Thigh Muscle Strain Injury

Thigh Muscle Strain Injury

A Thigh muscle strain is quite common in sports like football, where kicking is repeatedly practised. A Thigh muscle strain refers to a tear in the Quadriceps muscle group. The Quadriceps are located at the front of the thigh and are responsible for extending (straightening) the knee. A tear in a Thigh muscle is referred to as a strain and depending on its severity it is classified as a first, second or third degree strain.

The immediate treatment for a Thigh muscle injury consists of the RICE protocol - rest, ice, compression and elevation (never apply ice directly to the skin). As a general rule grade one Thigh strains should be rested from sporting activity for about 3 weeks, and grade two Thigh strains for about 4 to 6 weeks. In the case of a complete rupture the Thigh muscle will have to be repaired surgically and the rehabilitation afterwards will take about 3 months.

Common Thigh Muscle Strain signs & symptoms:

• A sudden sharp pain in the thigh.
• Pain when stretching the thigh.
• Thigh pain during a resisted muscle contraction.

Hip Labrum Tear Injury

Hip Labrum Tear Injury

Hip pain may be due to a tear of the Acetabular Labrum. The Acetabular Labrum is a fibrocartilage ring, located in the socket (Acetabulum) of the hip joint. The Hip Labrum helps to increase the stability of the hip joint, acting as a 'spacer' and shock absorber during weight bearing. The Acetabular Labrum can become torn if there is a twisting movement while the hip joint is bearing weight, and this hip injury may occur during sports such as soccer and rugby.

The onset of hip pain is usually immediate. As with all hip joint problems, the pain may be diffuse and difficult to pinpoint. If the front of the hip joint is affected there may be a pinching sensation when the person flexes the hip by bringing the knee up to the chest. The pain may be reproduced in sport during activities that require weight bearing and twisting.

Treatment usually involves hip arthroscopy that can be performed on an outpatient basis. Although a general anaesthetic is used, a stay in hospital is not usually necessary. Following a short period on crutches, the patient follows a program of exercises under the supervision of a Chartered Physiotherapist. A return to sports is usually possible between two and three months after the operation.

Common Hip Labrum Tear signs & symptoms:

• A history of twisting on the hip.
• Diffuse hip pain.
• Hip joint 'catching' on specific movements.

Hip Bursitis Injury

Hip Bursitis Injury

Hip Bursitis causes pain on the side of the hip, which makes it uncomfortable to lay on the affected side. Bursitis is inflammation of a 'Bursa', which is a small sac of fluid. The function of a Bursa is to protect other tissues from compression and friction, but too much stress, or a direct blow to a Bursa can cause it to become inflamed. The medical term for the Hip Bursa is the 'Trochanteric Bursa', so called because it is located over the 'Greater Trochanter' of the thigh bone (the bony lump on the top of the outside of the thigh bone).

A person suffering from Hip Bursitis will have hip pain over the area of the bursa, but in severe cases this pain may radiate down the leg. The pain will usually be brought on by hip movements such as walking, running, and climbing stairs.

Treatment for Hip Bursitis aims to settle the inflammation down. Physiotherapy treatment will include ice, electrotherapy and stretching of the Ilio Tibial Band, and may be successful in curing the condition. However, in a number of cases of Hip Bursitis, particularly chronic (long-term) cases, a Corticosteroidinjection may be necessary.

Common Hip Bursitis signs & symptoms:

• Pain on the outer side of the hip, which may radiate down the thigh.
• Hip pain when laying on the affected side.
• Pain on the outer side of the hip when walking, running and climbing stairs.

Hip Arthritis in Brief

Hip Arthritis in Brief

Hip Arthritis (Osteoarthritis) is a common cause of hip pain and hip stiffness that usually manifests itself in middle age. Hip arthritis is characterised by progressive hip joint degeneration that may be due to hip overuse or secondary to a hip injury such as a Labrum tear.

Damage to the hip joint surfaces can be as a result of sporting trauma, but is more commonly due to repetitive stresses over a long period of time. This is usually associated with habitual overuse of a joint for occupational or sporting purposes. In most individuals, the signs and symptoms do not appear until middle age, but the disease process starts much earlier and the arthritis process can be accelerated following trauma to the hip joint.

Hip pain is the most universal symptom of hip arthritis. This hip pain can be felt around the groin, but may also radiate down the thigh or up to the back. As the arthritis worsens and muscle wasting occurs there is often a pronounced limp. Eventually hip replacement surgery may be required where there is severe hip pain, although hip exercises and physical therapy rehabilitation are very helpful.

Common Hip Arthritis signs & symptoms:

• History of previous hip injury or hip surgery.
• Hip pain related to overdoing activities.
• Hip stiffness, particularly in cold weather.

Hamstring Injury

Hamstring Injury

A Hamstring injury is common in sports. Hamstring injuries are sometimes known as a 'pulled Hamstring'. The term 'pulled muscle' comes from the description of how the injury takes place. Usually the Hamstring muscle is forcibly stretched beyond its limits and the muscle tissue becomes torn. A tear in the Hamstring muscle is referred to as a Hamstring strain and depending on its severity it is classified as a first, second or third degree strain.

Early Hamstring injury treatment consists of the RICE protocol - rest, ice and compression and elevation (never apply ice directly to the skin). Depending upon the severity of the injury, the leg must be rested from sporting activity for between several weeks and several months.

Common Hamstring Injury signs & symptoms:

• A sudden sharp pain in the Hamstring.
• Pain when stretching the Hamstring.
• Hamstring pain during a resisted muscle contraction.

Spondylolysis Injury

Spondylolysis Injury

A stress fracture of the lower back, medically known as Spondylolysis is the most common overuse back injury in sport. It is a common cause of back pain in adolescents, being particularly common in young cricket fast bowlers. Spondylolysis is caused by repeated arching and twisting of the back, which puts too much stress on an area of the vertebra known as the Pars Interarticularis. This is a weak spot within the bone, where a stress fracture tends to develop.

Spondylolysis is characterised by an ache in the lower back which is exacerbated by sporting activities and eased by rest. Typically, there is back pain when bending backwards, particularly if standing on one leg. In most cases, rest from sports for about 6 weeks is the treatment of choice, accompanied by a programme of rehabilitation with a physiotherapist, that aims to improve the muscle function and stability in the lower back.

Common Spondylolysis signs & symptoms:

· Associated with sporting adolescents.

· Low back pain during and following sport, which eases with rest.

· Back pain when arching the back (spinal extension).

Spinal Stenosis Injury

Spinal Stenosis Injury

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis is a cause of low back pain that can produce various symptoms such as Sciatica, back pain, buttock pain, tingling, cramping leg pain and pain on standing and walking. Stenosis means narrowing, and Spinal Stenosis refers to a narrowing of the spaces that surround the nervous tissue in the lower back, most often the spinal cord and the nerve roots that emerge from the spine.

Spinal Stenosis is narrowing of the spinal canal and foramen. This process can be due to a condition that someone is born with (Congenital Spinal Stenosis), or it can be acquired as aging processes affect the lower back (Acquired Spinal Stenosis). Because keeping the lower back ‘flexed' or bent forward relives their symptoms, patients will often walk with a slight stoop forward.

During flare ups of Sciatica and leg pain, anti-inflammatory tablets prescribed by a doctor are very effective at providing pain relief. Heat Packs and a Back Brace can also provide support and back pain relief during painful flare ups.

Common Spinal Stenosis signs & symptoms:

· Back pain that is made worse by standing.

· Back pain accompanied by Sciatica.

· Back pain that is relieved by bending forwards.