ALEXANDRIA, VA, December 12, 2008 — The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging patients with musculoskeletal pain to consider treatment by a physical therapist, in light of a new federal survey showing that more than one-third of American adults and nearly 12 percent of children use alternative medicine - with back and neck pain being the top reasons for treatment. Results of the 2007 survey of more than 32,000 Americans were released December 11 by the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

According to APTA, physical therapy offers an evidence-based, time-tested solution to these common conditions in comparison to alternative treatments.
For neck pain, for example, a recent study published in the medical journal Spine found that when patients received up to six treatments of manual physical therapy and exercise, they not only experienced pain relief, but were also less likely to seek additional medical care up to one year following treatment.

One of the primary obstacles to quick resolution of back pain is the medical gauntlet that many patients have to endure before seeing their physical therapist.  This medical gauntlet often creates an unnecessary delay by waiting to be seen by a primary care physician, the typical course of several weeks of anti-inflammatory medications, then off to an orthopedist, then x-rays, then MRI THEN the physical therapist.  By the time the patient has navigated this gauntlet of interventions mostly unsupported by the current best evidence, their condition is ingrained and the time required for resolution is dramatically increased.  Nothing better demonstrates this that what has transpired at Viginia Mason Medical Center at the urging of Starbucks.  This video from the local Fox affiliate should be of great interest to back pain sufferers as well as insurers and employers who bear the brunt of many unnecessary expenses in the treatment of back pain.

Here is the Video

Future Physical Therapy, PC is pleased to announce the addition of Rudolph (Rudy) Vidi, PT, CSCS to our practice.  Rudy brings a wealth of experience in orthopedic Physical Therapy as well as fitness training.  Rudy will be principally working out of our Manahawkin, New Jersey office.

Secret to Successful Knee Replacement: Top Sports Orthopaedist Stresses Importance of Exercise -- Both Pre- and Post-op -- for Patients Facing Arthritis and Total Knee Replacement

According to Kevin Plancher, MD, a leading sports orthopaedist in the New York metropolitan area and an official orthopaedic surgeon for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard teams, "Everybody knows that exercise is good for you - unless you've got arthritis. Lots of people believe that strenuous, weight-bearing exercise can cause arthritis, and that someone with arthritis should definitely avoid those kinds of activities. But the truth is that exercise doesn't cause arthritis - and it can even improve joint function, even in people who are having joint replacement surgery.

NY, NY and Greenwich, CT (PRWEB) January 15, 2008 -- Everybody knows that exercise is good for you -- unless you've got arthritis. "Lots of people believe that strenuous, weight-bearing exercise can cause arthritis, and that someone with arthritis should definitely avoid those kinds of activities," says Kevin Plancher, MD, a leading sports orthopaedist in the New York metropolitan area and an official orthopaedic surgeon for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard teams. But the truth is that exercise doesn't cause arthritis -- and it can even improve joint function, even in people who are having joint replacement surgery.

Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, affects close to 21 million people in the US. And according to the Arthritis Foundation, osteoarthritis, or OA, in the knee or hip is the most common cause of arthritis-related disability. As baby boomers get older (and more arthritic), orthopaedic surgeons are performing more and more total joint replacement surgeries, with total knee replacements, or TKRs, the most common type. More than 300,000 people undergo the procedure each year, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

According to the following article from the University of Delaware there is now new evidence that women shouldn't put off knee replacement.

Lynn Snyder-Mackler (left), Distinguished Alumni Professor in UD’s Department of Physical Therapy, tests the knee strength of Alice Voorhees, a patient at UD’s Physical Therapy Clinic.

11:15 a.m., Jan. 9, 2008--Is getting new knees on your list of New Year's resolutions?

 

Research at the University of Delaware indicates that women wait longer to pursue knee-replacement surgery than men do.

By postponing surgery until they can no longer stand the pain, these women may also risk putting their mobility, and quality of life, on hold indefinitely, according to Lynn Snyder-Mackler, Distinguished Alumni Professor in UD's Department of Physical Therapy and a certified sports physical therapist and athletic trainer.

Newswise — Young athletes could see their sports dreams evaporate if they don’t seek prompt treatment and allow full rehabilitation of foot and ankle injuries. That warning comes today from sports medicine experts meeting in Orlando for the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) Annual Scientific Conference.

Athletic children who “play through the pain,” ignore injuries, cut rehab short or skip it altogether could face repeated injuries and instability in their feet and ankles well into their teen years and adulthood. Long-term problems can include osteoarthritis and chronic ankle instability. According to the ACFAS Web site FootPhysicians.com, people with untreated chronic ankle instability may suffer activity limitations, arthritis, and tendon problems.

Newswise — Americans are getting more new hip and knee implants than ever before—nearly a half-million a year. This boom in joint replacement has made the procedure somewhat routine and widely available. But when it comes time to have that initial implant replaced, due to wear or failure, the procedure is anything but routine, according to an article in the March issue of Cleveland Clinic Arthritis Advisor.

“Revision surgery is a far longer and more complex procedure than initial surgery,” says Kenneth Marks, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at Cleveland Clinic. “It requires more time and expertise to remove the old implant and do a customized repair and realignment of the existing bone to ensure that the new implant will be held firmly in place.” Growing demand Though the challenge of revision surgery is higher, the demand is climbing. More and more patients who got their first new hip or knee at age 55 or 60 are outliving the useful life of their implants. Advanced age is becoming less of an impediment. Even among people 80 and older, the benefits of joint revision surgery—pain elimination, increased mobility, greater range of motion—can outweigh the risks, as long as you’re healthy enough to undergo such surgery in the first place.