Commonly Treated Conditions
Below is a list of common conditions we treat at Advanced Rehabilitation.
Click on the condition name to learn more.
- Achilles Tendonitis
- Ankle Sprain
- Calf Strain
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Hamstring Strain
- Hip Flexor Pain
- Iliotibial Band Syndrome
- Lumbar Disc Syndrome
- Mid-Back and Neck Pain
- Patellar Tendonitis
- Piriformis Syndrome
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Rotator Cuff Syndrome
- Sacroiliac Dysfunction
- Sciatica
- Shin Splints
- Shoulder Dislocation
- Shoulder Impingement
- Shoulder Separation
- Tennis Elbow
- Tension Headaches
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Whiplash
Achilles Tendonitis
What is it?
Achilles tendonitis is caused by overuse or sudden stresses to your Achilles tendon. Inflammation occurs to the tendon causing pain. The Achilles tendon runs from the bottom of the calf muscle to the heel. The tendon is surrounded in a protective sheath with a layer of fat between the sheath and the tendon. Scars form between the sheath and the tendon when the tendon is injured. Each movement of the tendon pulls the sheath, warming it up and making it softer, which means the pain is reduced with increase exercise. A program of rest and stretches can work to relieve and eliminate pain.
Symptoms
- Pain on the tendon during exercise.
- Swelling over the Achilles tendon.
- Redness over the skin.
- You can sometimes feel a creaking when you press your fingers into the tendon and move the foot.
- Pain caused by movement of the joint and localized in the heel of the foot
Ankle Sprain
What is it?
A sprain is the most common type of injury to the ankle. A sprain is stretching and tearing of ligaments. A ligament is fibrous bands connecting adjacent bones to a joint. There are many ligaments around the ankle and these can become damaged when the ankle is forced into an awkward position. Resting can offer some relief from your pain. Applying ice to your foot is a good way to reduce inflammation and pain.
Your foot is built to withstand motion and pressure. Bones provide the framework. Soft tissue, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, keep the bones stable and control movement. Bones and nerves in the leg connect the foot to the spine. Too many hours on your feet, sudden movements, or misaligned joints can lead to soft tissue and other problems.
Symptoms
- Swelling
- You will not be able to put any weight on your foot.
- Bruising
Calf Strain
What is it?
A sharp pain in the calf muscle followed by difficulty using it is probably a calf strain. The most common place for this injury is in the muscle, about half way between the knee and the heel.
Symptoms
- A sudden pain at the back of the leg.
- If you have trouble contracting the muscle or standing on your tiptoe.
- Pain, swelling, or bruising in the calf muscle.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
What is it?
Carpal tunnel syndrome affects the wrist and hand. The carpal tunnel is a narrow space inside the wrist. This space lets certain tendons and a major nerve pass from the forearm into the hand. Tingling and numbness are the most common symptoms of CTS. Some people may suffer from hand pain or a weakened grip.
Symptoms
- A dull ache in the wrist and forearm with pain radiating into the fingers.
- Tingling and numbness.
- Pain that is worse at night.
Hamstring Strain
What is it?
A hamstring strain or a pulled hamstring is a tear in one of the hamstrings muscles. It often results from an overload of the muscles or trying to move the muscles too fast. If you have taken an impact in the back of the leg it must be treated as a contusion. Improper stretching and overuse can result in a hamstring strain. Chronic injuries arise from not properly rehabilitating acute hamstring injuries, but may also occur from small amounts of repeated trauma over a period of time. Poor flexibility of the hamstring increases the likelihood of small tears, which causes the muscle to shorten and get tighter.
Symptoms
- A sudden sharp pain at the back of the leg.
- Muscles going into spasm.
- Swelling and bruising.
- If the rupture is very bad you can feel a gap in the muscle.
Hip Flexor Pain
What is it?
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that move the hip forward when running and walking. A great deal of stress is applied to this muscle group when sprinting and kicking. A strain can vary anywhere from stretching to a complete tear of the muscle tissue. This injury occurs in bicyclists, athletes who jump or run with high knee kicks, athletes like soccer players who do forceful kicking activities, and people who practice the martial arts.
Symptoms
- Pain in the upper groin region where the thigh meets the pelvis.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome
What is it?
Iliotibial band syndrome is also known as runner's knee. The iliotibial band runs down the outside of the thigh. When it becomes tight the tendon starts to rub on the bone at the knee. Eventually it will become inflamed and cause pain when you run. Resting will decrease the pain, but when you run again the pain will return.
Symptoms
- Swelling
- Knee gives out
- Pain when you walk and/or run.
Lumbar Disc Syndrome
What is it?
Lumbar Disc Syndrome is a condition of radicular leg pain that is sometimes accompanied by lower back pain.
Mid-Back and Neck Pain
What is it?
Pain in the spine at either the back or the neck, is usually brought on by some sort of activity. Most often the pain improves with rest. It's amazing what the human body can be trained to do, but it is equally amazing how incapable it is of doing something it is not accustomed to.
Symptoms
- Pain in the lower back which does not radiate down the legs.
- Stiffness in the back especially in the morning.
- Pain when you twist, sit or stand
Patellar Tendonitis
What is it?
Patellar tendonitis (also called "jumper's knee") occurs when the quadriceps muscles are overused or inflexible. When quadriceps are overused, the patellar tendon has to absorb more of the shock created by movement. If the quadriceps are inflexible, the patellar tendon has to withstand more friction during movement. In either case, the tendon may become irritated or damaged. This can result in pain during activity--and pain may continue even when you're resting.
Symptoms
- Pain in your knee
- Soreness
- Swelling
Piriformis Syndrome
What is it?
Piriformis syndrome is commonly referred to as pain in the butt. The piriformis muscle is a small muscle deep under the glutes. It is triangular in shape with the wide end attached to the front of the sacrum and the narrow end attached to the hip.
Symptoms
- Pain that radiates down the leg.
Plantar Fasciitis
What is it?
Plantar fasciitis is when the plantar fascia ligament is strained causing pain at the bottom of your foot. The plantar fascia is a ligament-like band running from your heel to the ball of your foot. This band pulls on the heel bone, raising the arch of your foot as it pushes off the round. If your foot moves incorrectly, the plantar fascia may become strained. The fascia may swell and its tiny fibers may begin to fray, causing plantar fasciits.
Symptoms
- The bottom of your foot may hurt when you stand.
- Pain usually occurs on the inside of the foot, near the spot where the heal and arch meet.
- Pain may lessen after a few steps, but it comes back after rest or with prolonged movement.
Rotator Cuff Syndrome
What is it?
Your rotator cuff is a very powerful team of muscles and connecting tendons that attach your upper arm to your shoulder blade. The rotator cuff helps you reach, throw, push, pull, and lift. The pain occurs when the tendons in your rotator cuff are swollen. There are several things that can cause this area to hurt if you fall on your shoulder, or lifting and reaching too much, or if you threw too many pitches.
Symptoms
- Pain when you bend the arm and rotate it outwards against resistance.
- Pain on the outside of the shoulder possibly radiating down into the arm.
- Pain in the shoulder, which is worse at night.
- Stiffness in the shoulder joint.
Sacroiliac Dysfunction
What is it?
Dysfunction in the sacroiliac joint causes pain in the low back and/or leg. This condition is more common in young and middle age women. The sacroiliac joint lies next to the spine and connects the sacrum (the triangular bone at the bottom of the spine) with the pelvis (iliac crest). While it is not clear how the pain is caused, it is thought that an alteration in the normal joint motion may be the culprit that causes sacroiliac joint pain.
Symptoms
- Pain at a specific point towards the bottom of the spine at the top, middle of the buttocks.
- Aching and stiffness in the lower back.
- Pain radiates into the hip or groin.
- If you lie on your back and someone pushes down on both sides of your pelvis you might get pain in the joint.
Sciatica
What is it?
Sciatica is pain that starts in the back and radiates down one of the legs. It is quite a common complaint. It is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve that runs down into the leg. The cause of pressure can be varied from a slipped disk to muscle tension or something less common such as tumors, bony growths and infections. Depending on where the sciatic nerve is pinched will determine where you feel the pain which can radiate to the front of the knee or right down the back of the leg to the foot.
Symptoms
- Pain that shoots down the leg.
- Numbness and weakness in the affected area.
Shin Splints
What is it?
Shins splints is commonly seen as an overuse injury in runners. Pain is felt along the shin and develops gradually over a period of weeks to months. However, it may occur after a single excessive bout of exercise. Training errors and abnormal biomechanics can cause shin splints. Too much exercise without the proper amount of rest is another cause for the injury. A sudden increase in training will overload your ability to heal during rest and injury may result.
Symptoms
- Pain will occur when exercising starts and decrease when exercise continues. It will be worse when you stop or in the morning.
Shoulder Dislocation
What is it?
A shoulder dislocation is when the top part of the arm bone slips out of the socket. Falling is the most common cause of a shoulder dislocation. A dislocation can occur when the arm is forcibly moved into an awkward position during a violent action such as tackling in football.
Shoulder Impingement
What is it?
Shoulder impingement is when the space between the rotator cuff and the bony acromion around it is narrowed and the bone pinches and irritates the cuff. This happens when the cuff is weak, the bursa is swollen, or the acromion angles down too far. A shoulder impingement can happen when the rotator cuff is weak or when the bursa is swollen. An impingement can cause tendonitis if you participate in any sports or activities that require a repetitive shoulder movement, such as overhead reaching.
Symptoms
- Pain in your shoulder
- Soreness
- Swelling
Shoulder Separation
What is it?
A shoulder separation is an injury to the ligaments that connect the collarbone to one of the shoulder bones. A fall on the point of the shoulder is the typical mechanism for a shoulder separation. A direct blow to the shoulder or a fall on an outstretched hand may also produce one. Football and hockey are common sports associated with shoulder separations.
Tennis Elbow
What is it?
Tennis elbow is when the bony knob on the outer side of the elbow is inflamed. This occurs when the tissue that attaches muscle to the bone becomes irritated. Playing a racket sport can cause this injury. Also, doing anything that involves extending your wrist or rotating your forearm, like twisting a screwdriver, can cause pain.
Symptoms
- Pain on the outer side of the elbow and down the forearm.
- Swelling, redness or feel warm to the touch.
- It may hurt to grip things, turn your hand, or swing your arm.
Tension Headaches
What is it?
The most common form of headache experienced by Americans today. Statistics show, as many as 95% of the U.S. population has at least one episode of tension headache in their lifetime. Tension headaches are usually caused from muscle tension in your neck, shoulders and upper back. This tension is sometimes the result of poor posture, and, less frequently some sort of trauma (like a car accident).
Symptoms
- More than 90% of tension headaches occur on both sides of the head.
- The pain is usually dull and can build gradually throughout the day.
- Sleep often helps a tension headache but they are also known to continue into the night and even after waking up.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
What is it?
Thoracic outlet syndrome affects the shoulder, arm, hand or all three locations. Symptomsare caused by compression of the nerves in the brachial plexus (nerves that pass into the arms from the neck) or blood vessels. The hand pain is usually most severe in the fourth and fifth fingers. The pain is aggravated by the use of the arm, and "fatigue" of the arm is often prominent. Causes or thoracic outlet syndrome include trauma to the head or neck area, a fracture of the first rib or clavicle, poor posture, or subluxation of the cervical vertebrae.
Symptoms
- Hand, arm, shoulder and neck pain
- Numbness and tingling of the neck arms and hands
- Muscle weakness
- Reflex loss
- Hot and cold sensations
- Swelling
Whiplash
What is it?
Whiplash is an injury to the soft tissue of the neck that occurs when the head is suddenly jerked. Whiplash is caused by anything that jerks your head backwards. The most common cause of whiplash is an automobile accident.
Symptoms
- Headaches
- Stiffness
- Mild dizziness
- Problems thinking or remembering
- Numbness and tingling
- Jaw pain
- Low back pain and hip pain
