If you've been told you have hypermobile joints, or you have widespread joint pain that no one has fully explained, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome may be worth considering. EDS is a group of inherited connective tissue disorders that remains significantly underdiagnosed — especially in sports medicine — and a missed or delayed diagnosis can have real [...]
Osteoid osteoma is a bone tumour that typically affects adolescent athletes. It causes small bone growths that produce intense pain, especially at night. Although benign, it can significantly affect athletic performance and quality of life — and it's easily mistaken for other conditions. So, how do we diagnose osteoid osteoma, and what treatments are [...]
Pain below the kneecap has many causes — patellofemoral pain, knee arthritis, and tendonitis among them. A less common cause is saphenous nerve entrapment close to the knee, which can cause significant discomfort and reduced mobility. So what causes saphenous nerve pain, and how is it treated? What is the saphenous nerve? The [...]
Duloxetine is a prescription-only medication first used to treat depression. But we also use duloxetine for chronic pain, including musculoskeletal pain such as osteoarthritis. So what's the evidence for using duloxetine for arthritis and chronic pain, and how should it be used? How does duloxetine work for pain? Duloxetine is a selective serotonin and [...]
Shoulder pain arises from damage to local structures in the shoulder, such as joints, tendons and ligaments or referred from the neck or the abdomen. A shoulder pain map can be a useful tool to help find out the cause of your shoulder pain. Find out possible causes of shoulder pain using a shoulder [...]
The location of knee pain is one of the most useful clues a doctor has when making a diagnosis. By pinpointing where your pain is located — inside, outside, above, below, or on top of the kneecap — you can narrow down the likely cause considerably. Use the knee pain location chart below to [...]
Bone marrow oedema is swelling or fluid build-up within the bone marrow. Often, oedema is detected by imaging, such as MRI. So, what is subchondral bone marrow oedema, and how should you manage it? What is subchondral bone marrow oedema? The bone marrow is the spongy part of the bone's centre. It is involved [...]
Patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as runner's knee, causes pain in the front of the knee. We think misalignment of the knee or increased pressure behind the kneecap leads to joint irritation and inflammation. What is patellofemoral pain syndrome, and how do we manage it? What is the patellofemoral joint? The patellofemoral joint (PFJ) [...]
Pain on the inside of the ankle may be due to tibialis posterior tendonitis, midfoot arthritis, or a navicular stress fracture. A less common cause of inner foot pain is accessory navicular syndrome, also known as os naviculare. So what is accessory navicular syndrome, and how do we manage it? What is an accessory [...]
Buttock pain is complex, with many causes — sciatica, sacroiliac joint arthritis, piriformis syndrome, and hamstring tendonitis among them. A less common cause is ischiofemoral impingement, where abnormal contact between the thigh bone (femur) and the pelvic bone pinches the muscle between them, causing buttock pain. So what is ischiofemoral impingement, what are its [...]
