Friday, December 7, 2018

Knee Pain? A Must Read!


Do you have knee pain?
Then, this is a must read patient success story, with notes from one of our therapists, Joseph R. Maccio, DPT, Dip. MDT

How to Avoid Unnecessary Surgery 
“I suffered a sports injury, and was first told by a doctor that it will get better over time. Nine months later, my knee was still in pain and I couldn’t get through the day without wearing a brace and icing at night. I went to an orthopedist who eventually performed a surgery to clean up my knee, but 3 months later the pain was still prevalent. I got a second opinion and this doctor sent me to physical therapy. I was skeptical, as I had already worked on strengthening my muscles. Nothing seemed to have helped and I simply wanted to function, to exercise and to play sports without a brace and pain. After a completely new diagnosis, at Maccio Physical Therapy, of referred pain from my spine and corrective movements my pain began to go away. Within about 2 months, I was brace-free, ice-free and able to exercise and play sports again without pain. It felt good to finally have a reason behind the pain and to not have another surgery and to be hopeful for my future!”
-Beth

Clinical Commentary
This patient is an unfortunate example of what happens when the spine is not properly screened. We have been increasingly seeing patients who have a surgical procedure and 6 months to a year later still have the same or worse pain. In our 2018 study, Directional preference of the extremity: a preliminary investigation, we found that by using a MDT assessment, almost half, (45.9%) of patients with isolated peripheral pain, actually had pain referred from the spine and got fully better from treatment of the spine. This finding was echoed in a Japanese study which found 44.6% of patients with the medical diagnosis of knee OA, with pain referred exclusively pain from the spine.
Contact Maccio Physical Therapy, the Capital Regions only certified MDT clinic, to make sure your knee pain isn’t referred from your spine to avoid unnecessary surgery and treatment.
Joseph R. Maccio DPT Dip. MDT


Maccio Physical Therapy
518-273-2121
jmaccio@macciophysicaltherapy.com