A muscle strain is the over stretching of a muscle. It usually occurs while playing sports but can quite easily happen by slipping on a wet surface or running from the car to the shop to avoid getting wet. There is a sudden onset of pain and loss of function such as been unable to walk or run. Other symptoms/signs include general swelling and visible bruising.

There are different degrees of strain/tear from minor to complete rupture, which occurs when there is a total loss of function.

Early treatment is RICE [rest, ice, compression, elevation] for 48 to 72 hours after the injury has occurred. It is essential to have treatment for this type of injury after RICE.

The main objective is to return to normal pre injury activities; this is achieved by limiting the scar tissue formation [which is brittle], restore normal resting length of muscle, and restore the standard strength and relaxation of the muscle.

Having spent many years on the hockey pitch Mervyn Young physical therapist at the Mervyn Young Physical Therapy Centre is accustomed to many a strained muscle this coupled with his knowledge of physical therapy and rehabilitation means you will get the best treatment enabling your return normal functioning as soon as possible.

Dead Leg Injury and treatment explained.
A dead leg is the term used for a contusion injury to the Quadriceps muscle group on the front of the thigh. The injury is caused by a direct blow to the leg and often occurs while playing rugby or soccer.
A dead leg is an intramuscular injury, which means that the bleeding occurs inside the muscle fibre sheet. When this happens there is no place for the blood to go, so there is a build-up of pressure causing pain, swelling, inability to walk on it, feeling of hardness & pressure in the thigh, inability to bend the knee fully and muscle contractions which cause pain. Furthermore, it is very likely that there will be no visible bruising at or below the injury site.
For early treatment, I recommend my good friend RICE – rest, ice, compression, elevation. Crutches may be required depending on the severity of the injury.
It is necessary to have treatment to achieve a full functional recovery, to prevent recurring problems and to speed up a return to sports activities.

An Ankle sprain is the “going over” on the ankle or foot causing an over stretching of the ligaments that hold the tibia and fibula on the talus bone. It is possible to sprain the ligaments on the inner or outer side of the ankle. In 90% of cases it is the ligaments of the outer side that are affected.
There are different degrees of sprain from a minor level to a total rupture of the ligament.
Signs/symptoms include pain/general swelling/bruising/unable to weight bear/inability to walk on foot.
For early treatment, I recommend what I refer to as RICE [rest, ice, compression, elevation].
It may be necessary to have an Xray to rule out a fracture.
While it is very important to rest an injury, it is necessary to seek treatment.
The objective of treatment is to restore full normal function of the ankle so the patient can return to activities that they were involved in before the injury occurred. It is necessary to achieve full passive and active range of movement and restore the normal balance function of the ankle.
If the ankle is not rehabilitated to full normal function, there is a greater risk of recurrence of further ankle injury.
Furthermore, there is the possibility of injury to the knee and hip/pelvis as the point of contact with the ground is not as stable and flexible as it should be thus placing greater stresses up the leg.

What is osteo arthritis?
Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of a joint in the body. It occurs when the joint surfaces become worn, and the underlying bone tissue becomes deformed.
The term “wear & tear” is commonly used in association with this type of arthritis.
What are the symptoms of Osteo arthritis?
Symptoms include stiffness/restriction of movement/sometimes swelling/pain.
What are the main causes for a degenerative joint?
One of the main causes for the degeneration of a joint is where excessive mechanical stresses are placed on it – i.e. poor posture in the workplace, poor training methods in sports, lack of regular flexibility exercise for which yoga is strongly recommended.
What is Rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis differs from Osteo arthritis in that it is an inflammatory condition that attacks the connective tissues around joints. Connective tissues are joint capsule/membrane, ligaments/tendons. It also affects the synovial fluid that lubricates the joint surfaces.
What are the symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis?
Symptoms include heat/swelling/stiffness/pain/ deformity.
Usually it is the smaller joints throughout the body that are affected – hands/feet/vertebrae from the neck.
What are the main causes for Rheumatoid arthritis?
The cause of Rheumatoid arthritis is not known; however, several possibilities are suggested such as genetic, viral, hereditary, diet,

In the past number of years, I have seen a significant number of people coming to me with injuries which they have incurred due to running. More and more people are turning to running as their form of exercise, which is great to see people getting active; however, it is essential that you are equipped with the proper gear to avoid injuries.

The number-one thing when you decide to run is to invest in a pair of runners that are suitable for your foot type. Don’t underestimate the importance of good runners; by not wearing the correct shoes the runner could develop conditions such as Planter fasciitis, shin splints and Achilles tendonitis. Therefore, an activity that was meant to be a positive can now be a major negative.

Plantar Fasciitis – this is a painful condition resulting in symptoms of pain under the heel. One of the main causes of this condition is constantly wearing footwear that does not provide adequate arch support.

Shin splints – a condition which occurs at the front inside of the shin bone, there are numerous cause of this injury usually biomechanical (abnormal movement patterns) but the two most common are wearing inadequate footwear whilst running and constantly running on hard surfaces.

Achilles tendonitis – the Achilles tendon is the large tendon at the back of the ankle. It connects the large calf muscle to the heel bone and provides the power in the push-off phase when walking and running. It is estimated that Achilles tendonitis accounts for around 11% of all running injuries.

You may ask what type of runners I should get. In brief if someone has a hyper mobile foot, then they would require a runner that offers good support and stability. In contrast, those who have an immobile foot would need runners that will enable more movements of the foot.

I would strongly advise anyone who is starting or currently running to visit a sports shop that specialises in running shoes as they will advise you of the best runner for your foot type. The time and cost of doing this will be insignificant in comparison to incurring injuries and having to fix the injuries.

With the advancement of technology work practices have changed considerably over the years with people having to be in a sedentary position for long periods throughout their working day.They then often leave the office and go straight to a sports field, whether that be a golf course or football pitch. They begin to play without doing any warm-up exercises and in the case of golf they make a mess of the first shot and wonder why?

This occurs because the muscles are stiff and have tightened due to the sedentary position they have been in all day. To prevent one from hurting themselves, it is really important that they do flexibility exercises on an ongoing basis, and that they do warm up before starting to play.

There is often a misconception that stretching and warming up are one of the same. Furthermore, people think that going for a walk will help flexibility however flexibility is its own area and requires special exercises, which encompass core stability.

Below are some of Mervyn Young Physical Therapist tips for warming up and flexibility especially for those golf players out there who wish to improve that first tee off shot!!

Warm up – is literally the act of warming up to take part in an activity such as golf.

It is very important to target the muscles/parts of the body that are going to be used during the sport.

Below are suggestions that you will find useful for your game of golf.

Rotate Head/neck in a clockwise & anticlockwise direction several times.

In a standing position, raise the arms straight up parallel with floor hip-width apart. Swing the arms right and left rotating the chest allowing the movement all the way down to the feet. This exercise can be done with the head facing forwards and letting it go with the movements.

Again standing in the above position this time rotate the pelvis right and left while trying to keep the arms in a still position.

Always a good exercise is to pick up 2 clubs and swing genteelly pulling your body through your golf swing.

Flexibility exercises – should be done regularly, not a token effort before playing.

Lying on floor/yoga mat, etc.

Relax the body as much as is possible move arms out and up to the side of your head several times in both directions [like snow angels]

Bring both knees towards chest, hold legs just below knees, rock legs while encouraging knees closer to the chest

Place soles of feet on the floor as close to buttocks as possible, extend arms out to shoulder level on the floor and let the knees move right and left on the floor bringing a rotation stretch into the spine.

Assuming the same position as above this time pull in abdomen and lift the hips off the floor as high as possible getting a good extension stretch into the spine, while always relaxing the neck.