Sports Injury Physio

Achilles tendonitis shortly before running that important marathon? Sports physio Alison gives advice on what to do and what NOT to do, based on two runners training for a marathon with Achilles tendonitis. One ran a personal best ... the other had to bail out before the finish line. 🌟 Need help with an Achilles-related injury? You’re welcome to consult one of the physio team at Treat My Achilles...

Getting a PRP injection for tendon pain is not a silver bullet - but it can be useful under certain circumstances. Sports physio Maryke has waded through the latest research and gives advice on when to get a platelet-rich plasma injection and what you can do to improve the chances of success. 🌟 Need help with an injury? You’re welcome to consult one of the team at Sports Injury Physio via video c...

The many treatments that are touted for gluteal tendinopathy can be confusing. Sports physio Maryke Louw explains which gluteal tendinopathy treatments are essential for a sustained recovery, which additional treatments you might consider for pain relief, and which treatments are best avoided. She also explains the factors that influence gluteal tendinopathy recovery times. 🌟 Need help with an in...

Stretching to get rid of Achilles tendon pain feels natural for many people, but new research indicates that this should be avoided in the early stages of Achilles tendonitis. Sports physio Alison explains how the conventional wisdom around Achilles stretching exercises has been debunked lately and what you should do instead. 🌟 Need help with an Achilles-related injury? You’re welcome to consult...

In this episode, sports physio Maryke Louw explains how to use pain to guide the intensity of your gluteal tendinopathy rehab exercises. She also demonstrates exercises that are likely to increase your pain, and some that are designed to be more kind to your painful tendon. 🌟 Need help with an injury? You’re welcome to consult one of the team at Sports Injury Physio via video call for an assessme...

The best treatment for partial Achilles tears involves getting the balance right between protecting the injured tendon and gradually making it stronger again. Sports physio Maryke Louw explains how to achieve this, what the recovery time for a partially torn Achilles tendon might be, as well as why leaving the scar tissue alone is necessary for effective tendon healing. 🌟 Need help with an Achill...

Can the menopause cause tendonitis? Yes. Sports physio Maryke Louw explains the link between the menopause and tendonitis, what your treatment options are, and how to fine-tune your exercise regine and life in general to prevent this from happening in the first place (or again). 🌟Need help with an injury? You’re welcome to consult one of the team at Sports Injury Physio via video call for an asse...

How much can you exercise or play sports with Achilles tendonitis? Sports physio Alison Gould shares some tips and tricks for making sure you pitch your activities, including just getting through life day-by-day, at the right level to allow your Achilles injury to recover. 🌟 Need help with an Achilles-related injury? You’re welcome to consult one of the physio team at Treat My Achilles via video...

Sports physio Ali Gould discusses and demonstrates some stretching exercises for Sever's disease. She also points out which types of stretch might not be appropriate right at the outset and are best left for later in the rehab process. 🌟Need help with an Achilles or related injury (like Sever's)? You’re welcome to consult one of the team at TMA via video call for an assessment and a tailo...

Here are the three types of shoe insert for Sever's disease pain relief. Sports physio Maryke explains for which circumstances each type is best suited and how and when they should be used. 👉 Examples of the inserts that I mention in the video, as well as something for barefoot activities. ✅ Sever's disease heel lift inserts (height adjustable) ✅ Sever's disease heel cups ✅ Adjusta...

In this episode, sports physio Maryke Louw demonstrates four simple tests that runners can do at home to see whether their legs are strong enough to avoid injuries. She also explains: ➡️ Why good balance also matters ➡️ How to interpret your strength and balance test results ➡️ What exercises to do if you find weaknesses 💪 Maryke has designed the Strength & Mobility workouts and injury preven...

✅ Sports physio Maryke Louw explains what treatments work best for Sever’s disease (heel pain in children), how to help the symptoms to settle, and – just as importantly – how to prevent them from coming back. ❌ She also highlights some treatments that might make your child's heel pain worse. 🌟 Need help with Sever's disease or any other Achilles-related problem? You’re welcome to consu...

👟 Wearing the right type of shoe won't cure your child's Sever's disease, but it can go a long way towards relieving the heel pain that is usually associated with this condition. In this episode, sports physio Alison Gould explains the general characteristics to look for in a shoe. She also shares some tips on: ➡️ how to modify existing shoes ➡️ what types of shoe to avoid ➡️ how to m...

🧊🔥 "Should I use ice or heat for my tendonitis?" is a question our patients often ask us. 👉 The answer depends on whether there is inflammation involved and which stage your injury is in. Sports physio Maryke explains when ice or heat is best, how to best apply it, and when using either could actually make things worse. 👉 All the ice packs below are reusable and can also be used to a...

Here's why Heat, Alcohol, Running (or other sport), Massage, and Stretching might all make things worse for you if you've just injured yourself. Sports physio Maryke shares some workarounds for the early days after an injury and explains when things like massage and stretching can safely be used later on. 🌟Need help with an injury? You’re welcome to consult one of the team at SIP via vide...

Isotonic calf raise exercises closely resemble how you use your Achilles tendon and calf muscles in everyday life - that's why they are so useful as part of a rehab programme for an Achilles tendon injury. In this episode, sports physio Maryke demonstrates the various ways in which you can do these exercises and explains under which circumstances each of these would be useful. 🌟 Need help wit...

Sports physio Maryke explains how to use shockwave treatment for plantar fasciitis and tendinopathy or tendonitis (e.g. gluteal, high hamstring, and Achilles tendinopathy). She discusses: ➡️ the benefits of shockwave therapy ➡️ how many sessions you might need ➡️ side effects ➡️ why shockwave therapy might increase your pain ➡️ and whether shockwave can cause permanent damage. 🌟Need help with an...

Longitudinal Achilles tears are quite rare ... but we don't know exactly how rare, because this type of Achilles injury has not been researched extensively. Treat My Achilles co-founder Alison Gould looks at what research is available and discusses the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options of longitudinal Achilles tears. ✅ Use these heel wedges (height adjustable) to take the strain off...

Altitude training masks are supposed to give you the benefits of elevation training without having to go and live in the mountains. Sports physio Maryke Louw takes a look at the research into altitude training masks to see whether they live up to the promises in terms of endurance and strength, gives some tips on how to use them if you do decide to go that route, and discusses some safety issues....

Proximal hamstring tendinopathy doesn't necessarily mean you have to stop running. In this episode, sports physio Maryke Louw explains: ➡️ how to figure out whether you can run ➡️ how to adjust your running so that it doesn't make your injury worse ➡️ and how to look at the bigger picture with your running and high hamstring tendinopathy. 🌟Need help with an injury? You’re welcome to consu...

So, you've recovered from your Achilles injury, and you want to prevent it from recurring. In this episode, sports physio Alison Gould explains how to maintain strength, how to ramp things up if you have something big coming up, and how to avoid that "boom-and-bust" cycle of overtraining and recovery. 🌟 Still need help with an Achilles injury? You’re welcome to consult one of the te...

Learn how to figure out the best mix of fluids, salts, and carbs for rehydration and electrolyte replacement after exercise. Also: How much to drink? This will depend on how soon you need to perform again. 👉 An example of a ready-to-drink rehydration drink with a useful osmolality, as well as a powder for self-mixing your rehydration drink that will also have the right osmolality when used as dir...

Isometric exercises for Achilles tendon injuries is a type of calf raise used in specific circumstances. Sports physio Maryke demonstrates the three types of isometric calf raise and discusses the criteria for how often and with how much weight they should be done, as well as when this type of exercise might do more harm than good. 🌟Need help with an Achilles related injury? You’re welcome to con...

Our patients often ask us what cardio they can do while recovering from high hamstring tendinopathy. Sports physio Maryke discusses the pros and cons of activities like cycling, swimming, walking, and getting onto various cardio machines in the gym. She also explains her Three-Step Test for figuring out whether an activity is doable while you have high hamstring tendinopathy. 👉 Examples of pull b...

A "salmon sperm injection" to fix your painful tendon is not as yucky as it sounds, and it might just help! Sports physio Maryke looks at the research into this novel treatment for tendon injuries and plantar fasciitis and gives some guidelines for when you should consider a polydeoxyribonucleotide injection, which is what the people in the white lab coats call it. 🌟Need help with an in...