Running Free from Side-Stitches

Runners can prevent side-stitches with two simple adjustments – change their breathing rhythm to exhale on their left footfall and breathe deeply while running. (more…)

Shin Splints from the Periosteum


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Have you had pain in your shin that does not go away with rest? Runners most often complain of shin splints especially those that run often on hard surfaces, a common enough situation here in Singapore. Unlike other injuries where you feel pain at the muscle, ligaments or joints, the pain from shin splints actually come from the bone in most cases; or more accurately, from the periosteum, a thin sheath that covers all bones whose function is to be provide nourishment to the bones. This sheath is rich in nerve endings, so it feels pain. When the periosteum is over-strained and irritated, it gets inflamed causing pain. In the case of shin splints, it is the sheath covering the tibia. (more…)

Lumbar Supports Not Particularly Effective for Low Back Pain

A new systematic review published in the Cochrane Library proved what leading musculoskeletal experts have been saying all along that lumbar or lower back supports — those large belts that people wear around their waists when they lift or carry heavy objects — are not very useful for preventing low back pain,. (more…)

Caffeine in Energy Drinks Related Heart Attacks

In this month’s issue of The American Journal of  Medicine, a case was reported of a 23-year old women with no medical history having heart palpatations and chest tightness shortly after consuming an energy drink as well as a caffeinated soda drink. (more…)

Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome

Tell any long-distance runner or cyclist about your stinging pain at the side of the knee or hip, and you will get a knowing sympathetic look. ITB (Iliotibial band) friction syndrome is one of the commonest complaints amongst runners, cyclists and intense court sports. (more…)

The Myth of Scoliosis Treatments

Scoliosis in Singapore afflicts about 2.22% for girls and 0.66% for boys in the age group of 13 to 14 years old1. Given its dramatic visual, it causes alarm and leads sufferers to seek a wide range of remedies, some with dubious claims. Unfortunately, when these dubious claims are challenged, the remedy provider always seems to be able to trot out a successful patient who swears by it. How do they do it? (more…)

Piriformis Syndrome – Sciatica

It can be a spine tingling sensation when we first experience a pain that shoots from the buttock down to the leg. This sensation is a result of the sciatic nerve being irritated by something. We often hear about herniated discs in the lower back causing 'sciatica', the term given this pain. (more…)

Is Your Game Hamstrung?

Basketball players tend to focus a lot on the quadriceps (muscles in front of the thigh) when doing strength training often neglecting the hamstrings. This severe muscle strength imbalance often leads to hamstring pulls or tears. And just as importantly, players with weak hamstrings also simply don’t play as well as shown in a study of national basketball teams. (more…)

The Buckling Knee

Having a sense of the knee ‘giving way’ or ‘locking’ is a fairly common complaint by athletes who have twisted their knees in sports like basketball, netball, soccer or badminton. The sensation of ‘giving way’ is an indication that you might have torn your Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) while the ‘locking’ sensation is an indication of a possible meniscus tear. (more…)

Sports Taping – Knee

In fast-moving sports where the player has to move quickly and often with fast direction changes makes the game exciting to watch and exhilarating to play. Unfortunately,  it also makes it a high-risk sport for knee injuries. Running with sudden stops, cutting side to side, jumping, and pivoting can injure your knee. Taping up the knee helps reduces the risk of injury. (more…)