I've been needing to see someone who understands athletic and dance injuries and issues. Petra Pino, whose dance student I've been since 2006 or thereabouts, now rents studio space in the back of this office, so I thought I'd check out Dr. Khuong, especially after she'd seen him. In case you don't check out his website, he treats a lot of athletes and dancers, professional or not.
The problem: the feeling that there was no sinovial fluid or cartilage between my patella and the bone beneath it. It's a sharp and scary pain, and kept me from performing during December. Decades ago, I'd had this issue when I wasn't performing, and I threw glucosamine/chondroitin at it for a dozen years. I started it up again, but I knew I needed to get it seen to.
Secondary very recent injury: very painful right big toe. No punctures, no redness, just pain and tenderness, and worse when i stood on it.
Friday, I saw him for a consultation. Unlike the offices of may chiropractors I've visitied over the years, there aren't products he's pushing all over the lobby and offices. No brand banners or posters, nothing. In December, there were a few pointsettias they were selling for a fundraiser, but that's all I've seen.
The issue with my knees is an extremely tight IT band* on the outside of the leg above the knee. My patellas are moving more diagonally than they should, because the IT band can't do its job well enough.
To handle my issues, no manipulation of my back was suggested. The fact that a good hunk of his clientele are athletes ans dancers makes his practice more appropriate to us all than most of the chiropractors in the area. I means I don't have to seek out a sports dr who understands dancers as well.
He gave me a therapy to follow, along with how long for each session, how often each day, and about how long before I should notice improvement. If I don't, there's a therapy he'll perform, even more painful than the poking he did to determine the problem source...but the problem will be gone until I tweak things again!
The toe is a strain, so icing the area will relieve that. We just happen to have a number of palm sized ice pillows great for propping my toe on.
If I haven't already said so, I was impressed that Dr. K didn't act as if I don't know medical language, and treated me as an adult with equal intelligence, capable of asking questions should I not understand something he said. I usually start off new care relationships stating that I speak medical, and will ask when I don't understand something. In my youth, a young woman knowing what she was talking about in a medical situation was met with hostility from old school older male doctors. These days, I fire "professionals" of that ilk. Dr. K is in no danger of being dropped or fired!
I may not know every technical/Latin term (I know many more than the usual patient), but most dancers have a strong understanding of how their bodies work. Another reviewer said that her partner was also a patient and that Dr. K showed no discomfort or homophobia. This is a major issue for the LGBTQ+ community, so that's nice to hear.
I'd bring my sister here, but many doctors can no longer handle the hurdles and nonsense, as well as the chump change they pay, from Medicare.
The only thing I can think of that I'd like to be different about the patient rooms is more lightness and lighter shades of paint--which means there's nothing substantial to change.
*The iliotibial tract or iliotibial band (also known as Maissiat's band or IT Band) is a longitudinal fibrous reinforcement of the fascia lata (look it up if you want--I can't come up with a decent layman's explanation). The IT band stabilizes the knee both in extension and in partial flexion, and is therefore used constantly during walking and running. In leaning forwards with slightly flexed knee the tract is the main support of knee against gravity. read more