Greetings to you all! I hope you have been enjoying this beautiful May in Indiana.



This month I'd like to discuss a new and frequent trend we have been seeing in our clinic. I'd like to tell you about three patients who recently came to our clinic. The first patient came into our clinic limping. He had been competing in a pickle ball tournament and injured his calf. He is planning on playing in another tournament even though he is still having calf pain.  Patient number two came in limping with hopes to compete in an Ironman competition in a few weeks. Patient number three came in with their rotator cuff repaired with hopes to play in a golf tournament in three months. In the past, I would have been able to discuss these injuries with the high school or college athlete's coaches and parents. We would have decided that it was in the athlete's best interest to sit out for a while and heal for their future. Unfortunately, these 3 cases are not high school or college athletes; they are 55–75-year-olds that will be competing, regardless! Surprised? Don't be! More and more athletic adults (54-75 years of age) are acting like they are still in their 20's and 30's. What does this mean?

It means at McDonald Physical Therapy we are not only dealing with young athletes and their desire to get back to their sports as early as possible, we are also dealing with helping older athletes get back from their injuries as quickly as possible. Some of the older athletes are wanting to get back to their activities even sooner than they should. They are not listening to experienced advice and the need to be more patient with their healing. They, like many of our high school athletes, are begging to get back to their sports before they are ready. In the end, most will return a bit more injured than when they first came in for their physical therapy because they are not taking the advice that they would give their own children.

Please don't get me wrong, I am glad we have such a young and fit group coming into McDonald Physical Therapy. At a time in life when some baby boomers are choosing to be sedentary and not care about eating healthy and exercising, we are seeing others choosing the opposite! I am excited and grateful about this mindset of staying active; yet would also like for us to be a bit more sensible with the healing process. I speak from experience. I am 70 years old and it does take me longer to heal than when I was in my 20's, 30's and 40's. I had one injury in my knee when I was 38 years old. It took me six weeks to heal. I had the same exact injury in my other knee at 56 years old and it took me nine MONTHS to heal!! An orthopedic surgeon had said to me (after each injury) “pay me now or pay me later”. Because I listened to my body and slowed my process down before going back to my activities, I have still not paid him later, and I am 70 years old.

As we age, we do need to exercise to stay as independent as possible. We all need to exercise to be able to share in our children's, grandchildren's and hopefully great grandchildren's lives. We need to eat healthy and keep our emotional and spiritual life as consistent as possible. In saying this, we also need to respect our bodies. While we can do all of the above with energy and passion, we must keep in mind that aging does happen, and we have to treat our injuries with attention and respect as we age. Competition is a great motivator, but please don't let it overcome the main purpose for living and exercising, which is to share our lives with our loved ones in a healthy and balanced way.

The information in our newsletter is about osteoarthritis in the knee and how we might be able to postpone or avoid more invasive solutions like surgery or injections. If we fail to listen to professional advice when we are injured, we may have no choice but to have a total knee replacement instead of a less invasive exercise program to keep our knees healthy and safe.

If you need direction toward a healthier life, please call, and we will help you get started! 

Enjoy the journey,

Fran McDonald President/CEO

Choosing Physical Therapy for Osteoarthritis of the Knee Outperforms Steroid Injections and Is Cost-Effective

Numerous studies have shown that physical therapy is effective in helping manage osteoarthritis of the knee. A new study provides yet another reason to choose or recommend physical therapy for OA of the knee over steroid injections — the overall value it delivers.

OA of the knee is the most common type of osteoarthritis, affecting over 12 million people ages 65 and older. The condition causes pain, stiffness, and limited function.

Choosing physical therapy for OA of the knee outperforms steroid injections. In addition to saving health care dollars, it helps patients to:

• Reduce pain and increase strength.
• Avoid invasive steroid injections and surgery.
• Increase mobility, balance, strength, and flexibility.
• Benefit from aerobic activity and endurance training that supports healthy aging.

Learn more about physical therapist treatment in the Physical Therapy Guide to Knee Osteoarthritis.

Researchers calculated the economic impact of choosing physical therapy for OA of the knee over steroid injections. They found that doing so saves $13,981, including all the hidden costs of your time, pain, missed life events, and the dollars paid for services. This graphic summarizes their analysis, outlined in an easy-to-read paper covering this and seven other conditions.

Health care dollars are finite. This research can help to influence policies that better enable patient access to treatment options. It also may lead to health plan coverage that is both clinically effective and value-based. Patients and the health care system benefit when our health care dollars go further.

**choosept.com

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