Author: Jeffrey Petersen

Click below to watch the video of Dr. Michael Sumko’s presentation on How to Know When it’s Time for Hip or Knee Surgery. Dr. Sumko was the third speaker at our Managing Hip Pain Through Diet and Exercise seminar.

To watch Jeff Petersen’s portion of the presentation, click here. His topic was “Practical Exercises for Managing Hip & Knee Pain.”

To watch Kelli Shallal’s portion of the presentation, click here. Her topic was “Inflammatory vs Non Inflammatory Foods.”

Click below to watch the video of Kelli Shallal’s presentation on Inflammatory vs Non-Inflammatory Foods. Kelli was the first speaker at our Managing Hip Pain Through Diet and Exercise seminar.

To watch Jeff Petersen’s portion of the presentation, click here. His topic was “Practical Exercises for Managing Hip & Knee Pain.”

To watch Dr. Michael Sumko’s portion of the presentation, click here. His topic was “How to Know if It’s Time for Surgery.”

Click below to watch the video of Jeff Petersen’s presentation on Practical Exercises for Managing Hip & Knee Pain. Jeff was the second speaker at our Managing Hip Pain Through Diet and Exercise seminar.

To watch Kelli Shallal’s portion of the presentation, click here. Her topic was “Inflammatory vs Non Inflammatory Foods.”

To watch Dr. Michael Sumko’s portion of the presentation, click here. His topic was “How to Know if It’s Time for Surgery.”

This post is a reprint of information found in a handout used by Kelli Shallal, Registered Dietician. The original handout can be accessed here.

Inflammation is a love/hate relationship. In moderation, it’s a natural process that helps your body heal and defend itself from harm. But too much can become harmful! We can lower inflammation with our diet through a multitude of ways:

1. Reduce the amount of added sugar and increase natural sugars.
   • Candy, brown sugar, maple syrup & soda are examples of added sugars.
   • Fresh fruit & veggies are examples of natural sugars.
2. Eat more whole grains to reduce inflammatory response.
   • Brown rice, oats, 100% whole wheat & quinoa are whole grains.
3. Swap out Omega-6 for Omega-3.
   • Foods such as soybean oil, safflower oil, sunflower, and corn oil are sources of omega-6 fatty acids.
   • Foods such as salmon, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts are sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
4. Curb alcohol consumption and increase water intake.
   • Every day, drink half your body weight in ounces of water.
5. Choose to eat unprocessed meat instead of processed meats.
   • Chicken, beef, pork, and fish are examples of unprocessed meats.
   • Deli meats, bacon, and hot dogs are examples of processed meats.
6. Go for green tea.
7. Don’t forget turmeric.
8. Say yes to dark chocolate.

We can also reduce inflammation by examining our lifestyle choices. Excess stress and lack of sleep affect inflammation, as well as carrying excess weight (particularly in the mid-section), and having unresolved GI issues (suck as leaky gut and/or food sensitivities).

Inflammatory Foods

• Added Sugar
• White Bread/Pasta
• Soybean Oil
• Safflower Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Corn Oil
• Vegetable Oil
• Alcohol
• Processed Meats
• Preservatives
• Added Chemicals

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

• All Fruits & Veggies
• Whole Grains
• Fish
• Walnuts
• Chia
• Flaxseed
• Water
• Green Tea
• Turmeric
• Dark Chocolate

Living with hip pain is NO FUN. We just wanted to make you aware that Jeff Petersen, PT will be speaking at an event this month, along with two of our great friends, Kelli Shallal (registered dietician) and Dr. Michael Sumko! This two hour seminar’s topic is “Managing Knee & Hip Pain through Diet and Exercise.”

This FREE event is taking place at the end of the month and you are invited. This event will be great if you:

• Suffer from any sort of Hip or Knee pain
• Want your hip or knee pain explained to you in layman’s terms
• Want to know some practical solutions that can get you free of your hip pain in no time!
• Would like to have your hip pain management and/or therapy questions answered by professionals who do this for a living

Light snacks will be provided, and three speakers will discuss topics relating to two of the most common types of pain.

The speakers will be:

• Kelli Shallal, MPH, Registered Dietician
• Jeff Petersen, MOMT, Physical Therapist
• Dr. Michael Sumko, DO, Orthopedic Surgeon

Where: Tempe St. Lukes Hospital, MOB Building
When: October 30 at 6:30pm
Cost: FREE

Please click the link below to RSVP in advance:

Click Here to Register for the Event
Click Here to Download a PDF of the Flyer

Dealing with hip pain can be extremely discouraging. Like low back pain or knee pain, it affects every area of your life! If you’re struggling to move the way you used to, pick up your grandchildren, get in and out of vehicles, etc, you are not alone!

Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will have a basic understanding of whether or not arthritis may be the cause of your hip pain, and more importantly, what to do about it!

First, some background on Arthritis

The Arthritis Foundation reports t hat 26% percent of women and 18% of men have been diagnosed with some type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis, the wear and tear type, is the most common. Almost two thirds of these individuals are of working age. Arthritis and other non-traumatic injury joint disorders are among the costliest conditions to treat and manage in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control, 2016, there are over 100 types of Arthritis. For more information about each type of arthritis, visit arthritis.org.

There are several chronic conditions in which arthritis is commonly associated:

• 49 percent of adults with heart disease have arthritis.
• 47 percent of adults with diabetes have arthritis.
• 31 percent of adults who are obese have arthritis.

In each of these conditions most people are limited in their level of activity and movement. But don’t stop moving! What we know is that physical activity can reduce pain and improve physical function by about 40 percent. Hopefully, the exercises listed in this article will help reduce your pain enough to return to an active lifestyle.

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects more than 30 million Americans. It is the most common arthritis and is not limited to older adults. In normally healthy individuals OA can develop in joints that have sustained an injury and/or required surgery. High demand jobs and involvement in athletics makes one vulnerable to wear and tear of joints, leading to OA. OA is a chronic condition that can affect any joint, but it occurs most often in knees, hips, lower back, neck, small joints of the fingers and the bases of the thumb and big toe. Currently, there is no cure for OA.

In normal joints, cartilage covers the end of each bone. Cartilage provides a smooth, gliding surface for joint motion and acts as a cushion between the bones. In OA, the cartilage breaks down, causing pain, swelling and problems moving the joint. As the condition worsens over time, bones may break down and develop growths called spurs. Bits of bone or cartilage may chip off and float around in the joint. This can cause inflammation and further damage the cartilage. In the final stages of OA, the cartilage wears away and bone rubs against bone, leading to joint damage and more pain. When OA becomes severe, one may need a joint replacement surgery.

How can one identify the root cause of hip pain and deal with it before needing to resort to surgery?

Even with an X-ray that shows minimum to moderate hip joint degeneration (another name for arthritis), often the pain is associated with the tissues surrounding the joint. In the case of hip arthritis, that would mean ???[JW1] .Additionally, other structures such as the sacroiliac joint [JW2] and the low back can cause pain that seems to come from the hip.

Common ways to differentiate whether your hip pain is coming from arthritis in your hip.

A progressive loss of mobility in your hip will be our first clue. If the following motions are limited and/or painful, it may indicate issues in your hip joint.

• Lie on your back, pull your pain free hip to your chest as far as it will go. If your painful hip comes off the bed or floor, this indicates tightness in your hip flexors.

• Pull your involved hip up toward your chest. If it is tight and limited, this indicates hip joint involvement.

• While seated, keeping your knees together, roll your feet out.

• Increased joint stiffness and pain with prolonged sitting and inactivity.
  • Moderate movement decreases your hip pain and stiffness.
  • Early in AM worse pain and stiffness.
  • Prolonged standing and walking may increase your pain and stiffness.
  • End of a long day walking will increase your pain and stiffness.
  • Your Doctor may inject your hip with pain medicine. If the pain disappears, even for only a couple of hours, then the source of your pain is likely your hip.
  • You might try using a cane in the opposite side as your hip pain. If this increases your tolerance to activity, the hip may be the source of your pain.
  • The location of your pain can implicate the hip.
    • Pain from Osteoarthritis of the hip usually will be localized to the front and outside of the hip as well as the groin. Pain low in the buttocks, up on the flair of your hip, (at or below the belt line) or in the back of the hip near the sacrum are usually caused by other structures.
    • Ironically knee pain described as an ache may be from arthritis in the hip.
    • Sharp burning pain, shooting down into the buttocks and back of the leg is likely not arthritis of the hip.
    • Some pain in the buttocks may be related to a group of muscles in the hip, with the piriformis being a likely culprit.

What is one to do?

Irrespective of the type of Arthritis or the likely cause of your symptoms, beginning a flexibility and strengthening program will help reduce the level of pain and allow you to be more active. However; if your pain gets worse and there is no improvement please consult your physician or physical therapist.

Flexibility Stretches:

1. Piriformis Stretch

2. Hamstring Stretch

3. Calf Stretch

4. Hip Flexor Stretch

5. Opposite Arm Leg

Strengthening:

1. Bridging

2. Short Arc Quadriceps Sets

3. SLR

4. Hip abduction