Knee, shin & calf injuries

General Advice

Many knee, shin or calf injuries can be effectively self managed with the help of expert advice from a Chartered Physiotherapist / Physical Therapist.

The knee is one of the most frequently injured joints in the body. Common knee problems include

• arthritic changes
• anterior knee pain, which is also known as chomdramalcia patella, or runners knee
• ligmament sprain, most commonly involving the medial collateral ligamnet or the anterior cruciate, but sometimes the lateral collateral or the posterior cruciate
• Meniscal tears. Commonly referred to as the cartliage the menisci facilitate the movement of the knee. The medial meniscus is injured more frequently than the lateral

By far the most common shin injury is anterior compartment syndrome, which is also referred to as shin splints.

The most common calf injury is a sprain/ tear of the calf muscle. It is important to differentiate a calf muscle tear from the potentailly dangerous condition of deep vein thrombosis, which is otherwise known as DVT or economy class syndrome

At Physiobench we can help you self manage your knee calf or shin injury

Every injury is unique, so self managing your knee, shin or calf injury doesn't necessarily involve following a standard set of exercises. However we encourage you to first explore our general advice

To greatly improve your chance in succeeding to self manage your injury, our expert team of Chartered Physiotherapists / Physical Therapists can help. You can choose a physio with the right specialist skills who can provide you with a personalised treatment programme

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Articles

• Hiking with Trekking Poles

  by Jane Hodgson 17 August 2008

  Our European neighbours have been routinely hiking with poles since the mid 80’s, it’s only more recently that the Brits and Americans have realised the benefits.

• Runners knee

  by Jane Hodgson 10 June 2008

  Runners knee is a very common injury, sometimes said to affect as many as 1 in 4 people. Also known as anterior knee pain and patella femoral syndrome, it is characterised by pain under the knee cap.

• Helping to heal an injury with ice

  by Jane Hodgson 20 April 2008

  It is common to help heal an injury with ice. Deciding whether you should apply ice rather than heat, and for how long can make the difference between helping to heal your injury and making it worse.

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Useful links

Editors Choice 

• arthroscopy.com Good simple description and diagrams of the anatomy of the knee
• NHS direct The NHS direct description of the symptoms and causes of DVT