Swelling, Instability, and More: The Common Symptoms of an ACL Injury

If you've recently injured your ACL, you may have experienced a pop or snap at the time of the injury, or you may have felt pain immediately.

Some people don't feel any pain initially but notice that their knee feels "off."

In the hours and days following the injury, it is common to experience swelling around the knee, instability, and difficulty controlling the movement of the knee.

It is also possible to have additional injuries to the meniscus or cartilage in the knee.

If you have injured your ACL, it is important to seek medical attention to properly diagnose and treat the injury.

Walk more for better health - A physios advice for better health in 2023

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, daily walking has numerous health benefits. The study followed a group older women for about 7 years and found that those who walked at least 4,400 steps per day had a lower risk of death from all causes, as well as a lower risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

Not only that, but the study also found that the benefits of walking were seen at all levels of intensity, from leisurely to brisk. This means that it's not necessarily the intensity of your walk that matters, but rather the fact that you're walking at all.

In addition to its physical health benefits, walking has also been linked to improved mental health and cognitive function. So not only can it help you live longer, it can also make the time you do have more enjoyable.

So if you're looking to improve your overall health and well-being, consider incorporating daily walking into your routine. It's a simple and convenient way to improve your health, and it doesn't require any special equipment or gym memberships. Just put on a comfortable pair of shoes and get moving!

References:

Lee, I. M., Shiroma, E. J., Kamada, M., Bassett, D. R., Matthews, C. E., & Buring, J. E. (2019). Association of Step Volume and Intensity With All-Cause Mortality in Older Women. JAMA internal medicine, 179(8), 1105–1112. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.0899

Breast Cancer and Exercise - Exercise Physiologist Chenaya Cooper explains more

Chenaya Cooper is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist who has a passion for helping women throughout all stages of life on their journey to better health. Today, Chenaya discusses the role of exercise when you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer..

Breast cancer and exercise

A new study has been released by Schutz et al. (2021) on the long-term effects of different continuous physical activities on Breast Cancer survivors and provide some great research outcomes! If you or anyone you know is a Breast Cancer survivor, keep reading below!

During the study the researchers have collated numerous studies investigating different exercise modalities on the effectiveness in reducing adverse side effects resulting from Breast Cancer treatment. Despite the effectiveness of Chemotherapy, Radiation therapy, and Hormone therapy in the removal of Breast cancer, side effects can include pain, body weight gain, decreased cardiovascular function, reduced muscle mass and strength and most commonly cancer-related fatigue (Kaltsatou et al., 2010).

In the present study, the researchers investigated previous research which incorporated exercise interventions from 8-16 weeks and again from 3-12 months, and included aerobic, anaerobic or a combination of these types of physical activity.

Major findings

Major findings of were centred around a reduction in cancer-related lymphedema, increased muscle and bone mass, improved sleep quality and reduced daily fatigue, greater cardiovascular fitness, and reduced pain and pressure sensations for those who underwent Chemotherapy.

Moderate-high intensity resistance-based exercise showed significant improvements in improving muscular strength and reduced fatigue. Coupling this with aerobic training showed an even greater reduction in fatigue for individuals both during and after treatment. Enhanced lean body mass and reduced body fat percentage was significant enough to improve sleep quality for generally sedentary women.

Common side effects of treatment

During treatment, a common side effect is increased bone resorption, accelerated bone loss and consqeuently a dangerously greater risk of bone fractures. The incorporation of safe impact-based exercise was effective in stimulating bone remodelling and increased bone mineral density (Kirkham et al., 2016).

Recommendations

Finally, the study recommended the incorporation of an Exercise Physiologist as an imperative guide for recovery throughout exercise. Exercise programs must be individualised to each individual condition, though the researchers suggested general guidelines as below:

• Minimum 2x week of resistance based exercise at moderate intensity

• Incorporating aerobic load-bearing exercise frequently

• Combining high intensity interval training in conjunction with aerobic exercise

• Exercise programs should be followed for a minimum 3 months is recommended

Our Women’s Health Exercise Physiologists at Flow Physio Co are here to help you with your Breast Cancer recovery!

References:

• Kaltsatou, A., Marmeletzi, D., and Douka, S. (2010). Physical and psychological benefits of a 24-week traditional dance program in breast cancer survivors. J. Bodyw. Mov. Ther. 15, 162–167. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2010.03.002

• Kirkham, A. A., Bland, K. A., Sayyari, S., Campbell, K. L., and Davis, M. K. (2016). Clinically relevant physical benefits of exercise interventions in breast cancer survivors. Curr. Oncol. Rep. 18, 12–20. doi: 10.1007/s11912-015-0496-3

• Schutz S, Aidar FJ, Souza RLM, et al. Different Methods of Physical Training Applied to Women Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review. Front Physiol. 2021;12:639406. Published 2021 Apr 14. doi:10.3389/fphys.2021.639406

Flow Knows - Nicky Ryan's knee injury, posterolateral corner injuries and management

Craig and Jason discuss Nicky Ryan’s knee injury and hypothesise about structures potentially injured given the mechanism and immediate footage post match.

They also discuss the anatomy, mechanism of injury and management pathways for posterolateral corner injuries that they have commonly seen in BJJ practitioners, soccer players and rugby league players.

Flow Knows Conor McGregor's leg fracture, Tommy Turbo's hamstring and what you can be doing during Lockdown to minimise injury

Craig and Jason discuss their thoughts on Conor's fracture and the possible causes, Tommy Turbo's hamstring, the Quadrant of Doom for hamstring injuries and what you can be doing during the Sydney lockdown period to minimise injury.