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...
Pathophysiology: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a common condition, especially amongst office workers and those whose work tasks involve repetitive movements of the wrist. It is characterised by pain, numbness, and tingling (a sensation of pins and needles) in the hand but may also affect the arm. It is caused by a compression of one of the 3 nerves that pass through the wrist (most commonly the median nerve). In most cases, carpal tunnel syndrome is progressive with early diagnosis and treatment essential. If left untreated CTS can worsen, which can lead to nerve damage and a severity of symptoms...
A wry neck is the term given to a presentation of insidious onset of neck pain and stiffness. Wry necks can cause severe pain without any obvious mechanism of injury. You will often have pain on one side of your neck and the inability to turn your neck in one direction. An acute wry neck is used to describe when the condition has come on quickly (commonly overnight). Whilst the cause is relatively unknown, findings suggest the facet joints along the side of the neck can become “locked” causing spasm and pain. Facet joints are found along the back aspect...
Good news QLD’ers…..the gyms are re-opening! There has been two types of people, when it comes to exercise during the Covid-19 pandemic. Those who have increased their exercise regime and are now doing more cardio than ever. And those who have been spending more time watching Netflix and testing out new recipes. Whether you’ve been smashing the cardio or taking life a little easy, check out the following tips before returning to a gym-based routine. Tips to prevent injury getting back to the gym following your Covid-19 break! Your body generally does a great job of adapting to exercise routines....
Everyone loves a good massage every now and then. But there’s one kind that’s more than just a feel-good experience. It promotes wellness and relief for injury, and it’s called remedial massage. Remedial massage is a technique used by trained therapists to locate damaged areas of the body, such as strained muscles. The massage can hasten the body’s natural healing process. As the term implies, it remedies the pain you may be feeling, allowing you to go back to your daily routine without worrying about having any aching muscles or bones. The great thing about remedial massage is that it...
With the weather warming up we can all begin to think about dusting off our swimmers and taking a dip in the ocean. One of the best things about summer is being able to get into the ocean. If you don’t swim in the ocean regularly, NOW is the time to make that promise to yourself that THIS summer you are going to swim regularly. Swimming is a good all-round activity because it: keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness helps maintain a healthy weight,...
5 Chronic Pain Myths Chronic pain, or pain that sticks around for longer than three months, affects one in five Australians. We have all experienced pain. Think of the last time you stubbed your toe, got a paper cut, or burned yourself on the oven. It is certainly not fun, but it usually goes away quite quickly. Imagine though, what it would be like to have pain that does not go away and is there every single day — that is chronic pain. Myth 1: Pain is all in your head A common misconception is that some people are only...
Must we sit? Have you ever considered how much sitting you do on a daily basis? How much of this is optional sitting and how much is non-optional sitting? The idea of optional sitting and non optional sitting first caught my eye in a book I started reading called, Deskbound, which was written by a Physical Therapist in America named Kelly Starrett and published in 2016. For those of us who spend a significant portion of our day sitting, this is a great way to really consider how much time we spend sitting and recognize this and take action to...
Adequate and appropriate recovery is essential for allowing the body to adapt to training loads, repair its self and prevent injuries. If you are working your body like an athlete, you must also recover like an athlete! Nutrition – Inadequate energy intake will leave your body unable to replenish energy stores and repair and build tissue to attain your training goals. Proper nutrition helps to maintain blood glucose during exercise, maximise performance and improve recovery time. Tip: Ensure you have adequate carbohydrate and protein intake in your diet. Immediately after exercise consume high glycemic index (GI) carbohydrate foods. Hydration – Fluids and electrolytes...
With 24/7 gyms popping up all over the place, the health department increasing their emphasis on exercise promotion, everyone trying to get their beach bodies set for summer and the warm weather making any kind of exercise that bit more appealing, more and more people will start hitting up the gym and pounding the pavement. As everyone begins to emerge from their winter exercise hibernation, we will slowly see the usual suspects start to fill the clinic: The Hibernators: Now that you can go for a run without fear of frostbite or getting drenched, there will be plenty of people...
