AC Physio

24/09/2023

ACL protocol decision should be a shared decision between patient and physiotherapist / orthopedic surgeon. Patient should not be influenced or forced to choose surgical or non- surgical option. Our role as Healthcare practitioner is to give all the information for the patient to decide what to do next. These are some of the information that we can give to them:

-Benefits of non-surgical protocol
-Risks of non-surgical protocol
-Benefits of surgical protocol
- Risks of non-surgical protocol

24/09/2023

21/07/2022

🔥 Exercise Tips🔥
The banded ice-skaters will help strengthen the hips and glutes. It also targets a good portion of your quads. This exercise also provides tremendous ankle stability benefits that can carry over to runners and just about anyone that is serious about improving their lower body performance. You can also integrate this exercise into a lower body strength circuit. It will get your heart pumping in just a few hops. Even if you don’t practice any sports or if you don’t consider yourself an athlete, this exercise can really help prevent injuries as well.

20/03/2022

🔥Exercise Tip🔥

Prone Swimmer

Benefit: This exercise focuses on building postural strength, shoulder range of motion and helps to improve overall shoulder health.

When: To get the most out of this exercise, it is best to perform a few shoulder mobility exercises first. Start with 2-4 sets of 2- 5 reps

How: Lay face down with your arms overhead. Lift one arm up and the opposite leg towards the ceiling. Your shoulder blade should drive the arm movement, your glutes should drive the leg movement

Feeling: You will feel the muscles on the back of the arm and the leg that are lifting up towards the ceiling.

Compensation: Avoid arching the lower back as you elevate the arms and the legs.

09/03/2022

CPD presentation today, in clinic, on return to sport phase

13/02/2022

📗 Injury Focus 📗
De Quervain's tenosynovitis

History
Is an inflammatory condition caused by tendons on the side of the wrist at the base of the thumb. Pain get worse with abduction of the thumb, a grasping action of the hand and an ulnar deviation of the wrist. Thickening and swelling can also be present. Activities such as golfing, playing the piano, or activities by office workers and musicians, can lead to chronic overuse. It affects the extensor pollici brevis and abductor pollici longus tendons.

Examination
On palpation, significant findings will be tenderness over the base of the thumb and/or the first dorsal compartment extensor tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. Decreased metacarpal abduction ROM of the first digit with associated weakness on the hand. A provocative Finkelstein test can be indicative as well.

Treatment
The aim of non-surgical management is to reduce pain and swelling with: thumb splint; avoid repetitive or aggravating movements; progressive strengthening exercise program and complementary therapies such as acupuncture, Shockwave therapy, taping

31/08/2021

📗 Injury Focus📗

Meniscus Tear Injury

History
Pain is the primary symptom of a meniscus tear. Pain can be intermittent and typically occurs with weight-bearing, squatting and twisting activities. The pain is usually localised to the medial or lateral joint line, although posterior pain can occur with meniscal root tears.

Examination
At observation we can examine for a knee effusion, as this always indicate joint disease. After an acute injury, there may be a large effusion from hemartrosis. Range of motion may be decreased if the effusion is large enough. Crepitius with joint motion can be a sign of meniscal injury. Tenderness along the joint line is seen. McMurray's and Appley's tests are positive if provoke pain.

Rehabilitation
Quadriceps and hamstring exercises help to maintain muscle strength and protect the knee joint. Patients may return to low-impact exercises within a few days. The patient can advance activity as pain and swelling permit. Early weight-bearing is allowed but squatting is prohibited. Running is not allowed for the first 2-3 months. Once the patient is running well, agility drills an begin followed by sport-specific skills.

21/08/2021

💭Throwback Monday💭

Master's degree in theories and techniques of strength and conditioning in football

One of my specializations is football rehabilitation and physical conditioning. This master's degree gave me the chance to improve my knowledge on how to manage footballers during the season in every aspect: prevention programmes to reduce the risk of injury, monitoring the internal/external loading, biomechanical asswssments and rehabilitation to back as soon as possible on the pitch.

It has been great learning from the best specialists of the major Serie A teams,in the Italian football temple, Coverciano.

24/07/2021

📗Injury Focus 📗

Hip Femoroacetabular Impingement

History
Patients with FAI likely develop pain due to repeated contact between the femur and the acetabulum. In the short term, this may generate synovitis and associate pain. In the long term, it may cause a labral tear and progressive damage to the articular surface. This may predispose to the development of the osteoarthritis, and further hip problems, in later life. The most common history is of and insidious onset if anterior hip pain. This is generally worse with physical activity. Activities requiring flexion and rotations are often provocative. If asked, the patient may give a longstanding history of hip stiffness and difficult stretching.

Examination
The most common finding is of a loss of hip internal rotation. In many cases, this is not symptomatic and can be a normal finding during a pre-competition medical assessment. When symptomatic, hip flexion an internal rotation are also generally provocative movements

Treatment
- hip muscle strengthening exercises
- proprioception exercises
- reduction in hip loading activities
- modified training

14/07/2021

📊 Statistics 📊

Most common football injuries

The injury rate in elite football is substantial being more than 1000 times higher than other high-risk occupations. Muscle injuries, especially to the hamstrings, are the most common in modern football, and pose a real challenge to the medical practitioners working in the field. Joint/ligament sprains, predominatly to the ankle and knee, are also frequent, and may result in long lay-off from training and matches.

Top 10 most common injuries in professional football

Hamstring injury 14.0%
Groin injury 12.8%
Ankle sprain 10.6%
Knee/leg contusion 9.8%
Quadriceps injury 5.8%
Calf injury 4.5%
Lumbar injury 4.0%
Hip/thigh contusion 3.8%
Knee MCL sprain 3.8%
Achilles tendon injury 2.9%

28/06/2021

💭 Throwback Monday💭

First team physiotherapist U.S. CATANZARO 1929 (Lega Pro season 2016/2017)

Definetly one of the most important experience of my life, not only work related. I was part of the medical team, made up of amazing people who have remained friends al along.

Being a sports physiotherapist is challenging but funny at same time. There have been victories and defeats, good times and bad times. But being part of it was decisive for my professional and life growth.

23/06/2021

🙈 Myth Busted 🙈
Physiotherapists just hook you up to machines or provide massage

Physiotherapists are great first-line practitioners. For treatment, they will use a combination of hands-on techniques such as manual therapy and soft tissue release, as well as targeted therapeutic exercise to help you with whatever injury you are dealing with.
Some will use further advanced skills in their treatment such as manipulation and needling techniques. Don't be surprised if your rehab is very active, and don't be surprised if it targets different areas than those you seem to have the problem with. Everything is connected!!!

23/06/2021

📗Injury Focus📗
Ankle impingement

History
Ankle impingement can occur on either the anterior or posterior ankle and may be due to bony and/or soft tissue causes. Bone changes around the anterior ankle are commonly seen in footballers and may not necessarily be symptomatic. Posterior impingement can have a variety of causes. A prominent posterior process of the talus or os trigonum may predispose to this condition.

Examination
Patients with anterior impingement generally present with localised pain and tenderness of the anterior ankle there will be pain with dorsiflexion. Patients with posterior impingement describe pain at the back of the ankle on plantar flexion activities.
Patients with anterior impingement will have a loss of standing dorsiflexion and pain with forced ankle dorsiflexion. The most convincing sign for diagnosing posterior impingement is pain felt in the posterior ankle with forced plantar flexion.

Treatment
Both forms of impingement often resolve with avoidance of aggravating activity. Taping or bracing to prevent terminal dorsiflexion or plantar flexion can allow an athlete to remain active. A heel raise to facilitate ankle dorsiflexion is a good intervention in anterior impingement. If symptoms are refractory to treatment, arthroscopic debridement can give a good result.

23/06/2021

🙈Myth Busted🙈

Surgery is the only option 😐

From treating degenerative disc disease, rotator cuff tears, forms of knee osteoarthritis to meniscal tears, physiotherapy has proven to be as effective as surgery. Therefore having surgery is not your only option. Consult a physiotherapist and you could be glad to have made that choice in the long run. In many cases, physiotherapy has been shown to be on par with surgery in treating a wide range of conditions – from rotator cuff tears and degenerative disk disease to meniscal tears and some forms of knee osteoarthritis.

03/05/2021

*Injury Focus*
Patellofemoral pain syndrome

History
Patients with patellofemoral pain generally describe diffuse localised anterior knee pain, deep inside feeling. The pain typically comes on insidiously, but can be caused by a fall onto knee flexion. If there is a history of trauma, it is more likely that the athlete will have a biomechanical problem. This is generally made worse by walking or running downhill and with stairs.

Examination
A single leg squat test can help identify risk factors for developing pain, such us medius glute muscle weakness. While the compression test can help provoke the symptoms and be diagnostic.

Treatment
The aim is to restore the normal soft-tissue balance of the patella. This is done by attempting to mobilise lateral structures, strengthen the VMO and by working on the strength of the proximal kinetic chain (hip extensor, external rotator and abductors). The treatment aims to prevent medical drift/femoral internal rotation during squat.