You have been diagnosed with Knee Osteoarthritis...Now What?

Osteoarthritis is a disease that worsens over time, often resulting in long term pain. This pain and stiffness in your knee can become severe enough to make even simple daily tasks such as walking, or taking the stairs difficult. However, do not panic this is not end, this is just the beginning of learning how to manage your symptoms.

Here are five things to do to manage knee osteoarthritis to make your life easier:

1. Remain active: Although you may want to move as little as possible because of the pain that you are in, you need to try to perform low impact exercises and stretching as frequently as possible. Even taking a walk in the park would suffice! Your muscles protect and support joints affected by osteoarthritis, so the stronger that they are, the less pain you will be in.

2) Manage your diet: A balanced, nutritious diet will give the body the tools it needs to prevent further damage to the joints, which is essential for people with osteoarthritis. Some foods are known to reduce inflammation in the body, and following an anti-inflammatory diet can improve symptoms. Eating enough antioxidants, including vitamins A, C, and E, may help to prevent further damage to the joints

3) Ice: After an active day, your joints will screaming for some TLC. It is important when you note any swelling in your knee joint to take some time out of your day and ice for at least 10 minutes a day, 2-3x a day based on your activity level.

4) Rest: Discomfort is normal, pain is not! Exercise can help people develop healthy joints and muscles, but overuse of joints can increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis. Balance is key! If your joints are swollen or achy, give them a break. Try to avoid using a swollen joint for at least 12 to 24 hours. Letting an injured joint heal helps reduce the risk of further injury in the future.

5) Physics matters!:

Did you know that 1lb Off the Body = 4 lbs Off the Knees? Excess weight is one of the biggest risk factors of osteoarthritis, as it puts extra stress on your joints, which can speed up the deterioration of joint cartilage. Overweight and obese individuals are at high risk of developing Osteoarthritis. Losing weight can help reduce pain and improve symptoms.

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Discomfort and soreness are a part of life. What is not normal is living with pain. If you are still experiencing that pain, it's time to talk to your physical therapist or primary care physician.

Try to stay away from narcotics, injections and knife happy surgeons as a primary option for your treatment. There are no magic bullets, but majority of pain symptoms can be resolved with conservative measures like exercises, manual therapy and pain management.

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• Zuhair Haque, Exercise Specialist at Rehabon Physical Therapy. Zuhair enjoys basketball and he cannot wait to start the DPT program at North Central College in 2023. Zuhair has an extensive experience for working for multiple physical therapy/rehab organizations.

• Irfan Ibrahim is an Owner/Physical Therapist at Rehabon Physical Therapy, Downers Grove IL 60515. He enjoys sunshine and rainbows with his three children. Loves hiking, biking and golfing but he has accepted to live with his mediocre skills. Questions??!! Email him: Irfan@rehabon.com follow him on Facebook

Is Going Back to School Turning into Baggage for Your Child's Back?: Back to School Backpack Tips

Thank you for reading that tongue twister, now let's get back to the problem at hand..

As the school year begins, the frequency of backpack-related injuries continues to climb each year as kids get older and begin to get overloaded with homework and textbooks. School-aged children and teens under report instances of pain, and parents often dismiss complaints, citing “growing pains.” However, when the problem gets severe enough, school-aged children often come to physical therapy because of chronic back pain. The good news is most back pain is easily preventable by implementing the following tips:

(This is how you shouldn't carry your backpack)

1. Load the backpack Evenly: Make sure the heaviest items are positioned closest to the center of the bag. It stabilizes their center of gravity and helps prevent slouching, tilting to one side, or falling over which can take a toll on your child's back.

2. Pack as light as you can!: Start by laying out all the items you think you might need to pack. Only pack what you need.

3. Physics Matters!: For proper support, the backpack should fit securely on both shoulders and should rest on the contour of the back. If it is hanging over the buttocks, it’s too low and can cause some postural issues.

1. Wear Both Straps: Even though it may look or feel cool to some kids, wearing one strap puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders and can cause uneven posture which can cause issues in the future.

2. Biomechanical Tips: As with lifting any sort of weighted object, it is best to lift with your legs. Teach your child to place their backpack on the ground behind them, bend at the knees, put their arms loosely through the straps with their hands holding on, and to stand up with the backpack, lifting with their legs.

(This is how you should carry your backpack)

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Discomfort and soreness are a part of life. What is not normal is living with pain. If you are still experiencing that pain, it's time to talk to your physical therapist or primary care physician.

Try to stay away from narcotics, injections and knife happy surgeons as a primary option for your treatment. There are no magic bullets, but majority of pain symptoms can be resolved with conservative measures like exercises, manual therapy and pain management.

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• Zuhair Haque, Exercise Specialist at Rehabon Physical Therapy. Zuhair enjoys basketball and he cannot wait to start the DPT program at North Central College in 2023. Zuhair has an extensive experience for working for multiple physical therapy/rehab organizations.

• Irfan Ibrahim is an Owner/Physical Therapist at Rehabon Physical Therapy, Downers Grove IL 60515. He enjoys sunshine and rainbows with his three children. Loves hiking, biking and golfing but he has accepted to live with his mediocre skills. Questions??!! Email him: Irfan@rehabon.com follow him on Facebook

How to (actively) enjoy the rest of your summer

REMINDER: Summer isn’t over yet, so you still have a lot of time to enjoy the outdoors before the Chicago weather turns and forces us indoors. Studies also show that enjoying the outdoors reduces stress, cortisol levels, and muscle tension which benefits us both mentally and physically! Here are 5 simple things you can do to reap these benefits and enjoy the rest of your summer.

1) Walk 30-45 minutes daily between sunrise and sunset:

A lot of us spend up to 8 hours a day working in an indoor environment, but we shouldn’t let this rob us of the Vitamin D that our body needs. Our body produces Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, and Vitamin D helps your body maintain calcium and prevents brittle or thin bones. Walking for at least 30 minutes a day or more is also a great way to improve or maintain your overall physical health.

2) Get in a pool at least 2-3 times a week:

Swimming pools are synonymous with summertime and getting in the pool a couple of times per week can bring a lot of benefits to your overall health and strength. Getting in the pool builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness which in turn helps you maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs, tones muscle and builds strength.

3) Go for a bike ride:

One way to keep our legs strong and reverse that lower body pain would be to find your nearest bike trail and bike for 30-45 minutes a day. Biking helps to strengthen and loosen your hamstrings, which lift the pedal up with each cycle and stabilize your joints. You'll work your calves with each cycle, which helps to protect and strengthen your ankles and feet.

4) Take a City Stroll:

Whether it be visiting downtown Chicago, or going to your local downtown area, taking a nice stroll to window shop or perform some retail therapy is a good, fun way to get your daily steps in!

5) Visit your local forest preserve:

Go out for a nature walk and spend some time with the trees! Being out in nature offers health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, increasing brain activity, improving mental and physical well-being, and even improving sleep quality.

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Discomfort and soreness are a part of life. What is not normal is living with pain. If you are still experiencing that pain, it's time to talk to your physical therapist or primary care physician.

Try to stay away from narcotics, injections and knife happy surgeons as a primary option for your treatment. There are no magic bullets, but majority of pain symptoms can be resolved with conservative measures like exercises, manual therapy and pain management.

---

• Zuhair Haque, Exercise Specialist at Rehabon Physical Therapy. Zuhair enjoys basketball and he cannot wait to start the DPT program at North Central College in 2023. Zuhair has an extensive experience for working for multiple physical therapy/rehab organizations.

• Irfan Ibrahim is an Owner/Physical Therapist at Rehabon Physical Therapy, Downers Grove IL 60515. He enjoys sunshine and rainbows with his three children. Loves hiking, biking and golfing but he has accepted to live with his mediocre skills. Questions??!! Email him: Irfan@rehabon.com follow him on Facebook