The most common type of knee dislocation is sideways toward the outside of the leg. This is usually due to weakness in the quads, more specifically the Vastus Medialis Oblique (VMO). The VMO is the innermost quad muscle that provides stability and allows the knee cap to move properly. When this muscle is weak, there […]
What Is the Easiest Way to Test the Knee for ACL Tears?
The “Lever Test,” or “Lelli’s Sign,” is a relatively new method devised to give us a quick and easy assessment of ACL integrity. What makes this test brilliant is its simplicity and reliance on the concept of using an intact ACL to demonstrate a simple fulcrum or “see-saw.” (Think back to your elementary school days […]
Meniscus Surgery: What Can I Expect?
Meniscal surgery is the “bread and butter” procedure performed by most orthopedic surgeons in the country. In my physical therapy practice, it is one of the most common post-surgical diagnoses that we see. A short anatomy lesson: there are two (2) menisci that are found in each of your knee joints. They are horse-shoe shaped […]
Why Does My Knee Crack?
One of the most common questions asked by knee patients is, “Why does my knee click?” There are several distinctively annoying sounds that can come from the knee: some of them are not worth worrying about, and others are more problematic. Here is a list of some of the more common knee noises and what […]
What Is Normal Hamstrings Length?
Depending on whom you ask, you may get different answers. One thing is for sure, men tend to have less flexibility than do women. Take a look at the attached picture, Phillip’s leg is making roughly a 70 degree angle with the table. At this point in his range, I am feeling some resistance from […]
Microfracture Knee Surgery Rehabilitation
Microfracture procedures are becoming more popular as a means of attempting to salvage a severely arthritic knee. The concept behind microfracturing is relatively simple: a surgeon uses a small needle to make tiny punctures in the surfaces of the femur, tibia, or patella (all of which make up the joint surfaces of the knee). This […]
Information on Stroke Recovery
In a nutshell, strokes are awful. Strokes affect upwards of 800,000 people per year in the U.S. and cost our healthcare system a massive amount of money. There is a huge range of severity involved with strokes. For example, my grandfather had a small stroke that resulted in lost vision in one of his eyes. […]
Beauty is Pain: Effects of Wearing High Heels
If you’ve ever been to physical therapy, then you might have noticed that posture is often a topic of conversation… and usually it’s more about your bad posture. Posture affects things from range of motion, strength potential, and even pain. Let me demonstrate how posture can be affected by something as simple as footwear, and […]
Why ACL Tears Happen
In the season of The World Cup, I thought it may be good to discuss one of the most common soccer injuries, the ever-present ACL tear. Even more, it’s the Women’s World Cup, and females are more likely to get this injury compared to their male counterparts. Let’s discuss why this is the case. The […]
Meniscal Replacement Surgery
One of the Medical Exercise Trainers affiliated with our practice, Janaye, has just undergone a meniscal replacement surgery. We thought (with her permission) that this would be a great opportunity to chronicle what she is going through during her path to recovery. The menisci are shock absorbing pieces of cartilage that serve to lessen the […]
Meniscal Transplant, Part 2
Our willing subject, Janaye, is now approaching two (2) weeks post-operative meniscal transplant surgery (see Part 1). Overall, she is reporting that things are going well. Her pain levels are under control. Janaye is bored, and rightfully so. Post-operative protocols for this type of surgery are highly restrictive early on. Only partial weight bearing is […]
How Obesity Affects Your Joints
Most of us have heard the warning about obesity as it pertains to general health. Diabetes, coronary heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, and osteoarthritis are all common health concerns that are all associated with overweight patients. Here is one additional reason to lose weight that you may not have considered: Obesity, particularly as it pertains to […]
Why Do I Have a Patella?
The patella (commonly referred to as the kneecap) may at first seem like a vestigial structure that too many of us errantly smack into tables and otherwise traumatize with random activities. Do we even need to have a patella to perform our day-to-day tasks? I do actually know somebody who had his patella removed due […]
Reacquaint Yourself With “Straight Leg Raises”
The straight leg raise is the most commonly prescribed exercise in physical therapy for patients with knee pain. Unfortunately, it is probably the exercise that is most frequently performed incorrectly!! How can something that looks so simple be done incorrectly? The answer lies in successful recruitment of that pesky portion of the quadriceps known as […]
Continuous Passive Motion Machines, Are They Worth It?
A Continuous Passive Motion machine, or CPM, is sometimes prescribed by surgeons to work on early active range of motion on a given joint following a surgical procedure. Lately, we have seen a few patients here at PhysioDC who have come for post-op knee rehab who have been prescribed a CPM unit for home use. […]