Tom Willemann Health Tips

"Almost Daily Health Tips From Physical Therapist Tom Willemann..."

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Must Arthritic Knees Be Replaced?

Must Arthritic Knees Be Replaced?

If your doctor says you have arthritis in your knee, does that mean you will need knee replacement surgery? Must Arthritic Knees Be Replaced? The short answer is not necessarily. Fortunately, your body can compensate for the loss of function caused by arthritic damage to cartilage and bone in a knee joint, even if x-rayContinue Reading »

The Case of the Wandering Kneecap

The Case of the Wandering Kneecap

Kneecap dislocation occurs when the patella, or kneecap, slides to the outside of the joint, thus stretching and possibly tearing the ligaments that hold it in place. Kneecap dislocations fall into two categories Those involving an accident, such as a blow to or a twisting of the knee, are called traumatic dislocations. Atraumatic dislocations occurContinue Reading »

Why You Need Crutches After Meniscus Surgery

Why You Need Crutches After Meniscus Surgery

Why You Need Crutches After Meniscus Surgery If only surgical treatment worked so perfectly that the patient would hop off the operating table, cured, with no painful recovery required. For knee surgery, that is not the case. Today, most surgical procedures on the crescent-shaped, fibrous knee joint cartilage called the meniscus are performed with tinyContinue Reading »

Total Knee Replacement with a Hybrid Joint

Total Knee Replacement with a Hybrid Joint

If you are scheduled to undergo knee replacement surgery, your surgeon has three procedures from which to choose. An artificial knee can be held in place, or fixed, using a cemented, noncemented or hybrid procedure. Your surgeon will decide which procedure is best for you. The cemented procedure In this procedure, a grout-like material isContinue Reading »

“Cementing” and Knee Replacement Surgery

“Cementing” and Knee Replacement Surgery

More than 580,000 knee replacement surgeries—the vast majority of them successful—are performed in the United States each year. In this procedure, special acrylic bone cement is often employed to adhere the new artificial knee parts to your leg bones. Its technical name is polymethylmethacrylate, or PMMA. What is PMMA? In some situations, the surgeon canContinue Reading »

Regaining Full Range of Motion After Knee Surgery

Regaining Full Range of Motion After Knee Surgery

Regaining Full Range of Motion After Knee Surgery In order for you to walk, run, sit or kick comfortably, your knee—the largest joint in the body—must be able to move through an arc of about 130 degrees, from completely straight, or fully extended, to completely bent, or fully flexed. Two muscle groups control this motion:Continue Reading »

Protecting and Repairing Meniscal Injuries

Protecting and Repairing Meniscal Injuries

Protecting and Repairing Meniscal Injuries Although some athletes return to the game soon after a meniscal injury and others take months to recover, there is a good reason for this variation. To repair this athletic injury, especially common in soccer or football, treatment depends on the type and severity of the injury, the activity levelContinue Reading »

Bike is the Answer to Knee Pain

If you’ve suffered from a knee injury or have undergone knee surgery in the past, there’s a chance you may experience a flare-up of pain from time to time. If you’re finding it difficult to participate in activities you typically enjoy, like walking or running, perhaps a spin on a stationary bike is the answerContinue Reading »

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