If you’ve ever felt pain or tightness in the back of your ankle that just won’t go away, you might be dealing with midportion Achilles tendinopathy. It’s one of the most common causes of Achilles pain—especially in runners, walkers, and anyone who enjoys being active. A recent article in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT, 2024) highlights what we now know about this condition and how to treat it effectively.

What Is Midportion Achilles Tendinopathy?

Your Achilles tendon connects your calf muscles to your heel bone. In midportion Achilles tendinopathy, the middle part of the tendon becomes painful, thickened, or stiff. This area is particularly vulnerable because it experiences high loads during walking, running, and jumping. People often describe pain with activity, stiffness in the morning or after rest, and sometimes weakness in the calf.

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Have you ever experienced neck pain that travels down your arm, accompanied by tingling, numbness, or weakness? You might be dealing with cervical radiculopathy. Cervical radiculopathy is a condition caused by compression or irritation of one or more nerve roots in the cervical spine (neck), leading to pain, weakness, or sensory changes in the neck, shoulder, arm, or hand.

This condition can affect your ability to work, sleep, and enjoy daily activities. But the good news? Physiotherapy can help you recover and regain control.

Cervical radiculopathy occurs when a nerve root in the cervical spine (neck) becomes compressed or inflamed. Common causes include:

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Diastasis Recti Abdominis Muscle (DRAM) is a common condition affecting many women during and after pregnancy. It involves the separation of the rectus abdominis muscles along the linea alba, often due to the mechanical and hormonal changes that occur during gestation. While it’s frequently dismissed as a cosmetic issue, DRAM can have significant implications for core function, posture, and quality of life.

What Is DRAM?

DRAM is defined as a separation of the rectus abdominis muscles exceeding 2 cm, typically measured at the umbilical level. This separation results from the stretching and thinning of the linea alba, which accommodates the growing uterus during pregnancy. Although some degree of separation is physiologically normal, persistent or excessive widening can lead to functional impairments.

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Plantar heel pain — especially that sharp pain under the foot when you get out of bed in the morning — is one of the most common foot problems we see in the clinic.

Two recent articles in the British Journal of Sports Medicine give us both a practical roadmap for treatment and a new way of thinking about what happens when pain lingers. Together, they show how to manage plantar heel pain in both the short and long term.

Step 1: Start With the Basics

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Understanding Syndesmotic Injuries

Syndesmosis injuries—commonly referred to as high ankle sprains—involve damage to the ligaments connecting the distal tibia and fibula. These ligaments, including the anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (AITFL), posterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (PITFL), and the interosseous membrane, are critical for ankle stability. Injury usually occurs through external rotation or hyper-dorsiflexion mechanisms, particularly in pivoting sports. Such injuries are clinically significant because they often lead to prolonged disability and delayed return to play compared to lateral ankle sprains (Hunt & Wallace, 2022). Early diagnosis is crucial, as untreated injuries may progress to chronic instability, altered biomechanics, and even degenerative joint disease.

Indications for Surgical Intervention

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When it comes to exercise, two of the most common approaches people turn to are Pilates and strength training. Both can play a valuable role in improving health, preventing injury, and enhancing resilience, but they do so through different mechanisms. Understanding the benefits and limitations of each approach, and the evidence supporting them, can help you make an informed decision about which type of training is best suited to your goals.

Pilates

Pilates is a low-impact form of exercise that focuses on controlled movement, posture, flexibility, and core stability. Research shows that Pilates can improve muscle endurance, movement control, and quality of life, particularly in people with chronic low back pain. It is often recommended in rehabilitation settings because of its adaptable and graded approach, which can restore confidence in movement while minimising aggravation of pain. (Wells et al., 2014; Yamato et al., 2015).

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Thyroid disorders can vary in presentation, here we are going to focus on the two most common: HYPOthyroidism and HYPERthyroidism. The cause for both is commonly a result of autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto's and Graves’ disease, or less commonly, Iodine deficiency (mostly in countries located further from the ocean). Thyroid conditions affect millions of people globally and while pharmacological treatment remains essential, physiotherapy is emerging as a valuable tool in managing symptoms and improving quality of life.

What does our thyroid do?

The thyroid is essential for production of thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones, primarily T3 and T4 are hormones that are critical for controlling body functions including: metabolism, growth and development, cardiovascular function, nervous system function, body temperature regulation, digestive function, and skin and hair health.

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If you’ve ever felt a sudden leak while laughing, sneezing, exercising—or even just walking to the bathroom—you’re not alone. Up to 45% of women experience urinary incontinence (UI) at some point in their lives (1). Whether it’s a few drops during a workout or a sudden urge that’s hard to control, Urinary Incontinence can impact confidence, relationships, and quality of life. But here’s the truth: incontinence is common, treatable, and not something youhave to “just live with.”

Urinary incontinence is treatable, and pelvic health physiotherapy is here to help. This blog breaks down the basics of UI, why it happens, and what you can do to start feeling more confident and in control.

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