Australian Open hots up – what are the common tennis injuries!

physio-tennis-elbowAs the tennis hots up at the Australian Open in Melbourne, the fever of tennis inspires those around us. So what exactly are the demands on the body involved with tennis and the associated injuries we see in the physiotherapy clinic?

Tennis demands aerobic fitness, speed, power and agility. Players tend to stretch their body to the limit in an aim to gain the competitive edge, and if the body is not used to these demands placed on it, injuries can occur. Read more

Shoulder impingement – what is this and why does it occur?

shutterstock_469852718Common terms for shoulder impingement syndrome are “subacromial impingement”, “painful arc syndrome”, or “swimmers shoulder”. This is a clinical syndrome where the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles are compressed during shoulder movements, causing the tendons to become irritated and inflamed as they pass through the subacromial space. This results in pain, weakness, and loss of movement and function at the shoulder.

The subacromial space is the gap between the anterior edge of the acromion and the head of the humerus, through which the supraspinatus tendon passes and the subacromial bursa lies. Read more

“Sprain” or “Strain” – What exactly is the difference?

physiotherapy-ankle-foot-painThe terms “strain” and “sprain” are used when describing soft tissue or joint injuries, but what exactly is the correct term.

A “strain” is an injury or damage to the muscle or the tendon (a tendon being the connective tissue that connects the muscle belly to the bone). A strain occurs when the load placed on the muscle or tendon is too excessive or too intense and causes a tear. Read more

5 tips for managing proximal hamstring tendinopathy!

shutterstock_275733542High hamstring tendinopathy is an injury that can linger and be difficult to manage!

It is aggravated by activities with compressive load on the proximal hamstring tendon, when the hamstring is working with the hip flexed.

5 tips to help self manage this proximal hamstring tendinopathy are: Read more

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) – calf pain you need to be wary of!

shutterstock_433376134As physios we can often be the first point of call for a person with suspected Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).

DVT happens when blood clots in a vein deep within the body, usually in the calf, the thigh, or pelvis. The danger associated with this clot, is it can break off and dislodge and travel through the bloodstream, before lodging in an artery in the lung, this is called a pulmonary embolus. If this clot is large this pulmonary embolus can be fatal.

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