What can i do for a hamstring “pull”

August 31, 2009

Pulling one’s hamstring is one of the most common soccer injuries and the most common cause is the lack of proper stretching before playing. When one says that they pull their hamstring, what it means is that one has strained or slightly torn their hamstring. Most soccer players think that by just resting for about 2-4 weeks without playing is all that is required to recover. However, this is not true. If you do nothing about the strain, you are at a higher risk of sustaining the same injury.
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Written by Calvin Sim · Filed Under Exercises/Tools, Injury Prevention, Rugby, Running, Soccer, Sports Injury, Thigh, Treatment Option | Comments

Idiopathic Scoliosis Video

August 27, 2009

Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common form of scoliosis. This video provides a good visualisation on how a scoliotic spine looks like. It also shows how the forward bending test will reveal scoliosis.

Read on here to know how the SpineCor programme helps in the treatment and management of scoliosis.

Core Concepts is an accredited SpineCor Physiotherapy Centre. The first private centre in Asia, outside of Europe and the Americas

Written by lenia.teo · Filed Under Spinal Conditions, Treatment Options, Video | Comments

Inversion Ankle Sprain

August 23, 2009

The ankle is one of the most common sites for acute musculoskeletal injuries accounting for 75 percent of ankle injuries. Among athletes, ankle sprains are the most common injury yet they are so often mistreated or not treated at all. A consequence of this neglect is a lasting weakness, an unstable joint and repeated sprains. This article will look at the most common ankle injury and its acute management.

Inversion Sprain
Inversion ankle sprains occur when the foot turns in or out to an abnormal degree relative to the ankle. The most common mechanism of an ankle sprain is a combination of plantarflexion and inversion where the foot is pointing downward and inward. The following video is an example of that.

Lateral Ligaments

The lateral ligaments are involved in an inversion ankle sprain and hence most commonly damaged. These ligaments are on the outside of the ankle, which includes the anterior talofibular (ATFL), calcaneofibular (CFL) and posterior talofibular ligaments (PTFL). Injury to the ATFL is the most common. When both the ATFL and CFL are injured together, ankle instability will be more noticeable. The PTFL is the strongest of the three ligaments and is rarely injured in an inversion sprain.

source: Flickr – Northcoast Footcare and Core Concepts

Sprain = Overstretched ligaments
Ligaments are like tough rubber bands that help to provide stability to the any joint by limiting movement. When one or more ligaments is stretched beyond the normal range, a sprain results.

Ankle sprains range in severity from Grade I to Grade III and is useful for more than classifying the severity of the injury; it also directs treatment and prognosis.

Grade	Signs & Symptoms
Grade 1	Ankle sprains are painful, but they have no increased laxity when compared with the uninjured side. This correlates with mild stretching of the ATFL.
Grade II	Ankle sprains are painful and have an increased laxity on testing. This correlates with a complete tear of the ATFL and a partial tear of the CFL.
Grade III	Ankle sprains are usually painful and have an unstable ankle joint on examination. This correlates with complete ruptures of both the ATFL and CFL.

Causes

Common causes of ankle sprains include stepping up or down on an uneven surface, particularly when wearing high heels; stepping wrong off a curb or into a hole. In athletics, common causes include landing wrongly after a jump shot and having to make quick directional changes as in tennis, soccer, and netball.

In essence, when the ligaments and muscles are not able to support the joint at a certain position, the ankle gives way. This is why training the muscles is very important when ligaments are “loose” or overstretched.

Management
Treatment and rehabilitation starts the moment you have sprained your ankle. It is recommended that you start the R.I.C.E.R regime as soon as possible after the injury. An anti-inflammatory drug may be recommended and crutches provided for a few days if the ankle is too painful to bear weight.

Immobilisation using a brace or a cast can provide the injured ligaments with the rest they need to heal and reduces the risk of aggravating the injury. However, immobilisation should not be prolonged and must be followed within a week by exercises that prevent joint stiffness and muscle wasting.

Written by Cindy Tan · Filed Under Ankle and Foot | Comments

Muscle Atrophy – What a Waste!

August 21, 2009

Skeletal muscle atrophy refers to muscle mass loss. Wasted muscles appear shrunken, and smaller in size compared to the non affected side. There will also be a corresponding loss in muscle tone and strength. Muscles waste from disuse, swelling, nerve damage or a disease process. If the cause is not addressed, it can lead to severe decline in the quality of life. Where there is no permanent damage, exercise or physical activity is the best way to prevent muscles from wasting away.

source: http://soopastank.wordpress.com

Disuse

A common cause of muscle atrophy is disuse. When muscles are not stressed sufficiently due to a lack of physical activities or because of pain. This is commonly seen in sedentary people and the elderly who have a reduced activity level. Interestingly, it has been observed by some studies that muscles start wasting away within 4 hours of the start of bed rest.

Swelling

Swelling to the joints or effusion can also cause muscles to atrophy and lose its strength. This is particularly evident in a knee injury. For example an ACL tear where swelling inhibits the activation of the thigh muscle. Gradually causing muscles to lose its function. Hence, swelling management is one of the most important aspects of an acute sports injury.

Nerve damage

Neurogenic muscle atrophy occurs when there is damage to the nerve, affecting its normal function. For example, a nerve impinged by a slipped discor disc prostrusion will be inhibited from activating its connecting muscles. Muscles that are not activated for long periods of time waste. This can become a severe problem, as the patient may eventually lose control over his or her extremities, or experience pain and discomfort as a result of shrunken, weakened muscles.

Disease

Cachexia, or “body wasting syndrome”, and Muscular Dystrophy are examples of diseases that cause progressive muscle wasting. Cachexia is often seen in patients with AIDS, cancers, and other serious chronic diseases. This group of patients may find it difficult to rebuild muscle tissue. A local example is popular Singaporean television actor, Chew Chor Meng, who was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy.

Exercise is the most important element in promoting the rebuilding of muscle tissue. Exercise may also be supplemented with a special diet to help build muscles. If exercise is not practical especially in bed-bound patients, electrical nerve stimulation of the atrophied region can help to reduce the severity of muscle atrophy by artificially activating the muscle for the patient.

Muscle atrophy can be serious and debilitating, leading to a decline in your quality of life. If muscle atrophy appears suddenly and without any apparent cause, it is a good idea to consult a doctor. Proper investigation and treatment will determine the cause and prevent progressive atrophy and rebuild the wasted muscles.

Written by Shiek Abdullah · Filed Under Peripheral (NonSport) | Comments

Orthotics for Achy Feet

August 16, 2009

"Dear Sir, I am a lecturer and an avid, regular sports player. My feet aches every week and I go for regular foot massages. I did an analysis on my feet during one of the orthotic analysis booths at some shopping centre which reported I have high arch and pronation. I wonder what can be done to correct that and reduce my achiness? " - Mr Ho

Written by chyetuan.chng · Filed Under Ankle & Foot (NonSport), Ankle and Foot, Have A Question? | Comments

Scapula winging

August 13, 2009

What is scapula winging?

The scapula is the anatomical term for the shoulder blade. Scapula winging describes the position of the shoulder blade sticking outwards as opposed to being flat against the ribcage. A winging scapula that is left untreated can lead to more debilitating shoulder injury like a rotator cuff tear. Doing scapula push ups will exercise the muscles that prevent scapula winging.

The normal biomechanical position of the shoulder blade should always be rested flat against the ribcage regardless of the position of the arm. The shoulder blade slides upwards, downwards, forwards, backwards as well as rotating clockwise or anti-clockwise as the arm moves, but it should not come away from the ribcage as seen in the right shoulder blade in the picture below.

Source: emedicine.medscape.com

The following video shows how a winging scapula looks like when the shoulder is moving. Look at how much the bottom tip of the left scapula sticks out compared to the right (normal) scapula.

Scapula instability causes shoulder injuries

It is important that the above mechanics occur as the stability of the scapular is an essential facet to the proper function of the shoulder complex. An analogy would be a bicycle. There are many parts that are put together to allow the bicycle to move as it is pedaled. If the chain of the bicycle is loose, not only it creates noise but it also the cyclist will have to pedal harder to reach the same speed, making it inefficient. Eventually other parts will be worn out faster than normal. Similarly, if the muscle that holds the shoulder blade against the ribcage does not work properly, causing scapular winging, inappropriate activation from other muscle groups will compensate resulting in overuse and pain in these muscles. This will lead to a cycle of pain in the muscles and poor biomechanics in the shoulder, subsequently leading to problems such as shoulder muscle (rotator cuff) impingements or tears.

Serratus Anterior Muscle

The primary muscle that stabilizes the scapula to the ribcage is the Serratus Anterior. Other muscles that offer support to that role are the middle and lower trapezius. Hence any weaknesses in these muscles due to injury, disease process or lesion in the nerve supply can result in winging. In cases where the nerve supply is intact, specific exercises targeting at the Serratus Anterior and middle and lower trapezius can be performed to rehabilitate the specific muscles affected.

Exercise

Shoulder push-ups is a good way to train the serratus anterior muscles. The idea is to push your chest away and towards the ground by moving your shoulders and not from the elbows. This exercise is demonstrated in the video below. An easier way to perform this exercise is to lean against the wall with your hands instead of on the floor.

Written by Sylvia Ho · Filed Under Shoulder (NonSport), Video | Comments

SpineCor Brace

August 11, 2009

Hi,

My daughter has been diagnosed with Scoliosis. We are not keen on her having surgery at this point in time. I have heard about the SpineCor brace. Could you tell us a bit more about it.? Thanks. – Terence.

Written by Sylvia Ho · Filed Under Have A Question? | Comments

TRX Suspension Training

August 9, 2009

Back2Sports was recently interviewed about TRX (Straits Times, 8 August 2009, ‘Traveling Gym’). We basically said that it is a great way to increase the intensity of your exercises but we strongly recommend close supervision during the early stages of training.

Written by chyetuan.chng · Filed Under Exercises/Tools, Injury Prevention | Comments

Warning! Is this how you stretch your hamstring?

August 5, 2009

Stretch A
click for larger view

Stretch A may aggravate your pain if you have a history of lower back nerve injury. When you bend from your hip with your knee straight the tension is at the back of your thigh, behind the knee. This focuses on the lower hamstrings and also pulls onto the sciatic nerve which originates from the lower back.

Written by chyetuan.chng · Filed Under Exercises/Tools, Injury Prevention, Knee, Sports Injury, Thigh | Comments

Is Yoga Bad For You?

August 3, 2009

It depends on whether it is done appropriately. Yoga along with today’s other similar lifestyle exercises such as Pilates are often prescribed as a way to take care of your back or neck pains. However, the problem doesn’t really lie with the exercises. Rather with the understanding of what it can do and what it can’t do.

Written by MCR · Filed Under Back Exercises | Comments