1. Choose the right footwear

The correct footwear can go a long way in protecting your feet and ankles from injury and can even prevent serious accidents such as falls. Every activity places different demands on your body and tailoring your footwear to suit these stressors is a great strategy for preventing injuries.  For example, basketball players often wear shoes with support that extends above the ankles to help protect against ankle sprains, while hikers require thick and supportive soles to cushion and protect their feet. Wearing shoes that are too large or have poor grip can lead to slips and falls, particularly when exercising in the outdoors. Your physiotherapist can guide you with the correct choice of footwear for your chosen activity. Patients of physioFIX can also receive 10% off Vionic Shoes if recommended by our physiotherapists. Check them out online or pop in store – they are located right next door to us here in Holland Park.

2. Pace yourself

When you start to see improvements in your fitness and strength, it can be tempting to push your limits to see just how far you can go. The danger in this is that often your tissues are still adapting to the increased demands of your new exercise regime. Increasing your weights, training time or running distances by too much too soon can lead to major setbacks. Give your body time to adjust and progress in a slow and steady manner.

3. Check your form and posture

Checking your posture in the middle of a workout is probably the last thing on your mind, however poor form is a leading cause of injury in athletes. Lifting heavy weights when your spine is not in its optimal position causes many low back injuries. Taking a second to check your posture before starting a lift is highly recommended.

4. Seek professional advice

Physiotherapists, coaches and trainers are able to help you spot vulnerabilities and share their knowledge, helping you get the most out of your chosen activity.  Often it is easier to prevent bad habits from forming than it is to break them once they are already in place. Invest in the advice of an expert, they can help you to avoid injuries as well as reach your peak performance.

Our physiotherapists can provide you with an exercise program to use at home, in the gym or in clinic in one of our Physiotherapy Exercise Sessions. They can also help to identify issues with your training program or technique, bio-mechanical vulnerabilities, tight and/or weak muscles and can help guide you through your recovery if an injury does occur. However, prevention of injuries is always preferable to treatment, whenever possible. 

None of the information in this article is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice.

The post Four Tips for Reducing the Risk of Injury While Exercising appeared first on physioFIX.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is two things; very difficult to say quickly and the most common vestibular disorder.

It is characterised by a false sensation of spinning and is occasionally accompanied by a person’s breakfast coming back up!

The disorder’s name is worth unpacking:

• Benign meaning that it is not life-threatening
• Paroxysmal referring to its tendency to come in (relatively) brief bursts
• Positional as it is typically brought on by specific head movements or positions
• Vertigo is the feeling of the room spinning when it shouldn’t be, for example when you get out of bed.

We’ll stick to the acronym from now on!

BPPV is a reasonably common condition, particularly for seniors. People will typically be quite distressed initially, fearing a sinister issue such as a stroke and physically unable to complete their usual activities of daily living. They will often present to their GP or perhaps to a hospital emergency department, but not as often to a physiotherapist!

BPPV is a mechanical issue of the inner ear. In particular it involves otoconia, or crystals, being dislodged into the semi-circular canals which allow us to sense the motion of our head in space. Incorrect signals are then sent to the brain, producing vertigo. Put simply, BPPV occurs when crystals in the inner ear fall into the wrong place.

Which doesn’t sound much like a “physio problem” does it?

Although awareness is increasing, it is still to most people’s surprise that many physiotherapists can in fact treat BPPV. Treatment generally involves the Epley’s manoeuvre, a series of assisted movements on a bed, which takes a few minutes. The aim here is to get the troublesome crystals back in the correct spot. Advice on how to manage the condition at home and often simple home exercise prescription is also important. A quick recovery can be expected, much to the patient’s relief! Any concerns on the physiotherapist’s part will be communicated to the patient’s GP.

Always remember that information such as this is simplified and does not substitute for a professional opinion. Should you experience dizziness or any other concerning symptoms you should seek the opinion of a qualified health professional.

Keep your physio in mind as they may be able to help. If in doubt, just give us a ring or book in with either Nicholas Ballam or Caitlin Bayley and they will be happy to help you out.

The post What exactly is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo? appeared first on physioFIX.

There are other factors to consider however. We discuss some of these below.

1. Range of motion will not always return fully.

Issues including scar tissue can cause ongoing pain and stiffness in skin, muscles and joints. Physiotherapy can help prevent excessive scarring from forming through advice regarding movement, massage and other hands-on treatment. Stiff joints will generally respond, at least to some extent, to manual therapy and exercise prescription.

2. Your ability to sense the position of your body, known as proprioception, is often impaired after an injury and can be retrained.

Impaired proprioception is a major factor in re-injury. If you’ve ever heard someone say “my knee/ankle/shoulder still doesn’t feel 100%” then this could be why. The good news is that with a specific exercise program, proprioception can be improved. An ankle sprain is an example of an injury that will typically heal in a short amount of time with rest, but a significant number of people
will experience ongoing issues with instability. Proprioception retraining is an important part of addressing this instability.

3. Once healing has finished, your body may not be exactly the same as before.

Following an injury, ligaments may be lax, joints may be stiffer and muscles are almost always weaker. While the pain may be gone, there might still be factors that need to be addressed to prevent more complicated issues in the future. For example, a significant knee injury or surgery will typically leave patients with a significant limp which may benefit from a physio’s attention.

4. Strength does not always return automatically.

After an injury, passive structures such as ligaments and cartilage may recover to the point that you are no longer in pain. However, muscle strength will not always return completely over time.
A common example are the quadriceps muscles which are crucial for knee stability, or the rotator cuff muscles at the shoulder. Atrophy after the use of crutches or a sling, or after a surgical
procedure, often requires strengthening exercises to be properly addressed.

5. Injuries don’t always heal completely.

On rare occasions, injuries may not be able to heal completely on their own. The most serious example of this is a fracture that cannot heal if the bone is not kept still enough. Other factors that
may prevent an injury from healing include poor circulation, diabetes, insufficient care of the injury and poor nutrition. A physio is qualified to identify these cases and refer onward as appropriate. Your physiotherapist can assess your injury and develop a treatment plan that will both restore you to the best possible function and prevent further injuries.

*None of the information in this article is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your individual injury. Have an injury that needs some attention? Book now to see one of our great physiotherapists.

The post Five Reasons To See A Physiotherapist After An Injury appeared first on physioFIX.

Physiotherapy is an enabling profession which aims to help people move. Whether they are treating a marathon runner, a stroke victim or someone who has just had major heart surgery, a physio will almost invariably attempt to help their patient improve movement in some form.

Most patients, particularly when attending a private practice such as PhysioFIX, will see a physio due to a musculoskeletal pain episode of some sort. Improving movement in the affected area is central to reducing pain and vice versa. In fact, physio researchers have played an important role in recent developments in our understanding of pain and continue to do so.

Physiotherapists are evidence-based practitioners who work alongside GP’s and other health clinicians to plan and manage treatment in settings including private practice, hospitals and the community. In fact, GP’s refer more patients to physiotherapists than any other healthcare profession. Though medical and physio treatments may vary considerably, we are all working from a modern, scientific basis.

But what do they actually do?!

Saying you “got some physio” is a bit like saying you went to your GP to “get some medicine”. While this is of course sometimes what happens when you see a doctor, it is an over-simplification and implies that all treatments are the same.

A physio will typically begin by talking with the patient about why they’ve presented to the clinic. In many ways this is the most important part of the process and is referred to as the “subjective assessment”. This conversation will involve the immediate problem but also typically cover the patient’s history more broadly, for example occupation, previous illnesses and current exercise levels.

In turn the physio will examine the patient physically during the “objective assessment”, though the two assessments will often overlap considerably. This will involve taking measurements, palpating various landmarks in the painful area, observing the patient perform relevant activities (for example walking, getting out of a chair, gripping or perhaps doing a squat) and completing specific tests. Related areas will also be assessed, for example by testing hip movement for a patient with knee pain.

Treatment will typically follow and is guided by the various findings of the assessment. The physio will provide advice and education, for example suggesting ice or heat packs or whether or not to continue exercise and, importantly, giving specific exercises to complete at home. Hands on treatment may involve massage, muscle stretches and joint glides of various grades (manual therapy is what most people first think of when they hear “physio”!). Other interventions involve electrophysical agents such as therapeutic ultrasound or dry needling, which is similar to acupuncture. Treatment in modern physio is guided by research and by patient outcomes and will often be significantly different for any two patients. And it doesn’t always have to hurt!

Not just exercises and massage.

Physiotherapists have a role to play at practically every stage of life. We can assess infants to monitor their motor skill development and as they grow we help them deal with the pains and vulnerabilities of a growing body. We treat athletes, help those with pelvic floor dysfunction and work to prevent falls in the elderly. We even help sick patients in hospital to clear their airways of sputum, something which comes as a surprise to many physio students!

A huge part of recovering from pain and injury comes from understanding what is happening and how to best manage these issues. Rather than create a dependency on us, we aim to empower our patients to improve their health independently as much as possible. This is an important point that is central to modern physio practice and you will find few physios who try to convince you to keep coming back every week for the next six months.

What qualifications are required to practice as a physiotherapist?

Physiotherapy courses vary across the country and entry may be through a bachelor, masters or professional doctorate program. At a minimum a physio new grad will have completed four years of study, though many will have studied for longer due to the high entry marks for undergraduate courses. The final year of study generally involves clinical placements. Physiotherapists are required by law to be registered with the Physiotherapists Registration Board in the state or territory in which they are practising and must complete ongoing training each year.

Now you know what it is we actually do – why not make an appointment with one of our great physiotherapists.

The post What is physiotherapy and what does a physiotherapist do? appeared first on physioFIX.

When injury strikes, the first thing that most of us want to know is ‘how long will this take to heal?’ Unfortunately, the answer to this can be complicated and requires at least a little understanding of how the different tissues of the body heal. Each of the tissues of the body, including muscles, tendons, ligaments and bone, heal at different speeds and each person will have some variation on those times as a result of their individual health history and circumstances.

Understanding the type of tissue injured and their different healing times is an important part of how your physiotherapist approaches treatment and setting goals for rehabilitation. On an individual level, a patient’s age, the location and severity of the injury and the way the injury was managed in the first 48 hours all affect the healing times of an injury. Unfortunately, as we age, injuries do tend to heal more slowly than when we are young.  Any medical condition that reduces blood flow to an area, such as peripheral vascular disease, can also reduce the body’s ability to heal at its usual rate.

There are some guidelines that can be followed when predicting how long an injury will take to heal based on the tissue type affected. Muscles are full of small capillaries, giving them a rich blood supply, and as such, they have a comparatively fast healing time with 2-4 weeks for minor tears. This time will be extended for larger tears and more complicated presentations.

Ligaments and tendons have less access to blood supply and  tears to these tissues generally take longer to heal. Larger or complete tears of all soft tissues, may not be able to heal themselves and in rare cases, surgery may be required for complete healing to occur. Similarly, cartilage, the flexible connective tissue that lines the surface of joints is avascular, which means it has little or no blood supply. To heal, nutrients are supplied to the cartilage from the joint fluid that surrounds and lubricates the joint.

While the different tissues of the body all have different healing times, they do follow a similar process of healing with three main stages, the acute inflammatory phase, the proliferative stage and finally the remodeling stage.

The inflammatory stage occurs immediately after an injury and is the body’s primary defense against injury. This stage is identifiable by heat, redness, swelling and pain around the injured area. During this phase the body sends white blood cells to remove damaged tissue and reduce any further damage. This stage usually lasts for 3-5 days.

The proliferation stage is the phase where the body starts to produce new cells. Swelling and pain subsides and scar tissue is formed that eventually becomes new tissue. This stage usually occurs around days 7-14 following an injury.

The final stage, known as the remodeling stage is when the body completes healing with the reorganization of scar tissue and the laying down of mature tissue. This stage usually occurs roughly two weeks after the initial injury is sustained.

At each stage of the healing process a different treatment approach is required and our friendly physiotherapists can help to guide you through your recovery. Don’t be afraid to ask us to explain how your injury can be managed best and what to expect in your recovery process. Got an injury you need taken care of? Click here to make a booking with one of our physio’s.

The post When Will My Injury Heal? appeared first on physioFIX.

For most of us, the hours we spend sleeping are simply a time for rest and recovery. However, you might be surprised to learn that your sleeping position can have a significant impact on your body, particularly if you already have an injury. When you consider that we spend approximately 40% of our lives in bed, it becomes less surprising.

Ideally, your body should be held in a position of minimal stress while sleeping. This means that all your joints and muscles are resting in a neutral position. Over time, joints that are held in more extreme positions may put pressure on the surrounding structures and this may lead to a feeling of stiffness in the morning.

Back Pain

For sufferers of back pain, finding a comfortable position at night can be difficult. Ideally, the natural curves of the spine should be maintained and supported throughout the night. The correct mattress will support your lower back without making you feel as though you have been sleeping on concrete all night. A mattress that is too soft might feel comfortable to begin with, but over time will let you sink too much, meaning the curve of the lower spine will be lost. Waking up with a stiff spine could be a sign that you are using the wrong mattress.

For many people, sleeping on their side keeps their spine in a more natural alignment than on their back. If you sleep on your back, placing a pillow under your knees can help to maintain your lumbar spinal curve throughout the night.

Neck Pain

While you may be attached to your pillow, it could be the cause of unnecessary neck pain for you. The neck is often the most vulnerable part of our body when our sleeping setup is not ideal. Side sleepers may let their neck fall excessively to the side with a pillow that is too low or have their neck elevated too much by having their pillows too high.

The importance of having a supportive pillow that supports your neck while sleeping cannot be overstated. If you find yourself putting your arm under your pillow while you sleep, it is likely that your pillow is too low. Having your shoulder in this position overnight can put unnecessary stress on the structures in the shoulder joint and should be avoided if possible.

Sleeping on your stomach with your head turned to the side can be the cause of many issues and if this is your preferred sleeping position, it could be worth chatting to your physiotherapist about strategies to improve your sleeping posture.

Hip Pain

Side sleepers often spend their nights with one leg crossed over their body. This can place extra pressure on the structures on the side of the hip, such as tendons and bursa and can impact the health of these tissues as compression can reduce the blood flow to the area. If the mattress is too firm then the hip on the underside of the body may also be compressed under your body weight.

Placing a pillow under your knee while sleeping on your side can help to maintain a neutral alignment of your hip. This can also help to keep your lower back in a more neutral position during the night.

PostureForm Pillows

PostureForm was developed in collaboration with healthcare practitioners, drawing on considerable experience and knowledge. The developers listened to feedback about the complexities of pillow adjustability, height and foam densities – and factored that in when they developed their range of products. PostureForm Pillows are classified as ‘Medical Aids’ which means they are GST Free and only available from practitioners. Here at physioFIX we stock a range of the PostureForm Pillows including a travel version so your neck doesn’t need to suffer whilst away on holidays.

Speak to one of our friendly physiotherapists for more advice on how to improve your sleeping posture and find out if your sleeping setup is right for you.

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What is Gluteal Tendinopathy?

When tendons are repeatedly placed under more tension than they can deal with, they can have a failed healing response. This can cause changes to the structure of the tendon and is known as a tendinopathy. When this occurs in the tendons of the gluteal muscles it is referred to as gluteal tendinopathy.

The gluteal muscles are three large muscles located at the back of the pelvis that provide most of the muscle bulk of the buttock region. These muscles work together to keep your pelvis level when standing and are responsible for many movements of the hip. They play an important role in standing, walking and running.

The two deepest gluteal muscles, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, attach from the center of the pelvis (the sacrum) and insert into the bony outer region of the upper thigh, called the greater trochanter via the gluteal tendons.

What causes tendons to develop tendinopathy?

Tendons, like muscles, skin and bones are living tissues and their strength and elasticity is influenced by a variety of factors, including hormones, age, how often and how much they are used. Rapid changes in activity levels or simply performing the same tasks too often can place a tendon under more stress than it can tolerate and it begins to break town.

Recently it has been shown that tendon health is also negatively affected by compressive forces, which can occur from blunt trauma or even habits such as crossing the legs, or sleeping on your side on a hard mattress.

What are the symptoms of Gluteal Tendinopathy?

When gluteal tendons are affected by tendinopathy, a typical pattern of sharp pain at the outside of the hip with specific movements is present. The pain is usually worse with walking, going up and down stairs and running.  The pain can become quite severe, and eventually can impact day-to-day activities.

How can physiotherapy help?

A thorough assessment is required for an accurate diagnosis and once gluteal tendinopathy is confirmed, your physiotherapist will be able to identify which factors have contributed to your condition and help to address these. It has been shown that specific loading exercises and muscular retraining can stimulate the tendon to heal and remodel the collagen fibers into a more organised pattern again. Your physiotherapist can investigate any postural habits or activities that are contributing and address these as required.

None of the information in this blog is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your individual injury.

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What is a stress fracture?

A stress fracture is a microscopic fracture of the bone that is so small that it often cannot be picked up on X-ray. If left untreated, a stress fracture can cause significant disability and develop into a full fracture, possibly even requiring surgery.

The majority of stress fractures occur in the lower limb, being particularly common in the hip, shins and foot at points where the most force passes through when weight bearing. Most stress fractures are overuse injuries and are common in long distance runners.

What are the symptoms?

As with many overuse injuries, the pain of a stress fracture starts gradually, beginning with pain during or after activity or sometimes the morning after. If activity continues without modification, the pain will gradually increase. Eventually most people are unable to maintain their usual activity level. Stress fractures are very common in runners and military personnel who are required to march for long periods. A stress fracture will be more likely to occur in a person who has weaker bone strength, such as someone with osteoporosis, which is itself affected by many factors such as adequate calcium intake, vitamin D deficiency and a history of inactivity.

How are stress fractures treated and how long will it take to get better?

Stress fractures can easily be mistaken for other conditions such as shin splints. As the fracture is often too small to show up on X-ray, definitive diagnosis can be made using MRI or bone scan.

After diagnosis, the most important part of treatment will be resting the area to allow the bone to heal before resuming activity. Stress fractures usually need at least 6 weeks to recover fully. Some areas of the body have poor blood supply, which makes healing more complicated.  For example, stress fractures of the navicular bone of the foot may need to be kept still and placed in a boot or cast for a period of time to heal properly.

Other aspects of treatment will involve correcting any factors that contributed to the original injury. There is some evidence that unsupportive footwear is a risk factor, along with poor biomechanics and weak muscles that provide inadequate support to the skeletal system during activity. Speak to one of our knowledgeable Physiotherapists if you suspect you may have a stress fracture or simply want to know more. Contact us here.

None of the information in this post is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your individual injury.

The post Stress Fractures appeared first on physioFIX.

What is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

The thoracic outlet is a small opening between the neck and shoulder that allows a variety of nerves and blood vessels to pass safely from the neck and supply the arm, chest and shoulder blade. As this can be quite a small space, any narrowing can cause these structures to become compressed and irritated. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as “Thoracic Outlet Syndrome”. This space can become compromised through trauma to the neck, overuse or repetitive stresses to the arm or the presence of an extra rib in the neck.

What are the signs and symptoms of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

Signs and symptoms of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome may depend on whether nervous tissue or blood vessels are involved. In most cases, symptoms will be caused by compression of nerve tissue rather than veins or arteries.

When neural tissue compression is the cause of the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, reported symptoms may include pins and needles, tingling or numbness of the affected arm.  Other symptoms include pain and weakness or tiredness of the arm that increases with work done overhead. Some people may experience neck pain or headaches in the base of their head.

If the vein is affected, there will be swelling and discoloration of the affected arm, as well as pain. When the artery is affected, cramping of the arm or hand during use may occur. Due to decreased blood flow, the arm or hand may feel cold and even change colour.

Who is usually affected?

It is common for people who work with their arms in an above-shoulder position to develop Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. For example, a teacher who writes frequently on a chalkboard, a construction worker hammering nails overhead, or a hairdresser.

How can physio help?

Your physiotherapist will assess a range of things including your posture, the flexibility of your spine, and length of your neck muscles. It is also important to assess the way you move your neck, back and arms.

Depending on the findings of the physical assessment, your physio will help you stretch appropriate muscles, assist with movement modification, and correct your posture. This may involve manual therapy techniques such as joint mobilizations, strapping techniques and soft tissue massage.

Treatment times may vary depending on symptom presentation and response, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome typically can take just a few treatments  or several weeks to resolve as well as continuation of a home exercise program in order to resolve the issue.

None of the information in this article is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your individual condition.

The post Thoracic Outlet Syndrome appeared first on physioFIX.

It’s the beginning of a New Year and for a lot of us that means New Years Resolutions. More often than not these resolutions include getting fit and healthy again after the Christmas break of feasting and frivolity. If that New Years Resolution was a new exercise regime then you might already be suffering from the effects of DOMS. Most of us are familiar with the post-exercise soreness that comes after a particularly strenuous exercise session. This pain, which is usually accompanied by stiffness and weakness, is often referred to as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, abbreviated to DOMS.

It is unclear exactly what the purpose of this pain is, as it is most intense 24-48 hours following an intense exercise session. However, we do know that muscles experiencing DOMS show signs of micro-tears throughout the tissues and the effects are worse following eccentric (controlled extension) exercises more than other types.

While DOMS is not indicative of any serious injury and has no lasting side effects, it can be very uncomfortable and is problematic for anyone who needs to perform again quickly, such as an athlete in a tournament stretching over a few days.

A person suffering from DOMS may also be at a higher risk of injury if they continue to play sport at their usual level. Understandably, many people are interested in how to avoid or reduce the effects of DOMS.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence on how to reduce DOMS, however high-quality research is limited and there is certainly no quick fix to this problem.

When it comes to avoiding DOMS, both a warm up before exercise and a cool down afterwards are important. Many experts also recommend using a foam roller on affected muscles following exercise. And while many people, particularly long-distance athletes are fond of using anti-inflammatory medication to reduce pain after exercise, the evidence shows that its effectiveness is limited and perhaps not worth the side effects of using the medication regularly.

Other advice includes gentle exercise, such as 20 minutes on a stationary bike, and mild stretching. Massage is not generally recommended, although some people may find it helpful. Staying hydrated during sports is always important, and keeping your fluid intake adequate while experiencing soreness afterwards can also help.  If you are particularly brave, ice baths have recently been shown to have mild benefits in pain reduction.

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