rehabilitation

Ankle Sprains

by (Osteopath )

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 »

Osteopathy, Fatherhood and Sport.

by (Osteopath)

As an Osteopath with 3 active under teenage kids, I have the invaluable experience of watching my kids develop physically while playing a number of sports: tennis, swimming, ballet, lacrosse, basketball and nippers.

In fact I’m poolside now at 5.50am in a chilly Melbourne Monday morning. Brrrr!

At 12 years old our eldest boy is swimming more than 30km a week, plus basketball and nippers.

30km! Some would say that’s a lot for a 12 year old, especially considering that my eldest is not in the least bulked up with muscle.

How has he got there?

It’s a progression, a build, to get to this point, and it’s a path that the body has to take to accommodate the wants of its owner. He has had some aches and pains and they will always happen when loading the body, but he has never had a major injury and there are a couple of reasons for this…

🔹Management/ treatment of past major issues and the recording or remembering of them. You would not believe how many people forget a broken bone or an operation!

🔹Then there is the ‘dad, my arm hurts here 👇’ scenario, whereby we immediately

… read more »

Runners Knee – Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

by (Physiotherapist & Clinical Pilates Instructor)

Running. For some of you this is an activity that stopped eons ago. A forgotten activity that your body once endured. For others it is part of your daily life, like brushing your teeth or eating breakfast. But for those of you like me, your relationship with running is not so black and white.  Your running routine comes in peaks and troughs, dictated by little niggles, aches and sometimes even the seasons. The most common area of complaint in runners that I see here at Stay Tuned is the knee.

The most common cause of knee pain in runners is patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), or runner’s knee. This occurs when the patella, otherwise known as the knee cap does not track within the groove at the end of the femur (thigh bone) properly, creating friction between these structures. Those with PFPS may feel discomfort at the front of the knee when going up or down stairs, squatting, or sitting down with the knees bent for an extended period of time. Unlike other injuries there is not always an obvious cause for the development of this condition, instead there may be multiple factors as to why the patella does not track … read more »

I’ve just had an ACL reconstruction. When can I play again?

by (Osteopath & Clinical Pilates Instructor)

Are you like one of the many Melbournians who ruptured their ACL in 2017?

No? Well you probably know someone who’s going through their rehab or wearing one of those huge knee braces…

A common question I get asked as an osteopath is; “When do you think I’ll be able to get back to running/cricket/footy/netball etc.?”

If there was a clear-cut rehabilitation program which guaranteed a smooth, risk free transition back to sport none of you would be reading this article.

Unfortunately, the gold standard just doesn’t exist yet, however, we are lucky to have access to the newest research.

This give us, your osteopaths and physiotherapists the right information to guide your rehab program and give you the highest chance of success.

 

“So what does the newest research suggest?”

The traditional return-to-sport (RTS) criteria mainly focuses on a time frame period in conjunction with clinical assessments of physical capability. Often you hear those who’ve had their reconstruction saying, “In 12 months I’ll be back, once all the locking, swelling and restrictions are gone.”

The latest research from Burland et al. (2017) is suggesting to take more of an “optimized criterion-based multifactorial return-to-sport approach” (p. 2). A layered … read more »