We Can Reduce Pain and Restore Mobility

Many orthopedic conditions and injuries can make regular exercise feel difficult (if not impossible).  Osteoarthritis, herniated discs, tennis elbow–all can make you feel like it’s easier just to sit this one out. In reality, though, all these conditions (and others) benefit from regular exercise.

Dealing with persistent pain or limited mobility? Our physical therapists offer several options for pain relief, including several manual therapy techniques, such as soft tissue manipulation, joint mobilization, or myofascial release. We use these techniques as the first step in preparing your body for regular movement.

We’ll also show you targeted, tailored exercises to reduce pain in the affected area. Joint pain often stems from muscular imbalances or postural impairments that stress the impacted joint, leading to discomfort and setting you up for more serious injuries. Strength training will help reduce your pain and get you moving again.

Did you know you don’t have to wait until you’re in pain to visit the team at Prevail Physical Therapy Services? We’re in the business of preventing injuries, not just treating them–and we can help you enter into a new workout plan without fear!

Our comprehensive physical evaluations test the following:

• Muscle strength and endurance
• Overall mobility
• Biomechanics, which looks at how your body’s systems work together to get you moving
• Balance and fall risk
• Posture
• Walking patterns
• Functional movements that you might perform for work, hobbies, or recreation

During the screens, we’ll look for potential impairments that might cause injuries down the line and suggest corrections to address them–before they become a problem.

For example, let’s say that you want to take up running after some time away. During your assessment, we noticed that you tend to bend forward at the waist when jogging. This habit means that every time your foot hits the ground, you cause more impact in your feet than necessary, which could, eventually, lead to an injury. 

By catching the form mistake now–and working with our physical therapists to correct it–you lower your chances of suffering a knee injury (which could prevent you from exercising altogether).

Nutrition Principles to Support Recovery 

Nutrition plays a crucial role in helping your body heal and recover after an injury. To reach your recovery goals whether that’s healing and strengthening a joint, muscle, or bone you need enough energy and a well-rounded diet that includes all the essential nutrients.

Why What You Eat Matters for Recovery

• Helps You Heal: Getting enough energy is absolutely essential for your joints, muscles, and bones to repair themselves. A balanced diet gives your body the necessary building blocks.

• Tames Inflammation: What you eat is key to helping reduce long-term inflammation, which can really slow down your recovery. Chronic inflammation can hinder muscle repair, cause you to lose muscle mass, and create scar tissue that delays getting back to full function.

Key Nutrition Strategies to Speed Up Healing

1. Keep Inflammation in Check: Focus on adding foods rich in anti-inflammatory power:
   • Antioxidants: Make it a goal to include fruits and vegetables in most of your meals or snacks.
   • Healthy Fats: Choose foods higher in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, such as avocados, olive oil, cold-water fish (like salmon), flax, chia, nuts, and seeds.
2. Choose Lean Protein: Pick leaner protein options (chicken, beans, legumes, tofu, leaner cuts of red meat) to help lower the amount of saturated fat you eat, which can help calm the inflammatory response.
3. Combine Carbs and Protein: Protein is vital for fixing muscles and repairing connective tissue. However, getting enough carbohydrates is just as important.
   • If you don’t eat enough carbs, your body will use the valuable protein for energy instead of for healing.
   • Pairing carbs and proteins ensures protein is used to rebuild muscle while also refilling your muscle glycogen (the sugar your muscles use for fuel).

Simple Ways to Eat for Better Recovery

Instead of only thinking about what you need to cut out, focus on what great things you can add to your diet:

• Sprinkle chia seeds into your morning oats or yogurt.
• Add fiber-rich, antioxidant-packed fruits and veggies to your snacks and meals.
• Pair a fruit with a protein for a recovery-focused snack, like eggs and avocado on a slice of whole-wheat toast.
• Make sure your main meals include both a carbohydrate and a protein source.
• Incorporate recovery-focused fats throughout your week.

Ultimately, fueling your body with the right nutrients and energy through proper nutrition allows the hard work you’re doing in physical therapy to have a much stronger, more positive impact. On the flip side, not eating enough can seriously hurt your recovery. If you need a personalized plan, consulting a registered dietitian is a great step to making recovery-driven changes.

About the Author: 

Abraham Ruiz, MS, RDN, CD 

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist