After surgery to the hip, knee, ankle or foot, the muscles of the leg often become weak from decreased use or from
+ inhibition due to pain. For this reason, it is important to begin strengthening these muscles once your physician gives
+ you the green light to do so.
+
+ Gaining back strength that you have lost after injury or surgery is an important step in obtaining full functional
+ mobility and a full recovery.
+
+
+
+ https://www.verywellhealth.com/nerve-flossing-in-physical-therapy-4797516
+ Nerve Flossing in Physical Therapy
+ Nerve Glides as Part of Your PT Exercises
+
+ Nerve flossing is an exercise technique often used in physical therapy to improve the way your nerves move. Nerve
+ flossing is also known as nerve gliding or neural glides. Occasionally after injury or illness, muscles, joints, and
+ tendons can become tight. Guess what? Nerves can also become tight after an injury, and your physical therapist may
+ determine that nerve flossing is necessary to help improve neurodynamics (nerve motion) and help you move better and
+ feel better. Your therapist may prescribe nerve glides to help you fully recover. But what is nerve flossing, and how is
+ it done?
+
+ Neurodynamics in Physical Therapy
+ Your nervous system is grossly divided into two parts: The central nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal
+ cord, and the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system are the nerves that exit your spinal cord and
+ travel through your body to your arms, trunk, and legs. These nerves communicate information from your body to your
+ brain to tell it what is going on. They sense things like temperature, pain, pressure, and position. The peripheral
+ nerves also communicate information from your brain to your muscles, telling them to move or relax.
+
+ After an injury, these peripheral nerves may become tight. Consider the sciatic nerve in your leg. It is the largest
+ nerve in your body. (You have two of them; one on each side.) If this nerve becomes pinched by a facet joint or
+ herniated disc, slight damage to the membrane of the nerve may occur. This damage may result in a bit of scar tissue
+ developing around the nerve, leading to tightness, pain, or tingling in that area where the nerve courses. The nerve
+ travels all the way down your leg, and the tightness in the nerve may limit your ability to fully move the joints of
+ your hips, knees, or ankles.
+
+ A tight nerve is also sometimes referred to as an adhered or adherent nerve root.1
+
+
+ Nerve pinching and injury may also occur in the arms, leading to tightness there. This may occur after a pinched nerve
+ in your cervical spine, or may happen after repetitive strain or an injury to your arm or arms. A common upper extremity
+ nerve injury is called carpal tunnel syndrome. This often leads to pain, tingling, and weakness in your hand and thumb
+ muscles.
+
+
+ Why Nerve Flossing Is Prescribed
+ After an injury or illness, you may benefit from physical therapy (PT) to help you fully recover. Your therapist will
+ assess you for various impairments. These may include measures of:
+
+ Strength
+ Flexibility
+ Range of motion
+ Balance and proprioception
+ Nerve tension
+
+ If your physical therapist determines that nerve tension and tightness may be a component in your pain or limited
+ motion, they may prescribe nerve flossing exercises to improve mobility of the nerve or nerves.
+
+ Common diagnoses that may require nerve flossing exercises may include:
+
+
+ Sciatica
+ Herniated disc
+ Cervical radiculopathy
+ Carpal tunnel syndrome
+ Plantar fasciitis
+ Cubital tunnel syndrome
+ Tarsal tunnel syndrome
+ Muscle strains
+ After surgery or a period of immobilization
+ The goal of nerve flossing is to decrease pain, improv
+
+The knee is comprised of:
+
+The tibia (shin)
+The femur (thigh)
+The patella (kneecap)
+
+These three bones are supported by many muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Inside the knee are two shock absorbers, each
+called a meniscus.
+
+
+Exercises to Keep Your Knees Healthy
+
+Overview
+Your knee is a major joint in the body that is responsible for walking, climbing stairs, and rising from a seated
+position. Pain in the knee can limit one or all of these activities. By keeping the knee joint mobile and strong,
+problems with knee pain may be avoided and your mobility can be maintained.2
+
+Exercises are your main tool in maintaining good strength and mobility in your knees, and some simple exercises that you
+can do at home can help keep your knees moving right. (After injury or knee surgery, your physical therapist may
+prescribe exercises similar to these to help you return to normal activity and function.)
+
+# exercise routines to help maintain healthy knees:
+Quad Sets
+Heel Slides
+Short Arc Quad Exercises
+Straight Leg Raises
+
+ https://www.verywellhealth.com/exercises-to-maintain-healthy-knees-2696614
+