Years ago I worked for a doctor whose typical response to a patient hobbling into the office was the above expression.  At the time I found it funny but did not think much about it until recently when I developed my own “hitch” and started thinking more deeply about how to address joint pain, particularly in the hips, knees and ankles.

With our mountain environment, lower extremity injuries and plain old “wear and tear” are extremely common.  Without going into detail regarding individual types of injuries, I would like to mention some treatment options:

1.  Pilates and Physical Therapy:  Naturopathic Medicine focuses on treating the cause of the illness.  With joint pain and injury, often the cause is weakness/imbalance in the muscles that support the joint, and weakness in the “core” (abdomen, back and pelvic floor). Core strength allows the limbs to move freely without excessive strain on a joint.   See a qualified Pilates instructor or Physical Therapist for an individualized set of exercises to address your specific needs.

2.  Weight Loss:  This one seems obvious but bears repeating.  Joints are fairly delicate structures.  Any excess weight born by the hips, knees and ankles is going to speed wear and tear and increase pain and likelihood for injury.  See me to discuss safe strategies for weight loss.

3.  Nutritional Supplements:  I would like to mention three products which have been helpful for my patients.