Ankle Sprains Part I: Causes, Symptoms, and Phase 1 of Rehab

Football player and Cross Country runner with grade III ankle sprains

The infamous ankle sprain!  In general, ankle injuries make up about 17% of all running injuries, half of these account for lateral ankle sprains. For the most part a large number of people experience them, and aside from icing and resting the first few days, many of your future patients will not know what to expect or do.

This Part 1 post will help provide some acute guidance on what an ankle sprain is, its different categories, symptoms, and phase 1 of rehab.

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What You Can Do For A Wrist Sprain

Ahhh, the infamous fall on an outstretched hand...it often leads to instability in the wrist - a wrist sprain.  

Your patient is experiencing pain, weakness, clicking, and instability in her wrist and you are her guide...

How do you know if surgery is necessary?  Or if PT can help?  Here is a simple article that explains things for your patient...

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Mentoring Minutes: "Tennis Elbow"

“Tennis elbow”, lateral epicondylitis, lateral epicondylalgia. Have you ever wondered what research says about treating this condition? Enjoy the video below to learn about “tennis elbow”, and specific strategies to improve patients with lateral elbow pain.

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REFERENCES & NOTES:

• Cohen M, da Rocha Motta Filho G. LATERAL EPICONDYLITIS OF THE ELBOW. Rev Bras Ortop. 2012 Jul-Aug;47(4):414-20.

  • Epicondylitis suggests it is an inflammatory process, however, histological analysis shows that there are degenerative changes in the tendon. The tendon most commonly involved is ECRB, with the pain arising from active wrist extension or passive flexion of the wrist when the elbow is extended.

• Cullinane FL, Boocock MG, Trevelyan FC. Is eccentric exercise an effective treatment for lateral epicondylitis? A systematic review. Clin Rehabil. 2014 Jan;28(1):3-19.

  • Eight studies found that after performing eccentric exercise (6-8 holds or 4 sec lowering), patients reported decreased pain, improved function and grip strength.

• Jiten B. Bhatt, Randal Glaser, Andre Chavez, Emmanuel Yung. (2016) Management of Lateral Epicondylalgia Targeting Scapular Muscle Power Deficits: A Case series. Journal of Hand Therapy 29:2, e5-e6. 

  • A case series suggested that patients with lateral epicondylalgia can be managed with middle and low trapezius strength by repositioning the scapula to a more neutral position.

• Day JM, Bush H, Nitz AJ, Uhl TL. Scapular muscle performance in individuals with lateral epicondylalgia. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015 May;45(5):414-24.

  • 28 patients with symptomatic lateral epicondylalgia and 28 controls were compared in regards to middle trapezius, lower trapezius, and serratus anterior muscle thickness. After using ultrasound imaging, this study suggests that the scapular muscles should be assessed and potentially treated in this population.

• Buchanan BK, Hughes J. Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis) [Updated 2017 May 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2018 Jan

  • A book describing the etiology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, histopathology, history and physical, evaluation, treatment, etc.

Colles' Fractures | Improving Wrist Stiffness

🤛 Do you work with patients with Colles' Fractures? 

Most patients get a cast or wear a brace and move on with their lives, oftentimes without a PT referral.

😒But we've found that a common impairment following Colles' Fractures is limited mobility in the wrist... something we can help with!

🔥Here is an educational article you can share with patients along with a simple progression of exercises to improve wrist mobility and function...

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Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Ever experience knee pain, and have been told it is IT-Band Syndrome? 

Did you know what that meant? Or how that came about? 

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) is another overuse injury experienced by some athletes, more so runners and cyclists. According to Ferber et al it is the second leading cause of lateral knee pain in runners (2). It is most commonly described as a friction injury at which the tendon “rubs” over the lateral femoral condyle of the knee creating pain (1) that can present as sharpness, burning, and sometimes swelling. 

This short post goes into explaining what ITBS is, what researchers have found the culprit to be to developing this injury, and some things to think about it in order to feel better. 

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