Common Injuries and Conditions We Treat
We’ve outlined some of the most common injuries we see regularly in physiotherapy.
At Trilogy Physiotherapy, we assess and treat a wide range of injuries, pain conditions and rehabilitation needs.
Some problems begin suddenly after an injury, while others develop gradually through sport, work, exercise, changes in activity or everyday life.
You also do not need to know exactly what is causing your symptoms before booking an appointment.
Your physiotherapist will take the time to understand what has been happening, what your symptoms are preventing you from doing and what you would like to get back to. Depending on your presentation, we may assess your movement, strength, mobility, balance, neurological symptoms and functional activities.
From there, we can explain our findings and develop an individual treatment and rehabilitation plan.
Below are some of the common injuries and conditions we regularly see at our Sinnamon Park clinic. This is not an exhaustive list, so if your condition is not listed, contact our team and we can help determine whether physiotherapy is appropriate for you.
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Shoulder Pain
The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body and is involved in everything from getting dressed and reaching overhead to lifting weights, working and playing sport.
Shoulder pain can develop after an injury or gradually over time.
Some of the shoulder conditions and presentations we commonly assess include:
• Rotator cuff related shoulder pain
• Rotator cuff tendinopathy
• Rotator cuff tears
• Shoulder bursitis
• Subacromial pain
• Frozen shoulder
• Shoulder instability
• Shoulder dislocations
• AC joint injuries
• Biceps tendon related pain
• Gym and sporting shoulder injuries
• Post surgical shoulder rehabilitation
Shoulder pain does not always mean that something is torn or seriously damaged.
During your assessment, your physiotherapist may look at your shoulder movement, rotator cuff strength, shoulder blade function and the specific activities that reproduce your symptoms. We may also assess your neck and upper back where these areas appear relevant.
Treatment depends on the individual and may include education, temporary modification of aggravating activities, hands on treatment where appropriate, mobility exercises and progressive strengthening.
For people returning to sport, work or gym training, rehabilitation can be progressed beyond basic exercises to prepare the shoulder for the loads it needs to tolerate.
Our dedicated rehabilitation gym and objective strength testing equipment can also be used where appropriate to help guide progression.
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Arthritis
Arthritis is a broad term covering a number of conditions that affect joints.
Two of the better known forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, although they are different conditions and require different approaches to management.
Osteoarthritis commonly affects joints such as the knees, hips, hands and spine and may cause:
• Joint pain
• Stiffness
• Reduced movement
• Difficulty walking or using stairs
• Reduced strength
• Difficulty completing everyday activities
Having osteoarthritis does not mean that you need to stop exercising or avoid using the affected joint.
Exercise is an important part of managing knee and hip osteoarthritis and may help improve strength, function, walking capacity and confidence with physical activity.
At Trilogy Physiotherapy, we can assess how your symptoms are affecting your movement and function and develop an exercise program around your individual needs and goals.
This might include strengthening, mobility work, balance exercises, general conditioning and gradually building your tolerance for activities such as walking, stairs, work, gym training or sport.
Other forms of arthritis, including inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, may require ongoing medical management. Physiotherapy can form part of a broader treatment plan where appropriate.
Our aim is to help you maintain as much movement, strength, independence and physical activity as possible.
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Back Pain
Lower back pain is extremely common and can affect people of all ages and activity levels.
Back pain may begin after lifting, sport, gym training or an unexpected movement. It can also develop gradually or sometimes occur without one obvious event.
We commonly assess people experiencing:
• Acute lower back pain
• Persistent or recurring back pain
• Sciatica
• Lumbar radiculopathy
• Disc related back pain
• Sacroiliac region pain
• Thoracic and mid back pain
• Work related back pain
• Gym and lifting related back pain
• Back pain associated with prolonged sitting or activity
Back pain is not always explained by one structure or one scan finding.
Your physiotherapist will listen to how your symptoms started and assess the areas relevant to your presentation. This may include spinal movement, strength, neurological testing, walking, lifting or other activities that reproduce your symptoms.
Treatment will depend on the individual.
For many people, rehabilitation involves education, gradually restoring normal movement and activity, progressive strengthening and developing confidence with the movements that have become difficult.
Hands on treatment may also be used where appropriate to help with symptoms or movement, but our goal is to give you more than temporary relief.
We want you to understand your condition and have a clear plan for getting back to work, exercise, sport and everyday life.
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Tendon Injuries
Tendon pain is common in athletes, runners, gym members, active adults and people whose work places repeated demands on a particular area.
Tendinopathy is a term used to describe tendon pain and reduced function. It is more complex than simply being an inflammatory condition.
Common tendon problems include:
• Achilles tendinopathy
• Patellar tendinopathy
• Rotator cuff tendinopathy
• Tennis elbow
• Golfer’s elbow
• Gluteal tendinopathy
• Proximal hamstring tendinopathy
• Tendon related wrist and thumb pain
Tendon pain can sometimes develop after a sudden increase in activity or training, but there are often several contributing factors.
Symptoms are commonly aggravated when the tendon is asked to tolerate more load than it currently has the capacity to manage.
For this reason, completely resting the tendon until all symptoms disappear is not always the best long term solution.
Physiotherapy rehabilitation generally involves understanding which activities are aggravating the tendon, temporarily modifying load where necessary and then progressively rebuilding strength and tendon capacity.
Your program might involve resistance exercise, functional strengthening, running or jumping progression depending on the tendon involved and your goals.
For someone returning to sport, rehabilitation should eventually prepare the tendon for the actual demands of running, jumping, sprinting or changing direction rather than stopping once everyday activities become comfortable.
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Knee Pain
Knee pain can affect people of all ages, from children and athletes through to adults managing osteoarthritis or recovering from surgery.
Symptoms may begin after a specific injury or develop gradually with running, sport, gym training, work or everyday activity.
Common knee conditions and presentations we assess include:
• ACL injuries
• PCL and MCL injuries
• Meniscus injuries
• Patellar tendinopathy
• Knee osteoarthritis
• Patellar instability
• Running related knee pain
• Gym related knee pain
• Osgood Schlatter disease
• Post surgical knee rehabilitation
During your assessment, your physiotherapist may look at knee movement, swelling, quadriceps and hamstring strength, hip strength and the activities that reproduce your symptoms.
Depending on your goals, this may include squatting, stairs, running, jumping, landing or changing direction.
Where appropriate, we can also use objective strength and performance testing to help monitor rehabilitation progress and guide progression towards higher level activity or sport.
Treatment may include education, activity modification, progressive strengthening and functional rehabilitation based on what you need your knee to do.
Our aim is not simply to settle knee pain, but to help you rebuild the strength, confidence and physical capacity required for work, exercise, sport and everyday life.
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Patellofemoral pain commonly causes discomfort around or behind the kneecap.
It can affect adolescents, runners, athletes, gym members and people who have recently changed their activity levels.
Symptoms are often aggravated by activities such as:
• Squatting
• Lunging
• Running
• Jumping
• Walking up or down stairs
• Getting up from a chair
• Sitting with the knee bent for extended periods
Some people may also notice clicking, grinding or other noises around the knee. These noises do not automatically mean that the knee is being damaged.
Patellofemoral pain is usually influenced by a combination of factors rather than simply being caused by the kneecap rubbing incorrectly.
During your assessment, your physiotherapist may look at knee and hip strength, lower limb movement, ankle mobility, training load and the activities that reproduce your symptoms.
For runners or athletes, we may also assess running, jumping or other sport specific movements where appropriate.
Exercise rehabilitation is an important part of treatment and commonly includes progressive strengthening of the knee and hip muscles.
We can also help you manage your current activity levels so that you can continue doing as much as possible while gradually building the capacity of your knee.
The goal is not simply to settle the pain, but to help you return confidently to stairs, running, gym training, sport and everyday activity.
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Hip and Groin Pain
Hip and groin pain can affect walking, sleeping, running, gym training and sport.
Symptoms may develop gradually over time or occur following a sudden change in movement, training or sporting activity.
Common hip and groin presentations we assess include:
• Greater trochanteric pain syndrome
• Gluteal tendinopathy
• Hip osteoarthritis
• Hip impingement related presentations
• Hip labral related presentations
• Hip flexor injuries
• Adductor and groin strains
• Osteitis pubis related presentations
• Running related hip pain
• Proximal hamstring tendinopathy
• Post surgical hip rehabilitation
Your physiotherapist may assess hip movement, strength, single leg control and the activities that are important to you.
For runners and athletes, this may also include running, jumping, change of direction or other sport specific movements where appropriate.
Treatment depends on the individual and may include education, temporary modification of aggravating activities, progressive strengthening and a graded return to normal activity.
For many hip and groin problems, gradually rebuilding strength and physical capacity is an important part of long term rehabilitation.
Ankle Sprain
A rolled or sprained ankle is one of the most common lower limb injuries.
An ankle sprain occurs when one or more of the ligaments around the ankle are injured, commonly when the foot suddenly rolls underneath the body.
Symptoms can include:
• Pain
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Reduced ankle movement
• Difficulty walking
• Difficulty putting weight through the leg
• A feeling that the ankle is unstable
Ankle sprains can range from relatively mild injuries through to more significant ligament injuries.
The first step is determining the severity of the injury and whether further medical assessment or imaging may be appropriate.
Early management will depend on the severity of the sprain. Appropriate support, symptom management and progressively restoring comfortable weight bearing and movement may form part of the initial rehabilitation process.
As symptoms improve, rehabilitation should progress beyond simply waiting for the swelling to disappear.
This may include:
• Restoring ankle movement
• Calf and lower leg strengthening
• Balance and proprioception exercises
• Single leg control
• Running progression
• Hopping and jumping
• Landing exercises
• Change of direction work for athletes
This is particularly important if you have rolled the same ankle several times.
Repeated ankle sprains can contribute to ongoing instability, reduced balance and a feeling that the ankle keeps giving way.
Our aim is to restore the strength, balance and physical capacity required for your everyday activities or sport and reduce the likelihood of the ankle continuing to cause problems.
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Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is one of the conditions associated with plantar heel pain.
The plantar fascia is a strong band of connective tissue that runs along the underside of the foot and helps support the foot during standing, walking and running.
Typical symptoms can include pain around the underside or inside of the heel.
Pain is often noticeable:
• During the first few steps after getting out of bed
• When walking after sitting for a period of time
• Following prolonged standing
• During or after increases in walking or running
• After changes in physical activity
Heel pain can have a number of possible causes, so not every painful heel is automatically plantar fasciitis.
Your physiotherapist may assess your symptoms, ankle movement, calf and foot strength, walking or running demands and any recent changes in exercise or activity.
Treatment depends on the individual but may include:
• Plantar fascia specific stretching
• Calf flexibility exercises
• Foot and ankle strengthening
• Progressive calf strengthening
• Activity and training load modification
• Taping where appropriate
• Footwear advice
The aim is not simply to settle irritation around the heel but to gradually increase the capacity of the foot and lower leg to tolerate the activities that are important to you.
Where we believe additional foot assessment or orthotic management may be helpful, we can also work alongside local podiatrists and other health professionals.
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Elbow, Wrist and Hand Pain
Elbow, wrist and hand problems are common in office workers, tradespeople, gym users, racquet sport athletes and people performing repetitive tasks.
Symptoms can affect gripping, typing, lifting, carrying, exercising and everyday activities.
Conditions and presentations we may assess include:
• Tennis elbow
• Golfer’s elbow
• Wrist sprains
• De Quervain’s related thumb and wrist pain
• Carpal tunnel related symptoms
• Tendon related wrist and hand pain
• Sporting injuries
• Rehabilitation following fractures
• Post surgical rehabilitation
Your physiotherapist will consider the painful area as well as your strength, movement, work demands, sporting activity and the tasks that reproduce your symptoms.
For tendon related conditions such as tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow, rehabilitation commonly involves gradually rebuilding the strength and capacity of the forearm and upper limb.
Symptoms such as numbness, tingling or weakness in the hand can have several possible causes, including problems involving the wrist, elbow or neck.
Where appropriate, your physiotherapist can assess whether further medical investigation or referral may be required.
Neck Pain
Neck pain can affect sleeping, driving, working, exercising and normal everyday movement.
Some people wake with a suddenly stiff and painful neck, while others develop symptoms progressively over time.
Common presentations include:
• Acute neck pain
• Neck stiffness
• Acute wry neck
• Persistent or recurring neck pain
• Cervical radiculopathy
• Arm pain associated with the neck
• Whiplash related symptoms
• Work and desk related neck pain
• Sporting neck injuries
• Headaches associated with neck dysfunction
Your physiotherapist will first listen to how your symptoms started, where you feel them and what movements or activities are difficult.
Assessment may include neck movement, strength, neurological testing where appropriate, upper back movement and the activities or positions that reproduce your symptoms.
It is particularly important to appropriately assess people experiencing pain, numbness, tingling or weakness extending into the arm or hand.
Treatment will depend on what we find and your individual goals.
This may include education, mobility exercises, progressive strengthening, strategies around work or activity and hands on treatment where appropriate.
Some headache presentations can also have a musculoskeletal component, particularly when headaches occur alongside neck pain, stiffness or symptoms influenced by neck movement.
Because headaches and neck pain can have many different causes, your physiotherapist will also identify when further medical assessment may be appropriate.
Our aim is to help you restore comfortable movement, improve your capacity and give you strategies to better manage your neck beyond the treatment room.
BOOK NOW for an appointment today and let us help you get back to having a pain-free neck!
Headaches, Jaw Pain and Dizziness
Headaches, jaw symptoms and dizziness can have many different causes, so appropriate assessment is important.
Physiotherapy may be helpful for selected presentations where musculoskeletal or vestibular factors appear relevant.
Headaches Associated With the Neck
Some headaches can occur alongside neck pain, stiffness or symptoms influenced by neck movement or prolonged positions.
These are sometimes referred to as cervicogenic headaches.
Your physiotherapist may assess neck movement, strength, muscular factors and whether your symptoms appear to have a musculoskeletal component.
Because headaches can have many causes, we will also consider whether further medical assessment may be appropriate.
TMJ and Jaw Pain
The temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, connects the jaw to the skull.
Temporomandibular disorders may cause:
• Jaw pain
• Clicking or popping
• Jaw stiffness
• Difficulty opening the mouth
• Pain while chewing
• Facial or muscular discomfort
• Symptoms associated with clenching or grinding
Physiotherapy may assist selected TMJ presentations through assessment of jaw movement, surrounding muscles and relevant neck function.
Treatment may include education, movement exercises, strategies to improve jaw control and hands on treatment where appropriate.
Dizziness and Vertigo
Some causes of dizziness and vertigo are related to the vestibular system within the inner ear.
Conditions we assess include:
• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, or BPPV
• Vestibular dysfunction
• Dizziness associated with certain head movements
• Balance difficulties
• Falls risk
BPPV commonly causes brief episodes of vertigo with particular changes in head position.
A physiotherapist trained in vestibular rehabilitation can perform specific assessment procedures and, where appropriate, use repositioning manoeuvres to treat BPPV.
Not all dizziness is caused by the inner ear, so appropriate screening and referral are important parts of assessment.
We provide trusted physiotherapy care for all ages in Sinnamon Park, Brisbane.
Trilogy Physiotherapy leverages evidence based therapy combined with innovative problem solving techniques - helping you get back to enjoying life, sooner!
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