Like all sports, basketball players are subject to injury each and every time they walk on the court no matter what they’ve done to prepare and prevent it. Most of these injuries are acute/traumatic or are caused by the overuse of certain parts of the body. Acute/traumatic injuries typically result from a sudden impact or force and overuse injuries are caused by repetition.

There are definitely more common types of basketball injuries than others with ankle and knee sprains, hip flexors and ligament tears being at the top of the list. In fact, over 60 percent of basketball injuries occur in the lower limbs rather than the upper limbs or trunk and most of them are acute. The areas afflicted are usually the hips, thighs, knees, ankles and feet with sprains being the major culprit.

There are several ways you can try to avoid basketball injuries and these include a proper warm up and stretching routine before practicing or playing, wearing the right type of slip-resistant shoes and other related equipment and ensuring you have good core control, plyometric skills, agility, endurance, speed and strength. However, accidents do happen and are usually uncontrollable.

If you’ve suffered a basketball injury you may want to have it properly assessed, diagnosed and treated and a professional physiotherapy clinic such as Spectrum Physiotherapy. Our team of experienced therapists will gladly assess and monitor your condition and help to potentially lower the risk of any further injuries.

This can often be achieved through effective neuromuscular and proprioceptive training routines as well as utilizing high-top shoes and external ankle supports. Our physiotherapists are properly equipped with clinical tests and the tools to assess your proprioceptive ability. This will help them to design a unique training program for each individual client. We’ll be able to monitor your progress over a period of time and assess your injury-risk level and to help minimize the chance of recurrence. If you’re presently injured or would like a comprehensive assessment to help reduce your injury risk, please feel free to contact us at your convenience. We’ll provide the guidance and a personalized training program needed to help you out.

When an athlete’s weak points are measured and identified, there’s usually a better chance of preventing future injuries. Some other common problems related to the sport include injuries to the joints, soft tissues, Achilles Tendon, anterior cruciate ligament, back muscles, biceps, shoulders, groins, hamstrings, heels, neck, shins, hands, and rotator cuff etc. There are several ways to treat these injuries including ice, heat, rest, ultrasound, soft tissue mobilization, active release techniques, exercise, stretching, strengthening, acupuncture, electronic stimulants (TENS machine), taping, braces, neurodynamics and even yoga.

To help prevent injuries or reduce their severity, we assess the client’s specific characteristics from head to toe and the situations that can result in an injury. These include things such as age, mental and physical fatigue, skill, experience, balance, coordination, muscle imbalances, weight, strength, and flexibility. We can then pinpoint the areas which have room for improvement. An injury can keep a basketball player off of the court for just a few days up to a year or two in extreme cases. A strengthening and technique program will help reduce the risk for many types of common injuries and also help you reach your full athletic potential.

Many types of minor injuries are considered to be preventable. If you’d like to be sure you’re everything possible to help prevent these types of injuries feel free to contact us act Spectrum Physiotherapy. We’ll be able to advise you on what could cause an injury after assessing your characteristics and current condition. Of course, if you’re already suffering from an injury, we’ll design a personalized treatment program to help you get back on the court as quickly as possible.

Many people around the world suffer from Cervicogenic headaches, which is the medical term for neck headaches. This basically means a problem in the neck joint is resulting in headaches. Since the neck is the source of the problem, the pain can be alleviated by repairing the neck joint.

There are three upper neck joints which can cause a problem as well as other neurovascular and musculoskeletal structures. If any of these areas aren’t functioning properly they can send pain signals to your brainstem and this can result in a headache.

Since the most common cause of a neck headache is due to the upper neck muscle, nerves or joints this is the area that needs to be focused on the relieve the pain. The joints can cause headaches if they’re either too stiff or too loose. If the neck muscles are weak then they can’t properly support the joints and they may become locked in an abnormal position.

Why visit a physiotherapist?

Physiotherapy for neck headaches is a common solution since a physiotherapist is an experienced when it comes to assessing and treating dysfunctional neck joints. The muscles in the shoulder blades and neck can result in pain if they’re in spasm, knotted, or are overworked. If neck joints are injured then the muscles may overwork themselves in an attempt to protect them. The other neck muscles aren’t being used and this makes them become weak. Neck muscles work the best when they have the proper amount of endurance, power, strength, and rest. A physiotherapist will be able to correction any muscle imbalances which are causing pain.

In addition, upper-neck nerves can sometimes be pinched by things such as swelling, bulging discs and arthritic bone growths. When the nerves are pinched your neck will typically lose its normal range of motion. Neck headaches are sometimes misdiagnosed as other types of headaches such as migraines and this is why it’s important to receive a diagnosis from a professional therapist. The therapist will know what’s causing the problem by examining your symptoms. These often include a tender neck and skull base as well as loss of movement and/or stiffness, pain which travels from the back to the front of the head, pain on one side of the head.

Physiotherapy treatments will typically relieve headache pain immediately. Many patients feel a reduction in pain as soon as pressure is applied to the base of the skull and/or neck. Some people experience neck headaches even though they don’t feel any pain in their neck. This is because their neck joints may not be sore while they’re resting. If your neck joints are tender or sore while resting they usually cause pain when touched or moved.

Since a physiotherapist can correctly identify the cause of your headaches it means you’ll receive the proper treatment. Some therapists specialize in neck headaches and can relieve the pain quickly as well as advise you on how to stop it from returning. MRI’s, CT-scans and X-rays can’t always help diagnosis the cause of a neck headache, but they may help identify structures which could cause neck or head pain. It’s a good idea to undergo cervical spine X-rays if you’ve been suffering from the headaches for an extended period of time.

Physiotherapy treatments for neck headaches

Once the physiotherapist has diagnosed the problem you can then begin treatment for it. If your neck joints are stiff they may be unlocked or loosened by gentle gliding movements known as joint mobilization. In addition, you may undergo localized joint manipulation or traction. If the joints are deemed to be unstable then they will need to be strengthened via deep neck muscle exercises. This will allow the muscles to properly limit and control the movement of the joints.

If the muscles are overactive or tight the treatments may include relaxation techniques such as dry needling, acupuncture, massage, and stretching. A physiotherapist may recommend specific exercises to improve your posture or could suggest a posture brace. Also, the therapist will advise you which awkward and potentially damaging neck postures and positions to avoid. Depending on the causes of the headaches and severity of them, most patients will find their pain gone within just a few days or up to a couple of weeks. And if they follow the advice of their physiotherapist the neck headaches likely won’t return.

Spectrum Physiotherapy is located in Newmarket, Ontario and is the premier physiotherapy clinic in York Region.  We offer a range of physio related services which include shockwave therapy, massage and acupuncture treatment.

The professional team at Spectrum Physiotherapy Newmarket has extensive experience in helping patients recover following motor vehicle accidents.

In Ontario, any physical injuries you suffer in car accident are covered by your auto insurance company. At Spectrum Physiotherapy Newmarket, we can answer your questions about making a claim and submitting information to your insurance company, making it easier for you to begin treatment without delay.

Even if you only experienced a minor fender bender, you may still have suffered damage to the soft tissues of your neck and spine, in addition to other injuries.  Whiplash, in particular, is extremely common following all kinds of car accidents, particularly if your car is hit from behind by other vehicle. During impact, your head is suddenly thrown backwards and forwards (or vice versa), or abruptly rotated, extending the muscles and ligaments of your neck beyond their typical range of motion. Often, this motion happens so quickly that you may not even realize it happened. Most people start to notice symptoms in the first 48 hours after the accident, but in other cases, symptoms do not appear for up to two weeks.

Some of these symptoms might include:

• Pain, aches or stiffness in the neck, shoulders and/or back
• Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
• Headaches
• Light-headedness or dizziness
• Difficulty sleeping and concentrating
• General fatigue

It’s important to have the extent of your injuries assessed as soon as possible after the accident, in order to minimize your risk of sustaining long-term damage. Don’t wait and see, hoping the symptoms will resolve on their own. Pain often leads to decreased activity, which in turn creates even more stiffness, weakness and pain, further interfering with your daily routine.

At Spectrum Physiotherapy Newmarket, we can evaluate your function, pain, and the severity of your injuries. Based on your unique condition and goals, we’ll recommend an appropriate treatment program for you, which will help alleviate any discomfort, and work towards regaining full pain-free movement.

Your treatment may include:

• Acupuncture, electrical simulation, heat, cold and other treatments to provide acute pain relief
• Education on posture, positioning, and appropriate body mechanics
• Manual therapy treatments to decrease pain and improve mobility
• Specific exercises to manage symptoms, as well as restore strength and mobility

If you have questions about what type pf physiotherapy care is right for you after a motor vehicle accident, contact us today to speak to one of our physio professionals