Foot and Ankle Archives

Ankle sprains are very common in the practice of sports physiotherapy. However, unfortunately many patients go on to have long term problems. This has lead to the development of many proposed treatments and rehabilitation programs. This article will discuss new research into the use of manual therapy techniques combined with exercises for the rehabilitation of inversion ankle sprains.

Aerobic exercise, particularly in the form of running, has become more popular with the general population over the last few decades. Unfortunately, this increase in healthy exercise may come at a cost with up to 80% of runners reporting a lower limb injury. These trends mean that preventing running injuries is gaining significant importance in the world of sports medicine. One touted intervention that is currently in vogue is adapting the runner’s biomechanics to a forefoot strike pattern or barefoot running technique…

As sports physiotherapists we treat all sorts of patients that want to do crazy things. You know… run, swim and ride all day and even climb mountains and cliffs. Many of these athletes are young and physically active, and they strive to push their body to its physical limits. A well recognised condition to affect this group of people is chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS). In fact, eighty-seven percent of patients with CECS participate in sports, and runners account for 69% of these cases Thus, sports physiotherapists, particularly those that deal with endurance sports, will assess and treat this condition with considerable frequency. This article discusses new research on changing biomechanics to manage CECS.

In this episode of the podcast I interview Trent Salkavich. Trent is a Sports Podiatrist and Director of SportsPodiatrists.com.au. He consults from Sydney Sports Medicine Centre, Balmain Sports Medicine and Sydney Sports Med Specialists. He is currently the consulting podiatrist for the Australian Defence Force Academy Barracks, Sydney Apia (formally known as the Medibank) International Tennis Tournament, NSWIS/AIS Tennis players, various AUS/NSW Institute of Sport athletes, and the Australian Wallabies 2011 World cup team.

The shoe industry has evolved most rapidly over the previous decade and will continue to evolve as new technologies and markets are formed. We are in an era where athletes are training in barefoot running shoes and it’s not uncommon for a shoe to carry a microprocessor to play music and/or retain information for further gait evaluation post training. This article aims to unravel the hype and assist physiotherapists on advising the most appropriate footwear for their patients.