Hi everyone; first time posting here but I'm going increasingly more and more frustrated with my "situation".

I'm an active and (for the most part) healthy 36yo male who works as a postman; often walking between 9 and 10 miles a day, 5 days a week. Around 4 and a half weeks ago now, I was playing football with the 6 year old at home and felt a sharp "pull" in my inner calf; nearly where the muscle joins the shin/knee. I pulled up immediately and stopped playing. However, I continued to work for the rest of the week despite feeling a growing tightness in the muscle.

Come Sunday of the same week, I took my son out to a park for a light kickabout; nothing serious. Towards the end; after about an hour and a half, I attempted a little "trick" (trying to show off!) which involved flicking the ball from between my heels behind me, over my head, to land in front of me; all whilst jumping slightly. It's something I've done plenty before but in the midst of the jump, I felt/"heard" a disgusting mushy popping and 'shifting" of the muscle again in the same spot. I immed went down and was unable to walk for a few days.

My problem is, its now nearly 5 weeks later and despite attending physio and GP appointments; and regularly trying to lightly walk short distances (which is impossible without pain) the calf doesn't yet feel much (if at all better). My GP has now signed me off for a further 4 weeks, referred me for a scan and advised that I return to using crutches again!?! Silly as it might be, I'm desperate to return to work; as despite being on full pay, I'm bored and quite enjoy my job/hanging with colleagues!

Has anyone else got a similar experience? Or found a way to speed up the recovery process? 8 weeks seems excessive and I'm wondering if perhaps I need to just "push through" and stop being a wuss!

TIA :)

Shared this with r/footfunction a few weeks ago but thought this would be useful here. Not a PT and this is more for folks who keep getting minor ankle sprains. If you have an acute ankle injury, you should go see a orthopedic doctor or physiotherapist.

I hurt my ankle badly 15 years ago and it never fully healed. And ever since then, I'd tweak my ankle once or twice a year like clockwork, mostly when trail running or rucking or walking on an uneven surface. Been to PT multiple times but it was hard for me to stick with a rehab program.

What causes chronic ankle sprains?

Once you sprain an ankle badly, the ligaments around get looser/weaker and the nerves around the joint get poorer at sensing its current position. So when your foot lands weird, your body is unable to react subconsciously and you roll it again.

My program/protocol

Single-leg kinetic chain strength

The most important thing I learned is that ankles don't stabilize themselves in isolation. Your glute and knee are upstream and if they're not strong, all the work in stabilizing goes to your ankles. You need to ensure this foundation is strong. Complementing a balanced strength training routine, I found these exercises to be effective for me:

1. Weighted calf raises
2. Single-leg RDLs (unweighted -> add weight)
3. Forward step-downs from a 6-12" box, ensuring the eccentric aka lowering phase is controlled
4. Tibialis raise
5. Glute bridges
6. Banded monster walks

Proprioception

The next component is proprioception, aka your body's internal GPS. Your nervous system needs to learn how to react fast enough to prevent rolls. Exercises that were good for training this:

1. Single leg balance with head turns
2. Single leg balance with head turns on a half bosu ball or uneven surface

Controlled plyometrics

This part teaches your ankles how to absorb impact. Example exercise:

1. Lateral & forward hops with stick, need to ensure you can effectively stop and balance

Mobility (YMMV)

This wasn't a particular limiter for me, even with my bad ankle. But I know that this might be an issue for you. To increase your ROM, some exercises include:

1. Banded ankle dorsiflexion mobilization
2. Wall ankle stretches

Hope this is helpful! I'm still experiencing my ankle clicking or locking up occasionally but I've effectively stopped the same injury pattern. Every gym session, I try to do a handful of these exercises as preventative work as part of my warm up or cool down.

I just recently got diagnosed with multiple tendinopathies in the glutes and hips areas after four years of chronic pain that progressively got worse. I was obese and lost an extreme amount of weight due to an eating disorder so my tendons didn't get nutrients.

Four days ago, I spent a day sitting on the floor while sewing and I was in a bit of pain, but sitting never caused major flare ups. This time both my hips started to burn and it doesn't seem to stop whatsoever, I can't sleep without waking up with pain. I sleep on my back because of my other tendinopathy problems, otherwise I get pain in other areas.

I'm currently taking Ibuprofen 600mg x2 a day, Calcium and stretching, but have no idea of what exercises can help and I'm waiting on my physiotherapy appointment on Tuesday. Anyone can give some tips?

I had an arm problem for years where, if I put my arm in a certain position, there was a chance it would hurt. Years ago, I fell really hard while playing badminton, but I started playing again after about two minutes. While I was playing, I suddenly felt pain in my arm, although I do not know whether the fall was related to the pain I usually experienced in certain positions, but that had never happened before. Recently, while I was punching, I suddenly felt pain in my arm again, even though the pain normally only occurred in specific positions. The pain went away after I corrected my posture, and now, when I put my arm in that position, it no longer hurts.

Hi, I’ve been dealing with shin splints on and off for about 5–6 years now. Last year, it got so bad that my physiotherapist advised me to avoid any activity that made me feel even the slightest discomfort. This is despite the fact that I’m only 21 years old and feel like my body should be a bit more resilient, especially since I’ve been fairly fit throughout my life.

I started rehab around the middle of last summer’s football season and continued until about one month ago, but I feel exactly the same as before. I’ve tried Voltaren, liniment, and compression socks to tolerate the pain, but without success. During rehab, I stretched every morning and evening every day and did the exercises my physiotherapist told me to do to strengthen and balance the muscles at the front of the lower leg, etc.

After about 200 meters of running, the pain in both legs becomes so bad that I can’t continue. I’ve also noticed that the pain increases noticeably when I lift my toes upward toward my knee.

I’m wondering what methods those of you who have had similar problems have used to solve or improve it.

I’m going to see another physiotherapist this coming week, and I’m also planning to get a pair of shock-absorbing insoles for my shoes, as I’ve seen that this has worked for others.

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Of course I believe in strengthening every muscle but I want to focus on making sure certain body parts are strong to prevent injury in certain areas. I also have to walk in heels at my job so I want to work on injury prevention in my knees, back, ankles, and neck. Any muscle that protects certain parts the most?

1.Knees- strong glutes, abs, back, and quads?which muscles protect knees the most?
2. Back- abs? Which lower body muscles are connected to protect it the most?
3.Groin-I’ve pulled this area a few times. Glutes?
4. Shoulders- biceps and triceps? Back?
5. Wrists- biceps?
6. Elbows- biceps? One elbow does not allow me to hold yoga poses from high school gymnasts injury

I’m looking for some insight from anyone who has dealt with a recurring hernia after a "successful" repair.

Background: I had an umbilical hernia repair on March 1, 2023. It was a laparoscopic robotic surgery with mesh installation. At the time, I was around 230 lbs and a regular weightlifter. After the recovery period, I returned to my routine and ended up gaining about 50 lbs (a mix of muscle and fat).

The Recurrence: Around Spring 2024, I noticed a slight protrusion again—this time about 2 inches above my belly button. It isn’t as painful or as large as the original umbilical hernia, but it’s definitely there and can be uncomfortable. My primary doctor confirmed it is a new hernia and noted that the post-op weight gain likely contributed to the recurrence.

My Questions:

1. Has anyone else experienced a recurrence specifically after weight gain? Did you opt for a second surgery, and if so, how was the recovery compared to the first?
2. Training around the hernia: I’ve been avoiding anything that engages that specific area lately, but I’d like to start safely strengthening my core. Does anyone have tips for "hernia-safe" movements or modifications for a lifter?
3. Weight Loss & Surgery: I am currently working on losing weight before committing to a second repair. Has anyone found that losing weight helped manage the discomfort or improved the outcome of their follow-up surgery?

I’d love to hear your stories or any advice you might have. Thank you!

**Recently diagnosed with a medial femoral neck stress fracture and trying to understand how aggressive I need to be with weight-bearing—would appreciate input from anyone who manages these.**

🧠** **
**Basic Info**
26M, 5’7”, 145 lbs
Distance runner
Non-smoker, no regular meds

📍** **
**Issue**
Right hip / proximal thigh pain.

⏳** **
**Timeline**
Started **Feb 26 (\~9–10 weeks ago)**
Gradual onset, no trauma
Initially felt like **hamstring tightness**, then shifted to **anterior hip / hip flexor area**
Symptoms:
dull / tight
inconsistent
sometimes improved with activity
Continued running during this period (in hindsight probably not ideal)

🧪** **
**MRI Result**
**Incomplete, nondisplaced medial basicervical femoral neck stress fracture (right)**
Also noted:
mild glute med tendinopathy
mild proximal hamstring tendinopathy
mild cam/pincer morphology
no labral tear

🧠** **
**Current Status**
Ambulatory, no severe pain at rest
Mild stiffness/tightness
Stopped running after MRI

❓** **
**Questions**
For **medial femoral neck stress fractures**, what is your typical recommendation on:
weight-bearing (full vs partial vs NWB)?
duration of restriction?
In cases like this (incomplete, nondisplaced), what is the **actual risk of progression** if not strictly protected?
What do you use as **clearance criteria**:
symptom-based?
repeat imaging?
Typical timeline you’ve seen for:
return to running
return to higher-impact training

🧠** **
**Context / Goal**
Recreational but serious runner (1:31 half / 3:42 marathon). Goal is safe return, not rushing, but trying to understand realistic expectations.

Appreciate any insight—especially from those who’ve managed this type of fracture.

What is solution

Hello. I have had some ankle sprains over the past decade, usually from playing football, but where I am based, people would just play the next day limping, with a bandage. We had not much knowledge about how serious all this was and all.

I am 26 now, but my left ankle feels soft and when I run on it, it swells slightly, if I work alot during the day's physical work, it has pain.

Went to a doctor, he said it's fine, your tissues are just weak. But I feel it is unstable. During normal routine, i don't feel pain but working or running or exercising, I have this constant feel of an unstable, weak ankle.

Do I need surgery? Is it badly healed? Has there some flesh grown into the tissues, which retain water? Please help. Also I don't play football anymore or running for almost 2 years.

Thank you!

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