The Importance of Doing Your Physiotherapy to get Optimal Recovery

Physiotherapy exercises are a vital component of any rehabilitation program, and they are designed to help individuals recover from injuries or illnesses that have affected their mobility, strength, and overall quality of life. While it may be tempting to skip these exercises or only do them occasionally, there are several compelling reasons why you should prioritize them and make them a regular part of your daily routine.

Improve Range of Motion and Flexibility

Physiotherapy exercises can help you regain your range of motion and flexibility, which is crucial for maintaining good physical health. When you have an injury or illness that affects your ability to move, your muscles and joints can become stiff and rigid. Physiotherapy exercises can help to loosen these areas up and allow you to move more freely, which can help to reduce pain and discomfort.

Strengthen Muscles and Improve Stability

Many physiotherapy exercises are designed to strengthen your muscles and improve your overall stability. This can be particularly important if you have suffered an injury or illness that has left you weak or unsteady on your feet. By working on these areas through targeted exercises, you can improve your strength and balance, which can help to prevent further injuries and improve your overall quality of life.

Reduce Pain and Discomfort

Physiotherapy exercises can also help to reduce pain and discomfort in the body. This is achieved through a variety of techniques, including stretching, massage, and strengthening exercises. By targeting specific areas of the body that are causing pain or discomfort, you can help to alleviate these symptoms and improve your overall sense of well-being.

Speed up Recovery Time

When you have an injury or illness, the recovery process can be long and frustrating. However, by incorporating physiotherapy exercises into your daily routine, you can speed up your recovery time and get back to your normal activities more quickly. This is because physiotherapy exercises are designed to target the specific areas of the body that need attention, which can help to speed up the healing process.

Prevent Future Injuries

One of the most important benefits of physiotherapy exercises is their ability to prevent future injuries. By strengthening your muscles, improving your range of motion, and enhancing your stability, you can reduce your risk of getting injured again in the future. This can be particularly important for athletes and individuals who are prone to injury, as it can help to keep them healthy and active for longer.

In conclusion, there are many compelling reasons why you should make physiotherapy exercises a regular part of your daily routine. Whether you are recovering from an injury or illness or simply looking to improve your overall physical health, these exercises can help you to achieve your goals and live your best life. So, don’t skip your physiotherapy exercises – your body will thank you for it!

Top 5 things I wish I knew when starting out Physio!

I’ve just finished having a final year physiotherapy student in his last placement before graduating. It got me thinking back over 25 years ago to when I was in the same position and what things I would have wished I knew then what I know now. 

Whilst the profession has changed so much in this period, a lot of the things that are important haven’t. 

So here are my top 5 things that I wish I understood from the start.

 

Listen to your patient. 

This is important for so many reasons.

 A wise person said you have two ears and one mouth for a reason. 

Listen to what the patient is saying. It will help you get to the real reason that they are coming for help. 

The niggly thigh pain running may be because they are sitting incorrectly at a desk for long periods of time. 

Failure to address the cause will fail to manage the problem

There’s no point making a runner out of someone who hates running. Likewise why stop rehab at walking for the patient who is obsessed with running?

Ive often thought that Physio’s are the hairdressers of the medical world. Clients spend quality time with their therapists and often will debrief upon them. Sometimes they just need someone to listen. Be that person.

 

Educate more.

Therapists think they educate more than they do and patients want more information than they get. 

The simple answer is educate your patients more. 

But show; don’t tell. 

Teach them the whys and hows and they will happily follow your advice. Tell or dictate to them and you can lose their confidence. 

Dumping a whole load of information on your patients is just going to overwhelm them. Use models, charts, videos, etc to teach your patient what is wrong. 

Ensure they walk out with a good understanding on what the problem is. This will stop them reaching out to Dr Google; we all know how that’s going to work out right! 

Also I find managing patients expectations to be really important. 

I take the view of underpromise and over deliver. Often quite the opposite too many specialists. There’s a big difference between being allowed to do a task of skill and being actually able to do it. 

Setting a high bar can often lead to patient disappointment which is undue. Likewise the opposite is when someone gets back within the time frame you predicted, they are happy. Don’t make it difficult for yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

 

Value your hands.

You can’t learn feel. 

Physiotherapy is a profession where we touch. 

We touch to examine and we touch to guide, release and move body parts. 

Touch is a very powerful tool in treating human beings. 

Value and respect this. 

Every time you touch someone think about what you are feeling. 

Is it soft or hard?  

Is it twinging or loose? 

Is there give or a hard end feel? 

How does it compare to the other side? 

Discerning these things will help you to really focus upon the issue, and make treatment better. Your patients will have enormous trust in you when you can tell them where the sore points are before they tell you.

 

Treat the Chain.

Always think of the kinetic chain. 

What’s happening above and below the affected area. 

Is the foot influencing the knee, what’s going on in the pelvis? 

Failure to address the areas along the kinetic chain will either result in the condition not improving; or if it does it will surely return. 

Assess movement patterns and the functional movements to see what’s going on. Is the movement correct, is their compensation or tricking going on? 

Knowing these things will assist in fixing the problem.

 

Get bang for your buck with your exercises.

Whilst it is important to start off with specific exercises in the rehabilitation process, as soon as you can move to functional exercises. 

Humans move quite specifically. 

We push, we pull, we rotate. 

Exercise the patient as we move, it will return them to functional movement and activity sooner. Also people are often time poor. 

Giving them 15 exercises is going to result in none of them getting done. 

Giving them 5 that involve multiple muscle groups moving in a functional plane is quicker and going to give the patient more than the other 15 anyways. 

 

So there it is. My top 5 things I wish I knew 25 years ago when I started. I was lucky enough to work with many great people who have taught me over the years. It’s never too late to learn. The more you know, the more you know you don’t know, the more you know you need to know!

 

Sleep and Sport

Do your sleeping habits impact on performance?

How well do you sleep? Did you know that sleep, or more importantly lack thereof will have a serious impact upon your performance on the baseball diamond. Lack of sleep can come from a variety of ways. Perhaps you’ve just had a baby, you have stress at work, you are travelling to a tournament and it’s all exciting. There are many ways that sleep can be disrupted, however there are thankfully many things that you can do to help.

People have genetic dispositions to how they sleep. Some are night owls and struggle to sleep until late at night, others are known as larks. They like to rise and go to bed early. But what if the routine does not suit this? Lack of sleep creates what is called a sleep debt; for example if you need 8 hours sleep and you only get 7, then you are one hour in debt. This can accumulate over time, and needs to be paid back at some point. Too much sleep debt can have a negative impact upon your cognitive, physical and social wellbeing.

For teenagers the more sleep the better. If you have less than 5 hours sleep a night for a week, your testosterone levels will drop by 15%. This will have a severe impact on your ability for developing strength and power.

If you have an hour less sleep than you need you will have nearly 2 times more chance of injury. Sleep is also the best tool for recovery, so it will take you longer to feel better after competing or injury. You also have poorer motor learning when you are tired, so learning new skills will be more difficult. Think about that the next time you go to a tournament and you are up all night.

The latter part of the night is also where REM sleep occurs, if you are cutting this off you are losing a ton of quality sleep. So get to bed earlier if you need or are likely to wake up early.

So what are the obstacles that are preventing you from sleep? Phone and tech, noise, light, distractions and pain are some. In order to sleep well you need to first address the obstacles. Life (and Baseball) is based on routine. Make sure you have consistent sleep hygiene or patterns. Train yourself to sleep well, develop a routine. Here are some tips to help you with this.

Be consistent: Establish a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Our bodies like regularity and with a regular sleep schedule, it will naturally start to anticipate sleep.

Sleep in a cave: Make your bedroom cave-like–dark, quiet, and cool. Blackout curtains are strongly recommended. Earplugs can minimise noise, and a fan can circulate air while blocking out other noises. Cooler temperatures are better for sleep, so start at 20 degrees and decrease the temperature a few degrees each night until you find the right temperature for you.

Establish a routine: Develop and stick to a 20- to 30-minute routine before bed. Adopt a practice such as reading or listening to music so that your body knows sleep is near.

Bathroom before bed: Hydrate during the day and minimise liquids one to two hours before you sleep. Use the bathroom before bed to cut down on awakenings.

Avoid electronic screens: Stay away from TV, laptops, and video games one hour before bed. The emitted light can prevent sleep.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol: Refrain from caffeine after 3 p.m. Alcohol can prevent REM sleep and fragment sleep during the second half of the night.

Watch your diet: Cherry Juice can help; some Major League teams use this to also assist with recovery. Melatonin has varying benefits across individuals; it can work well for some but not others. Quality control can be an issue with manufacturing processes and therefore may disrupt rather than help your sleep. Avoid fatty and sugary foods just before bedtime.

For sleep only: Reserve your bedroom and bed for sleeping only. Don’t watch TV, eat, or do work in bed.

Get enough sleep: Obtaining eight to 10 hours of sleep every night, and not just before a game or competition, is critical. Ten- to 30-minute power naps provide a two- to three-hour boost in alertness and performance. Be cautious of longer naps, which can result in sleep inertia (feelings of grogginess) upon awakening from deep stages of sleep. Eliminate naps if you have difficulty sleeping at night.

Pay off your sleep debt: Chronically obtaining less sleep than your body needs builds a sleep debt over time. For optimal functioning and sports performance, you should eliminate your sleep debt by gradually extending your sleep duration, such as increasing from your typical seven hours per night to seven and a half hours for one week, then eight hours per night the following week.

Be patient: Reducing your sleep debt takes more than one night or weekend of good sleep!

So now you know how important sleep is for your baseball, are you getting enough?

Glenferrie Sport and Spinal specialise in managing baseball injuries. Located centrally in Hawthorn, they are well situated to manage all your baseball injuries

Fatigue VS Energy

What Drives Fatigue?

Did you know that only 3% of people demonstrate pathology as the cause of fatigue? Since it is not often the driver, natural health Practitioners can help to alleviate fatigue by looking at other possible functional causes – nutrition, mitochondrial health, detoxification, thyroid, stress and immune support. By targeting these causes, Natural Health Care Practitioners can often help optimise your energy levels and improve your quality of life.

Mitochondrial Health

Ninety per cent (90%) of cellular energy is generated in the mitochondria. Mitochondria are ‘cellular powerhouses’. These subunits within the cells are the major site of ATP (pure Energy!) production, via the metabolic pathways of the Krebs Cycle (also known as the Citric Acid Cycle), the Electron Transport Chain, and Oxidative Phosphorylation. All cell function and physiology depends on efficient production of ATP by these metabolic pathways.

Adequate Nutrition

Low dietary intake of iron, carnitine, lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, magnesium and B vitamins can all contribute to reduced energy production.

Thyroid Function

The thyroid sets the pace for the body’s metabolic rate and is closely related to energy production. Supporting normal, healthy thyroid function is important in maintaining optimal health. There are many factors that can affect thyroid health and these should be identified and addressed individually.

Detoxification

Toxicity from the external environment and lifestyle factors can contribute to fatigue. For example, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) causes the ecology of the small intestine to be overrun with external ‘bad’ bacteria that can contribute to leaky gut and associated symptoms, including fatigue. Detoxification programs and antimicrobial formulas can help to improve this and improve energy levels. Increased oxidative stress caused by toxicity can also reduce mitochondrial function, impairing ATP production.

Stress Management

  • Over-action of the Stress Response System (SRS) may result in fatigue and deplete magnesium levels.
  • Stress management and magnesium supplementation play an important role in improving energy, since magnesium is required for cellular energy production.

Immune support

  • In people who are experiencing prolonged fatigue, it is important to assess and support immune function.
  • Chronic or recurring infections can cause fatigue, possibly due to the inflammatory affects on the mitochondria.

Anna Boetto is a Qualified Nutritionist at Glenferrie Sports and Spinal Clinic inside Hawthorn Aquatic and Leisure Centre at the Health Suites, who can help guide specific Treatment Protocols and give you further advice on a range of conditions.

How Good is your Posture?

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As a society, in general our posture is declining. Posture is so important in keeping all the muscles and bones in the correct alignment. When this doesn’t occur it can lead to pain and injury with can mean a trip to the Physiotherapist.

Often, poor posture develops because of accidents or falls. But bad posture can also develop from environmental factors or bad habits. This means that you have control.

Today, posture-related problems are increasing. This is because-

We have become a society that watches more television than any previous generation;

We have become a more electronic society, with more and more people working at sedentary desk jobs or sitting in front of computer terminals;

More and more cars are crowding our roads, resulting in accidents and injuries;

And we drive in cars and sit in chairs with poorly designed seats.

Why is my posture bad?

In most cases, poor posture results from a combination of several factors, which can include:

  • Accidents, injuries and falls,
  • Poor sleep support (mattress) and positioning,
  • Excessive weight,
  • Visual or emotional difficulties,
  • Foot problems or improper shoes,
  • Weak muscles, muscle imbalance,
  • Careless sitting, standing, sleeping habits,
  • Negative self image,
  • Occupational stress,
  • Poorly designed work spaces.

Improving your posture.

Following are some simple ways of improving your posture.

When standing – hold your head high, chin firmly forward, shoulders back, chest out, and stomach tucked in to increase your balance. If you stand all day in a job, rest one foot on a stool or take breaks to get off your feet for a while.

When sitting – use a chair with firm low back support. Keep desk or table top elbow high, adjust the chair or use a footrest to keep pressure off the back of the legs, and keep your knees a little higher than your hips. Get up and stretch frequently–every hour if you sit for long periods of time.

When working on a computer – take a one or two minute task break every 20 minutes when you work at a computer screen. Keep the screen 15 degrees below eye level. Place reference materials on a copy stand even with and close to the terminal.

When sitting in the car – adjust the seat forward so your knees are lower than your hips. Put a small pillow or cushion in the small of your back.

When sleeping – sleep on your side with your knees bent and head supported by a pillow, to make your head level with your spine. Or, sleep on your back, avoiding thick pillows under your head. Use a small pillow under your neck instead. Don’t sleep on your stomach.

When lifting – let your legs do the work in order to prevent injury to your low back. Stand close to the object, then where possible squat down and straddle it. Grasp the object, and slowly lift the load by straightening your legs as you stand up. Carry the object close to your body.

When bending – never twist from the waist and bend forward at the same time. To lift or reach something on the floor, bend the knees while keeping the back straight.

Why is changing posture hard?

When trying to change your posture, sometimes it can feel a little odd. This is because your body has adapted too the bad posture and feels uncomfortable with the change. Don’t worry, we find at Glenferrie Sports and Spinal Clinic that as you persist with the new position, it will become the norm and the bad postures will begin to feel funny.

Physiotherapy for postural issues can involve muscle stretching and strengthening, education and ergonomic advice. There is no reason to have poor posture, take a look in the mirror and if you see your self slumping, give us a call .

Glenferrie Sports and Spinal Clinic is located in Hawthorn. Situated conveniently near public transport and with convenient parking it is central to Camberwell, Kew, Richmond, Toorak and Malvern.

For appointments call 03 9815 2555, or book online here

Portion Perfection

So you think you are on track with nutrition and still not losing weight?  Time to assess those portion sizes! It is very easy to overconsume even healthy essential foods in the diet.  Some common healthy foods that are over-consumed leading to excessive energy intake include: meat, nuts and dairy.

Red Meat:

Red meat is a fantastic source of protein as well as zinc and iron however it is easy to overconsume and choose the wrong cuts. 

A healthy portion would be a small steak the size of the palm or around 120g, this contains approximately 650kJ.

However the usual Australian serving size of steak is around 300g , which would be approximately 1600kJ.   

Aim to choose a lean steak the size and thickness of the palm to ensure good intake of protein but also micronutrients such as iron without overconsuming. 

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Nuts:

Nuts can be a perfect snack option, this is because they contain good amounts of protein, natural fat, and micronutrients like vitamin B, selenium and calcium.  They are also a great source of fibre and will keep you satisfied.  The problem is that nuts are very easy to over-eat!

A suitable portion size for nuts would be a small handful, around 10-12 nuts or around 30g.

A usual portion size for nuts would be around 3 handfuls or 100g, this represents around 1800kJ, the equivalent of 4.5 tim tams!

Aim to choose an unsalted mixed nut selection keeping portion sizes to a small handful.

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Dairy:

Dairy is important to include in a healthy balanced diet to ensure adequate calcium, as well as being a good source of protein and containing over 10 essential nutrients.  Most people need between 2-3 serves of dairy, however a serve is very easy to overconsume.  Overcomsumption of dairy foods can lead to a high intake of energy (calories/kilojoules) as well as high intakes of saturated fat.  1 serve of dairy is between 500-600kJ and consists of:

  • 250ml Milk
  • 2 slices (40g) of hard cheese
  • ¾ cup or 200g of yoghurt

Commonly consumed serves of dairy include:

  • 4 slices of full fat hard cheese =80g =1352kJ of energy and around 19g of saturated fat.
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No Excuses!

It constantly amazes me how we can spend hundreds on haircuts, nights out and clothes, however when it comes to our health we often use the excuse of not enough time or money.

When we should be investing into our health, we prioritise in other areas.

We are then faced with living with discomfort, or greater expense as the issue becomes more complex.

I am guilty of this as much as anyone (bit like the plumber with leaky taps!). I found myself reminiscing over the weekend about how I miss cycling, how I am a better person when I ride, and the obvious health benefits it gives me.

So as of today I am back on the trainer with the goal of getting back on the bike.

Do you have an injury that has been niggling for some time now?

Headaches that are becoming more frequent?

Or are you just not sure how to commence a new health regime?

Don’t be like the herd, take the first step to being a better and healthier you.

The staff at Glenferrie Sports and Spinal Clinic are ready to assist your new pathway.

Glenferrie Sports and Spinal Clinic is located in Hawthorn. Situated conveniently near public transport and with convenient parking it is central to Camberwell, Kew, Richmond, Toorak and Malvern.

For appointments call 03 9815 2555, or book online here

Anna Boetto; Chinese Medicine

Live around Hawthorn? Want more from your Workout?   Not getting quite the results you’re after with your gym routine?  Are you getting enough protein?  Can you Carb it up?  How’s your hydration?  What about recovery?

Our Chinese Medicine Practitioner provides practical and up to date information for improving energy levels, getting toned or bulking up, preparing for specific events or assisting with getting on the right track by fuelling correctly for your chosen sport from recreational to elite level.

Next to the DEXA scan we use one of the best available Bio-Impedance Analysers to monitor and assess your body composition to improve health and performance.

… select your Sports Nutrition Programme.

Sports Performance and Recovery

Active Nutrition

Body Composition

Weight management

Make an appointment to see our Chinese Medicine Doctor Anna Boetto to tailor a nutrition programme to suit your needs.

Glenferrie Sports and Spinal Clinic is located in Hawthorn. Situated conveniently near public transport and with convenient parking it is central to Camberwell, Kew, Richmond, Toorak and Malvern.

For appointments call 03 9815 2555, or book online here

Glenferrie Sports and Spinal

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Three years ago when I found out that they were going to redevelop the Hawthorn Aquatic and Leisure Centre my heart gave a little skip.

It offered perfect synergy to the service we offered at Glenferrie Private Hospital, and would provide me with the opportunity to expand.

As they demolished the site, it seemed to take forever before things started to grow.

Now it was time to put my hand up and express interest. For the next two years as the site grew and grew, I ran the gauntlet of being annoying and showing how interested I was.

As the completion date got pushed out another opportunity arose.

Do I pass it up, or roll the eggs into one basket?

To complicate it, the offer came from a mate. It could have been good, but not quite as suitable as what HALC could offer.

Finally the tender came and it was all systems go.

Finding out that we were successful as I was getting on the ferry to ride around Tasmania, I thought I could nut out everything through the next week. Unfortunately I forgot that riding 850 km you don’t get to think about anything more than riding 850 kms!

Coming home, it was all systems go.

Exciting times, and then reality hit. 5 weeks dealing with Telstra to get a phone number, way too much Ikea furniture to assemble and hiring staff.

It’s all gradually coming together and we open on June 2.

Working in the gym, it’s quite a vibrant environment.

I look forward to rolling up the sleeves, getting new projects underway and providing a quality service.

It’s a great facility, so should be a fantastic place to work.

Glenferrie Sports and Spinal Clinic is located in Hawthorn. Situated conveniently near public transport and with convenient parking it is central to Camberwell, Kew, Richmond, Toorak and Malvern.

For appointments call 03 9815 2555, or book online here

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