Running

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 »

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 »

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 »

Cassandra Stuchbery

by (Dietitian and Sports Dietitian)

Cassandra completed her Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics and Monash University in 2014 and is now an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist. She believes in using nutrition education to help people take control of their own health.

Cassandra has experience with helping people with a wide range of conditions, however, she has a special interest in helping people manage their food intolerance’s and lose weight in a sustainable way. Cassandra’s motto is “If you don’t want to do it for life then why start now?” as she aims to help people make long terms change to their nutrition to get long term results.

Cassandra consults at our Boronia clinic. She is a registered provider for Medicare, NDIS, DVA and Private Health Insurance.

 … read more »

Dr Josh Osborne

by (Podiatrist)

Josh completed his bachelor of Podiatry at La Trobe Bundoora in 2011. He is a highly enthusiastic Podiatrist and Personal Trainer, having advanced knowledge in sporting injuries and rehabilitation. He has a great deal of experience working alongside physiotherapists within football clubs and within multidisciplinary teams loving the collaborative approach to healthcare.

 

Josh considers himself to be a problem solver who is caring and friendly; “I want the best for my patients and I strongly believe in holistic management”

 

Josh has completed numerous courses including rocktape application, foot mobilisations, and dry needling.

 

Chronic conditions such as Plantar Fasciitis and Achilles tendonopathy are two of his favourite conditions to manage.

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

Biomechanics of Barefoot Running

by (Podiatrist)

Barefoot RunningThe complex issues that surround barefoot running

For experienced and dedicated runners the barefoot running debate has prompted a lot of discussion. These discussions center around the benefits and risks associated with this new technique.

My definition of bare foot running is: to run barefoot or in a device that provides no support, heel counter and has no shock absorption properties.

There are many shoes that sit between a barefoot running device and a traditional running shoe. These shoes range from Vibrams to Nike frees. Shoes in this range all vary in the effect they will have on your gait. Due to this and the large range of shoes that are currently on the market, I have chosen not to discuss individual shoes here.
In this article I have provided more information about what I believe are the key points to consider related to this issue. They include: foot strike patterns, shock attenuation, training and proprioceptive feed back and how these will effect energy expenditure, injuries and injury rates. In this article I hope to discuss many of these issues in more detail.

Barefoot Running Diagram

Foot strike pattern

The largest visual change between shod and bare foot running is most commonly seen … read more »

Shin Splints

by (Osteopath & Exercise Scientist)

Shin Splints is a common term for medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). It is an injury caused by overuse and ‘doing too much too soon’. MTSS is the inflammation of the periosteum of the tibia (the sheath surrounding the bone). Individuals doing high impact activities such as running, jumping, netball and football are more prone to this injury.

Not all pain in the anterior lower leg is MTSS; other common lower leg injuries include Anterior Compartment Syndrome, Stress Fracture and Tibalis Anterior Tendonopathy. These can be assessed and diagnosed by your health professional.

Symptoms

  • Pain and tenderness over the medial lower half of the shinbone, usually 3- 12cm up from the ankle.
  • Swelling
  • Pain increases with exercise

So what has caused this injury?

When the muscles are put under more stress than they able to cope with, they lose their ability to shock absorb which therefore, increases stress on the body. Players returning to sport after a period of rest or large increases in training increase the risk of developing this injury. Tight muscles including the gastrocnemius and soleus (calf) muscles can cause tractional forces on the periosteum causing inflammation and pain. Poor foot biomechanics with excessive pronation or supination … read more »