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Showing posts from February, 2021

The Importance of Ligament Health

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  Ligaments are short bands of tough, flexible tissue, made up of lots of individual fibres, which connect the bones of the body together. Ligaments can be found connecting most of the bones in the body. The function of a ligament is to provide a passive limit to the amount of movement between your bones. The human body has approximately 900 ligaments. Ligaments are specialized connective tissues with very interesting biomechanical properties. The basic building blocks of a ligament are collagen fibers. These fibers are very strong, flexible, and resistant to damage from pulling or compressing stresses. Collagen fibers are usually arranged in parallel bundles, which help multiply the strength of the individual fibers. The bundles of collagen are attached to the outer covering that surrounds all bones, the periosteum. They have the ability to adapt to the complex functions that each is required to perform. They are in fact responsive to many local and systemic factors that influence the

Trigger Finger - Causes and Treatments

  Trigger finger is a condition that causes pain, stiffness, and a sensation of locking or catching when you bend and straighten your finger. The condition is also known as “stenosing tenosynovitis.” The ring finger and thumb are most often affected by the trigger finger, but it can occur in the other fingers, as well. When the thumb is involved, the condition is called “trigger thumb.” The flexor tendons are long cord-like structures that attach the muscles of the forearm to the bones of the fingers. When the muscles contract, the flexor tendons allow the fingers to bend. Each of the flexor tendons passes through a tunnel in the palm and fingers that allows it to glide smoothly as the finger bends and straightens. This tunnel is called the “tendon sheath.” Along the tendon sheath, bands of tissue called “pulleys” hold the flexor tendons closely to the finger bones. The tendons pass through the pulleys as the finger moves. The pulley at the base of the finger is called the “A1 pulley.”

Common Tennis Injuries and Treatment

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  We are all aware that tennis is a complex physical sport requiring hand-eye coordination and full body participation to run, position, swing, and hit. Because of these demands, endurance, flexibility, and muscle conditioning exercises are important to prevent injuries. Some tennis injuries may be random occurrences (such as those that are the result of a fall etc. this is why all tennis players should have a basic understanding of first aid). However, most injuries can be minimised or prevented entirely by proper conditioning, proper technique, appropriate equipment, and seeking medical attention for persistent, painful conditions in a timely fashion. Most Common Injuries associated with tennis are: Tennis Elbow Rotating cuff tendinitis Wrist Strains Back pain Knee pain Calf & Achilles tendon injuries Tennis toe Tennis Elbow: Tennis elbow is a common term for a condition caused by overuse of arm, forearm, and hand muscles that results in elbow pain. You don’t have to play tenni