Thank you for the question and the photo. May I ask, how did the abscess come on? When treated, did they take any swabs or treat with anti-biotic? If you have concerns about healing then it’s certainly worth speaking to your medical/surgical team as Dr Paul has suggested. Equally, if pain is an issue, Dr Sean’s suggestion of Dermatix would be worth a try. In terms of exercise, my suggestion would be to start with non-impact/non weight-bearing exercise, such as cycling. Swimming might not be a good idea with a healing wound.

Pain at the front of the knee is often due to problems from the kneecap (i. e. patellofemoral joint). This can be due to a number of causes. In young females, the most common causes are: Patellofemoral pain syndrome Chondromalacia patella 1. Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome Patellofemoral pain syndrome occurs when nerves sense pain and inflammation in the soft tissues and bone around the kneecap. In some cases it can be caused by a sudden change in physical activity, improper sports technique or Changes in footwear or playing surface.

It sounds like you want to go back to running – is this correct? I agree with my colleagues that the mainstay of treatment for this is physiotherapy or perhaps a surgery. This is of course depending on the cause of impingement, which by what you have written, doesn’t seem to have been identified? Thus it leads me to ask what IS the cause? As Dr Alan has written, there can be many different aetiologies (causes) from an anatomical perspective, but in your case could it be more functional? If so, another thing to consider is your gait, running pattern and footwear choices.

Thank you for your question. This is certainly one where consultation from an Orthopaedic surgeon with experience in arthroplasty is necessary - in terms of the knee itself. Perhaps you could share why a repeat operation was required and how long ago it was undertaken? From a pain perspective, is she taking regular analgesia for the symptoms and did she undergo rehabilitation post-operatively? This might improve her strength and ability to mobilise. From a weight perspective, has she consulted a dietician to look at her intake?

Thank you for your email. From my understanding, you had a knee effusion after playing Squash? Having an effusion after an intense sporting activity is not normal. Having some knee pain is. If you do have a knee effusion, I think the most pertinent thing to do is to find out the cause of the effusion. This cause would also be the reason why you still have some knee pain now. There are many potential causes, such as cartilage injury or a meniscus injury. If your knee is still causing you problems, I would strongly recommend that you get your knee checked by an Orthopaedic surgeon.

Thank you for your question – another really good one on this forum. Dr Alan has given you an excellent summary of the treatment option and I would only add that what you plan to do really impacts on your treatment decision. If you are keen to return to a twisting/turning sport, then an ACL repair should be considered. But if running and cycling are your main areas of interest, then it is not desperately necessary and seeing a physiotherapist to build up muscle after the injury might be the way forward.

Sorry to hear about your foot. Yes, long haul flights and bone fractures are both risk factors for blood clots, amongst other factors. You should take the necessary precautions against developing clots if you do decide to travel. Overall however, the likelihood of developing a clot, in the absence of any other significant risk factors is likely to be low. Having said that, you should definitely direct this line of questioning to the doctor looking after you, especially with regards to healing and weight bearing.

Thanks for getting in touch! I think my colleagues have given you excellent answers, and there is plenty to work off at present. When I read about your dad’s case, there are some things that come to mind. Firstly, how long ago did he injure (if indeed he did) his knee? If it’s not in the too distant past, then most polyclinic doctors should be able to access the scan report (via the national electronic health database) and advise you on the nature of the injury. This in turn may prompt you both to take up a particular course of treatment.

I’m sorry to hear about your pain. For an active sportsman, that certainly can be quite distressing. I don’t think you have dislocated as that will really really be painful and will be hard to walk. But popping sounds can be a sign of other illnesses, perhaps you might want to see a doctor to get it properly diagnosed, there are some “childhood” diseases that can predispose patients to hip injuries.

That’s a very astute observation by your yoga instructor. People with joint hypermobility have an unusually large range of movement in their joints, and are able to move their limbs into positions others find impossible. First things first, it’s still important to visit a doctor – it’s most likely nothing, but it’s important to see a doctor as hypermobile joints can be a sign of other types of syndromes, such as Ehler-Damlos or Marfan’s syndrome (both quite rare amongst Asians), or slightly more commonly, joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS).

Age is just a number, if your mom has been taking care of herself well. The average life span for a Singaporean woman is now 86 years old, according to the Singapore Census 2010. I’ve known patients who are not even 40 years old, and have lost 3 limbs (both legs and right hand) due to poorly controlled diabetes. There are also many patients who are barely 40+ years old, but failed to take care of themselves. Consequently, they suffered from kidney failures, strokes and heart attacks. This is the concept of physiological age, when your body is being kept at a optimal condition.

Thanks you for your question and although you can bear the pain, I can understand your concern. As Dr Sean has mentioned, there can be many different causes for knee pain and further information is needed to advise you more specifically. Things to consider are: 1. How long the pain has been troubling you? 2. Where in the knee is the pain? 3. How soon after running does it come on? 4. How long does the pain last for? 5.

Sorry to hear about your injury - sounds like it was quite painful, but the good news is that you did not have an nerve/neurological symptoms. I had a similar experience not to long ago following a collision while riding; I developed quite significant neck pain particularly with movement but again there were no neurological symptoms. In my case it took a couple of weeks to settle. There are a couple of key things to do with this: 1.

Thank you for the question, and its certainly one that many people do ask! Firstly, do you have any injuries currently? Flat feet or low arches are common around the world and particularly so here in South East Asia. In itself it is not a problem, although people commonly describe it as the root cause of all running problems. Usually, issues arise (amongst others) from: 1. Your training volume 2. Insufficient recovery 3. Strength deficiencies 4. Metabolic issues 5.

thank you for your question. Although arthritis might be a cause of your symptoms, there are other conditions that can account for your symptoms such as a simple sprain of the joints of the fingers (from your exercise, from using computers etc). Furthermore, there are many subclasses of arthritis (rheumatoid, osteoarthritis, gouty arthritis etc) and many conditions that can cause arthritis as part of the disease process including SLE. It will be difficult to diagnose based on your submitted history, as a more elaborate history and physical examination may be required.