The calf muscle is made up of two different muscles. These muscles are the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles. The join to form the Achilles tendon which inserts into the heel. Some common calf complaints patients attend Archview Physiotherapy Clinic with include calf cramps, muscle strains, Achilles’ tendinitis, compartment syndrome, plantar fasciitis.
Some tips for preventing calf pain and injuries:
Warm up before exercise
Stretching / Strengthening to help with calf strength and endurance
Wear good quality shoes
Stay hydrated
Avoid prolonged sitting / lying in bed
Massage therapy and dry needling therapy can also help maintain good tissue length
At Archview Physiotherapy, we provide treatments to ease calf pain, such as:
Deep tissue massage
Sports massage
Trigger point release
Laser
Dry needling
Orthotics or prescription insoles
Stretching and strengthening exercises
To book an appointment with one of our team at Archview Physiotherapy Pain and Sports Injury Clinic, please call 014913228 or book online www.archviewclinic.ie. Located in Ranelagh, Dublin 6.
Sports massage is a hands-on technique used by our therapists at Archview Physiotherapy Clinic, Ranelagh. It involves applying pressure to your muscles by using different stroke techniques in a kneading-like motion. This form of massage can be highly beneficial to many people. There is a common misconception that this only applies to professional athletes. This could not be any more misleading! You can enjoy the many benefits even if you do not play any sports. In fact, if your role involves a lot of sitting down, a sports massage might be the very thing you need!
When to get a sports massage?
If you are suffering from tight and sore muscles, a sports massage might be a perfect remedy for your issues.
What conditions can be helped?
Sore muscles
Pain & aches
Headaches
Pain reduction
Recovery
Injury prevention
Reduced stress levels
Post-race/workout recovery
Is sports massage painful?
Your therapist will use varying techniques to achieve reduced muscle tension and improved muscle flexibility. They will vary between medium to deep pressure, but our therapists will work with you to ensure that the experience is a pleasant one so do not worry we will work around your own preference and pain threshold.
Benefits include:
Improved blood circulation
Increased muscle flexibility
Improved joint range of movement.
Improved tissue quality and reduced muscle tension
Relaxation and recovery
Improved performance
To book an appointment with one of our massage therapy team at Archview Physiotherapy Pain and Sports Injury Clinic, please call 014913228 or book online www.archviewclinic.ie.
Sitting for many hours on end is not good for anyone and can lead to terrible neck, back pain, and headaches. It has become one of the most common complaints seen in physiotherapy clinics throughout the world due to increased mobile phone, laptop usage and of course, computer-based desk work. Good desk posture can help to prevent pain.
Our bodies are efficient and have been evolutionarily engineered to keep us working well and adapting to the stresses we put it under. However, even the most efficient musculoskeletal system will have its limits and that is where having good desk posture is crucial.
At Archview Physiotherapy Pain and Sports Injury Clinic, our physiotherapy team specialise in this area of physiotherapy care. We will place you on a treatment plan that will leave you feeling great. Our google reviews speak for themselves ?
Sitting in a poor, slouched, unsupported position means that after a much shorter period, your muscles will become overloaded and pain and injury will set in. Improving your posture will help prevent headaches, muscles aches and pains and more importantly, prolapsed discs.
So, the first step for correcting posture is correcting your working station and from there correcting your posture!
Here are three simple top tips to start you off!
Correct your head posture: Top of your screen should be at eye level so you may need a laptop stand or to place your PC up onto a few books.
Relax the shoulders: Resting your forearms on the desk will help with this!
Ensure you have your back supported: Sit back into you chair and if you feel your back still is not getting the support it needs, you can use a pillow or purchase a lumbar support from our clinic.
Your physiotherapist, will of course go through ergonomic corrections in much more detail as everyone’s office and home set up is different but hopefully these few tips help!
To make an appointment with one of the physiotherapy team who specialises in postural correction and ergonomics, please call (01) 4913228 or book your visit online by visiting our website www.archviewclinic.ie.
Lockdown Yoga might just be the key to a happy and healthy lockdown. At a time where our options for exercise and wellbeing are narrowing it is very important to appreciate those forms of exercise that are safely still available. Yoga is a wonderful form of exercise that is doable from your very own home and that can be suitable for all abilities. Not only is yoga widely accessible but it is extremely beneficial for the body and mind.
Here are just some of the multiple evidence-based benefits of yoga:
Strength and mobility improvements
Improved balance and coordination
Reduction in blood pressure and in overall cardiovascular risk factors
Increased GABA levels and reduced cortisol levels, both of which are linked with reduced stress and anxiety.
Improved markers of lung function
It is safe to that the health benefits are numerous, but where to start? Yoga as a practice comes in all shapes and sizes. There are many different types such as Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Yin, Chair yoga, even more trendy adaptations such as goat or wine yoga! What suits one person may not suit another, so it is best to try a few different types of yoga before settling on the best one for your body type and mindset.
There are many different online yoga classes out there and some good YouTube video’s too. If you have a previous injury or are unsure if yoga is suitable for you it is best to consult a Physiotherapist first or start a Physio-led yoga class to build your foundation.
Danielle Moran is a Physiotherapist and 200hr Yoga teacher who is passionate whole-body health and movement. To make an appointment please call (01) 4913228 or book your appointment online by visiting our website www.archviewclinic.ie
Home Office Set Up | Archview Physiotherapy Clinic, D6
Now that working from home is becoming a mainstay of modern working life, it has never been more crucial to set your home office up appropriately to protect and prevent musculoskeletal issues such a neck pain, headaches, back pain, tennis elbow and nerve entrapment.
Prolonged sitting can be tough on the body but ensuring you have the right setup and specialised advice can help to mitigate long term problem and protect your body.
Some home office essential checkpoints:
Are you elevating your shoulders? Your shoulders should be relaxed by your sides and not raised by your ears. The position of the shoulders should not differ between standing and sitting. Only the angle of the elbow should change for typing.
Potential risk: Over-elevating the shoulders can cause chronic neck and shoulder pain.
Potential fix: Raise your seat up to avoid upward shoulder shrugging while typing.
Is your chair supportive enough? Your chair should provide comfort and support from your lower to upper mid back and be adjustable to your needs.
Potential risk: Having an unsupportive chair will cause you to lean forward which may strain your postural muscles and create rounding of the spine.
Potential fix: Visit an ergonomic showroom to try out a chair to suit your needs.
Is your monitor high enough? The top of the monitor should be in line with your eyebrows to avoid over-extending or flexing the neck.
Potential risk: Poor neck posture can cause chronic pain and increase intradiscal pressures.
Potential fix: Raise screen up with a laptop stand or raise monitor with supports.
Are your feet supported? Your feet should be flat and in contact with a firm supportive surface at a level that allows your knees to be in line or slightly lower than your knees.
Potential risk: Too much downward pressure can cause increase loading through the lower back and cause chronic stiffness/pain.
Potential fix: Get footrest.
*Regardless of how comfortable your ergonomic setup is do remember to stand up and stretch at least once every 30-40 minutes!
To purchase or trial these products you can visit an ergonomic showroom like KOS or go online (https://www.kos.ie/).
A Physiotherapist can assess your posture and prescribe individualised ergonomic advice and a mobility plan to ensure you stay happy and healthy while you work.
For more ergonomic information or to treat sitting related myofascial pain make an appointment with a Physiotherapist who can assess your posture and prescribe individualised home workspace options.
Please contact our reception desk on 014913228 or email us at [email protected]
Written by Danielle Moran, Chartered Physiotherapist with a specialized interest in ergonomic conditions.
Approximately 500 thousand people in Ireland suffer with Migraines. Nearly 60% of them will also suffer with tension or cervico-genic headaches. Our physiotherapy team at Archview Physiotherapy in Ranelagh, Dublin specialise in the treatment and management of headaches, and a large portion of those patients are migraines sufferers. Migraines are a medical condition that require medication in many cases. They can be very debilitating. By managing the headache associated with the migraine, your lifestyle and quality of life can be greatly improved.
Our physiotherapy team use a combination approach of physiotherapy, dry needling, myofascial massage, posture correction exercises and ergonomic correction. Dry needling is an evidenced based technique that will help reduce the painful trigger point knots that are causing your head pain. There are 20 muscles that can refer pain into the head. The diagram below shows the referral pattern of the SCM muscle. This is a commonly treated muscle for tension headaches. These headaches are seen a lot in migraine patients. Once these knots are released you should feel pain relief from your headache anywhere from between 1-24 hours after treatment. It has been proven to be an extremely effective technique to reduce and, in many cases, eliminate headaches.
These painful trigger point knots are one source of your pain. The joints in the neck are another source of pain. Poor posture that is associated with desk work and mobile phone usage is having a huge impact on the spine and the muscles around the head neck and shoulders. When the joints in the neck become poorly aligned or stiff, headaches can develop. When the muscles become overloaded they will knot, and referral pain from those knots may develop.
Your physiotherapists will identify all sources, treat and educate you on self management.
If you wish to learn more or talk to one of our physiotherapists to see if physiotherapy and dry needling can help you, book a consultation by calling 014913228 or emailing us on [email protected].
Chronic ankle instablility can cause severe on-going ankle pain if not addressed properly. It usually occurs after a one or multiple lateral ankle sprains.
It can lead to continued symptoms such as swelling, weakness, instability and balance issues for more than 6 months after the inital injury. Chronic ankle instability will not rectify on its own, it will require physiotherapy intervention.
Your physiotherapist may examine to see if you have a chronic ankle instability issue. These indicators may include; an inability to complete jumping and landing tasks within 2 weeks of initial injury, poorer dynamic control on the star excursion balance test at 6 months after the initial injury, poorer self-reported functions on the foot and ankle ability measure.
Your physiotherapist will assess all joints affected by the injury as well as those affected by an altered gait or limping. They will work with you to normalise correct movement at all stages of recovery. In particular they will focus on rehabilitation work to help to gradually strengthen your ankle and lower limb so you can return to normal activites. A combination of soft tissue massage techniques, dry needling, stretching, strengthening, and balance exercises will be used to achieve this.
If you wish to book a consultation with one of our physiotherapy ankle specialists at Archview Physiotherapy Pain and Sports Clinic with, please contact 014913228 or email us at [email protected].
The human body is rarely completely symmetrical. This could be due to things like injury, traumas or it could be something you were born with. Be it a tilted pelvis or one leg shorter than the other, the body then must compensate for these abnormalities and this can cause aches, pains and injuries to develop. Correct footwear and orthotics can help.
Orthotics can help correct these abnormalities. Orthotics are custom-made shoe inserts that are specifically made to correct the biomechanical alignment of your feet. They are primarily used for people with a high level of over-pronation (flat arch) or supination (high arch). An orthotic can help re-align and control the movement of the foot in turn relieving stress and pain in the joints of the feet and lower limbs.
Wearing the incorrect footwear or not having the support you need can affect your bodies alignment and can make you more susceptible to injury also. Flat soled shoes can cause terrible foot biomechanical issues. This has been more commonly seen in the last decade due to pump style shoe wear and flat soled runners. Wearing correct footwear and orthotics can improve the situation. It is advisable that all shoe wear should have a gradient from heel to toe where the heel is elevated by about 1-2 inches.
At Archview Physiotherapy Clinic we have a Chartered Physiotherapist who specialises in biomechanical issues of the feet and orthotics. To book a consultation call the clinic on 014913228 or email us on [email protected].
A Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy is a degeneration of the collagen protein that forms the tendon of one or more of the rotator cuff muscles. Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy is a common condition representing 30-70% of shoulder pain disorders. And 40-50% of patients report pain after 6-12 months. Rotator cuff tendinopathies account for 25% more days off work than any other musculoskeletal injury. This condition is more significant after the age of 50 and can be attributed to multiple factors.
These tendinopathies can also be described based upon the specific tendon that is injured. These can include supraspinatus tendinopathy, subscapularis tendinopathy or infraspinatus tendinopathy.
Shoulder pain in many cases is complex and multifactorial and can be attributed to multiple reasons such as subacromial pain syndrome, acromioclavicular joint degeneration, subacromial impingement and of course rotator cuff tendinopathy.
Physiotherapy plays a vital part to play in the prognosis of all shoulder pain and returning to adequate if not full shoulder function. If you are worried about your shoulder pain because it has not settled after a few weeks, book a physiotherapy consultation with one of our shoulder specialists at Archview Physiotherapy Pain and Sports Injury Clinic. Call 014913228 or emailing [email protected]
The most common acute sporting injuries seen are acute ankle sprains or ligament injuries in the ankle. The ankle has many ligaments to support the foot in different directions. These ligaments are usually damaged by quick turns, explosive twists or ‘going over’ on your foot.
There
are 3 possible grades of tear to any ligament simply numbered 1,2 and 3, with
grade 1 being minor damage and grade 3 being a complete tear.
If you suspect ligament damage in your ankle or an ankle sprain you should book a consultation with Archview Physiotherapy Clinic. Here one of our physiotherapists, physical therapists or sports therapists can assess and determine which ligament is injured, what grade of tear you may have and can then proceed to treat the injury.
Initially for any ankle sprain or ligament injury rest, ice, compression and elevation, also known as RICE, is recommended to reduce swelling and it enhances a quicker recovery in the initial 24 -48 hours. From there your therapist will work with you to restore a full range of motion, strengthen and condition the surrounding muscles and ligaments, work on proprioception and balance and eventually use functional exercises to aid in your return to daily life or sport.
If
the correct rehabilitation is not followed it is very likely for a person to
endure multiple or reoccurring ankle sprains. Many people claim it is due to
having ‘weak’ ankles. However, with professional rehabilitation this problem
will be minimised.
Call (01)4913228 or email [email protected] to book a consultation with one of our team to start your recovery.
Here are just some of the multiple evidence-based benefits of yoga:
