The Achilles tendon is the large tendon at the back of the ankle. It connects the large calf muscles (gastronomies and soleus) to the heel bone. It provides the power when the foot pushes off during walking or running.

Achilles tendonitis is now usually referred to as Achilles Tendonopathy this causes inflammation and degeneration of the Achilles tendon.

SYMPTOMS
Pain around the Achilles tendon usually develops gradually
Pain is shooting and sharp in nature
Pain at the onset of exercise which fades as the exercise progresses.
Pain eases with rest.
Tender to the touch

If the problem continues pain becomes more chronic the tendon may become lumpy to the touch

CAUSES
Altered foot biomechanics (usually flat feet)
Increase in activity (either distance, speed or hills).
Less recovery time between activities
Change of footwear or training surface.
Weak calf muscles

The most common cause is over-pronation or flat feet. An orthotics made with a light weight shock absorbing material can be used to control this condition and reduce the stress Healing of the achilles tendon is often slow, due to its poor blood supply.

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An ankle sprain occurs when the ligaments of the ankle are damaged. Ligaments are an elastic structure that have an ability to stretch and then go back to their normal positions. When a ligament is stretched beyond its normal range, a sprain occurs. Sprains are graded according to their severity. A severe sprain causes actual tearing of the elastic fibres of the ligament.

SYMPTOMS
Swelling
Bruising
Joint stiffness
Possible joint instability

TREATMENT
R is for rest. It is important to rest the injury to reduce pain and prevent further damage. The use of crutches may be advised to allow the area to heal .
I is for ICE . Applying ice and compression can ease the pain, reduce swelling, reduce bleeding (initially) and encourage blood flow (when used later).
C is for compression – This reduces bleeding and helps reduce swelling. injured ankle.
E is for Elevation – Uses gravity to reduce bleeding and swelling by allowing fluids to flow away from the site of injury.

As the area heals we at active physiotherapy can be used to assist recovery of range of motion strength and balance. This allows for a safe and speedier return to the activities you enjoy doing.

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Anterior cruciate ligament, also called the ACL, it  is one of  a few ligaments that keeps your knee in position. The ACL is key in  preventing excessive motion of the knee joint. The ACL is critical to knee stability, and people who injure their ACL often complain of symptoms of their knee giving-out from under them

SYMPTOMS
Knee giving way
Knee swelling after activities
Pain with increased activity

TREATMENT
Most people opt for reconstruction surgery also known as an ACL repair. Physiotherapy is always required after surgery, and a specific protocol is usually followed.We will use a range of exercises, to help you  regain muscle strength and movement in a safe way so that you can function as normally as soon as possible.

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The Knee joint is quite a complicated joint which is why there are any number of reasons why you can experience knee pain. Damage to structures such as cartilage/meniscus, anterior cruciate/ACL and collateral ligaments can all cause pain. However pain in the knee that is experienced without any known injury or trauma is known as Anterior Knee Pain.

There are two main causes of Anterior Knee Pain

Patella Tendonopathy also known as Jumpers Knee
and
Patellafemoral Pain also known as Chondromalacia Patella

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Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which an examination and sometimes treatment of a damaged joint is performed using an endoscope that is inserted into the joint through a small incision. Arthroscopic procedures can be performed either to evaluate or to treat many orthopaedic conditions including torn floating cartilage, torn surface cartilage, ACL reconstruction, and trimming damaged cartilage.

The advantage of arthroscopy over traditional open surgery is that the joint does not have to be opened up fully. Instead, for knee arthroscopy for example, only two small incisions are made – one for the arthroscope and one for the surgical instruments to be used in the knee cavity to fully remove the knee cap. This reduces recovery time and may increase the rate of surgical success due to less trauma to the connective tissue. It is especially useful for professional athletes, who frequently injure knee joints and require fast healing time. There is also less scarring, because of the smaller incisions. I

Artroscopies can be performed on joints other than the knee such as the shoulder and wrist.

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Lower back pain is a very common complaint and affects most people at some stage in their life . On the positive side however, most episodes of back pain resolve within a matter of weeks when managed correctly.

Muscle strain
Muscle strains are the most common cause of low back pain. You may or may not remember the initial event that triggered their muscle spasm, most episodes of back pain from muscle strains resolve completely within a few days

Disc prolapse/ Disc herniation
A ruptured disc, also called a herniated disc, is another common cause of back pain. This type of back pain can produce pain in the back and pain/symptoms in the leg commonly referred to as Sciatica .

Posture
Poor posture and lack of exercise can lead to excessive loading on the spine which over time can lead to pain and/or dysfunction

Spondylosis
This refers to a wear and tear ( osteoarthritis) of the vertebrae. It occurs as intervertebral discs lose moisture and volume with age, which decreases the disc height. Even minor trauma under these circumstances can cause inflammation and nerve root impingement, which can produce classic sciatica without disc rupture.

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The calf muscles consist of the Gastrocnemius which is the large muscle at the back of the lower leg and the Soleus muscle which is a smaller muscle that lies under the Gastrocnemius. The Gastrocmenius is the larger of the two muscles, it attaches above the knee runs down the back of the calf and inserts into the heel bone via the achilles tendon. The Soleus also attaches to the heel bone via the achilles tendon. Either of these two muscles can be invloved in a torn calf muslce or a strained calf muscle. The muscle is strained when it is forcibly stretched or pulled beyond its limit. All muscle strains are graded from 1-3, with grade 1 being a minor muscle tear, with up to 10% of muscle fibres torn. A grade 2 tear involves up to 90% of the muscle fibres and a grade 3 is over 90% of fibres torn, or rupture.

SYMPTOMS
Pain in the calf area which ranges from a twinge, a sharp pain to a severe immediate pain
In the case of a grade 1 a player may be able to play on however in a grade 2 and most certainly in a grade 3 the player will not be able to play on.
Bruising the severity of which depends on the grade of tear
Tightness in the back of the calf
Pain on walking or during explosive push off of the foot
In the case of a grade 3 the is muscle weakness

TREATMENT
Prompt treatment is wise as Calf strains, if not treated can easily become a chronic problem. In the first 24hrs RICE is recommended Rest Ice Compression and Elevation. Here at Active Physiotherapy we can assist you with this early stage of treatment this controls bleeding and limits any further damage to the area. Once the acute phase is over we can assist you with recovery of normal movement and guide on a progressive supervised resisted exercise programme. Sometimes in the case of repetitive occurrence’s or problems with both calves we may do a bio-mechanical assessment of the feet. In some cases shoe inserts/orthotics may be recommended.

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The cartilage is also referred to as the’ meniscus’, there are two in total which ly inside your knee between the thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia). One meniscus is on the inside of your knee; this is the medial meniscus. The other meniscus rests on the outside of your knee, the lateral meniscus. The most common problem with the meniscus is a tear or partial tear due to traumatic injury when the knee joint is bent and the knee is then twisted.The meniscus can also become worn over time

The most common symptoms of a meniscus tear are:

• Knee pain
• Tenderness when pressing on the meniscus
• Popping or clicking within the knee
• Limited motion of the knee
• Locking of knee or inability to straighten knee

TREATMENT
In these cases quite often surgery is required, known as keyhole surgery or knee arthroscopy Physiotherapy is always required after surgery. We will use a range of exercises, to help you  regain muscle strength and movement in a safe way so that you can function as normally as soon as possible

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