Leon Johnson’s tennis coach introduced him to Joe Millen, PT, MTC, physical therapist and owner of Impact Health, a physical therapy and fitness training clinic. In preparation for his scheduled knee replacement surgery, Johnson scheduled an appointment with Millen to treat a tight IT band.
“Joe worked on the IT band and the bad knee, and I saw light pain relief immediately,” said Johnson. “The improvements were in small increments, but within a month, I was hitting the tennis ball again with knee braces on.”
Johnson cancelled the knee replacement surgery and now receives physical therapy treatment at Impact Health once a week to maintain good health. He also plays tennis once a week, without knee braces.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine’s September 2008 edition, research shows that physical therapy, combined with comprehensive medical management, is just as effective as surgery when it comes to relieving the pain and stiffness of moderate to severe osteoarthritis of the knee.
“We frequently work with clients who are able to avoid painful, invasive and expensive surgery because of the physical therapy treatment,” said Millen. “Also, pursuing an exercise program designed by a physical therapist can be one of the best protections from injury and surgery.”
