A - Z of Sport Therapy

A fun post here with some common terms that Sports Therapists, Physiotherapists and other musculoskeletal therapists regularly use.

A = Achilles Rupture - for a complete rupture surgical repair of the tendon will be required in most active patients.

B = Bursitis - Bursas are small, fluid filled sacks that protect a tendon where it attaches to the bone. If the bursa becomes injuried and inflammed you have a condition called Bursitis.

C = Calcaneus - also know as the heel bone.

D = Draw Test. A test for damage (rupture) to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament of the knee - see this link for a video of the Draw Test.

E = Electromyography - is used for recording the work produced by a muscle. The technique measures the amount of electrical activity that is produced by a muscle.

F = Facet joint - the small joints between each vertebrae. There are two joints at each segment of the spine.

G = Gait - refers to the movement patterns of our limb, however Sports Therapist's will most often be talking about the movement at the foot and ankle, when talking about your gait.

H = Hemarthrosis - is bleeding into the joint spaces. This many occur due to a traumatic injury for example a heavy twisting injury to the knee.

I = Inguinal hernia - is a type of hernia found in the lower part of the abdomen. Treatment of this will often be surgical.

J = Jumpers Knee - is more accurately known as a patella tendinopathy. If you suffer from this pain will be present just below the knee cap when exercising.

K = Kyphosis - refers to the curvature of the thoracic spine. Over kyphosis will lead to a rounded posture in the upper back.

L = Lumbar spine - the lower 5 vertebrae in the spine (lower back).

M = Meniscus - the cartilage that acts as shock absorbers in the knee. Unfortunately this cartilage can be torn relatively easily.

N = Navicular - is one of the tarsal bones found in the foot. It is the 'key stone' bone on the inside arch of your foot.

O = Osgood-Schlatters disease - a problem found in active children between the age of 10-16. See my blog post on it here.

P = Patellofemoral Joint Pain - joint pain at the front of the knee. Pain found just underneath the knee cap can indicate Patellofemoral Joint Pain.

Q = Q-angle - is the angle from the hip to the knee. It's important as individuals with a large Q-angle are more susceptible to certain types of knee pain.

R = Rotator cuff muscles - are 4 muscles that act to stablise the shoulder joint. Rotator Cuff Impingement Syndrome is a common injury.

S = Sciatica - the sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. Sciatica is caused by injury to or pressure on the nerve.

T = Tendinitis - is inflammation of a tendon. Examples are Achilles Tendinitis & Patella Tendinitis.

U = Ultrasound therapy - used to enhance cell repair during inflammation.

V = Venous Thrombosis - a blood clot that forms in a vein. There will be a higher risk of this down wind of surgery.

W = Wry neck - also known as Torticollis, is a deep spasm of the neck (side) flexors.

X = X-ray - Used to image 'boney' injuries.

Y = Yellow Elastic Tissue - is one of 3 forms of dense connective tissue.

Z = Zygomatic arch - is more commonly known as the cheek bone.

Muscle Strains - The Facts

The Facts:

1) A muscle strain is simply where muscle fibers are torn (or ripped). Ouch!

2) You cannot sprain a muscle. Ligaments are SPRAINED, muscles are STRAINED. Simple hey!

3) A muscle can be torn under the power of it's own contraction. Think of a sprinter powering out of the block and 'pulling up' - that will be a muscle strain.

4) A muscle strain will be painful AND weak at the same time.

5) Muscle strains are often confused with other issues such as muscle spasms, cramps or even DOMS (delay onset muscle soreness).

6) With more severe muscle strains there is often a palpable depression or lump in the muscle [*an experienced therapist will be able to tell you if there has been a tear or not].

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Muscle strains are arguably one of the most misdiagnosed injuries I come across.

I see muscle strains several times a week in the clinic, however people often come to me thinking they have a muscle strain when in fact it's something different altogether.

Usually they have a muscle spasm, cramp or even DOMS (delay onset muscle soreness).

However there are others who come in with a genuine muscle strain. It's important to know what we've got because they need to be dealt with in slightly different ways.

A genuine muscle strain will have the following characteristics:

1) It's onset will be acute. What I mean by this is you won't get a muscle strain being inactive i.e. sleeping overnight or sitting at a desk for a long period. A true muscle strain involve tearing muscle fibers so most often a fast powerful movement will be involved.

You will normally be aware of the incident that caused the injury!

2) The muscle will be painful AND weak at the same time. A muscle that is weak but not painful is still a concern but will indicate something else!