Please note:
We will be closed from the 21st of December 2023 to the 8th of January 2024.
Helene will not be taking on any new patients until the 8th of January 2024, however San-Mari will be available for new patients during this period.
Special interest: foot and ankle therapy
Helene practices physiotherapy from her home in Rosebank, Cape Town, where she focuses on complex foot and ankle cases. She treats most injuries and chronic conditions. Her special interest is the rehabilitation of trauma and cases that required surgery. Having said that, overuse injuries and chronic painful feet are equally challenging to the patient as these injuries have a severe impact on the quality of their life.
An expert in her field, Helene also presents online courses to other professionals while continuing to increase her own knowledge by attending online webinars and conferences on her favourite joint – the ankle!
Fill out an easy booking form to see Helene
Your questions answered
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY ANKLE SPRAIN IS NOT A FRACTURE?
Can you take weight on that ankle at all? Even if you limp heavily, but you can take weight, i.e., walk home to your car, continue the run/tennis match, it is quite unlikely to be a fracture. Secondly, the pain is located to quite specific regions. The Ottawa Ankle Rules are extremely specific and if we really apply these rules, we will most likely not miss fractures.
Learn more here.
SO, IS AN ANKLE SPRAIN A “BIG DEAL”?
A sprain is damage to a ligament, a tough, fibrous piece of collagen that connects bones to each other. Sprains are categorised by their degree of seriousness. Mild sprains – you might have a little bit of swelling, it will be sore if you run, but you actually can walk just fine – just gingerly. Moderate sprains or grade II sprains are more painful as it involves partial tears to the ligaments and some possible bruising to the cartilage of the ankle. It is usually very swollen and painful to walk on. Grade III implies severe pain and swelling, and you will most likely not be able to bear weight. In fact, these are the patients that require an x-ray to rule out a fracture.
Learn more here.
