Pain in your foot? Learn more about Plantar Fasciitis

physio-plantar-facilitisHave you been experiencing pain along the arch of your foot near the base of heel? Do you feel like you have a bruise on the pad of your heel?

Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the fibrous tissue that lies on the sole of your foot extending from the heel to the base of the toes.

The theory behind plantar fasciitis is that there is a cumulative overload on the feet causing microtears and degeneration of the plantar fascia tissue. Contributing factors to this overload may be: anatomical variations such as being flat footed; excessive foot pronation; inadequate footwear; change in training methods and intensity; tight calf muscles; or being overweight.

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The dreaded High Ankle Sprain

physio-ankle-painHigh ankle sprains occur when there is damage to the ligaments or soft tissue membrane that connect the tibia to the fibula (the bones that make up the lower leg). These high ankle ligaments, known as the syndesmosis, connect the two ankle bones together and allow some rotation. The syndesmosis is made up of two ligaments (tibiofibular ligaments) and an interosseous membrane. Read more

Tips for Tennis Elbow

physio-tennis-elbowIf you suffer from tennis elbow here are some helpful tips for trying to aid recovery and prevent recurrence.

1. Choice of racquet is important – you need to consider grip size, weight of the racquet, tension in the strings and vibration through the racquet.

2. Technique is often a large contributory factor to tennis elbow. Common technique problems are:

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Stress Fractures

physio-stress-injury A stress fracture is a tiny crack in a weight bearing bone. It can occur in any part of the body but predominantly occur in the lower leg or feet.

Stress fractures are related to overuse where the supporting muscles become fatigued and no longer absorb the continuing stress of the aggravating activity such as running. As a consequence the stress transfers over to the bone and tiny cracks can form.

Possible causes of stress fractures could be: sudden increases in training frequency, intensity or duration; poor conditioning; incorrect technique; change in training surface; poor foot wear; or anatomical variations such as flat feet, or bowed legs or knock knees that may cause an overload on certain bones. Read more