Rapid Rehab LA Pilates Based Physical Therapy Brentwood California

Chrondomalacia is an injury that affects the kneecap. It is an injury that is most commonly developed due to muscle weakness in and around the kneecap, as in weak hamstrings or quadriceps, a hard fall, or due to overuse, however depending on the age and specifics of the injury such causes can widely vary. For the younger sufferer, which is also the most common, overuse or a fall may be the likely culprit.

For the older demographic sometimes arthritis of the knee, or the simple matter of the aging process can play into the development of Chrondomalacia. Chrondomalacia can be described as “damage” to the articular cartilage of the kneecap, which is located behind the knee.

The cartilage that is underneath the kneecap is the working connector between the femur and the knee, which enables smooth flex between the two bones. If this cartilage is in working order, a certain “slickness” will be felt when the body flexes the knee.

If Chrondomalacia is a factor, there will be a rough response, which will result in agitation. Such a simple movement as flexing the knee, walking, running, and/or going up or down stairs etc., will be met with unduly friction between the bones and will cause minimal to monumental levels of pain, depending on the consistency of daily movement and the enduring nature of the condition.

While self-diagnosis is never recommended when suffering any kind of pain, symptoms of Chrondomalacia may help in pinpointing the condition, if you have assumptions that you may be suffering from it, or a physician has confirmed it.

Walking down the stairs will be one of the biggest determining factors of Chrondomalacia condition. A deadening pain will be felt from behind the knee, when doing so as well as getting up from a seated, cross-legged position, or climbing a flight of stairs, sidewalk, or walking on any steeply graded surface.

For those that are involved in an active lifestyle, you may want to consider discontinuing the sport until you can begin a rehabilitation program. This condition is most common in soccer players, bicyclists, runners (both long distance and sprinters), and in downhill skiers.

When searching for treatment most Chrondomalacia sufferers will be told to seek out low impact exercises that will prohibit further strain on the knees. Pilates rehabilitation is a great fit for those that suffer from this condition because it will strengthen the injured area as well as the surrounding muscles, all the while gently stretching and building up the muscles that can protect the damaged cartilage from further harm.

When choosing a Pilates rehabilitation instructor to help you with this condition, it is best to choose someone familiar with Chrondomalacia. While Pilates is an excellent form of gentle rehabilitation methods, it also has quite a bit of poses and positions that use the knees as the baseline for the body.

Someone who is familiar and well versed with Chrondomalacia will know that this is not an option for you, and will develop an effective Pilates Chrondomalacia rehabilitation program that can still strengthen the knees, through a series of Pilates work without putting added, and potentially dangerous stress on them.

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With sports like golf, repetitive motion over time can cause trauma to the surrounding joints in the elbow, not unlike “tennis elbow”, called Medial Epicondylitis- “golfer’s elbow”.

Small tears in the tendon that surrounds the elbow protecting and supplying the ability for the swinging motion is compromised, and inflammation and pain are side effects.

This is a classic case of an overuse injury, and the flexors in the wrist bear the brunt of the activity. The source of pain will usually be felt by a dull aching sensation on the inside of the elbow.

Certain anti-inflammatory medications may help reduce the pain and swelling of the condition, however hanging up your golf clubs should be the first step towards recovery.

But giving up golf doesn’t need to be the end all for someone who suffers from “golfer’s elbow”, introducing Pilates rehabilitation to your treatment while obtaining from the course will help to fast track the injury from damaged to mended.

Increasing flexibility, reinstating balance, and improving strength to the elbow will be accomplished through such Pilates treatments, with the end goal being whole-body wellness and functionality.

In addition, the muscles in the forearm will be strengthened which helps to counterbalance the usage of the tendons in the elbow, and this overall balance is key to reintroducing a golfer to the game again.

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For those athletes that are consistently involved in sports such as roller, ice hockey and/or soccer they have undoubtedly found that there is a lot of torque required from the body to perform such activities. This “twisting and turning” at high speeds puts hockey and soccer athletes alike, at a high risk for sports hernia.

A sports hernia isn’t by definition the same as other types of hernias. Sports hernia is a severe tearing of the abdominal muscles of the lower abdomen. Very painful, and insidiously common to hockey and sports athletes, a few symptoms may include: pain in the lower abdomen when sneezing or coughing and unilateral pain in the groin.

Some studies have shown that if the pain in the groin lasts longer than eight weeks you may be suffering from sports hernia.

Simon Kemp, MB, BS and Mark Batt, MB wrote in The Physician and Sports Medicine Journal, Volume 26 explaining that the technical occurrence of what happens to the body during the process of sports hernia is quite specific, “these injuries occur because adductor action during sporting activity creates shearing forces across the pubic symphysis that can stress the posterior inguinal wall.”

The pain stemming from sports hernia is most likely to be felt during exercise or during activity more so than dormancy. When an athlete goes to see a doctor, the signs of a typical hernia will not be detectable. This makes sports hernia a fainter version of a definitive hernia injury and can sometimes go unnoticed, unless the doctor is aware of an individual’s involvement with torque heavy sports.

For most patients that suffer from sports hernia, surgery is the byway to recovery. Although not preferred by most athletes, because it deters activity for an indefinite amount of time and also presents the possibility of prolonged recovery that has the potential to modify one’s abilities after the fact, it does address the problem.

However discontinuing hockey or soccer post-surgery doesn’t have to be the case as long as the surgery is successful and the patient has clearance to seek out rehabilitative treatments. Kemp and Batt recommend that anyone who has undergone sports hernia surgery should only seek “structured rehabilitation” which they believe “should enable athletes to return to sports activity 6 to 8 weeks after surgery.”

Pilates is a great rehabilitative addition to an active recovery for a few specific reasons. Sports hernia rehabilitation needs to include conditioning that will provide stability and balance for the hip girdle, while increasing flexibility and strength all throughout the pelvis.

The abdomen has also suffered major trauma and will need to be strengthened through a series of controlled, slow and gentle core exercises. Any jerking or fast paced movement throughout the abdomen is strictly prohibited; making a lot of calisthenics off limits while one is involved in any type of rehabilitative program.

If you are involved in sports activity with a propensity for twisting at high speeds, consider Pilates as a preventative measure as well. Pilates will strengthen the abductors and adductors and will increase flexibility within the hip region while correcting imbalances, which account for the large majority of sports related injuries.

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An interview with Lindy Royer, a professional physical therapist for the last twenty years, sheds a little light on Pilates for fitness versus Pilates for rehabilitation. She says,

“I think the big difference between Pilates for rehabilitation and Pilates for fitness is that the former focuses on getting an individual to a desired state of functional movement, whereas the latter focuses on general athletic or health goals.”

Pilates is a perfect match for those seeking rehabilitation because Pilates is very versatile. It can increase the strength and endurance of a professional football player, yet it can also bring an individual back to the world of functional living after knee surgery or a knee/hip replacement.

The Reformer, which is one of the most common pieces of equipment used in Pilates rehabilitation, can be adjusted to fit the specific needs of any rehab client. The Reformer is an active tool that physical therapists can use for clinical reasoning. They can apply a certain series of movements to a patient, and then adjust the “dose” accordingly upon recovery rate and injury improvement.

Not only does The Reformer improve and heal injuries, it acts as the ramp for those seeking whole body wellness in the long run. This is what makes The Reformer heads and shoulders above other rehabilitation equipment.

Because The Reformer has a potent power to increase overall fitness, this is happening simultaneously as the injury is gently and effectively being healed. The nature of the Reformer movements tone and incorporate all of the muscles of the body at the same time. The goal of all physical therapy is not only to heal the individual but also to reintroduce them to a life of activity much like, if not the same as their former lifestyle.

Since the focus of Pilates can be two-fold, fitness and rehabilitation, these will then become the body’s focal point and this balance of meeting becomes an inexorable force of restoration and vigor.

While moving the body parts simultaneously is a trademark movement in Pilates for fitness, it isn’t as commonly used in Pilates for rehabilitation in the beginning. In Pilates for rehabilitation the focus is on separate compartments of movement.

The body is then broken down into each area of movement that needs attention. As the body becomes more accustomed to that movement, then layers of motion are added to increase mobility within the injured joint and within the surrounding muscles.

Touching on the mind-body connection mentioned before, this is where the deep breathing patterns in Pilates act as the sewing string that binds the slow and controlled movement with the intention of focus. Pilates for rehabilitation and for fitness have many common denominators, but as the factors are separated out they can become two separate forms of Pilates training.

In time they usually can blend into one another creating an entire basis for health and injury, which becomes a cycle of rehabilitation and fitness improvement, a cycle that is not found in any other form of exercise

Pilates has a two-fold purpose. Its ability to meet a client right at the crux of their needs makes it a pliable, approachable, and effectual practice. However the pendulum of Pilates has a large range of swing, and its overarching benefits cover a huge plot of demographic terrain.

Celebrities and athletes can be found in one plain of the ever increasing Pilates interest, whereas a huge population of the injured, elderly, and even those who suffer from neuromuscular diseases such as Parkinson’s disease make up the other.

The methods of Pilates, whether it is applied to fitness or rehabilitation carry the same principles. Core stabilization, increased muscle performance, posture realignment, flexibility, and deep stretching and breathing.

These principles are not only unique to Pilates but are also found in other forms of physical rehabilitation and therapy. The question then begs to ask, what is the difference between Pilates for those seeking fitness and Pilates for those seeking rehabilitation?

Since they both integrate the same movements, and both implement the necessary control over those movements through the same series of exercises, how can it benefit such opposite audiences?

The answer can be found in an exploration of this verses that. Pilates for the fitness community uses the same equipment and standardized movements as those seeking rehabilitation, but the focus of the exercise is on increasing the length and strength of the muscles within the body to create that long, taut, lean body that Pilates is known to produce.

Increasing the worth of everyday movement is of extreme importance. Pilates for fitness encourages its students to become more aware of their everyday posture, gait, sitting and standing positions, and to use the findings as personal inventory to forge a barometer for improvement within the body.

The body desires to operate on the smooth rails of where our joints and bones are supposed to meet and collaborate. However, years of bad postural and health habits in concordance with improper purchases of movement can cause weight gain, depression, lethargy, and muscle imbalances.

This can make the relationship between bone and joint dysfunctional. When the body isn’t running the way it should it makes exercise difficult, and in some cases people abandon the idea that they can even take part. Pilates is gentle on the body and reintroduces common movement with light resistance.

It not only is a great exercise for beginners but it has such a wide range of challenge and difficulty, that it can take years to master some of the Pilates apparatus, and in most cases a lifetime.

Athletic improvement and general health progression is the main focus of Pilates for fitness. Reintroducing a state of ability and upward improvement changes the appearance of the body and marries the body to the mind making health and fitness not just a goal to achieve but a state of mind.

Focus is by and large the line in the sand that separates Pilates for fitness from Pilates for rehabilitation. This is the key we will use to unlock the entire reasoning behind Joseph Pilates staging of the Pilates mind-body connection.

The power of the mind to improve or heal the body comes from the same place of intention, whether that intention is just to look better or to heal serious injury.

For initial relief from a knee injury the best approach is what physical therapists and physicians refer to as R.I.C.E. This stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Inflammation will be the first symptom of the injury that will need to be treated. Rest is also a bid factor in knee injury recovery.

Depending on the severity of the injury sometimes crutches may be needed, but trying to use the knee a lot less, especially in rigorous activity, will be of great importance in the healing process.

Physical therapy is also a great pairing in the recovery process with R.I.C.E. Having programs designed to improve the condition, with the focus being on active recovery, greatly benefits those will knee injuries in the long run. When the knee is prompted to engage in safe yet effective exercises it will be able to acclimate to normal activity much faster and with more ease than just rest alone can give. The goal of physical therapy is to reintroduce a person to their previous active lifestyle, without the injury continuing to get worse, or never fully healing.

Pillates-based rehab has also had much success as an added step in the process of healing knee injuries. Because of its gentle approach to healing, Pilates-based rehab allows for the entire body to be active while a patient may still be in recovery.

Muscular imbalances are one of the leading causes of knee injuries, and Pilates aims to retrain the body’s functionality to work as one cohesive unit. This provides an avenue for not only the injury to improve but also drastic improvements will be made in postural habits, quality of movement, mind-body connection, and core strength.

When it comes to specific conditions like Chrondomalcia, physical therapy and Pilates act as viable treatment options as well.

Physicians will often recommend low impact activity, such a cycling, swimming, walking, and Pilates and yoga. Surgery is of course an option, but if a holistic approach is preferred, since may patients wish to forego the invasiveness of a procedure these low-impact exercises will help improve the condition without surgery.

For torn ligaments such as the ACL, PCL, and LCL it is important to strengthen the muscles surrounding the injury. Since rigorous or weight bearing activity is strictly discouraged, it can be somewhat challenging to improve strength surrounding the injury without furthering the damage in the area of concern.

With the exercises and modalities that physical therapy and Pilates based rehab offer, a client can heal the injury and increase the overall health of their body at the same time. While the exercises, poses, and movements in Pilates and physical therapy are challenging to the body and build strength, they avoid the risk that more conventional forms of exercise and training may impose.

There are many causes of knee injuries, but proper alignment, heightened body awareness and core strengthening when balanced with low impact cardio, will result in a lower chance of a knee injury in an individual.

Most people can remember a time when they have had minor knee issues. Since your knees bear the brunt of everyday activities, and are easily twisted and “tweaked”, it isn’t any wonder that knee injuries can affect all demographics of people. From the weekend gardener to the professional athlete, any one who uses their knees in daily activity is at risk for developing a knee injury.

The most common cause of a knee injury is sports related. Any recreational activity that involves kicking, stopping, twisting, or turning heightens the chances of a strain. However, arthritis of the knees, Osteoporosis, the natural aging process, and poor health habits are also big factors in a knee injury cause. The knee is the largest joint in the body.

Since it is so, there is a cushion of cartilage surrounding the knee, which absorbs shock from impact from sudden changes of movement or weight bearing exercises. With the knee being the biggest joint in the body there is more cartilage surrounding the joint, and therefore creates a higher potential for tearing in some cases.

In addition to more cartilage, tendons as well as muscles surround the knee. Where the upper leg and the lower leg meet, the knee acts as the hinge between the two bones. The femur is the upper leg bone, and the tibia and fibula are the lower leg bones.

Ligament issues rank among the top types of knee injuries and happen quite often. When an athlete does stop short, or change the body’s direction quickly, sometimes the force of motion can cause for torn ligaments within the knee.

There are a few ligaments in the knee that can be affected by this type of injury. Familiar terms for what type of ligament is most often injured in this instance are the anterior cruciate ligament (which is commonly known as the ACL), the medial collateral posterior cruciate ligaments (PCL), and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL).

Another condition called Chondromalacia is a great threat to knee health. Underneath the kneecap, a deterioration of the cartilage occurs which leads to a softening of the knee joint. This can develop from blunt trauma to the knee, muscular imbalances, overuse, or improper alignment of the kneecap. When “friction” is found in and around the kneecap, pain begins to become a part of the everyday routine.

With this condition, walking down stairs, hills, or bending the knee will always be followed by a dull pain. The uncomfortable sensation of “rubbing” that takes place under the kneecap will worsen as you age, as well as if you are trying to maintain the same level of activity previous to an injury.

An inflammation of the tendons can occur from overuse, this is technically called tendonitis. This cause of knee injuries will be accompanied by tenderness in the knee, right where the cap (patella) meets the bone of the leg. This is also called “Jumpers Knee” and sometimes happens from quick or sudden impact, movements, or just general fatigue. On the heels of tendonitis, if a tingling or burning sensation runs itself along the inside of the knee, it may be Iliotibial Band Syndrome, which is another type of knee injury.

Degenerative disc disease sounds a lot more threatening than it actually is. The word degenerative holds a stigma of health digression over time, making it seem like this particular condition will worsen with age.

When in the context of degenerative disc disease, the operative words “degenerative disc” is the explanation within itself. The degenerating discs within the spinal column that are affected by this condition, will progressively worsen however the symptoms (pain, immobilization, soreness) will most likely improve over time if properly addressed.

The causes of degenerative disc disease do have close ties to the natural aging process of our bodies. The discs that make up the spine are soft and easily compressible. The purpose of these discs within the vertebrae is to absorb shock. They are also the primary movers of the back, which allow it for its flexibility, bending capabilities and twisting proficiency.

What cannot be avoided is that as we age, fluid will be lost within the spine. Although no part of the spine is safe from degenerative disc disease, it is more common in the lower part of the back where it tends to be more prone to compression.

There are certain conditions within the body that happen before degenerative disc disease is developed. When the cartilage breaks down between the discs in the back a condition called Osteoarthritis occurs. The cartilage acts as protection to the spine, and when this “cushion’ of cartilage is compromised pain results and the spine is more vulnerable to disease. Herniated discs as well as Spinal stenosis (“the narrowing of the spinal canal”) are also common culprits in the development of degenerative disk disease.

Symptoms of degenerative disc disease may reveal themselves as acute pains in the neck or back. But this is widely dependent on each person, since some people who suffer from the condition cite no pain at all. No matter how severe the damage it seems that each person’s body reacts differently. The pain is also more prevalent when someone is in a moving pattern, such as: sitting, standing, bending, reaching, and squatting.

It is recommended that when trying to treat degenerative disc disease ice or heat modalities have proven to be quite effective. Pilates based rehab is also an option for those seeking a gentle remedy to a potentially extremely painful condition. Since Pilates focuses on strengthening the core, it can take some of the pressure of the back by reeducating a client on postural patterns.

Once the back can be alleviated of some of the responsibility it carries, and the abdomen (when the core muscles are properly engaged), the compression and fatigue within the back can being to lift and can improve degenerative disc symptoms.

Some hydrotherapy, massage, and physical therapy can also be beneficial to a person suffering this condition, however treatment is widely dependent upon how sever the condition is. Once the aforementioned conditions are involved, Osteoarthritis, herniation of a disc, or spinal stenoisis, surgery is sometimes an option.

A herniated disc happens when the cushion the separates the vertebrae from one another and is pushed outside its normal position. The word herniated itself means “to bulge or stick out”. People who suffer from lower back pain, lower body weakening, or shooting leg pains may have a herniated disc. Since these discs are in such close proximity to the spinal nerves it can potentially be dangerous to the overall health of the spinal column.

This spinal disc that has the propensity to bulge out does assume a more stiff tenure as time goes by. This rigid essence doesn’t bode well for the spine, which thrives in a fluid environment. As the elasticity is lost this spinal disk within the column can rupture.

The nerves surrounding the spinal cord can become pinched due to this rupturing.  The usual space between each vertebrae becomes lessened, and sin some cases can become non-existent. A result of the tightened space between vertebrae’s adds to the potential for back compression.

A herniated disc can happen suddenly, if an unexpected fall occurs or a car accident. It can also evolve overtime from a consistent improper torque of the spine, or bad postural habits developed at work or in daily activities. These poor habits create a breeding field that first affect the body’s alignment and then can begin to develop the inner workings of the spine itself.

Tingling and numbness, as well as shooting pains through the legs can be symptoms of a herniated disc. When the back is compressed, the nerve endings within the spine will begin sending out abnormal sensations, and affect the body’s ability to correctly signal pain to the central system of the body.

An MRI may need to be administered to accurately provide a diagnosis of a herniated disc. Since most all MRI’s will detail spinal abnormalities the findings must be weighed against a physician’s examination to have a true diagnosis. A physician will check reflexes, muscle strength, and sensation response in order to determine or confirm MRI results.

Treatment for a herniated disc can be administered in a variety of ways. Initially if the pain from the herniated disk is severe resting the injury should be the first line of defense. Activity modification is the next necessary step.

This modification needs to instated so as to reestablish a new way of moving. Pilates based rehab specializes in such education. Its whole-body approach to healing is holistic and yet ascertains certain elements of physical therapy making it a well-rounded option for herniated disc alleviation.

However, prevention of a herniated disk should be at the top of anyone’s list that holds their health in high regard. Maintaining a healthy weight will relieve stress in the back, since imbalances often occur from disproportionate body weight.

Heightening posture awareness through Pilates or yoga will allow for the correction of improper alignment. If you smoke, quit. This is another addition in the long list of anti-smoking campaigns, since smoking can increase the risk of a disc related injury.

In 1921 the first edition of the PT Review was published, that year also marked the time when The American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association was formed. The association was led by President Mary McMillan, and included 274 members. During the 1940’s and 1950’s, a nationwide attack of Polio swept through the United States and created an even higher demand for physical therapists. Fro the next 20-30 years, war worn-and-torn soldiers and polio victims would be the main clientele that would make up the roster of physical therapy patient in the United States.

Before what is known as today as the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), was in full force, most of the doctors that were using physical therapy treatments were eighty percent general practitioners. Only twenty percent of those performing physical therapy were properly trained in the field.  Physical therapy has had the same goals throughout its century long existence, to “foster advancements in physical therapy practice, research, and education.” This was used as a catalyst to focus on generating a higher population of individuals with proper knowledge of physical therapy methods.

It wasn’t until the 1950’s that physical therapy began taking its full shape. Manipulative spine treatments and joint practices were introduced in addition to the passive exercises, massage and hydrotherapy previously developed. It was also during this era that physical therapy began to branch out of the “medical” connotation it held and began to practice outside of hospital environments such as colleges, outpatient centers, clinics, nursing homes and public schools.

In the 1970’s a specialized program for Orthopedics emerged. Later that year, the International Federation of Orthopedic Manipulative Therapy (IFOTMT) was official. This federation is greatly responsible for the continually progress and necessary change needed to maintain manual therapy’s worldwide status.

With the introduction of the new “digital world” in the 1980’s new modalities were added to the already expansive list of practices. Ultrasound treatments, cold lasers, Isokinetics (electronic resistance exercises), iontophoresis and electric stimulators rounded out a well-organized attempt at a furthering profession.

With the obvious advances of technology and its effect on the medical profession, a manual therapist from Norway names Freddy Kaltenborne, saw a need for a formal collaboration of training and residency. He was one of the founders of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy (AAOMPT). This organization was critical to the physical therapy profession, since it introduced standardized practices and common specializations that would create a bond within all modes of facilities, patients, and therapists.

Out of the development of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapy many institutes, universities, residencies and fellowship programs have evolved and thrived. It is easy to forget the advancements that have been made from the days before the polio vaccine became commonplace, and our health was one of life’s biggest luxuries.

Physical therapy continues to reissue new life to those suffering from injuries or ailments that might impede the highest quality of life possible. Without the hard work and research of generations past, physical therapy may not be the lifeline that so many people have found to rescue them from a life with injury.