Considering that most patients with osteochondritis dissecans are adolescent boys, the explanation of the condition is sure to win points for sheer gross-out potential. Characterized by pain, limited range of motion, and a popping or locking sound in the joint, osteochondritis dissecans occurs when a small piece of cartilage breaks off from the end ofContinue Reading »
If you have torn your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the main ligament that stabilizes the knee, and are scheduled for reconstructive surgery to repair it, your surgeon could use either an autograft or an allograft. What is the difference between the two? An autograft is a piece of tissue removed from your body and usedContinue Reading »
While every case is unique, the questions you should ask the surgeon are not. What will happen if I just wait out the pain? If I try physical therapy first, am I hurting the chances of a positive outcome from surgery? In The Bone & Joint Journal, January 2014, a study by lead author J.Continue Reading »
Is this person experiencing low back pain? When my patients in Wyckoff and Ridgewood tell me they are nervous about their MRI results. I often have to reassure my patients that every physical therapist or physician must match the MRI with a thorough history and clinical examination in order to arrive at a accurateContinue Reading »
When you initially develop low back pain a few questions come up. Do I need bed rest? What exercises should I perform? What pain should I seek help for immediately? Here is a few facts and tips about low back pain for the first six weeks: More than two days of bed rest is often more harmful thanContinue Reading »
The Rutgers S.A.F.E.T.Y. Clinic (Sports Awareness for Educating Today’s Youth ™) is a three-hour program that meets the “Minimum Standards for Volunteer Coaches Safety Orientation and Training Skills Programs” (N.J.A.C. 5:52) and provides partial civil immunity protection to volunteer coaches under the “Little League Law” (2A:62A-6 et. seq.)This clinic will be presented by Tom Willemann, Board Certified Physical Therapist specializing inContinue Reading »
The Direct Access Law, signed into law in 2003 in the State of New Jersey, allows patients to receive care from a licensed physical therapist without seeing a physician first. Insurance is recognizing and covering patients for care received by a physical therapist without a physician referral. Typically the care is less expensive and just asContinue Reading »
If you have had a microdiscectomy— disc surgery to alleviate sciatica, or sciatic nerve pain caused by a herniated disc—a postoperative regimen that includes early exercise can help speed your return to a normal, active life. In the past, patients were advised to limit their movements for up to six weeks after microdiscectomy surgeryContinue Reading »
As an orthopedic and sports physical therapist in Wyckoff, NJ, I like to educate my patients on the many factors that can improve their healing and others that may delay or prevent it. For example, it may surprise you to learn that with conditions like diabetes, hypermobility syndrome (loose joints) and being overweight, taking certain antiinflamatoriesContinue Reading »
Can back pain ever be good? People suffering from backache would say, “No.” But some experts believe that back pain resulting from a process known as centralization can be a very good thing. Centralization means that pain originating in the back and traveling to the leg or the buttocks can be redirected to its actualContinue Reading »