Living on a Pill and a Prayer
If the title of this article got your attention, good! Patients come in all the time with painful problems including, burning, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet and sometimes pain in the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle. Some athletes deny pain in their bodies that is getting worse and worse and keep playing or running. Others just ignore the pain and push themselves or reduce activities. Why? The #1 answer I hear over and over is “I was hoping it would just go away”. Yes, that’s right I hear this everyday! Why would people feel this way? Some let the pain go on for long periods of time with a lot of suffering and men are worse than women for this by a good margin, trust me.
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I think there are several reasons. I think some people have had bad experiences in the past with the medical system relieving their pain. Their choices are usually a) anti-inflammatories or narcotics; b) go see a surgeon; c) injections of cortisone or pain killers. These days most people shy away from pills. A simple anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen has been cited as increasing the risk of blood clots. Narcotics can be addictive and scare most people. Most sane people realize surgery is risky and a last resort. Many people are afraid of needles, but will do it if it will help.
Funny thing is there are other options. Our motto is Try Therapy First. We say it so we can spread the word so people will think about therapy as a first option not a last resort. Skeptical? Ok, maybe you have had a bad experience with therapy in the past or you have heard bad things about therapy. At TriState Hand, Foot and Ankle Therapy we get to the source of your problems and try to correct it, not just treat the symptoms.
We had a 26 year old man recently who had seen the surgeon for knee pain and stopped playing soccer. He took anti-inflammatories for two weeks but was no better. After taking his history, the exam revealed flat feet! Big flat feet on a big guy which made him knock-kneed. His hips, which help keep the knees straight, were weak too. Anyway we strengthened the weak muscles, strengthened his core and measured very carefully to get precisely the right orthotics. Guess What? He now has no pain and is back to playing soccer and running! Another case involved a 58 year old woman who wanted to get back to hiking but her feet were killing her for years. We strengthened her hips and once again took very precise measurements of the feet, ankles, knees, and hip. We got her a special softer more comfortable yet supportive orthotic. She is back to hiking six miles a day and wants to hike the Appalachian Trail!
What is your dream? Want to walk the trail or just get rid of your pain and stop living on a prayer and a pill? Why not get you problem handled at TriState Hand, Foot and Ankle Therapy. Pain and injury may happen, but suffering is optional. Call us at 301-759-4263 or stop in for a free screening every Monday from 4-6 pm. Try therapy first at TriState, you can reach your dreams too! Believe it
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