Conditions Library

Common neck pain and stiffness at the back and side of the neck without a single identifiable cause.

Muscle and ligament injury from rapid neck flexion–extension, e.g. a rear-end collision.

Age-related changes in the neck joints and discs that may cause stiffness and pain.

Nerve-root irritation in the neck causing sharp neck pain with symptoms travelling down the arm.

Irritation of nerves (and sometimes vessels) between the neck and armpit causing arm symptoms.

Headache referred from the upper neck, often one-sided, starting at the back of the head.

Pain and dysfunction of the jaw joint and chewing muscles.

Four small muscles—the rotator cuff—hold the ball of the shoulder in its socket and turn the arm.

"Impingement" is now called subacromial pain syndrome: the tissues under the bony roof of the shoulder (the acromion) become sensitive—the supraspinatus tendon, the long biceps tendon and a fluid sac called the bursa.

Shoulder bursitis is listed among the conditions treated by the Shoulder Pain protocol.

The labrum is a rim of cartilage that deepens the shoulder socket.

The capsule around the shoulder joint tightens, causing growing stiffness and pain.

The long tendon of the biceps runs up the front of the upper arm and attaches at the top of the shoulder socket.

Wrist-extensor tendon pain on the outside of the elbow.

Wrist-flexor tendon pain on the inside of the elbow.

Pain at the triceps tendon on the back of the elbow.

Ligament injury of the wrist, often from falling onto an outstretched hand.

Irritation of two thumb tendons on the thumb side of the wrist.

Median-nerve irritation at the wrist causing numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, middle and half the ring finger.

Low back pain without a single identifiable structural cause—the large majority of back pain.

Strain of the back muscles, often from lifting.

Irritation of the small joints at the back of the spine.

A stress fracture of part of a vertebra, sometimes with forward slipping.

Pain from the joint between the spine and pelvis, usually one-sided.

Lumbar nerve irritation with symptoms into the buttock and down the leg.

A disc bulge or herniation in the low back, often with leg symptoms.

Narrowing around lumbar nerves causing leg symptoms with standing or walking, eased by bending forward.

A disc problem in the mid-back producing local or wrap-around pain.

Rib sprains, fractures or subluxations causing pain with breathing and twisting.

Bony shape of the hip joint causing pinching pain at the front of the hip and groin in deep flexion.

Tear of the hip socket's cartilage rim with sharp groin or front-of-hip pain.

Age-related cartilage changes in the hip with stiffness and groin pain.

Gluteal tendon and bursa pain on the outside of the hip.

Irritation of the sciatic nerve deep in the buttock.

Strain or tendon irritation of the muscles that lift the thigh.

Tear of hamstring muscle fibres, typically while sprinting.

Hamstring tendon pain at the sit bone, worse sitting and stretching.

Strain of the inner-thigh muscles from kicking or rapid direction changes.

Pain around or behind the kneecap, typically with stairs, squats and prolonged sitting.

Pain on the outside of the thigh just above the knee, common in runners and cyclists.

Tear of the knee's shock-absorbing cartilage with catching, locking or giving way.

Sprain or rupture of a knee ligament; a full ACL tear causes the knee to give way.

The kneecap slips out of its groove, usually toward the outside.

Tendon pain just below (or above) the kneecap from jumping and loading.

Cartilage wear inside the knee with pain and stiffness; strength training reduces pain.

Achilles tendon pain from overload; a sudden pop with inability to push off suggests rupture.

Tear of calf muscle fibres, often during push-off.

Irritation of the plantar fascia at the front of the heel—worst with the first steps.

Ligament injury, usually on the outside of the ankle from rolling inward.

Load-related pain along the inner (or outer) shin; must be distinguished from a stress fracture.

A painful bump at the base of the big toe with stiffness and redness.