New Year! New You!- New England Journal of Medicine Report – KTLA

Gayle Anderson was live in Los Angeles at Complete PT because of new information about knee surgery and physical therapy.

According to an article in The New York Times, arthroscopic surgery on the meniscus is the most common orthopedic procedure performed in the United States. The menisci are two discs of cartilage located in your knee between the femur and tibia and are subject to wear and tear as people age and as a result of sports injury. A meniscus tear is usually caused by twisting or turning quickly when the knee is bent and the foot is planted on the floor. Tears can produce varying degrees of knee pain and possible swelling. To remedy this, arthroscopic surgery on the meniscus is performed about 700,000 times a year in the United States at an estimated cost of $4 billion.

A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine compared a common arthroscopic surgery on the meniscus with a simulated surgery and found little difference in the results. Conducted in Finland, the study suggests that meniscal surgery may not be necessary for every patient suffering from this type of knee problem. Instead, it should be performed in circumstances when the tears develop in younger patients and as a result of acute sports injury rather than the result of wear and aging. Similar studies in Texas in 2002 and in Canada in 2008 have been published that draw similar conclusions.

Patients suffering from a torn meniscus might want to consider non-surgical options like physical therapy before rushing into surgery. Complete PT combines the best of pool therapy and traditional land physical therapy in one convenient place. Virtually all injuries and rheumatological conditions, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankle and leg sprains and fractures, presurgical and postsurgical hips, knees, and backs, muscle strains, frozen shoulders, painful necks and backs, fibromyalgia, achilles and patellar tendonitis can be treated using a combination of both land and pool therapy.

Pool/aquatic therapy is the safest form of rehabilitation, especially for weight bearing injuries, because it takes place in the buoyancy of water and thereby removes impact and trauma from weight bearing joints. In pool therapy, the water offers buoyant support for the body, resistance to bodily movement, a natural reduction in pain, and a relaxing and refreshing feel. Combined with traditional land physical therapy, it offers the quickest way to return to normal daily activities.

At Complete PT, patients begin their rehabilitation in the 92-degree heated indoor pool where they can perform movements possible only in the buoyancy of water. While wearing a flotation belt in deep water, patients strengthen their bodies while they move in a gravity-free environment. In shoulder-deep water, patients weigh only ten percent of their normal body weights, so every exercise is exceptionally low impact. By starting movement in water early in a rehabilitation program, the damage that occurs after an injury – stiffening, loss of circulation, loss of muscle size, and a growing involvement of other body parts surrounding the injury – can be prevented.

Next, patients are transitioned to land therapy program where they do exercises that must occur against gravity in order to regain function in their activities of daily living. After injury or surgery, patients are able to re-learn skills of daily life in a non-gravitational setting in the pool, then translate those skills back to land where gravity is reintroduced. By having patients move back and forth from pool to land, they achieve incredible results in improved function and accelerated recovery. Combined therapy focuses on correct movement patterns and total body fitness, which not only improves function but reduces the risk of re-injury.

Treatment hours are Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Fridays from 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Complete PT was founded by Lynda Huey, M.S., who has spent more than two decades water training many of the world’s finest athletes. She was educated at San Jose State University where she starred on the track and field team during its golden years. She earned a Master’s degree in Kinesiology, coached volleyball, field hockey, and track and field at several universities before writing her autobiography and starting her own business. Ms. Huey has pioneered the use of water training with Olympic athletes in 1983 and she has written four books on water exercise. In addition, she has written for most of American’s top sports magazines, hosted a sports show on KCRW, and worked for NBC at the Seoul Olympic Games.

Complete PT is located on 3283 Motor Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90034. For more information on the rehabilitation center call (310) 845-9690, fax (310) 845-9691, or visit their website.

If you have questions, please feel free to call Gayle Anderson at 323-460-5732 or e-mail Gayle at Gayle.Anderson@KTLA.com.