That’s not exercise! There was a cartoonish bead of sweat forming on my temple as I straightened my leg yet again and tried to recall what series of events had led me to be lying on my side in a Pilates studio with my buttock feeling like a rusted Hills Hoist. I hadn’t lost any bets recently, and I don’t think I’d just tripped and fallen out of the clinic and across Anzac square and a block down Ann Street onto a Pilates Reformer. Overwhelmingly the most likely answer was that in another health and team-building endeavour, Queen Street Physiotherapy...
Running is arguably one of the greatest forms of exercise available. It’s free, it’s invigorating, and just about anyone can do it. However, an approximate one third of runners will experience a running related injury at some point in their lives, and in a lot of cases, these injuries are preventable. The majority of running related injuries (approximately three quarters) occur in the lower leg; that is the knee, shin, ankle or foot. While some injuries are minor and easily dealt with (such as blisters or bruises caused by falls), others are more serious and will require lots of rest...
When it comes to treating sports related injuries, it goes without saying that prevention is better than treatment. Not only for the betterment of your muscles and ligaments, but also your lifestyle. Sports related injuries can lead to a potential loss of income — if the injury is severe enough to require time off work — as well as the inability to perform your normal daily activities, however there are a number of precautions you can take to stop you suffering such loss. Here’s 5 tips to prevent sport injuries, because let’s face it, prevention is better than treatment. Warm...
Acupuncture and dry needling both involve needle therapy to treat pain, but they’re very different practices. To clarify the differences, we’ve outlined the two therapies below. Acupuncture, a 5000-year-old practice, originating in China and certified as Traditional Chinese Medicine. A form of alternative or complimentary medicine, acupuncture requires fine needles to be inserted into specific pathways along the body called meridians. Acupuncturists believe chi runs through the body via 12 meridian pathways that are linked to internal organs. Fine needles are inserted at points along these pathways to redirect the flow of the energy, which then alleviates pain, stress and...
Sitting at a desk looking at a computer is something that many of us spend a large chunk of our day doing. In fact, chances are that if you’re reading this right now, you’re doing exactly that. With research showing that prolonged sitting is linked to heart disease, cancers and even dementia, it’s clear that sedentary behaviour isn’t all that great for us. Additionally, if sitting for extended periods forms part of your daily routine, it can leave your muscles tired, tight and achy from lack of use. To alleviate this here are some simple stretches you can do at...
This month I educated the team at Queen Street Physiotherapy on recent research surrounding impingement of the shoulder, also commonly known an impingement syndrome. Impingement of the shoulder is a very common condition in which we see and treat at our Queen Street clinic frequently. Patients often report pain at the top or front of their shoulder which is often exacerbated with overhead movements, placing the hand behind the back and lifting objects. An individual may also experience weakness at the shoulder or pain referring down the arm. Impingement syndrome may arise from direct trauma to the shoulder, such as...
While much is known in the way tibial plateau fractures and how they are managed, little is known about bony contusions or “bone bruises” and their course of healing. Tibial plateau fractures are usually the result of car vs. pedestrian accidents, or in the elderly with low bone density. Depending on the type of force (hitting from the front or the side) determines the type of tibial plateau fracture, as well as the prognosis. A skilled therapist is often able to recognise a tibial plateau fracture based on the presenting signs and symptoms of: knee pain, swelling, joint line tenderness,...
Last week I presented an in-service to the physiotherapy staff looking at the current literature surrounding cartilage surgery and the benefits and possibilities of stem cell therapy. As physiotherapists, we wanted to update our knowledge on cartilage repair and stem cells and how this can affect our treatment sessions. As adults our own stem cells can be harvested from adipose tissue (fat tissue), blood, or bone marrow. The cells can then be manipulated and grown to form a type of cartilage in a laboratory or inside the effected joint. Multiple studies report positive changes with the introduction of stem cells...
Six weeks ago, early on a bright and sunny Wednesday morning, the staff from our three clinics gathered in the Brisbane City Botanical Gardens. There were some looks of apprehension, excitement and also sleep deprivation as we awaited the beginning of our first group training session aka “Boot Camp” (also dubbed “torture morning” by some). What we were up against we weren’t sure but with a group like Committed Training at the helm we knew we were in safe hands. Committed Training is a Brisbane City based personal training company headed by Jason Clark and Brent Coglan. Collectively they have...
Try this: Close your eyes, standing feet hip width apart with a slight bend in your knees. Now turn your focus onto your breathing, in and out, leaving all other thoughts to the wayside, in and out. Sounds fairly simple just focusing on breathing, nothing else. Until that errant thought runs through your head, “What should I have for lunch today?” or “Did I send that email?” And then your mind is away thinking about anything but that most basic human function: breathing. Recently Marcello from Tattersalls gym kindly organised for all our staff to attend six weeks of Qigong...
