Ankle Sprains - Video Presentation

If you have sprained your ankle please take 5 minutes to watch this video on ankle sprains.

You will learn:

1. What type of sprain is the most common - approx 90% of all ankle sprains are this type.
2. Two things you must do initially to improve the outcome of your ankle sprain.
3. Why it is important to work on the balance and strength of the ankle after injury.

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!

11 things I learnt in 2011

At the end of each year I like to spend a bit of time to reflect on how my year has gone. As always I would like to have 'achieved' more than I did, but none the less I'm always surprised at how much I DID get done.

Reaching January 2012 means that I have completed one full year in my new clinic. This is obviously a significant mile stone to me and I thought it would be a shame not to mark it here on my blog.

2011 will be a special year to me for a number of reasons but most significantly it's the year I got engaged to my girlfriend Gemma. We're getting married this year (2012) in early November which we're both very excited about.

Along with reflecting on my previous 'achievements' I also like to write down some of the things I've learnt.

Here are 11 'Sports Therapy' related things I learnt (or have been reminded of) in 2011:

1) Everyones body is unique and will respond to treatments differently. For example one stretch may work well with 7 out of 10 people, however the other 3 out of 10 will require a very different approach.

2) The most common 'problem' I see in the clinic is related to shoulder and neck tension (or stiffness). The majority of this is due to poor posture. Fix your posture!

3) Writing this blog is enjoyable AND a useful tool for attracting new clients. I've had a number of people book in after reading one of my blog posts. Remarkably I had a mother bring her daughter on a 7 hour round trip from Suffolk after they read this blog post. Incredible!

4) Increasing your mobility, range of motion or flexibility in many cases is easier than most people think. It just takes a consistent (daily) approach with the right exercises or stretches.

5) Look after your body, because there are some structures and tissues that once damaged cannot be put back to 'normal'.

6) Deal with your injuries as early as possible - This really is important. Doing nothing and leaving an injury to 'settle down for a few weeks' is not a good approach.

7) When injured the majority of my clients don't know when to use ice vs when to use heat.

8) Normal people can complete extraordinary things with the right dedication. I've had a number of 'normal' clients do some extraordinary things from endurance horse riding events (100 miles) to first time iron man events. Very inspiring.

9) If you have an on going knee problem you MUST look at the joints above and below the knee (i.e. the hip and ankle).

10) The foam roller is a great self massage and treatment tool.

11) If you work in a desk job you must take time to stretch - see point 2.

And one bonus: Many people have very weak and under-active glutes that are causing back pain.

What do we treat? - Info Graphic

Click on the image to see in full size

Recovering from a race: 3 Essentials (5km, 10km, 10miles, Half Marathon, Marathon)

Yesterday I completed the 2011 Bupa Great South run, along with a friend Rob, my girlfriend Gemma and 23,997 other runners.

The course is a flat, supposedly fast, 10 mile road race. I personally didn't put in a quick time but I'm aware the conditions were great for the elite runners on the day.

At about 15.7 stone I have to say I'm not one of the greatest runners out there, needless to say I'm suffering a fair bit for it today.

My knees have taken a bit of a pounding and my quads are feeling a little sore. Gemma, I know, is feeling stiff in her hips today. For those of you who have completed a race and pushed yourself harder than normal you will be familiar with these type of aches and pains.

With this in mind I though it would be useful for me to put down a few of my thoughts on recovering down wind of a race. I'll include a few of the things I've personally done following this race.

1) Ice 'hot' joints and tissue.

During a race you will cause, varying degrees of, damage to your joints and tissue. For example, the muscles will under go many small micro tears. This is normal, however it will cause inflammation within the muscles. This inflammation must be dealt with. The quicker you can reduce this inflammation the better.

Once you've finished the race and had a shower use your hand, ideally the back of your hand (it's more sensitive) to feel the heat around your muscles and joints. If your muscles, normally at the attachments, or joints are hot you must ice them.

Use an ice pack and try icing for 10 minutes at a time. This can be repeated as many times as required, just let your tissue come back to normal temperature between each application.

I didn't do this right away and left it to the next day (today) to do it. This isn't ideal but I didn't have an ice pack at home and had to wait until getting to the clinic to do this. Tut, tut.

2) Stretch and Mobilise

I know you'll be feeling pretty tired after a race but you must spend some time doing some stretching and mobilising after a race. As explained in the icing part of this post, your muscles will under go lots of micro tears. Early stretching and mobilising will help your muscle recover more effectively. These micro tears can cause your muscles to heal in a slightly shortened position. Stretching will help to avoid this.

For me I spent about 20 minutes on the ground last night (after finishing the race), mobilising my lower back and stretching my hips, hamstrings and quadriceps. If I'm being honest more time doing this would have been better. I'll get some more done this evening!

3) Hydrate

This one is very simple but makes a huge difference to your recovery. Make sure you get plenty of water back through your system down wind of the race. As already stated one of the major issues following a race will be your inflamed muscles and joints. Being well hydrated will allow your body to efficiently deal with the inflammation.

The earlier you can start to replace these lost fluids the better.

The Ringwood Clinic Facebook page - Please 'Like'

I've recently set up the clinic facebook page and stared to add some interesting post on the wall.

I'm now looking for some 'friends' and 'likes' on my page.

So here are 3 good reason to join the page:

1) I check the page daily so if you have any question about your injury you can ask them their and get a quick response. Just remember it's a public page, so if you have any private questions email me separately.

2) I'll put offers up on the page. For example if I have a quite morning / afternoon I occasionally offer FREE 30 min assessment slots for new injuries. Being part of the group will help you keep up to date on those offers (and be able to share them with friends / family who many benefit).

3) I share tips, articles and my blog posts on the page all designed to keep you pain free.

Go here => www.facebook.com/theringwoodclinic and click 'like' on the top right hand side of the page.

See you there.