Our 5 Best Pieces of Advice for You

Some specialty medical practices see you as a “knee,” an “ankle,” a “hip replacement,” or “that person with too many aches and pains.” At Impact, we see you as a whole person. We see you from head to toe and do our best to advise you on long-term lifestyle choices to keep you, your joints and soft tissues as healthy as possible.

Here are our current 5 best pieces of advice for you:

1) Use food to your advantage, not as a detriment: many think only of food as calories, but instead, let food be nutrition…something that can nourish your body. Choose wisely with lean meats, some plant-based protein sources, numerous fruits and vegetables and healthy fats. Really limit fried foods, fast foods, processed foods, foods high in sugars and artificial sweeteners. Don’t forget about healthy beverage choices: more water than anything, adding green tea or black coffee but keep soda and alcohol very much in moderation. Why is this important? Proper nutrition allows for healing and recovery. Poor food and beverage choices lead to more inflammation and pain.

2) Being at a healthy weight is very important for your joints and soft tissues: every 1 pound someone is overweight equals 4 pounds of extra force going through his/her lower body joints. On the positive side, you lose 10 pounds, you have 40 fewer pounds of force on your knees and other joints. Osteoarthritis of the hips and knees, plantar fasciitis and insertional Achilles tendonitis are the most common conditions we see in overweight individuals.

3) Make cost-effective medical decisions: did you know that seeing a physician employed by a hospital or one associated with a larger group practice is more expensive than seeing a physician in a smaller private practice? Why is this? It is because insurance companies and these larger organizations have negotiated higher reimbursement rates. Is this based on a higher quality care? Absolutely not! It’s just the behind-the-scenes business of medical economics, and not many patients are aware of this. An office visit at “Hospital/Large Practice X” may cost you $300. A similar and possibly even more comprehensive visit at our practice may cost you $200.

4) Stay moving, as “motion is lotion”: whether your knee or low back hurts, or you are just stiff quite often, staying mobile will help your musculoskeletal system. Don’t sit for too long. Don’t keep your hips, knees or spine in one position for too long. Set a goal for a certain number of steps each day, even if you are not classifying this as formal exercise. Walk while you talk on the phone. Choose an adjustable or standing desk if possible.

5) Find your sweet spot when it comes to exercise and activity: perhaps 2 miles of walking is too much for your arthritic knee, but 1.5 miles feels good, both during and after the walk. 25 minutes of the bike is great, 30 minutes creates pain. 2 sets of bench press with 30 pound dumbbells feels right, but 3 sets with 40 pounds causes shoulder pain. “Sweet spot” exercise is essential, especially for us middle-agers and older.

As always, let us know if we can be of assistance to you!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

I Have Knee Arthritis. Can I Still Run?

The answer is, “yes,” “maybe” or “no.” Thus, it really depends on your situation, and fortunately, a period of relative rest may only need to be temporary.

Here’s the really good news: several recent studies have indicated that running a reasonable number of miles does not cause knee osteoarthritis and may actually have a protective effect.

If you are a runner and your knee is symptomatic, then our role is to help you reduce or eliminate your symptoms and safely return to running. We know that running has numerous health benefits, not only including protection of the joints, but also calorie burning, weight control, improvement of cardiovascular health and many mental health benefits.

As a patient though, it’s sometimes difficult to know when you need to stop running for a while, what’s a reasonable amount of running for your body and what treatment options may be available to not only reduce your symptoms, but also to protect your knees on a long-term basis.

That’s where we come in! We love treating runners and understand how you think. We typically focus on a nonsurgical and minimally-invasive approach to your care.

Physical therapy, bracing, footwear changes, custom orthotics, medications, supplements, and various injections can all play a role in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. One of the best long-term treatment options, especially for those with mild to moderate osteoarthritis, would be platelet plasma (PRP) injections. These can have a very protective effect for the knee, and not only by reducing symptoms, but also by slowing or stopping the deterioration of the cartilage within the joint. Only a couple weeks of rest are typically required after these PRP injections.

Check out a few blogs on PRP as well as running as it relates to knee osteoarthritis:

https://www.impactsportsnashville.com/blog/2023/8/5/our-top-5-treatments-for-knee-oa

https://www.impactsportsnashville.com/blog/2023/5/12/five-keys-to-successful-outcomes-with-prp-injections

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36875337/

As always, let us know if we can be of assistance to you!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.