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Limb Pain & Trigger Points

Painful Limbs are not uncommon following athletic exertion. The Pain can be either acute (sprains, fractures, tears, etc.) or chronic (tendonitis, overuse, etc.). Anyone who exercises on a regular basis will develop an ache, pain or sports injury at some time or another.

The range of sports injuries is as varied as the individuals who play sports, but some injuries are more likely than others are. Proper treatment should be carefully tailored to the individual and must always include a plan to minimise the chances of relapse.

 

Frozen Shoulder is a term loosely used to describe pain and restriction in the finely tuned and highly mobile shoulder joint. In fact, there are many varieties of shoulder dysfunction and almost all respond well to treatment. Carefully targeted acupuncture is especially helpful here.

Tennis Elbow is a very common description of elbow pain. It tends to be a cumulative type of traumatic injury and occurs following repeated use of the forearm muscles. This produces small tears within the tendons close to where they attach to the bone itself. It need not be the result of playing tennis but is commonly also seen amongst people after gardening or even knitting, for example.

Hip, Leg and Groin problems are also frequently treated. If the small but powerful muscles joining the pelvis to the upper leg become tight or cramp up, they can put pressure on the nerves that pass beneath. Typically, this pain increases when the muscle contracts, when sitting for an extended time, or after direct pressure on the muscle itself. Foot, ankle or knee issues often cause problems higher up and aching in the leg often overlaps with pain in the low back.

Repetitive Strain Injury is frequently seen amongst people who spend long hours at the computer keyboard. Blackberries and mobile telephones are also commonly implicated. Identifying and addressing the early symptoms is essential to avoid the condition becoming disabling.

Trigger points are “nervous hot spots” which cause muscles to become abnormally sensitive. This nervous excitability results in the development of tight bands of muscle or fascia that, when pressed, cause local pain, as well as referred pain to somewhere else in the body.

This referred pain is very important- if the doctor is familiar with trigger points, he will very quickly be able to diagnose the problem, as each muscle group has its own pattern of pain referral. If the doctor knows these patterns he will be able to discover very rapidly the nature of the problem and offer solutions.

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