The Achilles tendon is the large tendon just above your heel that you can feel like a cord when you move your foot up and down. It’s the largest and strongest tendon in the body. If the tendon tears, or snaps then this is called an Achilles tendon rupture. A rupture can be partial or total, depending on whether any of the tendon is still attached.

The Achilles tendon is the large tendon just above your heel that you can feel like a cord when you move your foot up and down. It’s the largest and strongest tendon in the body, and it can sometimes become inflamed, causing a painful condition called Achilles tendinopathy. It isn’t clear why this inflammation occurs but one theory is that tiny tears happen in the tendon from overuse, and in trying to repair this pain and swelling develops, especially where the tendon attaches to the heel bone. Early on in the development of Achilles tendinopathy the pain is often worst in the morning and improves through the day but as it progresses it can be there all the time and interfere with activities including walking. Pain may restrict you completely from exercising, but if you do manage to, you may find that pain is worst when you start, but gradually eases as you pursue your workout. Achilles tendinopathy is more common over the age of 30 and in those who suddenly increase their exercise levels. Other contributors include being very overweight (obese) or a lack of strength or flexibility in your leg muscles. Occasionally, the tendon may actually rupture. If you are unsure if you have ruptured your Achilles, have a read through our article.

The term ‘tennis elbow’ is more correctly known as lateral epicondylitis and is a painful condition affecting the outside part of the elbow. The lateral epicondyle is the bony prominence at the outer part of base of the humerus or upper arm bone. A similar condition affects the medial epicondyle (the bony prominence at the inner part of the elbow) and is usually called 'golfer's elbow'. What causes tennis elbow? This is all because of our anatomy. The muscles that straighten out our wrist and fingers anchor onto a small bone at the outer side of the elbow. Repetitive movement under tension of these muscles can irritate the sheath these muscles are contained within and also cause tiny tears of the muscle too. The subsequent irritation and inflammation then causes all the symptoms and these symptoms are probably related to the poor healing process rather than to any original injury. Who gets tennis and golfer's elbow? Any sport, hobby or work activity in which repetitive arm movement, a type of RSI and muscle overstraining are involved can cause it, with the highest risk involving using a bent elbow while holding a racquet or tool. It also affects people more frequently over the age of 35 and both men and women are affected equally. It is uncommon in people under 30, probably because the healing ability of the tissues is better below that age. How do I know I have tennis elbow? It usually starts with discomfort on the outer part of the elbow that gradually increases with movement. Pressing on this part is painful as is bending the wrist upwards against pressure. The wrist may feel weak so picking up everyday objects such as books or pans may become difficult. Eventually, the pain travels all along the upper arm and outer part of the forearm and it may get so painful that the arm is held close to the body to prevent it hurting. There is usually tenderness over the lateral epicondyle in tennis elbow, and over the medial epicondyle in golfer's elbow.

Tendonitis is a common painful condition that can affect tendons around a joint. In most cases, tendonitis is a self-limiting condition and will improve after a period of activity limitation. Tendonitis was previously believed to be a condition of inflammation within a tendon. However, it is now understood that tendonitis does not involve inflammation and instead represents multiple micro-tears accumulating and the tendon generating a healing response. Most cases of tendonitis are caused by a sudden change or increase in your activity levels.

Subacromial impingement (also known as shoulder impingement syndrome) is a condition characterised by painful movement of the shoulder. Pain often occurs when moving the shoulder and arm in specific directions and can be associated with weakness. Subacromial impingement is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain. It most commonly affects people aged 30-70 and around one in five people will experience symptoms of subacromial impingement at some time in their lives. Subacromial impingement tends to cause pain that can be felt at the top of the shoulder and can spread down the arm towards the elbow, pain worse when lifting your arm to side and above your head, weakness when lifting your arm to the side.

Septic arthritis is an infection in a joint that always needs to be identified and treated as soon as possible to avoid irreversible joint damage and further risk to your health from sepsis. If you are concerned you have septic arthritis you should seek urgent medical attention.* Septic arthritis is a significant problem, but if treated early and the infection is cleared, you should be able to avoid any long-term problems to the joint or to your general health. Many different infections can cause septic arthritis, but the most common is Staphylococcus aureus. Although anyone can develop septic arthritis at any age, it is most common in very young children.

Sciatica is a broad term used to describe symptoms caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve or its contributing nerve branches. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve present at the back of the leg - it passes the lower back, down the hamstrings and the outside of the lower leg to the foot. It controls the muscles at the back of the thigh, all muscles below the knee and it provides sensation to the skin of most of the leg. Sciatica is characterised by a sensation of pain, tingling, or burning passing along the course of the nerve, extending from the lower back down into the leg. The specific location of the pain or altered sensation is dependent upon the nerves that are irritated or compressed. Sciatica is often associated with low back pain. The most common cause of sciatica is from a prolapsed intervertebral disc. Here a part of the fluid-filled centre of the intervertebral discs (the discs which separate each of the spinal column bones) is allowed to leak out through a tear in the outer disc layer. This prolapse, or disc bulge, causes direct compression or irritation of a nerve which causes the symptoms of sciatica.

Runner’s knee is a condition characterised by a dull, aching pain felt around or under the knee cap at the front of the knee. The pain is typically worse during or after physical activity such as running or jumping, when walking up or downstairs and when sitting for long periods. Runner’s knee is very common and, as the name suggests, most often affects runners or those who perform regular exercises involving running or jumping.

A rotator cuff tear refers to a tear of one of the tendons of the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder are a set of tendons responsible for the movement of the shoulder in different directions. A rotator cuff tear is a common cause of shoulder pain and is typically associated with weakness in certain shoulder movements. Rotator cuff tears are a common cause of shoulder pain and become more common with increasing age. Rotator cuff tears in younger people are most likely the result of a specific injury, whereas rotator cuff tears in older people are typically the result of longstanding tendon degeneration.

Arthritis is inflammation of the joints, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of arthritis that is a long-term autoimmune disease leading to chronic pain, stiffness, and swelling of the small joints of your body such as the wrists, hands, and feet. It can also cause more generalised symptoms like tiredness and affect other organs in the body. It is a relatively common type of arthritis, affecting about 1 in 100 of the population at some time. Although it can develop at any age, it most usually occurs between the ages of 30 and 50, being three times more common in women than men.

Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is very common and is when repetitive movement causes pain due to overuse or strain of muscles, ligaments, or tendons. The symptoms can range from pain and aching to numbness or tingling and they tend to start and are made worse by doing repetitive movement. It can occur in the areas around different joints or muscles in the body switch the most common areas being the hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders, and neck. Along with repetitive movements, stress, vibrating work tools, and cold weather can also increase your risk of developing RSI. Common reasons for developing RSI are doing repetitive tasks at work, using a computer or mouse, gaming, sportspeople, wheelchair users, and musicians. However, not everyone in these categories develops RSI.

Reactive arthritis is a reaction that occurs in your body, usually after you’ve had some sort of infection. It causes an arthritis\-type response in your joints with symptoms of swelling, redness, and inflammation. Commonly it affects the joints of the lower legs including the knees and hips, but it can also affect any joint. In the majority of cases, there are no long-term complications, although it can take a few months to clear up properly.