Recent Comments
No comments to show.
Posted by philipwoodphysio in Conditions on May 9th, 2022
If you’ve ever dropped something heavy on your foot, it will not be a surprise to learn that each foot contains more than 7000 nerve endings. No wonder they are sensitive to pain.
Ouch! Your feet have an important function: they support your body weight, provide shock absorption when you move, and help you to balance. This makes an injured foot inconvenient as well as painful!
In this blog we’re delving into midfoot injuries, specifically those that occur to the Lisfranc joint and ligament, known as a Lisfranc injury.
A Lisfranc fracture is one of the most common foot fractures. Dropping something on your foot is a common way to fracture your Lisfranc joint. Two-thirds of Lisfranc injuries happen when something hits your foot directly, with force. This could be in a motor-vehicle accident, a crush injury, or a fall from height.
One-third of Lisfranc injuries occur indirectly and are more commonly missed, e.g. during sports or activities like horse riding; from household accidents or twisting your foot when you fall.
Lisfranc injuries range in severity from a mild sprain to a severe fracture. Typically, an injury to the Lisfranc joint or ligament will have the following symptoms:
Treatment will depend on the severity of the Lisfranc injury.
For a mild Lisfranc sprain, follow the normal first aid protocols of relative rest, ice, compression and elevation until you are able to see your physio for a thorough assessment. Your physio should then have you back on your feet within weeks.
For severe injuries/fractures, you may need a cast or brace for up to six weeks. Occasionally surgery is required to pin bones in place or fuse them together.
Yes. We can help you to manage your injury from diagnosis, to treatment and recovery.
If a Lisfranc fracture is suspected at the initial assessment, we will send you for an x-ray. If a fracture is confirmed, we can apply an appropriate cast, splint or brace once you’ve been to your doctor, or before you go to see them for review. We will provide you with crutches, if needed. As your fracture heals, we will monitor your progress and make adjustments to your cast or splint.
Chronic pain, arthritis or decreased function can occur if the injury is not detected and treated promptly. Physical therapy can assist with recovery, restoring function and strengthening. We will give you a tailored exercise program to help you progress to a full recovery.
If you are looking for support and advice to manage a Lisfranc injury, we are here to help! Give us a call on 9838 3030 or email philipwoodphysiotherapy@gmail.com so we can get you back on your feet.
Posted by philipwoodphysio in Conditions, General, Health Tips, Physiotherapy, Stretch of the Month, Wellness on March 28th, 2022
Our first priority is the general health and wellbeing of the community. Responding to the ongoing presence of COVID-19 places an added level of complexity and concern for patient care and we ask for your patience and understanding as we continue to respond to changing Government advice. As a health care provider, our staff are fully vaccinated (COVID-19 & Flu), and we place emphasis on upholding stringent standards of hygiene and infection control. Please speak to one of our staff if you would like to know more about how we keep you safe.
We request that if you are experiencing any cold/flu-like symptoms which may include fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue or shortness of breath; that you DO NOT attend the practice.
In the event that you are unable to attend in person, we have capacity for home visit consultations and telehealth consultations.
Philip Wood Physiotherapy
Posted by philipwoodphysio in Conditions on November 24th, 2019
We are nearing the end of the year here in Australia, which means the sun is heating up and people are starting to get outdoors a little more. It’s at this time of the year lots of people head into the gym in search of a better body. Unfortunately for some, this can mean an increased risk of injury, which is no fun for anyone, especially at Christmas. We’re here to give you a little run down on some common injuries we see here at Philip Wood Physiotherapy. This blog will concentrate on injuries related to ‘soft’ tissues… Namely muscles, tendons and ligaments.
A muscle is made up of groups of tiny little fibres that shorten and lengthen to create movement around a joint. Muscles are flexible tissues that can withstand and create a lot of force. Sometimes movement can place excessive load through a muscle and some or all of the fibres within it can tear. Tearing of muscle fibres is known as a ‘strain’. A muscle will commonly strain when it is overstretched. Think of a soccer player reaching a leg out for the ball, or a gymnast kicking their leg over their head. If the muscle is not able to cope with the demands of the stretch, then the only option is for the muscle to tear. A strain is graded based on the severity of the tearing:
Common symptoms of a strain include pain, swelling, bruising, loss of function and weakness. The range of symptoms depend completely on the severity of the strain. A low-grade strain is often painful with minimal loss to function and strength. A high-grade strain is often very painful with swelling, bruising, complete loss of strength and reduced function in the affected body part.
A ligament is a strong band of tissue that joins a bone to a bone, creating a joint. Ligaments provide stability at a joint, making them quite inflexible compared to muscles. They have to withstand extremely large forces that run through the body when we move. Therefore, it makes sense that it requires a very large force to injure one. Take a rugby player who gets tackled with their foot firmly planted on the ground as the opposition player runs into the side of their legs. The excessive force of the tackle on the knee could cause the ligaments to overstretch or tear. Tearing of a ligament is referred to as a ‘sprain’. Just like a muscle, a ligament injury is graded from one to three:
Ligaments have a very poor blood supply compared to muscles which means they take longer to heal. If you look at muscle tissue it takes on a reddish appearance (i.e. a rich blood supply), compared to the silvery white colour of ligament tissue.
Symptoms of a ligament injury again depend on the severity of the injury and include pain, swelling, bruising, loss of function at the joint, and joint instability… You may well feel a little wobbly on your feet following a severe knee or ankle sprain.
A tendon is what joins a muscle to a bone. It is similar in make up to a ligament in that it also has a much poorer blood supply when compared to a muscle. Tendon injury is referred to as tendinopathy and is usually broken down into acute inflammation of a tendon (called ‘tendinitis’) and chronic degeneration of a tendon (called ‘tendinosis’). Tendons are often injured due to overuse of a body part due to repetitive actions, such as throwing in baseball. Overuse of the tendon can lead to very small tears developing. If complete healing is not achieved before re-injury, the problem can progress. A single large force put through a tendon can result in an acute episode of pain and inflammation. If a force is large enough, or a tendon has become degenerated over time, it is possible for the tendon to tear in part, or completely.
Symptoms of tendon injury include pain (often before and after activity), possible swelling, and reduced function and weakness of the affected body part. Because of the poor blood supply, tendons, like ligaments, can take quite some time to heal fully.
Each one of the injury types above is managed differently, and healing time depends on the severity. With any acute injury you’re pretty safe following the RICER protocol from the off (remember rest, ice, compression, elevation and referral). However, we recommend you get in touch with your us straight away because we will be able to get our hands on you to start treatment, as well as give advice on the whole rehab process. It is especially important to know when to begin putting load through the injured tissues again to ensure you decrease your healing time and any potential after-effects of the injury.
Remember that prevention is always better than cure. We recommend you always warm up before performing your activity. A good rule to follow is warm up with exercises that are going to prepare your body for the activity you are about to perform… For soccer, warm up with ball drills, light jogging, short sprints, jumps and dynamic stretches (i.e. stretches with movement). It’s best to save your static stretches (i.e. held stretches) for your post-match cool down!
If you need help with an injury or want further advice on how to prevent injury in the future, call our clinic on 9838 3030 or speak to your physio during your next session.
Posted by philipwoodphysio in Conditions on August 13th, 2015
RICER is essentially first aid for soft tissue injuries such as ligament sprains or muscle tears.
Where used appropriately, RICER may reduce pain and swelling as well as decrease recovery time and prevent further injury.
Resting the injured part in a comfortable position is essential to prevent further injury and to allow healing to begin.
The application of ice to the injured area decreases the inflammatory response and pain, and limits internal bleeding at the injured site. Ice should be used for 10–15 minutes every 2 hours and then removed to allow the skin or affected area to return to a normal temperature before it is reapplied. Ice therapy should be continued for 48-72 hours.
Care should be taken to wrap the ice in a thin towel to prevent frostbite and to leave it on for no more than 20 minutes at a time.
Compressing the injured area is important to limit the swelling which occurs as a result of the inflammatory process. A non adhesive elastic bandage should be applied well beyond the injury. It is important that the bandage be snug, but not so tight that blood flow is impeded.
Unless you suspect a fracture, elevating the injured part also assists in reducing swelling. Elevation above the level of the heart is ideal.
After the initial first aid is applied, it is important to see a physiotherapist to establish a diagnosis, continue management and commence appropriate rehabilitation.