If you’ve ever had a major debilitating knee injury, then it’s quite possible that you may have had (or stillhave) a popliteal cyst (Baker’s Cyst) that resulted from the injury. However, these cysts often go unnoticed. I rarely have patients report having pressure, feel a lump, or have tenderness at the back of their knee.…
Blood Clots in the Calf (Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)): Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments, Complications, and Prognosis
In this section I want to talk about Blood Clots in the Calf (Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)). As a provider, I’ve witnessed and treated many patients with blood clots in their legs and calves (deep vein thrombosis (DVT)). These patients range from the young and athletic to the very old and chronically ill. No matter…
Insertional Achilles Tendinitis: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Assessments, Treatment, and Recovery
Are you an athlete with tight calf muscles when you start exercising? Does your heel(s) hurt when you walk, run, or wear the wrong shoes? Are your achilles tendons tight after resting for long periods of time? Do you have pain when you run on uneven surfaces? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these…
Non-Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy (Tendinitis): Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Assessments, Treatment, and Recovery
Are you an athlete? Do you have achilles tendon tightness and pain when you first get out of bed to walk in the mornings? Do your achilles burn slightly behind your ankles when you run on uneven pavement? Are your calves tight? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions then there’s a possibility…
Soleus Muscle Strain: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Complications
Do you like to run? Have you experienced acute muscle soreness after starting a running program? Has your entire calf ever become stiff, making it impossible to flex the foot? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to these questions you may have strained your soleus muscle. For information on how to treat this injury, read the details…
Calf Contusion: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Treatment, and Complications
Have you ever been kicked or kneed in the calf? Have you ever been watching a football game and suddenly wondered what happens to the player(s) at the bottom of the pile? Do you think about what types of injuries they might obtain? One possible injury is a calf contusion. Read the information below for…
Medial Gastrocnemius Strain (a.k.a “Tennis Leg”): Causes, Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, Treatment, Complications, Prevention and Prognosis
Are you a “weekend warrior”? When you run, do you feel pain in the upper center portion of your calf that is unrelieved by stretching? Does that pain feel like a solid rock? If so, you may have a medial gastrocnemius strain. Read below to learn how to obtain relief. What is a medial gastrocnemius…
Achilles Tendon Rupture: Causes, Assessment, Evaluation, Treatment, and Prognosis
On April 12, 2013, weeks before the LA Lakers clinched their playoff berth and tied the second best record in the NBA, one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game, the late and great Kobe Bryant, ruptured his Achilles tendon as he drove to the basket against Harrison Barnes, the former guard…
Ankle Stress Fracture: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Assessment, Treatment, and Recovery
Has the pandemic made you a couch potato? How many of you have returned to the gym or began jogging outdoors to lose the weight that you gained from stress and working remotely? How many of you are feeling pain in your ankles since you have increased your activity? How many of you have pin-pointed…
Medial Malleolus Fracture: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and complications
What is a Medial Malleolus Fracture? The medial malleolus supports the inner side of the ankle joint. A medial malleolus fracture is a break in the tibia and can occur at any level (inside the lower leg). For example, fractures of the fibula (internal malleolus), a fracture of the back of the tibia (posterior malleolus),…
Sprained Ankle: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
On a Tuesday evening in September 1994, after rebounding the basketball during a varsity basketball game, I heard a loud “crunching” sound as my right foot landed on top of my opponent’s foot. Immediately after hearing the sound, I felt an intense burning sensation with pain radiating around myankle and up the lateral side of…
Fibula Fracture: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery
Are you a football fan? Have you ever noticed that when a defender tackles his opponent, he often willgrab him by his ankle, and then roll over while he is still gripping the ankle? I used to wonder why thishappened until a former player told me that this is strategically done to inflict pain on…
Lateral Malleolus: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments, and Prognosis
The lateral malleolus is located at the end of the fibula. It’s one of two bones of the lower leg, whichcarries about 10% of your weight. A fractured lateral malleolus is the most common type of ankle fractureof the fibula, and is usually not too serious. To learn more about lateral malleolus fractures, read theinformation…
Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS): Signs and Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Recovery, Complications, and Prognosis
Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS). Do you love to run? Have you ever had a burning, achy, tenderness on the outside of your knee after running? Do your knees get stiff and swell? Do you have pain in your hips or on the lateral portion of your thighs? If you answered yes to any of these…
Open Tibial Fractures: Causes, Treatment, Complications, and Recovery
Open Tibial Fractures; The tibia (shinbone) is a subcutaneous bone, meaning that there is little fat between the bone and skin; therefore, tibia fractures are often open. Meaning, the bone breaks and punctures through the skin. Tibia fractures are a medical emergency because the injury causes the patient to be more susceptible to systemic infections…
Medial Knee Bursitis (Pes Anserine Bursitis): Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments
Are you an avid weightlifter? Have you ever woken up the next morning with a swollen and stiff joint after performing a variety of exercises to grow a muscle group? Well, it happened to me a few months ago. I was performing quadriceps extensions with my toes pointed outward working on my inner thighs. The…
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Runner’s Knee): Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Runner’s Knee): Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis. Are you a female athlete or a weekend warrior? Now that you’re older (late 20s, 30s, 40s, or 50s), do your knees crack or pop when you stand from sitting after lengthy periods of time? Did you once enjoy the window seat on an airplane…
Knee Dislocation: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Treatment, and Prognosis
Knee Dislocation: Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Treatment, and Prognosis. Are you a Golden State Warriors fan? Do you remember Shaun Livingston, the greatest backup point guard to Steph Curry from 2014-2018? Did you know he suffered two dislocated knees during the early years of his NBA career? What was thought to be a career ending…