Technical Name: Achilles Tendinopathy/Tendonitis  AKA Name: Achilles Tendon Pain Short Summary:  The achilles tendon is the large tendon at the back of the ankle that connects the calf muscle and…

The AC joint is located at the top of the shoulder and is the joint that connects the outer end of your collarbone (clavicle) to the shoulder blade (acromion).  There are important ligaments that…

The AC joint is located at the top of the shoulder and is the joint that connects the outer end of your collarbone (clavicle) to the shoulder blade (acromion).  The joint surfaces are covered by…

Technical Name: Ankle Osteoarthritis  AKA Name: Ankle Pain Short Summary:  The ankle joint is made up of the end of the tibia (shin bone) and the talus (ankle bone) in the foot.  It is shaped so…

Technical Name: Ankle instability AKA Name: Ankle sprain Short Summary: The ankle joint comprises the bones of the lower leg (tibia and fibula) and the ankle itself (talus).  The joint movement is…

Technical Name: Anterior Cruciate Ligament rupture  AKA Name: ACL rupture/Cruciate tear Short Summary: There are 4 main knee ligaments.  Two of these are within the central knee space – the…

Technical Name: Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the Femoral Head AKA Name: Osteonecrosis  Short Summary: Avascular Necrosis (AVN) of the hip is a condition affecting the small blood vessels around the…

Technical Name: Baker’s Cyst / Popliteal Cyst AKA Name: Swelling at the back of the knee Short Summary: A Baker’s cyst is the name given to a swelling at the back of the knee (named after…

The biceps consists of 2 heads (hence the name biceps), the short head and the long head.  Biceps tendinitis refers to inflammation of the long head of biceps as it passes into the shoulder joint…

AKA Name: Bunion Short Summary: Hallux valgus or bunion is a condition affecting the big toe joint of the foot (1st metatarsal phalangeal joint). A bunion refers to the bump that develops where the…

The rotator cuff is the term used to describe the 4 muscles surrounding the shoulder that help raise and lower the arm.  The muscles lie under the roof of the shoulder, known as the acromion and…

The median nerve travels through a short tunnel at the wrist called the carpal tunnel.  The median nerve is responsible for supplying sensation to the thumb, index and middle fingers.  The median…

Related terms Ulnar nerve entrapment (at the elbow) Ulnar neuropathy Short summary The ulnar nerve travels behind the inner aspect of your elbow through a tunnel termed the cubital tunnel.  The…

This is a condition where the tendons the move the thumb base are irritable in a tunnel the runs on the thumb side of the wrist.  What are the causes? It is not entirely clear what causes the…

Dupuytren’s disease is a common condition that affects the palm of the hand and fingers.  It is charcterised by thickened tissue that causes one or more of the fingers to bend into the hand. …

Technical Name: Plano-valgus foot  AKA Name: Flat feet Short Summary:  The normal shape of the foot has a space (arch) on the inside aspect of the foot, this is referred to as the medial arch. …

Frozen shoulder is a very painful condition characterised by severe pain in the shoulder progressing to significant stiffness.    The shoulder joint capsule becomes severely inflamed, which then…

Technical Name: Ganglion AKA Name: Fluid filled lump Short Summary: Ganglion is a medical term for a harmless lump that is filled with jelly like fluid and originates from a joint capsule or a tendon…

Related terms Medial elbow tendinopathy Medial epicondylitis Short summary Golfer’s elbow is a condition that causes pain over the inner aspect of the elbow.  It is similar to tennis elbow but…

Technical Name Plantar Fasciitis AKA Name Heel/Foot pain Short Summary Plantar fasciitis is a common condition affecting individuals in their middle ages. It presents as pain under the heel bone…

Technical Name: Hip Osteoarthritis AKA Name: Hip arthritis Short Summary: In the normal ball and socket hip joint cartilage lines the femoral head (ball at the top of the thigh bone) and the…

Technical Name: Femoro-acetabular Impingement (FAI) AKA Name: Hip impingement Short Summary: In the normal ball and socket hip joint the smooth surfaces should move without causing pain or…

Technical Name: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee AKA Name: Knee arthritis Short Summary: The knee joint is the articulation between two main bones – the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (the…

Technical Name: Trochanteric Bursitis AKA Name: Hip Bursitis Short Summary: Hip Bursitis (Trochanteric bursitis) is a common condition affecting the fluid filled sac (bursa) that lies over the…

Technical Name: Lesser toe deformities AKA Name: Hammer toe, claw toe and mallet toe Short Summary: Lesser toe (all toes except big toe) deformities are relatively common and can cause significant…

Technical Name: Meniscal tear / ‘Bucket handle’ meniscal tear AKA Name: ‘Cartilage’ pad tear Short Summary: Within the knee joint there are two cartilage shock absorbers (menisci) that act to…

Technical Name: Mid-foot arthritis AKA Name: Arthritis  Short Summary:  The midfoot represents the area of the foot between the ankle joint and the metatarsals (toes) and is made up of a series of…

Technical Name Mortons Neuroma AKA Name Neuroma (abnormal growth on the nerve) Short Summary Neuroma is a medical term for an abnormal swelling on a nerve. A Morton’s neuroma specifically affects a…

Short summary The olecranon is the medical term to describe the point of your elbow.  A fluid filled sac called a bursa overlies the olecranon to allow the skin to glide freely over this bony…

The kneecap (patella) attaches the large powerful thigh muscles (quadriceps) to the upper part of the shin bone (tibia).  The patella sits in a groove on the front of the thigh bone known as the…

The rotator cuff is the term used to describe the 4 muscles surrounding the shoulder that help raise and lower the arm.  The muscles lie under the roof of the shoulder, known as the acromion and…

The shoulder joint surfaces are covered by articular cartilage and the joint has a small amount of lubricating fluid.  This allows the joint to move effortlessly with over 100 times less friction…

The shoulder is known as a “ball and socket” joint, with a large ball and shallow socket to allow for extensive range of movement.  It can be likened to a golf ball sitting on a golf tee.  A…

The rotator cuff is the term used to describe the 4 muscles surrounding the shoulder that help raise and lower the arm.  The muscles lie under the roof of the shoulder, known as the acromion and…

Short summary Tennis elbow is a condition that causes pain over the outer aspect of the elbow.  The muscles that extend the wrist and fingers all originate from the lateral epicondyle, the bony…

The thumb base joint surfaces are covered by articular cartilage and the joint has a small amount of lubricating fluid.  This allows the joint to move effortlessly with over 100 times less friction…

Trigger finger or thumb typically causes pain when the affected finger is bent  towards the palm and catches or clicks. What are the causes? Triggering occurs when a nodule develops in the tendon…