Athletic Performance physical therapists in San Francisco, California

Athletic performance guides

• Knee Pain in Badminton: The Lunge-and-Jump Ledger

  Badminton knees live on deep lunges and jump smashes, and they complain in two main ways: patellar tendinopathy (pain at the tendon below the kneecap, loaded by jumping) and patellofemoral pain (a broader ache behind or around the kneecap, loaded by deep knee bends). Both are load-capacity problems that respond to progressive strengthening — not rest, not a strap alone. The exception that needs a physician first: a twist with a pop and swelling within hours.

• Ankle Feels Weak and Unstable? Here's What It Means and What to Do

  An ankle that feels weak, wobbly, or like it might give way usually points to chronic ankle instability — most often the lingering result of one or more sprains that weren't fully rehabbed, leaving the balance and strength systems underdone. It's very treatable: balance and strengthening training is the proven fix and the cornerstone of physical therapy. Restoring control is what stops the cycle of repeat sprains.

• Clicking or Snapping in the Hip? Here's What It Means and What to Do

  Painless clicking or snapping in the hip is usually harmless — most often a tendon gliding over a bony bump (snapping hip). It rarely needs treatment beyond improving hip strength and control. Clicking that comes with pain, catching, or a feeling of locking is more meaningful and may involve the labrum, so it's worth a physical therapy assessment.

• Pes Anserine Bursitis: The Inner-Knee Pain Below the Joint

  Pes anserine bursitis is irritation of a small cushioning sac (and the tendons over it) on the inner shin, two to three inches below the knee joint line. It's common in runners, people with knee arthritis, and middle-aged adults, and it almost always settles with activity changes, stretching, and strengthening — not surgery.