Plantar Faciitis and The Strassburg Sock

Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory condition affecting the underside of the foot. The pain is usually worst in the morning when you step out of bed or after being seated for a period of time. Read more

Skiing, Snowboarding and Knee Braces

As winter approaches, many people with knee problems request our advice on the best type of brace to support the knee whilst skiing.  The answer depends on the type and severity of the problem.

Three of the most common problems affecting the knee;

Knee pain when skiing.

This can be a complex issue but in short, if you are only experiencing knee pain when skiing, then it is most likely that the knees are just not used to this type of activity.  Skiing is not like riding a bike, you cannot just stop and start when you wish and expect your body to adapt quickly.  Strength is required, not just from the knee joint itself but from the Quadriceps (muscles in the front of the thigh) and the Hamstrings (muscles at the back of the thigh).

It is very important that you embark on a programme of fitness training leading up to your skiing, specifically designed to target these areas.  Your local fitness instructor or sports injury specialist will be able to design a programme for you.

If you suffer from painful knee joints at other times, such as walking, going up and down stairs and/or pain at rest, you must consult a medical professional before attempting sports such as skiing.

Do not rely on a knee brace or support to reduce knee pain.

 

An injured ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament)

Commonly found in football and rugby injuries as well as previous skiing accidents, a damaged or previously ruptured ACL means that one of the ligaments situated in the middle of the knee joint, attaching your lower leg to your upper leg has been compromised in some way.  This may be a minor strain or a major rupture which has required surgery.

Damage to the ACL can often result in instability, this means that when the knee joint is under pressure, such as walking downhill, down stairs or skiing, it may give way and some people experience this "giving way" even during normal activity.

A medical professional trained in sports injuries can assess the joint to see if there is any instability and will advise you on the level of activity you can safely undertake.  For mild strains, strengthening and stability exercises should suffice, but more serious ruptures may mean that you will not be able to ski or snowboard.

In moderate cases, a practitioner will allow you to ski but recommend the use of an appropriate brace. The type of support needed for this purpose is complex and must be specifically designed to limit the movement between the upper and lower leg when the knee is slightly bent. They will be labelled ACL & PCL. A normal neoprene knee support will not suffice.

Some excellent examples of these braces are The Push ACL, Thusane Genu Pro Control Classic and the Donjoy Armor or Legend

 

Damage to the Medial and Lateral Ligaments of the knee.

Again, often football, rugby, squash or skiing related injuries, but this time the ligaments attaching the upper and lower leg bones together on the inside (medial) and outside (lateral) of the knee have been damaged.

As with any ligament injury, the damage can result in instability but this time when the knee is stressed from side to side (exactly as it is in skiing).

If your therapist has advised that you ski using a brace, then you need one that offers medial and lateral support and will be labelled MCL and LCL.

These braces have metal stays or springs on the inside and outside of the knee to support any sideways movement.

Examples of braces for this type of support are the Push med Knee brace and the Mueller Hinged Knee Brace range.

Never rely on a brace to compensate for serious joint laxity, if you experience "giving way" of the knee joint during normal activity or mild sporting activity you should never attempt to ski or snowboard.  Not only are you endangering yourself but you could injure somebody else.

If you are in any doubt about a knee injury and your fitness to ski, please seek medical opinion.  This article is not intended to be used for diagnosis of an injury.

Sports Injury Specialist

The Sportsmedic.com.

Hydrotherapy

Well documented for the treatment of joint and muscular problems since ancient Greek and Roman times. Hydrotherapy or aqua therapy is used today to help a variety of conditions from arthritis to stroke and paralysis.

Many sportsmen and women are aware of the benefits of hydrotherapy, whether used for rehabilitation following injury or surgery or to enhance their fitness and training.

Water offers support to joints and muscles, thus reducing impact and strain.  Water also offers a degree of resistance allowing for strengthening of injured muscles.  This resistance however, is limited and in order to increase resistance, specially designed weighted belts and equipment is used.

Hydrotherapy is regularly employed in the very early stages of rehabilitation and this can cause problems with bandages, wound dressings, casts and PICC lines. Waterproof cast protectors are available in a range of sizes to suit upper and lower limbs, allowing complete confidence in the water.

Cut Your Rugby Taping Costs

 

 

Over the past two to three years it has become popular to tape around the thighs of some rugby players to aid lifting during lineout.

Rugby Union is played from September to April and often in inclement weather.  Holding a player up during lineout can be dangerous, they may slip due to wet skin, muddy hands or just an awkward lift.

Taping around the mid thigh with EAB (Elastic Adhesive Bandage) became commonplace with the international squads and this filtered down to all levels.  For some local teams, the cost of this practice is almost prohibitive, with a roll of 7cm EAB costing anywhere between £2.00 and £8.00.

This year especially, teams are feeling the pinch as fuel and heating costs soar.  Even getting the team to the match can be twice as expensive as last year.

One of the saving graces, as discovered by the Carlisle 1st XV squad last year, is handball wax.

Rubbed on the thigh around the area that would normally be taped, it offers enough grip and is easily removed.

 

 

Handball wax offers more than just grip, it has many advantages over EAB tape:

 

• Tape rolls and comes loose during the match as it becomes wet and muddy.
• Tape pulls the hairs from the skin and repeated use in the same area can even cause skin problems such as contact dermatitis.
• EAB is not very good at sticking in the damp and players often tape over it with electrical or zinc oxide tape.  Restrictive taping around the powerful muscles of the Quadriceps and Hamstrings, can result in injury.
• EAB tape takes up quite a bit of room in the already bulging "physio's" touchline bag.

Nutrition for Sport

 

Find all your sports nutrition needs: Glucosamine to support healthy joints and performance products such as the PAS nutrition system, Lucozade electrolyte powders and drinks bottles.

View the product range

Ultrasound Scanners

 

 

 

A comprehensive range of ultrasound scanners and equipment.

Both the Epidot and Desmin H ultrasound scanners are portable, compact machines, enabling medical professionals to provide a professional scan using either mechanical or electronic probes.

The Desmin H is ideal for use in a small clinic due to its lightweight features.

View the complete range

Biofeedback

 

Enraf-Nonius Biofeedback

These clinical units provide healthcare professionals with EMG-biofeedback, pressure biofeedback, electrotherapy and diagnostic for examination of various muscles, including internal pelvic assessment.

Find out more

Garments & Protection

For patients who suffer from incontinence problems, healthcare professionals can provide them with continence pads and garments from Mobilis.

 

 

Waterproof bed sheets are also available, and offer fantastic value for money and waterproof protection.

 

View the complete, extensive range

Intelligent Training

 

Mobilis Intelligent Training™.

Information collated from the world’s leading researchers combined with work of their own to create Intelligent Training™. This focuses on the practical application of biomechanical screening.

 

Martin Haines, Managing Director of Mobilis Performance qualified 25 years ago as a Remedial Gymnast and Recreational Therapist, and then two years later as a Chartered Physiotherapist. This dual qualification and a special interest in Biomechanics has lead him to work in the professional medical and sports conditioning fields for over 20 years.

In this time he has worked with five Olympic gold medallists, collecting 23 medals between them. In addition, he has worked with premiership football and rugby teams, McLaren Formula One Racing Team, the PGA, and more recently he has worked with UK Athletics.

Martin is a very sought after lecturer, and has presented globally on the subjects of biomechanics, rehabilitation, conditioning and functional training.

 

Our commitment

Mobilis Performance™  are commited to providing state of the art, evidence-based training and education for all those involved in the prescription of exercises in fitness, conditioning, coaching and healthcare. 

Intelligent Training™ - The Biomechanical approach can also be applied to Back Pain Management, for Personal Trainers, Occupational Health, and all professionals prescribing back care exercises.

 

Course Details

The Mobilis Performance Intelligent Training™ courses are taught in three phases;

Normalise, Stabilise and Functionalise.

 

New to Mobilis is the Back Pain Management course for personal trainers

 

 

 

 

 

Coming soon:

Diploma course for qualification as a biomechanics coach

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to find out more about Mobilis Courses and to book your place ON LINE

Charts & Models

An extensive range of anatomical and health charts.

Useful for anatomical revision, patient and student education.

 

Anatomical models are a great way to enable your patient to understand their problem and the closest thing that most anatomy students will get to 'the real thing'.

View the full range

Next Page »