kinesio tape on ankle swelling

How to Use Kinesio Tape for Your Ankle and Does It Work?

Kinesio Tape is a type of elastic, athletic tape that can be used to treat pain and swelling after an ankle injury. It mayalso improve local circulation in the injured area. While the mechanisms behind its benefits are not fully understood, research has shown that Kinesio Tape can improve proprioception,

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woman getting a head and face massage

How Massage Therapy Can Reduce Migraines

Throbbing head pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light and noise make migraines exhausting to those who suffer them. Yet migraines are a common condition affecting millions of people around the world.  Not much is known about what causes migraines, but many factors, such as stress, diet, and hormones can trigger

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physical therapist examines a patient’s ankle for a sprain or break

Sprain vs Break: How to Tell the Difference

When you twist or roll your ankle, it can cause sudden and intense pain. This could be either a sprain, which is an injury to the ligaments that support the joint, or a break (or a fracture), which is an injury to the nearby bone.  Both often cause swelling, bruising,

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anterior and posterior knee ligaments

How Long Does It Take for a Stretched Knee Ligament to Heal?

A sudden sharp pain hit the back of your knee, followed by an intense throbbing ache, you may assume you just sprained or strained your knee.  Knee sprains and strains are two common injuries that occur when ligaments are stretched beyond their limits. These are the bands of tissues that

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Illustration of ankle ligaments with small tears

Sprain vs Strain: How to Tell the Difference

The terms strain and sprain are often used interchangeably but they are not the same thing. Strains are injuries to muscles and tendons whereas sprains are injuries to joints and ligaments. Neither term would be correct for describing damage to a nerve, however, both sprains and strains can be accompanied

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medial ankle ligaments

Anatomy of the Medial Ankle Ligaments and Injuries

Medial ankle sprains often occur when the foot is twisted inwards or dorsiflexed too far, stressing or tearing one or more of these ligaments. They can be caused by physical trauma, such as a fall, sudden movements during sports, or incorrectly landing a jump. Current evidence suggests that of all

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therapist sprays antispetic on ankle before bandaging it

Is My Ankle Broken or Sprained? A Review of Treatments

Roughly 30,000 ankle injuries occur everyday in the U.S. making it one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries. Ankle sprains are common for a number of reasons. We often demand that our ankles traverse uneven terrain such as grass, gravel, and sand.  Wearing shoes that are more fashionable than functional

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wrist sprain injury bandaged

Can a Wrist Sprain Turn Into a Fracture?

Wrist injuries, including fractures and sprains, are quite common and often occur in sports, falls, and accidents. The wrist is a complex joint that is involved in many activities of daily living and often endures repetitive stress and trauma. Wrist sprains, on the other hand, are more common in younger

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wrist ligaments anatomy

Wrist Ligaments Anatomy and Injuries

The wrist is a complex yet delicate joint, consisting of 20 joints that are connected by tendons, ligaments and bones with varying degrees of stability and range of motion. Sprains to the wrists, ankles, and knees are some of the most common sports injuries, occurring in thousands of athletes each

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A woman swimming underwater wearing goggles (left), a woman running (center), a woman riding a bike (right)

Why the SAID Principle Matters in Your Workout

The SAID principle (acronym for “specific adaptation to imposed demands”) basically means that when your body undergoes some form of stress, like exercise, it will adapt to that stress so that you perform better in the future. Your body will also require less effort and energy to do the work.

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