Sports that require rapid acceleration and deceleration, cutting left and right, agility, jumping, and bending pose a unique risk for injury to the lower limbs. Hamstring injuries are the most prevalent injury in Australian rules football, afflicting 16% of players, causing an average of 3.4 missed matches per injury, accounting for the most time lost […]
Hip Exercises to Help Knee Pain – Seriously?
The hip and knee are anatomically very close to one another. Functionally, there are several muscles that attach above the hip and below the knee joint. Hence, depending on the position and/or activity, the same muscle can move the hip and/or the knee. This close relationship crosses over in dysfunction as well, as patients with […]
Shoulder Pain – What Are My Treatment Options?
The shoulder is not just one joint but rather four: the sternoclavicular (collar bone/breast bone), acromioclavicular (the “roof” of the ball & socket joint), glenohumeral (the ball & socket joint), and scapulothoracic joints (shoulder blade/rib cage joint). There are also many structures in the vicinity that can mimic shoulder pain—namely, the cervical spine (neck), the […]
What Can Be Done for Kneecap Pain?
Patellofemoral (PF) pain (or pain in the area of the knee cap) is a very common problem, especially in women because they naturally have a wider pelvis. A wider pelvis can cause a “knock-knee” effect, which can be exacerbated by flat feet and ankle pronation (rolling in at the ankles). The net result is that […]
Common Hip Injuries
Hip pain is a very common cause for lost time in sports, and it can also interfere with one’s daily activities—including work! So, what are some of the more common injuries of the hip? MUSCLE STRAINS: This is probably the most common injury to the hip and groin because of the weight bearing “job” the […]
Why Is Shoulder Pain So Common?
Shoulder pain is common. If fact, it’s highly likely that many of you reading this currently have or have had a shoulder injury, as studies suggest that about 90% of us will tear our rotator cuff, labrum, and/or capsule at some point in time during our lives. So why is this so common? More importantly, […]
Knee Pain and Jumping Injuries
The term “jumper’s knee” was first coined in 1973 to describe an injury to the tendon that attaches the lower (most common) to the prominence (tibial tuberosity) on the proximal shin bone (tibia) or the upper pole of the knee cap or “patella” to the quadriceps femoris muscle. Jumper’s knee is one of the more […]
Exercises for Hip Pain
There are two types of muscles that help facilitate motion in our hips and lower extremities: tonic and phasic. Tonic (postural) muscles are always working or contracting to keep us upright. Therefore, these muscles tend to be tight and short. When we sleep, they contract or shorten and are taut upon waking and need to […]
Shoulder Pain – What Exercises Are Best?
The shoulder is a unique joint because it has a great range of motion. Unfortunately, that benefit is negatively balanced with poor stability. This is likely why between 20-25% of the population is afflicted with shoulder pain at some point in life. One of the greatest challenges in managing shoulder pain of musculoskeletal origin (it […]
The Origin of Knee Pain – The Medial Compartment
The four compartments of the knee (anterior/front, medial/inside, posterior/back, and lateral/outside) are like dominos. Meaning, when one is injured, the others “start to fall.” This is due to compensatory changes in function—when one compartment is problematic, this places added strain or stress to other compartment(s). Hence, managing knee conditions often requires work on multiple compartments. […]