The ligaments surrounding the ankle are surprisingly fragile. A seemingly harmless motion has the potential to cause serious sprains. Ankle ligaments are elastic structures that hold the ankle joint together to prevent (or minimize) excessive twisting and turning that can lead to injury. These ligaments are able to stretch slightly to accommodate normal movements, but as with everything, they have an inherent limit. When they are stretched beyond their natural limits, the result is a painful sprain.

You probably know the feeling...

Continue reading...

If you're a sports fan, you've probably heard of ACL injuries but do you know how they are treated? In a nutshell, an ACL injury is a tear in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), which is a ligament inside the knee that connects your upper leg and lower leg. It helps keep the knee stable. ACL injuries can range from minor injuries to complete tears, which can cause severe pain and immobility.

What causes ACL injuries?
ACL injuries are common in contact sports, especially football and soccer. If your foot is planted on the ground and something causes your knee to bend backward, twist, or move from side to side, your ACL could tear. Jumping and other sudden movements can also damage the ACL. Therefore, skiers and runners are at risk for ACL tears too. An ACL tear can affect any athlete. In fact, the NASCAR title favorite Denny Hamlin tore his ACL playing baseball, as reported by the Associated Press on January 26, 2010.

Individuals who do not engage in contact sports could also suffer from an ACL injury as a result of falling off a ladder or twisting their knee while climbing stairs. As with the rest of our bodies, the ACL gets weaker and more prone to injury with age, making individuals over 40 at a greater risk for injury.

How will I know if I have an ACL injury?
Typically, the first sign of an ACL injury is moderate to severe knee pain, but there are other symptoms as well:

Continue reading...

When bones start to go 'soft', it's time to face the hard truth.

An insidious and silent disease, osteoporosis doesn't manifest in the early stages. It has no signs or symptoms until a serious injury or fracture occurs. You may not know you have the disease until a small bump or fall causes you to break a bone.

Osteoporosis is a condition where the bone loses calcium and becomes "porous". This makes the bone more susceptible to breakage. Bone begins to break down quickly and does not regenerate at a sufficient pace. If you smoke cigarettes and are over 50 years of age, have a diet low in calcium, or are a woman with early menopause, your risk of osteoporosis increases.

Why is it called silent?
The physical manifestations of osteoporosis are not evident In
the early stages. Sometimes, you may experience a dull bone or muscle pain in the low back or neck, which escalates to sharp, nagging pain lasting for
months. As it progresses, bones become weaker, and your risk for a fracture increases. Bones in the wrist, hip, and spine are most commonly fractured in individuals with this disease.

Continue reading...