"I think you have a gift. After seeing your DVDs I know you will be helping many people feel better and live better." Sharon Bulchholz, ND

"The Dynamic Flexibility DVD is great!" Its focus on actually learning the exercises and instead of simply following along is brilliant." Rob Salvatore, LA

"It is nice to see a stretching program that almost anyone could use and enjoy with positive results." Claudette Barnett, FL

Seminars and Events

January 16, Sarasota, FL: Efficiency of Movement (general public)

March 11-14, New England Regional Conference, Sheraton Framingham - Framingham, MA:
CFTE from Kinesiology for Manual Therapies (the new McGraw Hill textbook) Visit our Booth (#11)!

September 24, DownEast School of Massage, Waldoboro, ME: Efficiency of Movement (a general public course)

September 25-26, DownEast School of Massage, Waldoboro, ME: CFTE: Kinesiology for Manual Therapies

AMTA-NC Annual Convention; August 13-15, 2010 at the Embassy Suites in Cary, North Carolina: Booth

Pain after Hip Replacement?

Every year, 600,000 people undergo hip replacements in the United States. While the surgeries to replace hips have evolved from large incisions and complex techniques, the patient's recovery, and many times relief from pain, has a poor track record. Consider these facts in patients that had hip replacement surgery:

• 12% were still taking pain medication after a year.
  
• At least 90% could do routine activities after a month, yet couldn't walk half a mile as late as a year after surge
  
• 13% of patients experienced seriously weakened or contracted muscles
• 
  20% of hip-replacement patients and 7% of knee-replacement patients had legs of unequal length.
  
• 5% of all the patients had another operation to correct problems from the first surgery.₁

Now this article is not condemning hip replacement; in many cases it is both necessary and beneficial.  Yet the importance of pre-maintenance both before and after has many merits. In my own practice of 17-plus years, I have treated thousands of patients with hip and knee pain after the patient's surgery. Many were so debilitated that they could no longer function in normal day to day activities! So why all the pain after that shiny new hip or knee? Many of you have heard me say this over the years, but I'll say it again: most people are not ready for surgery. But why? The doctor told them they were ready.

If the major joints of the body, including the affected hip, are not stable, the patient's outcome after the surgery will be affected. The small, intrinsic muscles of the joints must be both flexible and strong, and should be performing the job they were designed to do, which is to support the joints. Many times the unaffected hip is weak because the patient has spent years with bone on bone in the affected hip, and the “good” hip has compensated for the pain. This wears it out. Going into surgery with unstable joints prolongs recovery time because the patient has atrophied (weak) soft tissue that physical therapy often does not address.

While it is important for the muscles of the joint to remain strong before the surgery, the core muscles, including the abdominal, lower back, and lateral thoracic muscles must also be addressed. In short, the stronger you are, the faster and more productive your recovery will be. Also, the long-term benefit of quality movement with the new hip means a continued quality of life.

If you need help with your pre or post surgery rehabilitation, or just feel like you are not improving in your current program, give us a call! Don't spend your out-of-pocket cash on a program that is not helping you.  Have questions? Phone advice is always free!