exercise

10 ways to make your ACL rehab easier!

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10 ways to make your ACL rehab easier!

Having an ACL reconstruction is never going to be easy, having gone through one myself in 2017 I can tell you it’s no walk in the park. However, there are ways to make life a bit more bearable – especially in the first few weeks. Ashby

1) Get a plastic chair for the shower

This might sound silly but after your surgery you’ll experience a significant feeling of instability, and the last thing you need is a slippery shower floor increasing that unstable feeling.
I found that putting a plastic chair in the shower is an easy way to feel safe in the shower during those first two to three weeks while you work on getting your knee nice and stable.

2) Change up your theraband position for leg extensions at home

If you’re working on waking up that pesky VMO at home. You’re most likely doing some form of leg extensions. A common form of this are sitting down using a theraband. Now what can commonly happen (and what happened to me) is that the theraband slides up the leg, which can be annoying and uncomfortable. However, if you twist the theraband … read more »

Knee pain and the hip-knee continuum.

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Knee pain and the hip-knee continuum.

Knee pain in the gym recently? It might be time to load up the hips!

Knee pain is one of the most common presentations we see here at Stay Tuned Sports Medicine and it affects 25% of adults at some stage in their lives (Nguyen et al., 2012). In active populations we see a number of conditions affect the knee such as patella tracking syndrome, osteoarthritis, patella tendinopathy, fat pad impingement, and more.

Unfortunately, we often see clients opt to rest these injuries and skip lower body exercises (or skip entire classes!) rather than modify the exercise to suit their needs. While this may temporarily relieve the pain, as soon as you go back to lower body exercises the pain will be as severe or worse than before due to the tissues becoming weaker and less able to tolerate the load needed to perform these exercises.

So what can we do?

A great way to modify lower body exercises is to shift away from knee dominant exercises and move towards more hip-dominant exercises.

As shown below, exercises such as lunges and squats have a strong focus on knee movement and a large amount of … read more »

Should you rest after an injury?

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Should you rest after an injury?

Perhaps not.

Traditionally, our immediate response to a musculoskeletal injury is to rest and let the body heal itself, after all everyone who has done basic first aid knows that the R in R.I.C.E. is rest!

However, the importance on rest has been greatly overemphasised in the past and this thinking has perpetuated to this day, even though we have more and more evidence telling us that this may not be the best thing to do, and may even cause harm.

The reason for this is that these types of injuries cause a decrease in our body’s function (our body’s ability to move and perform activity) therefore to recover from these injuries we must focus on improving our body’s function, rather than not moving and waiting for the injury to resolve.

Instead of completely resting after an injury, your Osteopath/ Physiotherapist may give you modified exercises that mimic your chosen activity (e.g. walking instead of running). This strategy is known as relative rest, where we decrease the workload on the body but don’t completely remove the workload – known as absolute rest.

For any chronic injuries, such as chronic low back pain, or … read more »

What Exercise Does To Your Body

by (Physiotherapist)

If I told you there was a pill that could improve your lifelong physical, emotional and mental state each day you took it, would you give it a chance?

Evidence from the past 20 years has been pointing to exercise and physical activity as the frontier of preventative medicine and considering the health benefits it has been proven to achieve, it’s really no wonder why.

A FEW BENEFITS OF EXERCISE:

  • Relief of stress & improved mood [6] [12]
  • Higher energy levels [9]
  • Reducing the risk of cardiovascular, neurological and musculoskeletal disease/injury [1] [3]
  • Pain relief [4] [5] [13]
  • Weight loss [8] [10] [11]
  • Improved sleep [14]
  • Improved cognitive function and neural plasticity [2] [7]

A SCIENCE

Exercise isn’t just to make you feel like a guest star on Jane Fonda’s 1986 Jazzercise cassette *insert Jazz hands*. But, in all seriousness, exercise works at a cellular level [5] [6].

Exercise causes an increase in blood flow and our cells’ ability to nourish themselves while removing waste products. This increase in circulation and loading to the body helps with tissue repair, increases bone mineral density and releases endorphins, our feel-good hormones [6] [12].

‘EXERCISE IS MEDICINE’

Exercise may not look … read more »

Time To Get Proactive!

by (Osteopath )

Time to Get Proactive!

Life is unpredictable and can be chaotic at times. But you don’t have to always let the unexpected get the best of you. The solution is to practice becoming proactive. By choosing to be proactive, you are choosing to take responsibility for your actions by planning ahead. You can be more deliberate with the choices you make instead of reacting to things only when they pop up. When you are reactive, you are forced to deal with situations with less time and limited resources.

The key behaviours that make you proactive include setting short term and long term goals; prioritising what you can control and staying consistent. When you make a habit out of these behaviours, you will be better equipped to tackle almost anything that comes your way. You can more readily identify potential obstacles and then work towards overcoming them before they become serious roadblocks.

So, do the things that future you will thank you for. These things might be like paying your bills early or stretching before you are in pain. Being proactive with your health can mean that you are in a better position to tackle unexpected health events. Ways of being … read more »

Hydrotherapy: workout in water!

by (Physiotherapist)

HYDROTHERAPY: Water As A Workout!

And you don’t need to be able to swim!

Research is consistently showing hydrotherapy, or aquatic exercise, to be as effective as land-based exercise in reducing pain and improving function [3][7]. It’s no wonder that hydrotherapy has been used as a treatment modality for hundreds of years!

  • It’s low impact

Great for managing rheumatoid or osteoarthritis, those who have difficulties exercising on land due to impact or pain [4].

  •  Thermotherapy

Relaxes muscles and relives joint stiffness [6].

  • Assists with chronic conditions

Arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia [6].

  • Preparation for or rehabilitation following joint replacement surgery
  • Facilitating recovery from certain strokes and brain injuries

But what really makes hydrotherapy so effective?

THE AMAZING PROPERTIES OF WATER

Buoyancy – The deeper you are submerged in water, the less you weigh. Exercising in water lessens the effects of impact exercise and relieves the joints of much of your bodyweight [1] [5]. Hence, one can tolerate a variety of exercise with better endurance, technique and reduced or no pain.

Heat – Hydrotherapy pools measure around 34°C in temperature, much warmer than your average lap pool! Heat increases circulation through the body, which can relieve muscle tightness and relieve stiffness in … read more »

What is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and why should I see one?

by (Physiotherapist)

What is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) and why should I see one?

Accredited Exercise Physiologists are university qualified allied health professionals equipped with the knowledge and skills to design, deliver and evaluate safe and effective exercise interventions. These can be for people with acute, sub-acute or chronic medical conditions, injuries or disabilities.

What are the requirements for becoming an AEP?

The requirements for becoming an AEP is to complete a minimum of 4 years university study at both a graduate level and post graduate (Masters) level. AEP’s are also required to complete over 500 hours of placement that gives them exposure not only to the healthy population but also to different conditions such as cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, neurological, mental health and cancer related conditions.

What is the difference between a Physio and an AEP?

The major difference is that AEP’s are unable to perform any form of manual therapy (hands on) to the client such as mobilisations, massage and manipulations. They can however do assessments similar to Physio’s like range of motion, manual muscle testing and other special tests. The primary mode of treatment of AEP’s is exercise which is more of hands off therapy.

What is the difference … read more »

My Favourite Exercises

by (Physiotherapist)

My Favourite Exercises!

Exercise is one the most easily prescribed mode of treatment to improve health and wellbeing. There is irrefutable evidence that suggests the beneficial effects of exercise to prevent and treat several diseases. I feel privileged that I am able to use exercise as a form of treatment. In doing so, I always make sure that my client knows what the exercise is, how to do the exercise properly, why we’re doing this exercise and the benefits of the exercise. I always look for exercises where I can get the most benefit, meaning maximizing gains while promoting stability and control. Here are my top three prescribed exercises.

1. Glute Bridges
Personally, I think the gluteals are the most underrated muscle in the body. Some people would prefer bigger chest or back or biceps or triceps. They do not realize that it’s the gluteals that hold everything together. Gluteal muscle strength and endurance play a significant role in injury prevention, normalizing gait pattern and posture, eliminating pain and enhancing athletic performance.

The beauty of performing glute bridges is that unlike any other lower limb or hip exercise, you perform this exercise lying down, knees and feet hip width apart. … read more »

Bursitis

by (Osteopath)

Bursitis? What is that?! 

Have you recently consulted with your Osteo or Physio who has referred you for an ultrasound? Did they mentioned the possibility that you have Bursitis? Well let me explain a bit about what that is!

Healthy vs BursitisWhat is a Bursa?

A Bursa is a fluid filled sac that acts as a cushion between muscles, tendons, joints and bones. The role of these Bursae is to reduce friction caused by movement around those joints. 

What is Bursitis?

Bursitis is inflammation of the Bursae. It is often a painful condition that affects the joints. It is commonly associated with over use or repetitive joint movements. It can however also be caused by poor postures, walking habits, long standing strength or structural imbalances. It is more common in those who are overweight, have some types of arthritis, elderly or diabetic, however it can also occur in healthy individuals. 

Common sites of Bursitis are: 

  • Shoulder 
  • Hip 
  • Knee 
  • Elbow 
  • Ankle 

Symptoms of Bursitis:

  • Pain or tenderness around the joint, especially if pressure is applied. 
  • Redness, warmth or swelling are usually uncommon but may be a sign of infection. 

Diagnosis of Bursitis:

A diagnosis of Bursitis is usually done through a thorough examination. … read more »

Ankle Sprains

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Ankle Sprains 

Ashby Smith

Ankle sprains are the most common lower limb injury for sports people and have the highest re-injury rate of all sports injuries.

When we recover from ankle sprains and injuries we need to make sure that our exercise rehabilitation is comprehensive and properly strengthens the ankle before we get back to sport.

Here are the 5 stages of ankle recovery and 3 exercises/management tools you can do in each stage!

 

Stage 1: Regain range of motion.

  • Gentle calf stretches
  • Massage therapy to the lower leg
  • Elevating and compressing your leg up to reduce the swelling – which helps to restore range of motion

Stage 2: Regain balance and proprioception.

  • Single leg balance test
  • Wobble board/bosu ball exercises
  • Arabesques

Stage 3: Strengthen lower leg muscles.

  • Calf raises
  • Ankle up and outs – with theraband
  • Squats

Stage 4: Start sports specific exercises (return to modified training).

  • Skipping
  • Lateral hops
  • Jump squats

Stage 5: Return to sport.

  • Suicides
  • Bunny hops
  • High knee running

… read more »