PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR REPETITIVE STRESS INJURIES

Tennis Elbow – No you don’t have to play tennis to get a tennis elbow! This condition is commonly seen in practice and most of our patients do not play tennis. Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis is a repetitive stress injury of the wrist extensor tendon. Its attachment, the lateral epicondyle, may also be inflamed and stressed.

Extending the wrist and fingers repeatedly (ex. typing, piano playing), gripping (ex. playing racquet sports, chopping vegetables, lifting pots and pans) can result in this condition.

De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis can occur in those who play golf, piano, and keyboarding. It is often seen in parents (usually moms) who may carry a child with their hands for a longer period of time. There can be tenderness and swelling near the base of the thumb. Inflammation of the abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis tendon can occur. Pain will be felt with pinching, grasping, and general movement of the thumb.

Plantar Fasciitis can cause pain in the arches and heel of the foot. It is an overuse injury to the plantar fascia, located in the bottom of the foot. It can be caused by poor footwear, being overweight, and excessive walking and running.

Achilles tendonitis occurs in walkers and runners where there is a repeated load to the Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon comes from the major calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) and inserts onto the heel bone (calcaneus). Repeated pushing off the foot like walking, running, and jumping can stress the Achilles tendon. Microtears in the tendon can result in inflammation (tendonitis) or no inflammation (tendinosis)

Shin Splints are lower leg pain that occurs in the inside (medial) or outside (lateral) part of the leg. This overuse injury occurs with repeated stress of the muscles and their attachment (tibia). Worse case scenarios are stress fractures of the tibia, where the bone starts to crack. This condition can be found in dancers and runners. Risk factors include those with tight calves, overpronation, wearing poor footwear, overtraining, and running on hard and sloping surfaces.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is affected by repeated and/or sustained pressure on the median nerve at the wrist area. Symptoms may vary with each person and you may feel numbness, pain, and tingling in the fingers (middle 3 fingers). Activities such as typing (with pressure on the wrist), manual labor, extended positions of wrist flexion and extension, and vibration can cause and exacerbate this condition.