exercise

How to Best Provide Ankle Support for Netballers –Kids, Teenagers and Adults 

by (Osteopath & Clinical Pilates Instructor)

Every Saturday you can probably guarantee that a handful of us “lucky” netballers will come away from the courts with “twisted/turned/sprained” ankles.

Why?

Netball is a game that involves an immense amount of dodging and quick turns. Unfortunately, these movements can put pressure on the lateral ligaments of the ankle. If we happen to overdo it and go into too much inversion (rolling in) we can actually sprain these ligaments.

Due to the nature of the healing process, if damaged ligaments will only regain 80% of their original strength. This means that the ligament will always be a little weaker.

What can we do?

Now apart from doing an excellent rehabilitation program to strengthen the surrounding muscles and improving proprioception, the best thing that netballers can do to provide stability while on the court is to tape or brace the ankle.

Taping

On TV you’ll see that the Australian Diamonds and athletes that play in the Suncorp Super Netball League will mostly decide to tape. This is because they have access to trained professionals who know exactly how to tape ankles for the players specific needs.

At the professional level all teams are looking to get an edge. There has … read more »

Tips and tricks for new Mums!

by (Remedial Massage Therapist)

In my time as a Massage Therapist I have come across many ladies with what I call ‘Mum Posture’. It wasn’t until I became a Mum and started living the day to day life first hand that I realized the full extent of what causes this.

From breastfeeding your little one, to carrying them on your hip for hours and forever hanging over the cot trying to get them to nap. This combined with lack of sleep or time to recharge our own batteries, it is no wonder our bodies end up tired and sore.

When our shoulders are hunched this has a follow on effect on our pec, back and neck muscles causing pain and sometimes headaches.

In keeping with the theme of Mothers Day I thought I would share with you a few stretches to help with that ‘Mum Posture’. I’ve also shared some tips I’ve discovered along the way and things you can do to help yourself!

STRETCHES

Sarah Pec Stretch

Mum Stretch #1 – Pec Stretch and Thoracic Rotation

This is a handy stretch to do anytime you are feeling hunched over. Grab a broom stick and bring it up and over your head. You will feel this stretch … read more »

Don’t ignore heel pain in young athletes.

by (Osteopath)

Is your young sports star suffering heel pain? Let me tell you, they are not alone. Heel pain in young growing active individuals is usually due to a condition medically known as “Severs Disease”. Although it sounds quite dramatic it is very common benign condition affecting active (boys usually) between the ages of 8 – 14. It is caused by an irritation of the growth plate of the heel bone brought on by recent an increased pull from the Achilles tendon. When your child is growing, it is usually the bones that start to grow first, leaving behind the muscles and tendons to adapt and catch up. This leads to the tendons pulling at the insertion site at the heel.

What are the symptoms?

  • Pain around the perimeter of the heel during physical exercise – particularly activities involving lots of jumping and running
  • Pain becomes worse at the BEGINNING and AFTER exercise
  • Changes in the way your child walks – walking on toes is common
  • Swelling, redness or tenderness around the back of the heel

How can we help?

The good news is, there are lots of effective ways to help your child throughout their active lifestyle during this stage. … read more »

Patrick Lynch

by (Physiotherapist & Clinical Pilates Instructor)

After completing a Bachelor of Exercise Science at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, Patrick opted for a change of scenery and completed a Master of Physiotherapy at the University of Sydney. Not ready to give up the city life, and head back to Queensland, Pat chose to move to Melbourne where he works at Stay Tuned Sports Medicine in Elwood.
Before becoming a physiotherapist Patrick was always passionate about the importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle, having always been active and participating in team and individual sports. Throughout his studies this passion has only grown and he is now keen to help others achieve optimal function and reach their individual goals. With a strong background in exercise prescription Pat is sure to employ this in his rehabilitation programs.
Outside of work Patrick loves to explore what the world, and his doorstep has to offer. He is a keen traveller, either to another country or a good coffee shop or brewery he has heard about. Pat grew up surfing, rowing, playing cricket and the various codes of rugby, although he has recently developed a keen taste for Aussie Rules.… read more »

Cassandra Stuchbery

by (Dietitian and Sports Dietitian)

Cassie is a people-focused dietitian with a passion for all things food and nutrition. She is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist with a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics.

 

With a background in chronic disease and weight management Cassie enjoys helping clients with tailored nutrition programs and motivation. She also works providing sports nutrition advice to the Australian Sports Climbing team and regularly presents to young athletes.

 

No more fad diets or temporary solutions, Cassie is passionate about helping you make lasting changes to have a lasting impact on your health.

“Every Body Deserves to Feel Good”… read more »

Michelle Lam

by (Physiotherapist and Clinical Pilates Instructor)

Michelle graduated from La Trobe University and has since furthered her skill equipment based Clinical Pilates extensively. She has worked with various amateur league football and soccer teams throughout Victoria and loves treating back and neck pain, sports injuries and post-operative exercise rehabilitation. Michelle is passionate about combining manual therapy techniques in conjunction with active rehabilitation for long term results. Outside of work, Michelle enjoys riding her bike and visiting beaches across the world.

“Every Body Deserves to Feel Good”… read more »

Sophie Fletcher

by (Osteopath & Exercise Scientist)

Sophie graduated from the Australian Ballet School with an Advanced Diploma of Dance in 2003. During her training she received several scholarships and awards both for achievements in dance and academic excellence.

On graduating she joined The Australian Ballet performing with the company for the next 4 years. She travelled extensively overseas with the company and was also awarded a travel scholarship in 2005 which enabled her to take classes with major American ballet companies including New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. In 2008 Sophie joined the West Australian Ballet as a guest artist and remained there for the next 2 years performing in many critically acclaimed productions. She then joined the Czech National Ballet at the invitation of the director Petr Zuska and performed many notable classical and contemporary roles. Most recently Sophie appeared as Princess Aurora in Prague Festival Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty during its tour of Germany.

Sophie’s connection to pilates began at age 11 as an adjunct to her ballet training and she continued to practise it regularly throughout her career. Sophie is convinced pilates helped her to stay injury free during her career by building a strong, … read more »

Exercise is the best medicine

by (Osteopath & Exercise Scientist)

Exercise is the best medicine

In the times of cave men, we had to walk, run and jump just to survive. Then technology came along and now instead of walking across the room to talk to our co-worker, we send an email. Let’s be honest, the world has changed, but our bodies haven’t. We still need to be active and move.youth-570881_1920

Exercise is medicine. Let’s look into this shall we?

If exercise was a pill, it would be the most prescribed medication. Why? Because the human body needs to move. Here’s a very short list of how the body responds to exercise.

Blood Pressure – As exercise intensity increases so does blood pressure, but that’s because we need more oxygen to get to our muscles. When exercises stops and we finish our cool down, the vessels relax and our blood pressure lowers. It can even be lower than before the exercise session.

Blood Sugars- When we move, the body uses a mechanism called GLUT-4 to draw glucose into the muscles. Good news for diabetics.

Cholesterol – Exercise helps balance the cholesterol in our blood. This can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.swimmers-79592_1920

Osteoporosis – Bones that … read more »

How to Climb Mt Everest – a Guide to Goal Setting

by (Osteopath & Exercise Scientist)

Have you ever set yourself a goal that seemed too big the next day? For example, climbing Mt Everest. Seemed like a good idea at the time, right? And then when you felt puffed after walking up a hill it made you disheartened so you settled for a block of chocolate instead?
mountain-climbing-802099_1920

Well here’s a secret. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and NO ONE has climbed Mt Everest in a day either.

When setting goals the easiest thing to do is see the finish sign but not the road to get there. Knowing the path and which direction to take makes it a lot easier to stay on track.

Clichés aside, here are a few tips on how to climb your mountain. Make your goal SMART.
S – Specific. “To lose weight” could be 1 gram or 50kgs. What is it EXACTLY that you want to achieve?
M – Measurable. Numbers, numbers, numbers!! How many times a week? How far? A great idea is to use different scales to measure how you feel. For example, after a run I feel 8/10 tired. Record it somewhere and be sure you check back and reflect on your progress!
A – … read more »

Compartment Syndrome

by (Osteopath & Exercise Scientist)

Compartment syndrome in the lower limb is essentially where the pressure within a compartment increases to a point where the nutrients supplying the structures within that compartment are either completely or partially occluded.

In our lower leg with have 4 compartments; Anterior, Lateral, Deep Posterior and Superficial Posterior. Within each compartment there are specific muscles and neurovascular structures which are contained. These groups of muscles are enclosed within a fascia which is like tight sheet. As well as bundling the muscles together the fascia has the function of providing an element of compression around these muscles.

When we exercise our muscles receive increased blood flow, which cause them to expand, however the fascia remains quite rigid. In most individuals this isn’t a concern as the compartments have enough space for this expansion and contraction to occur. In a symptomatic individual, the muscles expand to a point that blood flow to the area is severely compromised and therefore pressure in the compartment increases. Compartment syndrome typically effects the calf or shin region.

The main contributing factors for compartment syndrome are:

1. Overload of training / Poor variability within training schedules – The below examples can facilitate the onset or progression of … read more »