Rita knows that I am a Physiotherapist. On more than one occasion, Rita has slipped her arthritic knee into our conversations recently🦵 Although I was busy at the time, I made a mental note to address her concerns. Thinking that I was doing a good thing, I ordered Rita some leg weights as a belated Christmas present 🎁
I took my neighbor hat off and put my Physiotherapist hat on. I argued that a function of the quadriceps was to provide stability to the knee and that a home exercise program would add bulk to the quadriceps and improve knee stability 💪 I had not considered Rita’s character or disposition when dispelling this advice.
Rita went to town with her exercises, carrying out more than double the prescribed dose 🫡🫡 I noticed Rita limping heavily the next day. When she caught site of me, the limp increased significantly 🫨We had to change tack with Rita and pull back to strapping and ice to manage through this arthritic flare up. That said, the long term plan is to return to a strength and balance regimen- albeit more progressively 💡
The pathway to health and remaining out of hospital is rarely a straight road for elderly people who face lots of challenges like flare ups, falls, medication changes and varying levels of family support. At Complete Health Group our team walks alongside our clients on this journey, offering practical, evidence based solutions to management along the way. Although as I found here- the textbook is one thing and reality is another 📕
