Arthritis is a joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints. There are various forms including, amongst others, rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis and gout but osteoarthritis is the most common type. What is essential to note, is that other...
When your big toe pushes against the next toe, forcing the joint of the big toe to expand and protrude, the resultant bony bump is known as a Bunion. The skin over the Bunion is often red and painful. Wearing tight narrow shoes is commonly the cause of bunions, but...
Bursitis is the swelling and inflammation of a small sac of synovial fluid. These sacs are found over bony prominences where a muscle (usually the muscle's tendon) could be at risk of high friction or damage. The resultant pain from the increased swelling and pressure...
DOMS is the commonly used abbreviation of ‘Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness’ and is the pain and stiffness felt in muscles a while after unusual or strenuous exercise. Felt most strongly from 24 to 72 hours after exercise, it is thought to be caused by lengthening or...
Widespread pain to the muscles of the body, unusually high levels of fatigue, tender points in multiple areas and great sensitivity to seemingly normal things, are all indicative of someone suffering from the disorder known as Fibromyalgia. What are the symptoms of...
Iliotibial band (friction) syndrome very commonly affects the knee and is associated with especially running, cycling, hiking and weight-lifting. The ITB is a thick band of fascia starting from the outside of the pelvis, running down over the hip, thigh and knee and...
‘Ligament sprains’ and ‘Muscle strain’ are often confused and usually written about in tandem, however they are in fact quite different. Muscle and tendon (joining muscle to bone) strains occur when there is a poor level of fitness or poor dynamic control within the...
This term is derived from an injury done to the Knee Meniscus and is more commonly referred to as a ‘Meniscus tear.’ So, what is the knee Meniscus? It is a kidney shaped, fibrous cartilage wedge which separates your thigh bone, or ‘Femur’, from your shin bone or...
‘Muscle strains’ and ‘Ligament sprains’ and are often confused and usually written about in tandem, and although the rehabilitation principles are similar they are in fact quite different conditions. Ligaments join bone to bone and injuries occur when there is...
Musculoskeletal pain is pain caused by injury to the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons and/or nerves. The pain can be either acute or chronic and either localised or widespread. It is basically a summary of all the types of physical pain a person could suffer...
Your child has been complaining about his knee for the last couple of months and in trying to get to the bottom of it you may have been told to let him just push through – "it will pass!" Or he must "stop all sports immediately!" Should you take him for a cortisone...
Overuse injuries, as the term implies, are the result of the gradual, repetitive action and overuse of certain muscles, tendons or bones, as opposed to acute injuries, like a sprained ankle, which happen instantaneously. They can happen through sports, be work...
Pes Anserinus is the area on the inside of, and just below the knee, where the tendons of three different muscles, the gracilis, sartorius and semitendinosus, attach. As this area is structurally vulnerable to friction and resultant tendon damage, there is a bursa...
Chondromalacia patella or runner’s knee is an inflammation underneath the kneecap. This happens when the smooth cartilage on the back surface of the kneecap rubs against the one side of the knee joint, irritating the cartilage and resulting in pain. A very similar but...
Sciatica The sciatic nerve is the main nerve running from the lower back to your leg and the irritation or pinching of this nerve can cause the severe leg pain, known as Sciatica. Long term compression of the Sciatic nerve can severely damage it and affect its...
Sever’s disease, also known as Calcaneal apophysitis, is a common cause of heel pain in active children and occurs when the growth plate of the heel is injured due to excessive force. It is primarily found in early adolescence (girls of 8 to 10 years old and boys of...
Shin splints is an injury common to athletes involved primarily in running sports. It is the name for pain experienced on the front edges or along the inside of the shin. There are two types of shin splints: Outer Leg Shin Splints – Shin Splints on the outside of the...
A stress fracture, which consists of tiny cracks, is the result of excessive, usually repetitive, force through healthy bone. Often sports related, they are common injuries amongst runners, where fractures occur in the feet and the shin bones, but they can also occur...