportunities take longer steps or strides, increase the steps/minute (cadence), or do both longer steps and a faster cadence. Taking longer steps/stride…
Read MoreShoe Soles: Stiff Rocker Bottom Sole versus Flexible Sole “Barefoot”
There are many things to consider when selecting shoes, including comfort, injury and energy expenditure. Arnie Davis a Certified Pedorthotist has coined the term shoes with rocker bottom soles are the proverbial “aspirin” for chronic foot problems. A rocker sole shoe is recommended to help manage a number of painful injuries including: low back pain;…
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