Physiotherapy
Services
QSP Physiotherapy & Massage offers a full range
of physiotherapy services to people who live or
work in the Brisbane CBD.
Brisbane CBD Location
No Dr. Referral Needed
Same Day Appointments
We Provide The Best Services
Physiotherapy
Services
QSP Physiotherapy & Massage offers a full range of physiotherapy
services to people who live or work in the Brisbane CBD.
General Physiotherapy
We work with you to eliminate pain and increase your movement, mobility and quality of life.
Remedial Massage
With our therapeutic remedial massage, we will increase your movement, reduce...
Sports Physiotherapy
Whether you are a recreational sportsperson or an elite athlete, injuries can occur...
Workplace Physiotherapy
Office work can take its toll on the fittest body. Long hours sitting hunched over a computer...
Track Active
When you visit one of our practitioners they may set you some exercises to do at home...
Our Story
Expert Physiotherapy.
Convenient Location.
Welcome to QSP Physiotherapy & Massage. We are a trusted family-owned business serving the Brisbane CBD for over 18 years. We’re excited to announce our new location in the Brisbane Club Tower on Level 9, 241 Adelaide St Brisbane.
Located conveniently in the heart of the city, we offer exceptional physiotherapy and remedial massage services tailored to your unique needs. Our dedicated team of experts is committed to working with you, helping you achieve your goals, no matter how big or small they may be.
At QSP Physiotherapy & Massage, we take pride in our practitioners’ diverse specializations. Explore the biographies of our dedicated team to learn more about our practitioners and their exceptional qualifications. We take pride in building genuine connections with our clients and are eager to work with you to address your unique concerns and goals.
Our Latest Blog
Recent Blog Posts
Forefoot vs rearfoot striking
By Matt Bushell The publishing of the book ‘Born to run’ by Christopher McDougall propelled the barefoot movement and minimalist shoes into the popular running world around 2009. And while the subject tends not to be as all-consuming as it once was, it’s left behind a question that we hear regularly from both experienced and aspiring runners; ‘should I run with a forefoot or rearfoot strike?’. Foot strike can be broken into 3 main categories; rearfoot, where your heel contacts the ground first, midfoot, where you contact the ground with a near flat foot and finally forefoot, where the ball of the foot touches the ground with the heel noticeably raised. Foot strike is variable in all runners and in general, running slowly will lend itself to more of a heel/midfoot strike. As pace increases, we move through to forefoot striking during sprinting. Similarly, hills often demand heel striking on descents and forefoot striking on climbs. When it comes to running, neither of these styles is categorically correct or incorrect. As with any movement in the human body, changes in pattern equal changes in demand on different structures. Each of these running styles is achievable for most people, but they require your body to deal with different forces so if you’re thinking of changing your running style, it’s best to prepare your body for the changes (generally through a strength and conditioning program) before you try and do too much volume (distance) with your new running style. Rearfoot strike Rearfoot striking is by and large the most common running style you’ll observe in the casual or weekend warrior running groups. It typically involves a longer stride length, a slower turn-over of your legs (less steps for an equivalent pace) and some cushy shoes to protect your heels (Ahn et al. 2014). The greatest detractor of the rearfoot striking style from an efficiency perspective is the fact that your foot contacts the ground a long way in front of your centre of mass which creates a braking force (Lierberman et al. 2015). Each time your heel strikes in front of your centre of mass, you lose some of your forward momentum and you need to expend more energy on your next push off to maintain your pace. In terms of forces, rear root striking increases the load on the hip and knee. Your quadriceps, hamstrings and your tibialis anterior (the small muscle on the front of your shin) then have to deal with increased work loads. Forefoot strike For the purposes of this article, we’ll combine both midfoot and forefoot striking effects below. Generally speaking, they’ll have similar effects in terms of structures loaded with load increased in the forefoot striking compared to midfoot. Forefoot striking generally requires an increase in cadence (footsteps per minute) for the same velocity as rearfoot striking. This increase shortens your stride length slightly and brings your ground contact point back underneath your body. This has the positive effect of reducing the braking forces mentioned earlier (Lieberman et al. 2015). Landing with a mid or forefoot strike increases the load on the ankle and foot complex and asks more of your calf and achilles tendon (Ahn et al. 2014, Almonroeder et al. 2013). It will also normally reduce your vertical impact loading rate. This means the impact force of your foot hitting the ground is spread over a greater time thereby reducing the magnitude of load your body has to deal with at any one time. Injury Rates During the peak popularity of the barefoot/forefoot striking movement, there was a thought that it may reduce injury rates. After studying runners over longer periods of time, we now know injury rates are similar regardless of which style of foot strike you employ (Zhou & Ugbolue 2019). Where we do see a possible increase in injury rates is when people attempt to change their running style. This is likely due to increased demand on the body in a way that it is not accustomed to. Running style is individual and large or sudden changes tend to have a negative impact on our body. However, sometimes changing your running style slightly can help to improve speed, increase endurance or overcome niggly injuries. If you’re looking to make a change in running style, or have an injury you’d like to address, your physio can help to provide a considered approach to your running frequency, volume, intensity and provide you with a complimentary strength program to ensure your body is up to the new challenges. Ahn, A., Brayton, C., Bhatia, T., & Martin, P. (2014). Muscle activity and kinematics of forefoot and rearfoot strike runners. Journal of Sport and Health Science 3 (2), pg 102-112. Almonroeder, T., Willson, J. D., & Kernozek, T. W. (2013). The effect of foot strike pattern on achilles tendon load during running. Annals of Biomedical Engineering 41, 1758-1766. Lieberman, D. E., Warrener, A. G., Wang, J., & Castillo, E. R. (2015). Effects of stride frequency and foot position at landing on braking force, hip torque, impact peak force and the metabolic cost of running in humans. Journal of Experimental Biology 218 (21), 3406-3414. Zhou, H., & Ugbolue, U. C. (2019). Is There a Relationship Between Strike Pattern and Injury During Running: A Review. Physical Activity and Health, 3(1), 127–134.
Flexibility – To Stretch or Foam Roll?
Matt Bushell Flexibility is the ability for a joint (or a combination of joints) to move through an unrestricted and pain free range of motion. The amount of movement available is affected by many structures including joint shape, joint capsules, ligaments, muscles, tendons and nerves. Increasing our flexibility can give us many advantages including increased movement options, force generation/dispersion and improving completion of functional tasks. Often it is assumed that an increase in range of motion at a joint after stretching is due to a muscle being lengthened. Interestingly, it may actually be due to an increase in your tolerance to tension which then allows you to stretch your muscle further and allow greater movement through the joint (Page. P, 2012). Once you reach the maximum amount of tension your brain and nervous system deems safe, your muscle will reflexively tighten to stop any further stretch – much like a safety switch. Therefore those who are ‘more flexible’ may simply have a greater natural tolerance to tension which allows them to bend their joints further than others. After stretching, the increased tolerance to tension only lasts for a period of time and then we tend to return to our individual baseline. The question is, will static stretching or foam rolling give you the best increase tolerance to tension and therefore flexibility? Static Stretching Static stretching involves stretching a muscle to a point (often near your maximum) and maintaining that stretch for an extended period. In theory, holding the stretch increases the tolerance of muscle spindle cells (stretch receptors in the muscle) to the tension applied and allows them to deal with greater tension for a time post-stretching. Research has found there is generally no further improvements in range of motion after 2-4 sets of 15-30 second holds and results last from less than 1 hour to a couple of days. (Knudson, 2010) Foam Rolling If you’ve never seen one, a foam roller is a self-massage tool used to ‘roll out’ your muscles or sore spots often referred to as trigger points. Theoretically the pressure from the roller stimulates pressure receptors in our skin and causes the brain and nervous system to reduce muscular activity. This then allows greater tension before activating the safety switch and tightening up the stretched muscle. Foam rollers can come in different sizes, densities and can vary in surface texture from smooth to bumpy or spikey. Rolling for 2-5 sets of 30-60 seconds has been found to have a positive effect on our flexibility with effects lasting for between 10 minutes and 7 days (depending on the individual). Bear in mind, from a Physiotherapists’ perspective the purpose of foam rolling is not purely to increase range of motion (and therefore flexibility), but also to reduce intramuscular tension (muscular knots) to facilitate a more supple and functional muscle. How about a combination? Combining both static stretching and foam rolling seems to provide a significant increase in range of motion over either modality in isolation. However, the duration of this larger increase appears to last for approximately 10-60 minutes (Mohr, 2014). This suggests it’s most useful application is right before a sporting event or exercise program that requires you to have increased flexibility for a time. It is important to mention though that static stretching may have a negative effect on power and strength output, so if your sport or exercise program requires high levels of strength or power, limiting yourself to foam rolling beforehand may be the most sensible option. Along with other techniques to address muscle length, physiotherapists can also use manual therapy and exercises aimed at joints, joint capsules, ligaments and tendons to positively influence your flexibility. As mentioned above, stretching and rolling results can vary quite a bit from one individual to another, so we recommend seeing your physio if you’d like an individualised flexibility plan. Knudson, D. (2010). The biomechanics of stretching. Journal of Exercise Science and Physiotherapy 2, 3-12. Mohr, A., Long, B., & Goad, C. (2014). Effect of Foam Rolling and Static Stretching on Passive Hip-Flexion Range of Motion. Journal Of Sport Rehabilitation, 23(4), 296-299 Page, P. (2012). Current concepts in muscle stretching for exercise and rehabilitation. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy 7 (1), pg. 109-119.
Creams, Gels & Lotions
There are so many good (and some not so good) pain relief and natural anti-inflammatory topical creams on the market at the moment, it can be a bit confusing as to what is right for you. Here at Queen Street Physiotherapy we stock a small range of different natural creams to cover all of your needs and preferences. Antiflamme: An old favourite of everyone who uses it. With a carefully selected range of naturally-derived plant based oils including Arnica, Hypericum, Calendula and Peppermint. It helps to relieve minor joint and muscle pain, reduce mild muscle inflammation, and assist in the management of muscle strains and sprains. It has a thick cream consistency and a pleasant minty smell. It is a wonderful alternative to the pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory creams for those who are looking for a plant based alternative. Bullet & Bone Muscle Activating Rub: This warming cream is another that can be used to alleviate muscle aches and pains. As it is lightweight and rapidly absorbed, it is designed to be used before exercise to accelerate warm-up and reduce the risk of injury. This lotion contains willow bark, meadowsweet and clary extract which offer natural anti-inflammatory effects. Better Nature Pain Relief Cream: This is another new one to our shelves which has been created from naturally sourced plant ingredients including Eucalyptus, Arnica, Hypericum, Rosemary and Wintergreen. It has a very natural fragrance to it so if you prefer something with less smell but with the same natural anti-inflammatory properties then this may be the cream for you. Please feel free to ask about any of these creams when you are next in the clinic. The Physiotherpist’s are happy to include them in your treatment so you can try before you commit to buying. Whilst these products are not medicated, if you are unsure about what is safe to use on any specific skin conditions or if you are pregnant please consult with your doctor or pharmacist.
Therapist Team
Our Team
Phill Forostenko
Principal Physiotherapist
and Exercise Physiologist
Norman Sossi
Senior
Physiotherapist
Ellen Bailey
Senior
Physiotherapist
Nick Henkeli
Remedial
Massage Therapist
Nicola Poole
Reception
