What is Sciatica? Sciatica is a condition that involves compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve, hence its name. This leads to sharp, aching or burning pains in the lower back that can travel down the back of the thigh and even past the knee following the path of the sciatic nerve. You may also experience neurological symptoms such as muscle weakness, numbness and other altered sensations. Research shows an incidence of 10-40% of the population will experience sciatica at…
Osteoarthritis currently affects approximately 3.6 million Australians. Equally, approximately 2 million people live with some form of knee and/or hip osteoarthritis. Furthermore, It is more common in females, people who are overweight and people suffering from a previous injury. It is a condition that leads to painful joints and surrounding tissues, difficulty moving and has an impact on daily living activities. Treatment Fortunately, there are effective treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee/hip that do not involve surgery. Therefore, joint replacement…
The lumbar disc acts as a shock absorber in our lower back and as a result, is subject to trauma. 80% of us at some point in our life will suffer from low back pain. When the lumbar disc is implicated, it often bulges and pushes on nerves which elicits pain and disability. Disc injury can be categorised according to its severity by the following terminology: Bulge - A mild distortion of the disc without disruption Protrusion - A moderate…
Osgood-Schlatter disease is probably a condition you heard about growing up, whether you had it or your friends had it. Osgood-Schlatter disease is essentially an overuse injury of the knee that is common in growing children and adolescents. Repetitive activity, particularly jumping activity can cause swelling and irritation over the growth plate at the top of the shin. What are some causes of Osgood-Schlatter's disease? Osgood-Schlatter disease is caused by an imbalance of growth between the bones, muscles and Tendons. This causes the…
Another year older means another year wiser, but unfortunately, getting older also means our bodies can undergo many changes. While physical decline is normal with ageing, a lack of physical activity and exercise can further contribute to this decline. These include: reduced muscle and bone strength, reduced balance, reduced joint flexibility, reduced cardiovascular and respiratory function, and increased body fat and blood pressure. There can also be an increased susceptibility to anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, and stroke risk. Benefits of…
Have you ever experienced neck pain after a quick movement to your neck or woken up with a stiff neck? This could be a condition called Wry Neck. What is Wry Neck? Wry neck occurs when the joints on one side of your neck become stiff. This may result in pain, movement restriction or stiffness on one side, making it difficult to turn your head to do daily tasks such as computer work, driving or looking down at your phone…
Within the sporting world, it is common practice for athletes to commence a thorough warm-up to get their bodies physically prepared to play. Typically, the most known method of warming is stretching. However, in terms of recovery and injury reduction, there is a more modern approach to warm-ups, known as dynamic warm-ups. Dynamic warm-ups consist of repetitive movements that are ‘active’ in nature. These are usually structured to be similar to the movements that the sport/activity needs. Keeping constantly moving…
What is Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI)? Hip pain is widespread across all age groups throughout life, whether an elite athlete or someone in the general population. Many conditions may cause hip pain, such as femoroacetabular impingement (also known as FAI for short). What is it? This is a condition where the ball and socket part of the hip joint cannot move around through range. This is due to the way the head of your femur (thigh bone) moves around the socket…
ACL ruptures have gained significant media attention of late due to the amount of time missed in sport, particularly among elite AFL, soccer and rugby players. This blog will explore what an ACL is, how it is important for knee stability as well as explore the surgical and physiotherapy treatments for them. What is an ACL? The knee joint does not have a large range of motion but instead possesses a high amount of stability to keep the joint together.…
Are you experiencing hip pain? Is it located on the outside of your hip? Is there pain when lying on that side? Or do you experience pain when standing on one leg? You may be experiencing greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS). GTPS is the umbrella term to describe pain on the outside of the hip. This can be caused by tendon irritation of the gluteal muscles or inflammation of the bursa around the hip. Why does hip pain occur? Hip pain…