If you have sciatica, you may be experiencing symptoms down your leg such as:
🔻Shooting pain
🔻Burning sensation
🔻Pins & needles
🔻Numbness
🔻Leg weakness

Here are some exercise ideas that can help! (all exercises assume left sided symptoms)

1️⃣Nerve mobilization aka nerve sliders
This will increase blood flow to the nerve, supplying the nerve with nutrients to help it recover ✨
Begin with a gentle mobilization, lay on your back and straighten your leg till you feel a gentle stretch. When you start, your knee may still be bent and that's ok. Do not force the straightening.
When you feel better, you may add some head movement to further mobilize the nerve
10-12 reps, 1-2 sets a day

2️⃣Knee rolls
This is a simple back opener exercise to reduce the stress on the nerve root ✨
Bend your knees and bring them down towards the opposite side of pain.
10 secs, 5-10 reps, 1-2 sets a day

3️⃣Piriformis stretch
This is a good hip opener, to reduce pressure on the nerve ✨
Begin with a gentler movement if the pain is a really acute. Lay on your back, bring your foot up to the opposite knee (looking like a figure 4), gently push your knee away
When you feel better, pull the opposite leg up to towards your chest to feel a deeper stretch in your left buttock/hip
10 secs, 5-10 reps, 1-2 sets a day

4️⃣Bridging
This is a simple movement to activate muscles and begin hip strengthening ✨
Start with 2 legs, lift your hips up
10 secs, 5-10 reps, 1-2 sets a day
When you feel better or stronger, switch to single leg bridging, do it as a movement of 10-12 reps before adding the 10 sec hold

5️⃣ Clam shell
This is another simple exercise to activate muscles and strengthen the hip rotators and stabilizers ✨
Lie on your side, keep feet together, lift top knee up
Add a resistance band around the thighs when it gets easy
10 secs, 5-10 reps, 1-2 sets a day

For sciatica, there is no single specific "best" exercise but to keep moving is key and starting with simple exercises have been proven to help with the symptoms.

Check in with our physiotherapists for more advice. 😊 Send us a DM or contact us at 82182905 / 62620970!📱 #physio #sciatica #sciatic #nervepain #rehab #exercise #PT

Dear all, as this blessed month comes to an end, our clinic will be closed tomorrow to Monday, 21st to 24th April. We will be back on Tuesday, 25th April insyaAllah. We wish all Muslims a blessed Eid Mubarak or Selamat Hari Raya Puasa! 🕌🤲
Enjoy your kueh-kueh and ketupat, but in moderation please! 😜

We are now in the 2nd round of the NSL season in Singapore with all clubs having packed back-to-back fixtures. This may raise chances of injuries due to overload and fatigue, so let’s talk a little about injuries in netball.

Netball is a popular sport, with over 20 million people of all ages playing it all over the world. Netball is a non-contact sport, and yet there are high rates of injuries.

Overall:
🔹Most injuries to the ankles and knees
🔹Head and facial injuries are rare
🔹More injuries with age
🔹Sprains, strains (including overuse injuries), abrasions, bruises common
🔹Fractures that occur are mainly to the upper limb, with 75% of fractures to the fingers

Statistically, there are some differences between injuries in children and adults. Children overall have less injuries, but about half of their injuries are to the upper limb. Children also have more fractures than adults; fractures make up 22% of injuries in children.

In adults, injuries to the lower limb are more common and mainly consists of ligament sprains or muscle strains. The structures usually affected are the ankle ligaments, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee, and Achilles tendon. Fractures make up only 13.3% of injuries in adults. There is a higher rate of injury in elite or professional netball players as compared to recreational players. ACL ruptures are highest in those aged 24-35 years old, while Achilles tendon rupture is highest in those aged 35-44 years old.

The mechanisms of injury are usually due to:
🔺Trips, slips or falls
🔺Awkward landings
🔺Collisions or player contact
🔺Being hit by the ball

Reducing injury risk is multi-factorial but presently, injury prevention should focus on ankles and knees during the pre-season. This could include strengthening of the muscles, balancing exercises, and working on landing or footwork technique. In some cases, braces or taping may be useful.

Check in with our physiotherapists for more advice. 😊 Send us a DM or contact us at 82182905 / 62620970!📱

See ya at the games! Netball Singapore

#DeloitteISL2023 #DeloitteNSL2023 #netball #singapore #injury #injuries #sport #sprain #strain #muscle #fracture #achilles #acl #knee #ankle

Another one of those growing pains commonly seen in children is Sever’s Disease, in which the growth plate in the heel bone is the one that is affected. 🦶🏼

This is mainly seen during growth spurts, as bones, muscles, tendons and other structures are all changing rapidly but not all at the same rate. Bones often grow faster than muscles so the calf muscles and Achilles tendon may become relatively “shortened” or tight in comparison to the shin bone during a child’s physical development. 🦴

The calf muscles and Achilles tendon will pull on the heel bone with every step, run, or jump, stressing the growth plate. Just like Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD), repeated activities will stress the growth plate, causing it to be irritated and inflamed. 💢

You may notice:
🔺Your child limping, especially after running
🔺Tenderness and swelling at heel
🔺Your child’s heels lift up early during walking due to calf tightness
🔺Your child complaining of foot discomfort or stiffness after sleep
🔺Reluctance to continue playing sport or running around

Also similar to OSD, Sever’s Disease will improve and the pain will settle once the bones fuse together. This may take time however and symptoms may persist, so here are some ways to help manage the pain:
🔹Reduce painful activities
🔹Heel pads to absorb impact and reduce stress on the heel
🔹Change footwear to better suit your child’s feet
🔹Icing or NSAIDs
🔹Stretching exercises


How can physiotherapy help?
✅Proper assessment & diagnosis
✅Modalities to manage pain & swelling
✅Advice on appropriate exercises e.g. calf stretching
✅Advice on appropriate load management & monitoring

Check in with our physiotherapists for more advice. 😊 Send us a DM or contact us at 82182905 / 62620970!📱

Sources:
📝1. Sever’s Disease. (n.d.). OrthoInfo. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/severs-disease/
📝2. Sever’s Disease | Boston Children’s Hospital. (n.d.). https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/severs-disease
📝3. Brukner, P. (2023). Peter Brukner ,Karim Khan’sClinical Sports Medicine Third Revised Edition (Sports Medicine Series) [Hardcover](2010) (3 edition). McGraw-Hill Book Company Australia.

#heel #physio #physicaltherapy #seversdisease #achilles #ankle #foot #growingpain #pain #child #kid #youth #muscle #strain #sprain #jump #run #rehab #stretch #strengthen

Does your child complain of knee pain? Or do you notice your child limping after sports or play time? You may have heard the term ‘growing pains’ before but what exactly is it and what causes it? 🤔

One of the most common causes of knee pain in growing children and adolescents is called Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD). It is a condition that causes inflammation of the tibial tuberosity, which is located below the kneecap at the topmost portion of the shin bone. 🦵🏼

Children are not skeletally mature and hence their bones consist of a special area where the bone is still growing. This is known as growth plates, and are made of cartilage which later hardens into solid bone as they mature.

Whenever we bend and straighten the knee, the quadriceps muscle (front of thigh) pulls on the kneecap and patellar tendon, which then pulls on the tibial tuberosity. With too much activity or a sudden increase in activities, the repeated stress to the tibial tuberosity can irritate the growth plate.

This results in:
🔺Pain & swelling
🔺Tenderness to touch
🔺Reluctance to continue playing sport or running around

Activities that make it worse:
🚫Running
🚫Jumping
🚫Going uphill or stairs
🚫Kneeling
🚫Squatting
🚫Sports

Not to worry as the condition will improve and the pain will settle once the bones fuse together. This may take time however and symptoms may persist, so your child may require some adjustments till then.

🔹Reduce painful activities, cease sports if that is what your child prefers
🔹Icing or NSAIDs
🔹Offload the patellar tendon


How can physiotherapy help?
✅Proper assessment & diagnosis
✅Modalities to manage pain & swelling
✅Sports taping to offload tendon
✅Advice on appropriate load management & monitoring
✅Gentle exercises will be shown as appropriate for e.g. quads stretching & strengthening

Check in with our physiotherapists for more advice. 😊 Send us a DM or contact us at 82182905 / 62620970!📱

References:
📝1. Osgood-Schlatter Disease. Osgood-Schlatter Disease | Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2022, January 7). Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/osgoodschlatter-disease
📝2. Disease (knee pain) - orthoinfo - aaos. OrthoInfo. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/osgood-schlatter-disease-knee-pain/
📝3. Woon, C., MD, Team, O., & Dold, A. (n.d.). Osgood Schlatter’s Disease (Tibial Tubercle Apophysitis) - Knee & Sports - Orthobullets. https://www.orthobullets.com/knee-and-sports/3029/osgood-schlatters-disease-tibial-tubercle-apophysitis
📝4. Brukner, P. (2023). Peter Brukner ,Karim Khan’sClinical Sports Medicine Third Revised Edition (Sports Medicine Series) [Hardcover](2010) (3 edition). McGraw-Hill Book Company Australia.

#knee #physio #physicaltherapy #OSD #osgood-schlatter #growingpain #pain #child #kid #youth #shin #tibialtuberosity #quads #muscle #strain #sprain #jump #run #rehab #stretch #strengthen

Thank you all for your trust and support in PhysioSports.🙌🏻 We are happy to serve and look forward to continue serving you. Here's wishing you a prosperous and Happy Lunar New Year! 🥳🎉🎊

Not sure about attending the Manual to Great Therapy MasterClass? 🤔

Here is some of the fantastic feedback from both clinicians and clinic owners, outlining why both new and recently graduated, experienced and post-graduate trained therapists should attend this course! 🌟

The Manual to Great Therapy
4th & 5th Feb 2023
9am to 6pm
PhysioSports Clinic

Ticket price currently remains at S$1,350. Contact us at enquiries@physiosportssg.com to reserve your seats now.🤙

What are you waiting for? Hurry! 😊

#physiotherapy #physio #rehab #recovery #manualtherapy #mobilization #injury #sport #muscle #joint #softtissue #strain #ache #sgphysio #mskphysio