ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT (ACL) RUPTURE The ACL is a very important ligament which is positioned deep inside the knee. It crosses the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) to form a crucifix. Hence the name “Cruciate”. The ACL runs from the front of the tibia (Shin Bone) to the back of the femur (thigh bone) which makes… Read more »
POPLITEUS STRAIN The popliteus is a muscle which is located at the back of the knee. It originates from the outer part of the lower aspect of the femur and inserts on the inner tibia. The action of popliteus is to ‘unlock’ the extended knee by rotating the femur outwards (laterally) on the fixed tibia… Read more »
BAKER’S CYST A Baker’s cyst is a benign synovial swelling which was initially named by William Morrant Baker in the 19th Century. There are two types of Baker’s cyst, namely primary and secondary cysts, which are explained below: Located at the back of the knee, between the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle and one… Read more »
ILIOTIBIAL BAND (ITB) FRICTION SYNDROME Fascia is a sheet or band of fibrous connective tissue which extends uninterrupted from our head to the tips of our toes. It surrounds muscles, groups of muscles, blood vessels and nerves, binding some structures together, while permitting others to slide smoothly over each other. Various kinds of fascia… Read more »
LATERAL COLLATERAL LIGAMENT (LCL) SPRAIN The lateral collateral ligaments are located on the outside part of the knee between the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin bone). The LCL resists various stresses (forces pushing the inside of the knee outwards or forces pushing the lower end of the shin bone and foot inwards). It’s… Read more »
BURSITIS/TENDINITIS There are three muscles which cross the medial (inside) joint line of the knee. These are one of the hamstring muscles (semitendinosus) and two of the long hip adductor muscles (gracilis and sartorius). They insert inside of the shin bone and form what is known as the pes anserinus, due to its resemblance to… Read more »
MEDIAL COLLATERAL LIGAMENT (MCL) STRAIN The medial collateral ligaments are the most common ligaments to be sprained in the knee. They are found in the inside part of the knee between the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin bone). The MCL works predominantly with the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) to resist valgus stress (forces… Read more »
Patella Tendinopathy The patella (knee cap) is essentially a floating bone. It transfers the force of the largest and strongest muscle grouping, the quadriceps (front of thigh), into the lower leg. In activities such as jumping, the quadriceps act to straighten the knee to propel the individual off the ground, as well as functioning in… Read more »
MEDIAL SYNOVIAL PLICA IRRITATION A plica is a fold in the lining of the joint (joint capsule). It’s not known why they exist, but they are normal and are considered a remnant embryological structure. There are four in total: medial patella; lateral patella; infrapatella, and suprapatella. The most problematic is the medial patella plica. There… Read more »
TIBIAL STRESS FRACTURE The tibia is the largest of the two leg bones and is located on the inner part of the leg relative to the lateral fibula, which is the smaller bone located laterally. The tibia is prone to stress/fatigue fractures in patients who perform sports such as long-distance running, whereby repetitive… Read more »
KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS The knee consist of three separate joint articulations (superior tibiofibular, patellofemoral and tibiofemoral joints) and any one of these can be prone to wear-and-tear (osteoarthritis). So what actually happens? The early stages of the degeneration process are thought to occur when an abnormal force or the cumulative effects of a sustained faulty posture,… Read more »
PATELLAFEMORAL PAIN SYNDROME The patella (knee cap) is essentially a floating bone. It transfers the force of the largest and strongest muscle grouping, the quadriceps (front of thigh), into the lower leg. The quadricep muscles are utilised in movements involving straightening the leg, such as getting out of a chair and going upstairs. They also… Read more »
CARTILAGE/MENISCUS TEAR There are two meniscii in the knee, known as lateral and medial. The meniscii are roughly c-shaped and made up of very tough fibrocartilage. They are positioned between the tibia (shin bone) and femur (thigh bone) on the outer aspect of the joints. The meniscii perform the following important functions in the… Read more »
ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT (ACL) RUPTURE The ACL is a very important ligament which is positioned deep inside the knee. It crosses the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) to form a crucifix, hence the name “Cruciate”. The ACL runs from the front of the tibia (shin bone) to the back of the femur (thigh bone),… Read more »
Information about Knee Pain To learn more about specific knee conditions, please click on the links below: Popliteus Muscle Strain Synovial Cyst (Bakers Cyst) Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITB) Syndrome Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) Sprain Bursitis / Tendinitis Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Sprain Patella Tendinopathy Plica Tibia Stress Fracture Osteoarthritis (OA) / Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)… Read more »
HIP OSTEOARTHRITIS The hip joint is a weight bearing ball-and-socket synovial joint which is commonly affected by wear-and-tear (osteoarthritis). In early stages of this degenerative process (irrespective of the cause), a sequence of events takes place within the cartilage of the joint, ultimately leading to exposure of some of the underlying bone. The resultant cartilaginous… Read more »
TROCHANTERIC BURSITIS This condition describes irritation of the bursa at the hip. The trochanteric bursa is a fluid filled sac which is located adjacent to the femur, between the insertion of the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles, into the greater trochanter of the femur. It has the function, in common with other bursae, of… Read more »
ILIOPSOAS BURSITIS This condition describes irritation of the bursa between the iliopsoas (hip flexor) muscle and the anterior hip capsule and iliopectineal eminence located at the front of the pelvis. Iliopsoas/Iliopectineal Bursa Iliopsoas Muscle Similar to the function of all other bursae, the iliopsoas bursa separates muscle/tendon from bone and acts to facilitate movement,… Read more »
HIP FLEXOR STRAIN / TEAR Hip flexion is the action of moving the thigh upwards towards the torso or if the thigh is fixed it pulls the torso down towards the thigh, for example if you fix your feet under something when doing a sit-up. The main muscles associated with hip flexor strains are the… Read more »
LABRAL TEAR The hip joint is the closest example to a ball-and-socket joint we have in the human body. The ball is formed by the head of the femur (femoral head), which is located at the top of thigh bone. It forms approximately two thirds of a sphere. The socket is located at the lower… Read more »
HIP PAIN To learn more about specific hip conditions please click on the links below:- Labral Tear Hip Flexor Strain Psoas Bursitis Iliopsoas Tendonitis Greater Trochanteric Bursitis Osteoarthritis (OA) Piriformis Sydrome Sacro-iliac Joint Syndrome Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Herniation (The list of diagnoses given above and subsequent explanations should not be considered a replacement for a… Read more »
CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME: INFORMATION Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition which is characterised by irritation or entrapment of the median nerve. This nerve can get entrapped at various sites along its course down the upper limb and each site is specific with regards to the clinical presentation, i.e. pronator teres syndrome, anterior interosseous nerve entrapment… Read more »
GOLFER’S ELBOW/ MEDIAL EPICHONDYLITIS The medical name for golfer’s elbow is medial epichondylitis, as this condition occurs where the tendons of the forearm insert onto the medial epichondyle of the elbow joint. The medial epichondyle is the site at which the muscles which bend the wrist and fingers originate. The muscles which perform this function,… Read more »
INFORMATION ON REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURIES In the absence of trauma, another major cause of wrist injury is overuse. This is particularly apparent in the computer operator population, whereby overuse is common and arises from positions that strain the finger tendons and wrist flexor and extensor muscles repetitively. The diagnosis of repetitive strain injury (RSI) is… Read more »
