Orthopedic Physical Therapy, Inc

06/10/2026

Help us celebrate Kristen’s 18th work anniversary!

Today we're celebrating an incredible milestone and recognizing one of our outstanding physical therapists who has been a valued member of our team since 2008!
For 18 years, Kristen has dedicated her career to helping patients recover, regain confidence, and return to the activities they love. Their knowledge, compassion, and commitment to exceptional patient care have made a lasting impact on countless lives.

06/08/2026

🧠 June is National Migraine & Headache Awareness Month 🧠

Headaches and migraines can affect every aspect of daily life—from work and family time to sleep and exercise.

While not all headaches have the same cause, physical therapy may help reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches related to neck tension, poor posture, muscle tightness, and movement dysfunction.

If headaches are interfering with your daily activities, don't simply push through the pain. A comprehensive evaluation can help identify contributing factors and create a plan to help you find relief.

You don't have to let headaches control your life. Call 804-285-0148 and schedule an evaluation with one of our expert physical therapists.

06/05/2026

Treating the image does not always guarantee a good outcome.

I’ve seen it time and time again throughout my career: a new patient walks into my office with knee pain, shoulder pain, or an MRI showing a meniscus tear, rotator cuff tear, arthritis, or “degeneration.” The implication is often immediate but that something is damaged, worn out, and in need of fixing.

But pain is rarely that simple.
One of the hardest and most important lessons I’ve learned in 30 years as an orthopedic surgeon is that imaging does not reliably tell us what hurts. Structural changes on an MRI do not automatically mean there is tissue damage requiring surgery. In fact, many of the so-called “abnormalities” we see on scans are often age-appropriate findings, not a sentence about your future.

I’ve seen far too many people rush into surgery because of frightening words on an X-ray report. But imaging alone should never guide the entire decision-making process. I run with people who have “bone-on-bone” knee X-rays and remain active, strong, and functional. There is far more to the story than what appears on a scan.

That realization changed the way I think about osteoarthritis. In the summer of 2025, I published a book here on Substack about knee osteoarthritis (OA), built from decades of clinical experience and conversations with thousands of patients living with knee pain. This series challenges the outdated “wear and tear” narrative and the myth that arthritis means you need to stop moving and start resting.

Instead, it explores what the evidence actually shows: how metabolic health, strength training, movement, recovery, and lifestyle profoundly influence pain, function, and long-term outcomes. It walks readers through the treatment process step by step and helps them understand if and when surgery should truly be considered.

If you’ve been told you’re “bone on bone,” that your joints are “worn out,” or that you need to stop being active, this is where I would encourage you to start.

The link is here: https://howardluksmd.substack.com/p/knee-osteoarthritis-book?utm_source=publication-search

06/04/2026

🌞 Hello, June! 🌞

Summer is here, and it's the perfect time to get moving. Whether you're returning to outdoor walks, tackling yard work, chasing kids around the pool, or training for your next race, your body deserves to feel its best.

If pain, stiffness, or injury is slowing you down, we're here to help you stay active and enjoy everything summer has to offer.

📞 Contact us today to schedule an appointment and make this your strongest summer yet!

06/02/2026

Help us congratulate Aniya on her one year OPT anniversary! Thank you for all you do, we are so lucky to have you as part of the team.

06/01/2026

05/30/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14aeWcMZwsg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

We're proud to announce that the UVA Health EDS and Hypermobility Disorders Center has received a designation by The Ehlers-Danlos Society to be part of the society's CORE (Collaboration, Outreach, Research, and Education) Network of Excellence. 🏅

This prestigious recognition places UVA Health among a select group of leading centers worldwide, united in advancing care for patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and hypermobility disorders.

“This distinction reflects a rigorous evaluation of clinical expertise, multidisciplinary care, and commitment to advancing research and education in Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and related disorders,” says Dacre Knight, MD, EDS and Hypermobility Disorders Center medical director. “It affirms that our center meets international standards for excellence, offering a reliable pathway for diagnosis and long-term support.”

05/29/2026

Sometimes the best form of exercise isn’t the hardest workout. Sometimes it’s laughing over a game of table tennis, focusing quietly during archery, dancing in the living room, or taking walks with people you enjoy being around.

Because when movement becomes enjoyable, it becomes something we return to. And consistency is what truly changes our health over time.

I want older adults to know that fitness does not have to mean suffering. It can still feel playful. Social. Meaningful. Alive. You are still allowed to discover new passions in your 60s or 70s. You are still allowed to move with joy, not just obligation.

Find movement you love.

05/29/2026

Physical Therapists agree! Physical Therapy First 

I have been repairing rotator cuffs for 30 years. And the most important thing I do in my office most days is talk people out of surgery they do not need.

Rotator cuff issues are omnipresent with age. Over 90% of people aged 40 or older have rotator cuff abnormalities on MRI. By your seventies, at least 30% have a full-thickness defect. Most of these people have no idea because the defect is not causing symptoms, and the shoulder still functions. So if you walk into an orthopedic office with shoulder pain and the MRI shows a "tear," that finding alone does not mean something happened or that something needs to be fixed.

Most cuff defects are not tears in the way you think. They are the result of decades of tendon attrition in a stress-shielded zone that gradually thins and develops a defect. It has more in common with the gray hair on your head than with a torn ligament from a sports injury. And the reason most of these defects do not compromise function is because of a structure called the rotator cable… a thick band of fibers that carries most of the mechanical load across the cuff like a suspension bridge.

The supraspinatus, the tendon most commonly reported as "torn," lies within the cable in a region that experiences very little force. If the cable and load path are intact, the shoulder continues to work just fine.

The evidence reflects this. The MOON Shoulder Group found that structured physical therapy was effective in approximately 75% of patients with atraumatic full-thickness rotator cuff tears at two years. Randomized trials show no clinically meaningful difference between surgery and PT at one year for degenerative tears. The default treatment for most atraumatic tears is non-surgical.

That is what the data says, and that is what I tell most patients in my office. I wrote a deep dive on this… how the cuff actually works, why the cable matters, when surgery is the right answer, and what to do if you have been told you have a tear and are not sure what comes next.

Read full article here:https://howardluksmd.substack.com/p/why-most-rotator-cuff-tears-dont