Working with athletes!

Have you ever experienced pain at the back of your ankle? If you have it is most likely due to injury of your achilles tendon. The achilles tendon is a tough band of fibrous tissue that connects your calf muscles to your heel bone. This is the largest and strongest tendon in the body, and allows us to run, walk, jump and rise onto our toes. Despite its strength, the achilles tendon is particularly prone to injury due to the high tensions placed upon it and its lack of blood supply. Achilles

What is the cause of my heel pain? One of the most common complaints that we see in the clinic is heel pain. Heel pain can be the result of many different pathologies, such as fat pad contusion, stress fracture of the calcaneus or achilles tendinopathy, however majority of the time is related to a condition known as Plantar Fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is an overuse injury, which results in inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a thick band of fibrous tissue that runs from

Muscle balance and postural alignment is the foundation of proper movement and performance. To facilitate movement muscles must work in groups referred to as an agonist and antagonist. The agonist initiates movement by contracting, while the antagonist works in the opposite direction to control movement. Muscle imbalance occurs when a certain muscle or muscle group becomes stronger than other muscles around them. This results in the stronger muscles overcompensating for the weaker ones, and

Chilblains We are well and truly into the winter months now, which means chilblain season is upon us! We have had so many patients coming in complaining of painful burning sensations at the ends of their toes. The cardiovascular system is extremely important for foot health. When we experience colder temperatures, ‘vasoconstriction’ occurs. That is the blood vessels close to the skin constrict to allow more blood flow to the vital organs. When this happens, blood flow to the extremities, e.g.

Over the weekend our staff had the privilege of running a workshop on injections of the foot and ankle (led by podiatric surgeon Dr. Omar Baarini). Our podiatrists and physiotherapists got some hands on experience injecting foot models while learning about how different injection techniques can be used to treat different conditions that we commonly see in the clinic. The foot and ankle is susceptible to many injuries and pathologies that respond well to diagnostic and therapeutic injection. As

Have you ever been woken in the middle of the night by a painful leg cramp? Don’t worry you’re not alone! Night leg cramps are a sudden, painful involuntary contraction or spasm of muscle that usually occurs when you are in bed. Night leg cramps can involve your feet or thighs, however most commonly affects the calf muscles and can last from seconds to minutes with pain sometimes lasting for up to 24 hours. In most cases the cause of leg cramps is unknown, however it is likely to be related to

Ingrown toenails, also known as Onychocryptosis, can lead to severe pain and functional impairment if left untreated. In the early stages, an ingrown toenail may present as redness and discomfort at the edge of the nail. This may worsen when wearing tight socks or footwear. If left untreated, the ingrown toenail site may develop an infection. When infected, ingrown toenails can be extremely painful. They may form ‘hypergranulation tissue’, meaning skin grows over the top of the nail edge,

Neuromuscular retraining and injury prevention The brain has many reflexes that are protective in nature. For example, your body will shiver in the cold to try and warm up by increasing  blood flow. Neuromuscular reflexes however, are a specific sort of reflex important in preventing injury. Neuromuscular reflexes refer to the automatic response of a muscle to a stimulus. One example of a neuromuscular reflex occurs around the knee. The knee is a hinge joint, meaning that it is only made to

Osgood-Schlatter Disease (Knee Pain)  Osgood-Schlatter Disease is a common pathology in growing adolescents. It causes knee pain generally from inflammation of the area just below the knee where the tendon from the kneecap (patellar tendon) attaches to the shinbone (tibia). Osgood-Schlatters is an overuse injury of the knee and usually presents during a large growth spurt in children. Physical stress and frequent use causes inflammation at the tendinous junction of the patella and tibia.