Part 2/3 | Are your physicians doing your knees dirty?

Like I said in Part 1, I would never tell someone as a blanket statement not to have surgery (back, shoulder, neck, knee), no matter how much I disagreed with it. Surgery is an individual choice often made by the surgeon, patient and insurance companies. But here are three warnings I would give to anyone considering a surgery of any kind:

1: Seek Second Opinions

Find a professional (like a skilled chiropractor or massage therapist) with the ability to assess the quality of tendons, ligaments and muscular tissue. It may take work to find and may cost you if the professional is out of network (this is almost better, because they're not bowing to the insurance company).

A good therapist or practitioner is going to be able to feel for inflammation in the tissue fibers, look for inconsistencies in the hard tissue (bone and joint) and feel for activity or release when interacting with the area. They will be able to tell you if there are any areas contributing to the issue.

Do not ignore this! Sometimes you have to uncover more issues to get to the root cause.

2: Physical Therapy While Actively Fighting Inflammation Is Not A Good Idea

This statement is pretty self explanatory, but I'll give you a bit of backstory anyway.

A lot of clients are referred to physical therapy before they ever consult with a surgeon. I can understand the thought process; strengthen the muscles surrounding the weakness before cutting through the tissue. But when tissues are swollen, load bearing exercises are usually not the best idea, as it forces the tissue to contract and expand, oftentimes causing microtearing before it gets stronger.

Instead, rest, ice and gentle stretching are often a great remedy to combat inflammation. Do not take NSAIDS and go back to the gym. Do not power through another round of golf. Do not run the extra mile.

Your body needs rest and sleep (which is when the body does most of its repairs).

Additionally, tools like gua sha, known as graston in the physical therapy world, kinesiology tape and massage guns will all loosen the areas around the tissue, releasing any extra muscular pressure. When you do go to PT, ask for services like Ultrasound or Estim- these will help target deep layers of the tissue in the best way possible.

Check out Part 3 for my final warning.