Archive for ‘Sports Injuries’
The Benefit Of Electro-stimulation following ACL Reconstruction
Posted on 16. May, 2012 by The Sports Physiotherapist.
The post-operative rehabilitation of an ACL reconstruction is something that many sports physiotherapists perform on a daily basis. Many will know that muscular atrophy is quite common; particularly affecting the quadriceps, hamstrings and triceps surae. In fact, quadriceps atrophy and strength will often exceed 20% during the first three months (Nicholas et al., 2001). Therefore, we see post-operative rehabilitation protocols focusing on quick restoration of the patients muscle function and strength. Thus, we are often quick to, and appropriately so, prescribe exercises. However, this article will discuss the potential for the additional clinical benefits of electrical muscle stimulation (electro-stimulation)
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Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Tears: Evidence Based Assessment and Management
Posted on 06. May, 2012 by The Sports Physiotherapist.
Introduction With a name like that, all physiotherapists will remember this one! But how much detail is remembered? Have a quick think about how many wrist patients you see, compared to knee or back patients. If you are in a private practice/outpatient clinic with a demographic anything like mine you will be seeing mostly backs, […]
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Athletic Pubalgia (Sports Hernia): Evidence Based Diagnosis and Management
Posted on 18. Apr, 2012 by The Sports Physiotherapist.
Groin pain is a common complaint in sports involving running, kicking and explosive changes of direction, and as such is frequently encountered by the sports physiotherapist. In soccer, groin and lower abdominal pain accounts for 10-13% of injuries per year. However, due to the number of potential differential diagnoses for athletes with chronic pain in the groin and lower abdominal region only a small proportion of athletes are eventually diagnosed with athletic pubalgia (sports hernias). Athletic pubalgia is a poorly understood disease process and it is imperative that athletes with the condition are managed appropriately as the symptoms can eventually limit the athlete’s participation in training and playing.
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Hip Muscle Activity During Side-lying Exercises
Posted on 11. Apr, 2012 by The Sports Physiotherapist.
It has been suggested that up to 79% of runners will sustain lower limb injuries. The patients with these pathologies frequently present with identifiable biomechanical faults associated with either deficits in pelvic strength or neuromuscular function. Thus, physiotherapists and physical therapists the world over implement rehabilitation programs aimed at strengthening the lateral hip abductors and external rotators. However, when it comes to exercise prescription for this musculature we require EMG studies to ensure that we are operating from a strong evidence basis. This article discusses such research.
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Osgood Schlatters Disease: Diagnosis and Management
Posted on 21. Mar, 2012 by The Sports Physiotherapist.
Any physiotherapist working with academy footballers will know that these players are at risk of overuse injuries due to their immature musculoskeletal systems (1). However, it is imperative that therapists can confidently identify when the players require a therapeutic intervention rather than dismissing their symptoms as ‘growing pains’. It has been found that 5% of all injuries in football academies are due to overuse (1), as some young footballers will partake in high volumes of physical activity. This article will discuss the evidence based management of Osgood-Schlatters condition.
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Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: Can We Predict Who Will Get It?
Posted on 12. Mar, 2012 by The Sports Physiotherapist.
Patellofemoral pain syndrome is a condition that is commonly encountered by the sports physiotherapist. There is a clear reason for this, it has been reported to affect approximately 25% of athletes (DeHaven & Lintner, 1986). Furthermore, it is the most commonly reported injury sustained by runners (Taunton et al., 2002). Thus, it is the subject of much discussion on this site, and we have provided articles on a number of management options for patellofemoral pain syndrome. However, this article will discuss new research on potential prospective indicators for the development of patellofemoral pain syndrome.
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How Mechanism of Injury Affects Prognosis Following Hamstring Strain
Posted on 08. Feb, 2012 by The Sports Physiotherapist.
We all know that hamstring strains are common injuries within sports that involve sprinting and jumping. In fact, they represent a significant proportion of muscle injuries: 50% in sprinting, 40% in soccer (Yeung et al, 2009) and 14% in Australian Rules football (Gabbe et al, 2006). They have been shown to be more common than any other muscle injuries and players are 2.5 times more likely to suffer a hamstring strain compared to a strain of their quadriceps (Woods et al, 2004). This is significant as Small et al (2010) found that soccer players miss on average 3 competitive matches per hamstring injury. Consider the huge impact on the success of sporting teams when high profile players are injured!
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Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis of the Knee
Posted on 31. Jan, 2012 by The Sports Physiotherapist.
Now, I’m not hear to scare you. But there are many conditions out there that are so uncommon that we often don’t even know that they exist. Unfortunately, sometimes these conditions may walk into our clinics and have us shaking our heads in disbelief and asking ourselves… ‘why don’t you fit into that diagnosis!’. I think for many pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) of the knee is one of these diagnoses. It is quite rare, however, it presents similarly to many of the conditions that we as sports physiotherapists treat on a daily basis. This article discusses PVNS including assessment, diagnosis, and the treatment options.
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Joint Line Fullness for Diagnosing Meniscal Pathology
Posted on 18. Jan, 2012 by The Sports Physiotherapist.
In the world of sports physiotherapy the assessment and diagnosis of knee pathology is a daily event. As we are all well aware, an accurate diagnosis is achieved only via a skilled subjective and objective examination. Thus, sports physiotherapists will regularly rely on the results of special orthopaedic or clinical tests to make a diagnosis. This is well covered ground on this site, as we regularly the discuss the diagnostic accuracy of clinical tests for common conditions. However, there is always new research regarding the accuracy of existing techniques and the development of new ones. This leads to new research on the use of joint line fullness to assist in the diagnosis of meniscal tears. This article will discuss the technique and its potential clinical utility.
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Juvenile Osteochondritis Dissecans Of the Knee: Assessment and Management
Posted on 21. Dec, 2011 by The Sports Physiotherapist.
In the sports physiotherapy world we are frequently called upon to assess and treat athletes of all ages. As you might expect, this may range from young children through to nonagenarian Master’s athletes. Sports physiotherapists would know when dealing with young athletes missing a career-ending (yes, career) diagnosis can be unforgivable. One such diagnosis is juvenile osteochondritis dissecans of the knee, a condition that commonly affects athletic children, and one that if left unchecked could jeopardise the integrity of their knee. Thus, accurate and timely diagnosis followed by appropriate management is essential when dealing with juvenile osteochondritis dissecans…..
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