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.

Your best bet would be to seek out a Sport Medicine doctor in Singapore, who are able to advice you on nutrition, weight loss and exercise, as well as to link you up with a dietitian if necessary. Even though I’m partial towards low carbs/high protein myself, I can’t advocate a diet that’s high in fat (nor would most other doctors) due to the associated heart disease risks. It’s important to seek out a doctor regarding your new heart palpitations to determine the cause, as an ECG is an simple test that can help your doctor screen for and rule out insidious conditions.

I can completely understand your disappointment at being told to cut back on sports, being an avid sports person myself. I shall attempt to break down and explain the situation for you: 1. The evidence about whether IgA nephropathy patients should completely avoid strenuous exercise is equivocal, to my knowledge. Data has shown that even though significantly increased levels of proteinuria are noted after intense exercise (maximal treadmill Bruce test), this lasts for less than 120 minutes.

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.

Thanks for your question – a problem I am sure many people face, particularly if they have specific strength and fitness goals. Firstly it’s great news that you have managed to gain the 10kg – well done! Was that through simply exercising or diet changes too? When you went for health screening did they check for the following: 1. Thyroid disease 2. Bowel disease 3. Malabsorption 4. Metabolic conditions You see there are many things that can cause trouble with weight gain, and if these haven’t been ruled out, your aims might be hard to achieve.

Thanks for the question. Certainly diet plays a significant role in weight management or reduction. Essentially, it’s a matter of balance. If you put more calories in than you expend, you will be in a positive balance and hence this is stored by the body for a rainy day. In the past, when your ancestors had a less predictable supply of food, it meant that over the good times, they stored fat and in harder times, our body used these fat stores. Interestingly, ketones are a byproduct of fat breakdown and also a metabolite for the brain.

Hello, sorry to hear about your problems. Hypermobile joints have a range of movement which exceeds the normal range, usually due to laxity of the surrounding ligaments. This determined by the content of various proteins such as collagen and elastin. Rarely there may be an underlying genetic disorder such as Ehlers Danlos syndrome or Marfan’s syndrome. These conditions may be associated with blood vessel problems – if you have concerns it may be worth seeing a geneticist in Singapore for screening. Hypermobility may be beneficial for certain sports e. g.

You have 2 sesamoid bones in your foot. These are small pieces of bone embedded in tendon, and they function like pulleys (kinda similar to your kneecap) for your big toe joint, by providing a smooth surface over which the tendons slide. Your sesamoids help to absorb the weight placed on the ball of the foot when walking, running and jumping. Complete recovery after sesamoidectomy is known to be quite variable – ranging from months to a year.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) provides stability to prevent the shin bone (tibia) sliding forwards and rotating in relation to the thigh bone (femur). Patients with a complete ACL tear may find that they are unable to play sports where they need to turn, sidestep or pivot rapidly e. g. soccer, basketball, because their knee keeps ‘giving way’. Everyone reacts differently to an ACL injury, and your friend may not have had exactly the same injury, activity level and symptoms that you have.

Thanks for your question – another great one! I often am asked by people whether running is bad for you and my general response is the same – no! Running is a natural process and if you look at children, it is one of the most joyous activities that one can do – for free! It's not something that I enjoy particularly, but in the not too distant past, I did my fair share. The main issue with running is that many of us don’t do it regularly and then on a whim or for a challenge, we decide that that is the way we are going to “get fit again” – wrong.

Sorry to hear about your unlucky situation with the army. Anterior ankle impingement is due to inflammation and scar tissue forming in the front part of your ankle joint, limiting range of motion and causing pain, just as you’ve described. It’s attributed to repeated strain of the front portion of your ankle joint. It sounds like your doctor has taken the right steps with an MRI given the length of pain – it’s good news that there’re no bony spurs or visible deformities.

Thanks for posting your question – it’s a really interesting one and something I am sure that is shared by many others. As Dr Sean has mentioned, flat feet are common, but they should not necessarily be regarded as a “problem” per se. If you look at most Asian patients, low arches are the norm. There is often a line of thought that flat feet are the root of all pain and injuries. In fact, pain can be attributed to different factors such as: Your chosen activity Your training load Overall strength Whether any equipment you are using is appropriate for you.

Ditto to what Dr Ethan has mentioned - bulk building does require a conscientious effort. Other than avoiding the diet and progressive weight training that has been mentioned, you might want to read up on the various types of weight training routines you could partake in; lower weight, high repetition routines combined with cardiovascular exercise during the same session optimises your workouts. Strengthening core muscles promotes stability and good physique overall, just ensure you perform them with good form to keep any unnecessary musculoskeletal injuries at bay.

Interesting observation by your friend and good of them to bring it up for you. Sometimes these things can be difficult to discuss especially if it raises the question of injury or health concerns. As mentioned, bowing of the legs is unusual from the activities that you mention. That said, as a caveat, I have noted that people who have played soccer for a number of years can sometimes develop this phenomenon. This is likely to be due to the repeated striking of the ball using the inside of their foot causing tightness of muscles over the inside of the leg and slight bowing of the legs.

Thank you for your question – I fully empathise with you symptoms as it’s a very common. As Dr Alan has mentioned, there can be many causes for anterior (at the front) knee pain. Rather than go through the causes again, perhaps I could suggest a few simple things to try out when managing your symptoms. Firstly, stretching; often, we tend to develop tight muscles in the front of our legs (commonly called quads and hip flexors) – when these are tight, it might be pulling he knee cap more tightly into the thigh bone.