8 Ways….
To STOP Annoying Hip and
Knee Pain
…without injections, taking pain killers or having to wear a
brace.
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Copyright Notice
2016 Pinnacle Physical Therapy & Pilates of Boulder, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Any unauthorized use, sharing, reproduction or distribution of these materials by
any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise is strictly prohibited. No portion of
these materials may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever, without the express
write consent of the publisher. Published under the Copyright Laws of the US, by:
Kristie M. Bennett PT.MS.CLT, 3434 47th St. Suite 107, Boulder, Co 80301
www.pinnaclephysicaltherapyboulder.com
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About the Author Kristie M. Bennett
Every week, for more than a few decades, 100s of people have consulted
Kristie Bennett looking for a fast end to their Back Pain/Sciatica and
stiffness. She is the heart and soul of Pinnacle Physical Therapy &
Pilates, which she founded in 1999 and it’s been her professional focus
ever since.
Kristie works with people aged 40-65+ on a daily basis promoting healthier and
active lives before, during and after episodes of pain and stiffness. She loves using
Pilates, Physical Therapy and Postural Restoration Techniques to restore and rejuvenate
those suffering from Back Pain/Sciatica.
Earlier in her career, Kristie worked with the United States Ski and Snowboard
Association (USSA) ski and snowboard teams rehabilitating injured Olympic athletes
preparing for the 2002 Olympic Games in Park City, Utah. She also wrote “how to”
exercise articles for SHAPE magazine in a column entitled, “Do It Right.” Additionally,
Kristie has taught many courses for physical therapists and Pilates instructors to help
them learn about the spine, core stabilization and shoulder girdle stabilization.
Kristie holds her B.S. from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in
Physical Therapy and her Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology from CU Boulder.
Her first book, Pursuing Excellence in Physical Therapy, was written for students of
physical therapy.
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Introduction
In this Special Report on Ending Hip and Knee pain (and stiffness), I share with
you 8 very powerful principles and strategies you can make work for you..some over
time and others almost immediately.
I have grouped Hip and Knee Pain together because many times a hip problem
can make your knee hurt or ache…or, a knee problem can make your hip hurt or ache.
The human body is so connected…just like the song (the foot bone is connected to the
knee bone, the knee bone is connected to the hip bone, etc…). Since these problems are
intertwined, I hope that looking at both simultaneously, you can subvert the possibility
of one turning into the other.
The truth is, without knowing your hip and knee pain story or even your history
intimately, I cannot tell you which of these “principles” will work best for you. And
even if I did know the root cause of your hip and knee problems, there are no
guarantees that any one single strategy will work.
Over the last decade of my 40 year career, I have been able to narrow down what
really does and doesn’t work when it comes to easing hip and knee pain. And the 8
principles you’re about to read are included in that.
But imagine this…how great it would be if you try just one of these “tips every
day…within a few weeks you could have all 8 of these incredibly powerful strategies
for easing Hip and Knee Pain, “in play” and working for you - giving you back the
active and healthy lifestyle that you’ve lost or are in danger of losing.
So here’s my challenge to you…now that you have this knowledge in your hands,
take time every day to try out at least 1 of these 8 strategies. It really won’t take long
and most of them won’t cost you anything but a few minutes of your time.
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much better and healthier you will
feel for doing so.
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The 8 Principles to Stop Hip and Knee Pain From
Sending you to the Doctor for pain killers or even
injections!
1. Choose Sensible Footwear for good shock attenuation
If you find yourself wearing high heels, flip-flops, flimsy walking or running
shoes or the flat shoes that have perhaps a piece of shoe leather about 1/8” in height,
think again.
These shoes offer no shock attenuation during the time when your foot hits the
ground. Where does the shock go? It travels up your legs and hips, into your spine and
it’s final place to make an impact (no pun intended) is in the skull.
The best shoes are those that fit well, absorb impact or attenuate shock (it is 8
times your body weight when your foot hits the ground that you have to deal with if
you are running). Before purchasing shoes, check the following:
a. Is there at least 1/2 inches of sole between your foot and the ground…
preferably the type of sole that cushions the impact? I really like
ASIC running and walking shoes.
b. Is the heel counter stiff? This attribute of a shoe holds your heel bone
snuggly in the shoe which allows your neuromuscular system to
sense stability. The heel counter should be stiff enough that you
cannot deform the shape by using your thumb and index finger to
pinch the sides together nor pinch the top of the counter and the
bottom of the sole together.
Well fitted shoes with proper shock absorption and sturdy heel counters could
reduce the compressive forces significantly. Yes…I can hear you thinking how much
you like wearing sandals. Sandals do not support the heel bone and are a bad idea
overall.
2. Use ice (not heat) to Stop Pain
Though there is no large body of evidence suggesting ice is better than heat,
clinically we know that ice and cold packs can relieve pain, swelling and inflammation
from injuries and conditions such as arthritis. I like my patients to use 3 frozen bags of
peas placed in a sturdy ziplock bags. You can ice the area 3 times per day, no longer
than 10-15 minutes. Just place the unfrozen peas back in the freezer for the next day.
For pure muscle and joint stiffness, my idea of heat is a warm bath with epson salts or a
hot shower again for 10-15 minutes. Electric heating pads should be used infrequently.
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3. Avoid sitting with your legs crossed
Sitting this way makes the weight of your body rest on one sit bone rather than
two. This twists your lower back (more disc compression)…which makes you twist
somewhere further up and down your kinetic chain…straining muscles around your
hip and knees. Ever notice that one leg is easier to cross than the other? If this is true
for you, you have already started compensating in your hips and need to stretch one
side out and strengthen the other that has gotten stretched out.
4. Sleep with a folded pillow under your ribs, a folded pillow under your head and a
non folded pillow between your knees, if sleeping on your side
If you sleep on your side, a folded, very thin pillow under your rib cage and
head can keep your spine (both neck and back) in good alignment by supporting your
spine to avoid stretching it out for prolonged periods while you are sleeping. A pillow
between your knees will prevent your upper leg from pulling your spine and pelvis out
of alignment. Imagine sleeping soundly for a couple of hours with your spine all
twisted up…no wonder people wake up with hip and knee pain.
Simply…you don’t want your spine to look like a parenthesis ( while you are
sleeping…you want it more like a straight line ——-. All these pillowing suggestions
can be used for short periods of time before falling asleep. If you awaken and want to
remove the pillows, please do so. Even 15 minutes of good alignment is better than
none.
Spending 6-8 hours in an awkward position will not get you to your goal of
stopping hip and knee pain. I often tell my patients…”you are shaped like the thing
you do the most of”.. meaning that cowboys have bowed legs from riding horses for
prolonged periods and those forward heads and rounded shoulders you promote when
sleeping on your back with too high of pillows for 6-8 hours may be creating the
posture you are trying to avoid. If you are a back sleeper, choose one small pillow so
that your ear is in line with your shoulder and hip joints. Sleeping on your stomach is
just a very bad idea. The neck, back and knee joints are in a “closed pack” position
which doesn’t allow them to re-hydrate over night….which is the reason we need to
sleep lying down.
5. Be Selective of Where You Walk
Concrete is the hardest surface we can walk on. Ground reaction forces can be
4-8 times that of walking on softer surfaces. Asphalt and dirt are better choices…even a
treadmill is more forgiving than concrete.
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6. Avoid Sitting with Your Legs Bent for more than 20 minutes at a time
Prolonged sitting goes against every fundamental rule of the way we evolved as
human beings. Sitting endorses compression at the knee joint, and prolonged stretching
of the hips and Sacroiliac joints. Have you noticed that after sitting in a movie theatre,
getting up to leave can be quite a challenge? If that is true, you might want to consider
the back row next to the aisle.
Either limit the time you sit with your hips and knees bent, or change positions
frequently to minimize placing your hips and knees in an unnatural positions.
7. Avoiding carrying a purse or backpack on one shoulder at a time
The simple act of carrying something on one side of the body, distorts the
position of the spine, pelvis, hips and knees. This distortion causes certain muscles on
one side of the spine and pelvis to tighten up when both sides should be sharing the
load. Over time, one side of your body is stronger and one side is weaker. If you look
in the mirror, most likely one shoulder will be higher than the other and one hip sticks
out further to the side than the other.
It helps to shift the load from side to side, but I am a big fan of wearing the
backpack on both shoulders, or trimming down what you carry to something that fits in
a pocket. Those old fanny packs were a great idea….not sure why the fashion world
made so much fun of them.
8. Get Physical Therapy
There is no faster way to END hip and knee pain than by going to see a physical
therapist. Getting to see a hands-on specialist means you are going to get very fast
access to the care that will soothe and relax those tight tight aching muscles, loosen and
lubricate stiff and stuck joints and strengthen your body so you can go back to doing the
things you love to do.
You can often leave the office of a good physical therapist with a diagnosis and
with less pain than you walked (limped) in within less than an hour.
Combine all of the “tips” in this Special Report” with a trip to see a hands-on
physical therapist and you will see a dramatic drop in the hip and knee pain as well as
the stiffness your are currently suffering with.
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Bonus Section:
1. Daily exercise rituals
A good physical therapist can review any of your current daily exercises and
modify the ones that may be tweaking your neck and shoulders…just when you
thinking that are doing yourself some good. If you do exercises every day, and thank
heavens you do, you want them to be the right ones.
If you can get yourself to do a daily routine, you can benefit through every
decade of life and not have to “just live with pain and stiffness” which some doctors
may have already told you.
Most of us brush our teeth two times per day without the blink of an eye, so we
have the inherent skills to add an exercise routine to our day. This becomes so much
more important after the age of 40.
2. Join a Pilates Reformer Class taught by a knowledgable practitioner
Pilates is a 100 year old tradition that gets to the core of things (pun intended).
Yes, it strengthens the core muscles (abdominals, diaphragm, pelvic floor and small
spinal muscles). It is a series of exercises done on a machine with springs and ropes and
pulleys while lying down, sitting or standing. It is all about muscular control and
muscle balance using both sides equally (assuming you are symmetrical in the first
place.)
By joining a class, you can steadily increase your muscular control and with it,
slowly decrease your muscle tension and pain. My clients use a pilates class at least
weekly and always know when they have been away on vacation…
3. Stretch yourself at the beginning and end of the day
I often request that my patients do a series of stretches before their feet hit the
ground in the morning. If you are in the 40+ age bracket, this is a must. Certain
muscles will tighten up overnight simply from the inactivity of sleeping…so it is best to
get them lengthened and ready to go before standing up into gravity.
4. Stay hydrated
Things like coffee, tea, alcohol and energy drinks will make you dehydrated as
consequences of drinking too much of them. Dehydration causes muscle cramps, aches
and pains…along with dizziness and fatigue.
Drink water frequently and often throughout the day.
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5. Avoid sleeping on your stomach
Sleeping on your stomach is the fast track to back pain, neck pain and knee pain.
Every part of your spine is twisted and twisting increases compression…which means
parts of you are not getting a good blood supply to your tissues. This includes your
knee joint. The knee cap is pressed against the leg bone for as long as your are on your
stomach.
Conclusion
So there you have it: 8 things (plus 5 great bonus tips) that you can do TODAY to
improve your posture, general health as well as EASE YOUR HIP AND KNEE PAIN.
There’s obviously so much you can do too and I could go much more in depth on ways
to end these types of pain than just the principles I have given you here, but these
fundamentals, if you apply them rigorously and are disciplined, will make a huge
difference to the quality of your life.
In the weeks ahead I’ll be sending you even more tips and advice on how to restore
your active and healthy lifestyle and will share with you how Physical Therapy can
make a huge difference to your life.
I hope this is the beginning of a great, long-term relationship where I can become a
source of leading edge health advice for you and make a real difference to your life.
Dedicated to Restoring and Rejuvenating Your Health,
Kristie M. Bennett
Specialist in Back Pain/Sciatica
Boulder, Colorado
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Health Advice Disclaimer
I make every effort to ensure that I accurately represent the injury advice and prognosis
displayed throughout this guide.
However, examples of injuries/conditions and their prognosis are based on typical
representations of those injuries that I commonly see in my clinic. The information
given is not intended as representations of every individual’s potential injury/
condition. As with any injury/condition, each person’s symptoms can vary widely and
each person’s recovery from injury/conditions can also vary depending upon
background, genetics, previous medical history, application of exercises, posture,
motivation to follow physical therapy advice and various other physical factors.
It is impossible to give a 100% complete and accurate diagnosis and prognosis without a
thorough physical examination and likewise the advice given for management of an
injury cannot be deemed fully accurate in the absence of this examination.
I am able to offer you this service at a standard charge. Significant injury risk or
aggravation of the condition is possible if you do not follow due diligence and seek
suitable professional advice about your symptoms. No guarantees of specific results are
expressly made or implied in this report.
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