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Viewing posts categorised under: Prolonging Health
Melissa’s Birthday Blog
23.05.17
Why do you love Pilates:
Pilates is the most effective exercise for my body. Since turning 40 my body seems to want to fall apart at every opportunity it gets, but Pilates is holding me together - keeping my muscles strong and supple. I love teaching Pilates and see people move from a chronic pain state to being able to do the activities they want to do in life. One of the great things about Pilates is that anyone can do it and we can tailor the exercises to give you a perfect workout whether you're an elite athlete or about to have your 90th birthday.
What is the best thing about being a physiotherapist?
I have been a Physio for over 20 years now and I still get such a thrill helping people: whether it is reducing pain, improving movement, helping people with exercises or empowering people to make the lifestyle changes needed to live a healthier life.
Best relaxation tip:
On a day to day basis focusing on slowing down the breath and breathing more gently. My favourite way to relax is a hot bath with magnesium flakes, some lavender essential oil and a cup of herbal tea - works wonders!
Best lifestyle tip:
Sleep more and sleep with a regular pattern. (9.30-6.30 works for me) A good night's sleep fixes everything! Oh and gratitude: I try to start and finish the day with thoughts of gratitude for a happier more positive mindset.
Favourite activity:
As long as it is in nature it doesn't matter: bush walking, surfing, strolls on the beach
Favourite recipe:
Oh so many to choose from, I love to cook delicious and nutritious food for myself and my family. At the moment our favourite breakfast is an acai bowl, I sneak all sorts of goodies into it: acai, chia seeds, flax seeds, avocado, spinach, bananas, berries, then sprinkle it with some nuts, seeds and fruit - a great healthy start to the day.
A typical Sunday:
I love to get out into the sunshine first thing in the morning usually down to the beach with my family and our dog, a stretch session, then settle in to relax with breaky, a coffee and the newspaper. The afternoon is spent outdoors, usually at the beach having a surf and playing on the beach or if the weather doesn't allow for outdoor activities curling up with the kids for a Sunday afternoon movie.
Mothers Day
As Mother's day approaches we have taken time to reflect on the influences that our Mothers have had on us.
All the Staff have been interviewed and here are their responses;
Melissa
What I love most about being a mother: My children bring me back to the moment and wake up my imagination: Whether it is finding shapes in clouds, watching a rainbow or chasing butterflies.
I love the morning cuddles and good night squeeze tight snuggles and all the surprises like little love notes or hand made presents on my pillow, they are unconditional love!!
Matt
Favourite thing to do with your mother?
"Meeting somewhere random in Australia or the world and enjoying the sights and sounds together - Portugal, Argentina, Peru, Canada
Name an impressive moment by your Mother;
"Flying to Peru by herself and hiking the Inca trail"
How would you describe your Mother in 3 words ?
"Worlds best Mum"
Favourite story from Childhood,
"When we were little, headed off on a camping trip. After a few hours on the road, I had become disturbed enough to let Mum know that we were definitely being followed by someone (it happened to be our trailer!)"
Another Mum to remember
"Mother Teresa"
Kai
What are the most Important thing (or things) your Mother taught you ?
Shannon
The most Important thing (or things) my Mother taught me...
"#1, how to lounge and the beach"
What it means to be a mother..
"To be a Mama is to be a best friend that helps guide the way with advice from life experiences"
What is your favourite tradition with your mother?
"Every holiday we take a day together to go scuba diving"
Favourite activity to do with your Mother (Going to reuse the one from before)...scuba diving!
What is your Mum's favorite story about you as a Child?
"She was convinced I would be an IT genius, from the moment computers came out I would do all of her work and fix each problem without even a thought"
Who are some other important women in my life to recognise on Mother's Day?
"My best pal Susan, she's my 69 yo friend who has guided me over the years since I've moved overseas. I call her my Yogi Mama"
Joel
The most Important thing (or things) my Mother taught me... would be to respect others ..and to put the toilet seat down!
What is your favourite tradition and favourite activity to do with your Mum?We like to sit down and drink tea..
How would I describe my Mum in 3 words ... More words required than 3!
What is your Mum's favorite story about you as a Child? When I ate the contents of one of Mum's pot plants, then accidentally dropped it on Dad's head as he slept - I was not the favourite son that day!
Who are some other important women in my life to recognise on Mother's Day? My wife of course! Mum and Helen, Carly and Lavinia!
Rosie
What are the most important things your mother taught you ? "To respect our planet Earth and to value yourself."
What is your favourite tradition with your mother?"My favourite traditions with my Mum would have to be evening beach walks and every year on our (my siblings and I) Birthdays Mum brings out our baby album and we reflect and laugh at how little we all looked and relive those moments together."
What is your favourite tradition with your mother? "My favourite activity to do with my Mother would have to be Yoga."
How would you describe your Mother in 3 words ? "Three words to describe my mum: Loving, Caring, Powerful"
What is your mum's favorite story about you as a Child? "One of my Mum's favourite stories of me as a child would have to be when I was about 8 months old and Mum and Dad took me to the Great Barrier Reef and in a yellow submarine, and when I saw all the fish I just wouldn't stop laughing. Mum said they amused me so much that I was constantly giggling, and soon many other passengers in the submarine were giggling too."
Who are some other important women in my life to recognise on Mother's Day?
"Other import women to recognise on Mothers day would have to be my Gorgeous Grandma and Grannie, my Mumma friends and of course I like to also recognise and pay my respect to Mother Earth who supports us from day one as well. May we all learn to love our Mother Earth like we do our own Mother."
Birthday Blog – Shannon
24.04.17
Why do you love pilates:
It's just like Yoga to resistance... Plus it's fun to relearn how to use your body.
What is the best thing about being a physiotherapist?
Being a physio is wonderful, I basically just get to chit chat about bodies all day (which I do in or outside of work).
Why work at Pottsville and Cabarita Physiotherapy ?
The people here are awesome (that includes all you clients too!).
I Love how friendly and supportive everybody has been since the first day I started here.
Best relaxation tip:
Please breathe
Best lifestyle tip:
Slowwww down
Favourite activity:
Playing outside
Favourite recipe:
Recipe? Who uses recipes? I usually make everything up as a I go!
A typical Sunday:
Wake up, Yoga session, then a nice long late breakfast
The Clinical Side to Yoga
What’s with all this Yoga hype?
If you haven’t heard about Yoga these days, I would be quite surprised. Yoga classes are offered all over the world, in all the many varieties, and Yoga is always talked about as the best thing you can do for yourself. There is no doubt that a class integrating your mind and body will do you well. But what if you have, or had, an injury? Will the Yoga class down the road from you still do you good? Well let’s think about this…if you have a leak in your roof, do you want the roofer to do the same work on your roof as your neighbours who are just looking for general maintenance?…hence the formation of Clinical Yoga.
We all understand that when an injury occurs, how we function immediately changes. Most importantly, how our muscles activate, or co-activate, completely fluctuates. The intention of Clinical Yoga is to take you through the stages of healing with balanced movement and precise activation patterns. What is most commonly forgotten about injury is that our mind harbours the memory of your previous pain and tries protecting your body from a reoccurrence. As Yoga’s original basis is focused on unifying your mind and body, Clinical Yoga encapsulates this by freeing your mind of the fear of re-injury and enables you to progress back to natural movement. As a little story of what a class is, the main difference falls into how Yoga poses are performed. Each asana (pose) in class is tailored directly to your body and your injury. Each series performed is simple, yet challenging. Each moment of challenge is balanced with a moment of ease. Each class is suitable for any age and physical ability, as the simplicity of the series will be adaptable for all levels. Each person that joins will be taught, or re-taught, the foundations of the practice. And each time you leave you will feel rejuvenated. Once we are able to return back to our natural state, then of course it is time to jump back into the Yoga studio down the road from you! As we all have our place in the healing process and the role of a general class (whether it’s PT, Pilates, Yoga or Spin) is to progress your uninjured body. As Physiotherapists it is our place to bring you from pain to performance. For some insight from working in both phases, please allow yourself the pleasure to fully return to your natural movement before jumping back in. It is only favourable to yourself to get the most out of what each class has to offer.Balance – Falls Prevention
What is a fall?
The World Health Organisation defines a fall as "inadvertently coming to rest on the ground, floor or lower level, excluding intentional change in position to rest in furniture, wall or other objects". Falls in older people cover a wide range of events, including:- trips on raised obstacles (eg. loose rugs, cords, mats) or uneven surfaces (eg. footpaths, roads)
- slipping on wet or highly polished surfaces
- tumbles and stumbles down steps or stairs
- falling off a ladder or stepladder
- falling over in a shopping centre or while using public transport.
What a fall is not:
- Falls in older people are not accidents. Similarly, falls are not an inevitable or unavoidable part of life. The causes of a fall can usually be identified and the sequence of events leading up to the fall can be predicted and therefore can be prevented. o Unintentional falls continue to be the leading cause of injuries requiring hospitalisation in Australia.
Risk factors for falls
Physical inactivity- Physical activity has been shown to be the most promising falls prevention strategy, both as a single intervention and as a part of a multi-factorial approach.
- Research shows that specific exercises such as Tai Chi, balance, gait training and strength building group classes or individualised in-home programs reduce falls risk by 12% and the number of falls by 19%.
- These interventions can also increase the time before a person falls for the first time. A physical activity program should be specific for individuals and include exercise that challenges balance at a moderate to high extent with a attendance twice weekly.
What you can do to prevent a fall ?
Physical activity is key to preventing falls and improving well being! A holistic program including:- Proprioceptive retraining – challenging your body on unstable surfaces such as wobble discs and bosu balls helps to retrain your ability to recognise where your body is in space.
- Strengthening – a full body strength program including lower limb, upper limb and core strengthening will help to mitigate the loss of muscle mass common in the older population.
- Exercises such as squats, bridges, push ups and calf raises are useful examples of this.
Other modifiable risk factors for falls
Incontinence- Problems with bowel and bladder control can impact on an older person's ability to stay active, healthy and independent.
- Incontinence, urinary frequency and assisted toileting have been identified as falls risk factors for residents in residential aged care facilities.
- Physiotherapy can assist with incontinence.
- Sore, aching or tired feet make it difficult for an older person to stay active and independent, and can affect the way they walk.
- Some types of footwear such as slippers, thongs or scuffs, and wearing socks without shoes can increase the risk of falls
- Low vision, impaired vision, a change to vision or vision affected by medication can increase the risk of an older person falling. Vision impairment ranks sixth in the world's major causes of loss of wellbeing, and the prevalence of vision loss increases with age.
- There is strong evidence that falls risk is increased by medications which act on the central nervous system, such as those used to treat depression, sleep disorders and anxiety.
- For those using these medications to assist with sleep disorders and anxiety related health issues, there is a need for longer term support and use of non-pharmacological alternatives such as relaxation, reducing caffeine intake, increasing physical activity and meditation in the first instance. Home safety
- The relative risk of falls can be reduced by 20% in those with a history of falling by an occupational therapist conducting a thorough home risk assessment and arranging the recommended modifications.
- Tidying up behind you and not leaving objects on the floor can also help to prevent falls.
- Nutrition is an important factor in falls prevention, as frailty results from a loss of muscle mass and strength, neuromuscular impairment, immobilisation and malnutrition.
- Older Australians are at risk of developing nutritional health problems due to reduced energy needs and a decreased ability to absorb nutrients.
Falls can be prevented!
Staying healthy and active, maintaining strength and balance, identifying falls risk factors and improving home safety will help to minimise the risk of falling. Talk to your physiotherapist today about minimising your falls risk factors or join our fit for life program.
Birthday Blog – Rosie Remedial Masseuse
28.03.17
Why do you love Pilates:
To be completely honest I haven't actually done Pilates, not that I wouldn't like to, It just hasn't found it's way into my life yet.
But I know that clinical Pilates is one of the best forms of rehab, and fitness out, I'll have to try it soon.
What is the best thing about being a Remedial Masseuse ?
Well as a Remedial therapist the best thing would be being able to help people along in their healing journey, helping them out of pain and therefore enjoying the activities they love.
Why work at Pottsville and Cabarita?
It's a beautiful clinic, by a beautiful river/beach, with beautiful staff. Plus, Pottsville is just 15-20 mins from my house which is a plus.
Best relaxation tip:
Tapping into the breath, giving yourself time to breathe deeply and think clearly. I also like to support myself by using calming essential oils like lavender or frankincense to relax as well.
Best lifestyle tip:
Love and care for yourself! I like to do this in ways like eating healthy and consciously, and finding a nice relationship with exercise, try and do it regularly and make it fun!
Favourite activity:
Dancing with friends.
Favourite recipe:
Baked white sweet potatoes served with quinoa and topped with fresh tomato, leafy greens, avocado, broccoli sprouts and hummus- YUM!
A typical Sunday:
Would probably involve a morning bike ride through the hills or to the beach with my partner or some yoga, or both. I'll probably be putting some love into house jobs too like washing or the garden etc And then possibly ending with dinner with friends or prepping for the week coming.
Golf Blog – Carly Jennar
The popularity of golf has increased substantially over the past few years with an estimated 55 million players worldwide. With increased accessibility and participation rates, the sport of golf offers up a diversity of player profiles, ages and levels of experience. Golf is generally considered to be a moderate risk activity with respect to the development of injury. Up to 80% of all golfing injures are due to overuse with the remainder resulting from trauma or contact. The most common areas for injuries in golfers include:
Low back and trunk
Injuries represent the highest incidence of injury affecting up to 1/3 of golfers. Due to the increased rotational forces placed on the spine during the golf swing and the asymmetric nature of the swing, the back is subject to increased forces and potential for injury.Upper limb injuries are far more common than lower limb injuries.
- Shoulder injuries are usually related to overuse and are due primarily to increased rotary forces (internal and external rotation) at the beginning and at the end of the swing. Common injuries include rotator cuff pathology, AC joint pain and shoulder instability.
- Elbows are the second most frequently injured area. Overuse injuries to the tendons of the medial epicondyle (golfer’s elbow) and lateral epicondyle or (tennis elbow) are common. Interestingly, tennis elbow is 5 times more common than golfer’s elbow among amateur players - likely a result of poor biomechanics such as over-swinging.
- Wrist and hand injuries can result from blunt force with the ground or overuse. Fractures, subluxations and tenosynovitis are most commonly seen.
Lower limb injuries are much less frequent and can be attributed to both the swing as well as the walking loads between holes.
- Hip injuries are often a result of the increased rotational forces placed on the hip during the swing. Soft tissue injuries to the groin and gluteals have been noted, as well as trochanteric bursitis.
- Knee pain is often associated with meniscal injury due to the twisting moments placed on the knee during the swing. Osteoarthritis of the knee can also be aggravated during the swing or when walking.
- Foot and Ankle pain are less common, with ankle sprains and plantar fasciopathy of note.
Risk Factors
- The main risk factor associated with injury is a lower handicap (increased proficiency) likely due to the increased hours spent training and playing golf – think overuse and/or over training.
- An age of >50 years old was also observed as in increased risk factor, primarily due to the physiological changes associated with ageing.
- Other factors increasing risk of injury include lack of warming-up, reduced mobility/flexibility and poor physical conditioning.
- Muscular imbalances have also been shown to increase injury risk, particularly during intense play or with high practice hours.
- Collision injuries are most commonly related to contact with golf balls and clubs and in some instances, the golf-cart!
- Poor swing mechanics and incorrect grip and set-up.
Prevention
- Evidence exists for the implementation of a holistic training program to reduce golf-related injuries.
Programs involving:
- Flexibility with specific focus on the shoulder and hip (particularly the hip flexors);
- Mobility particularly of the thoracic spine;
- Core stability to support the large rotational forces of the spine during swing;
- Balance to provide a solid foundation for the swing;
- Resistance exercises with particular focus on large muscle groups and scapular stabilisers.
- An adequate warm-up prior to commencing play e.g. dynamic stretching including trunk rotations and knees to chest.
- Assessment and correction of any muscular asymmetries or range of motion deficits;
- Optimisation of swing biomechanics by a golfing coach.
If you are looking to improve your golf game or you have done yourself an injury, contact Pottsville & Cabarita Physiotherapy for an assessment. Alternatively, you come and try out our fitness Pilates circuits - they will be sure to help you hit that hole-in-one!
Birthday Blog – Kai
14.03.17
Why do you love Pilates? Pilates for me, is the most important and effective form of exercise you can do. It’s the only form of exercise I’ve ever done that feels like every single repetition you do is doing you good. Pilates helped me to become active again after 3 years of not being able to run due to back pain and I’ve seen it help so many other people with injuries to be pain free and achieve their goals. I love the challenge of Pilates and the dynamic nature of the exercise, there are so many ways to push yourself and improve your fitness, strength and core stability. What is the best thing about being a Physiotherapist? The best thing about being a Physiotherapist is being able to help people in need and have a positive impact on someone’s life. It’s awesome to be able to help people understand what is causing their pain and particularly when someone has that light bulb moment when they understand exactly what is going on with their body. It’s also great to be able to meet a wide range of people and to help people achieve their goals. Why work at Pottsville and Cabarita Physio? Pottsville and Cabarita physio is a great place to work, full of like-minded people all striving to do their best for their clients and help people on their journey from pain to performance. There are some really great, experienced physios who are fantastic to learn from as well as a great work environment that encourages personal development and excellence. It’s such a supportive and positive atmosphere and really enjoyable to be a part of. Best relaxation tip Best relaxation tip would be to find something that takes your mind off everything and allows you to relax and unwind and to incorporate it into your daily routine. It may be something simple as reading a book or watching a movie, anything that averts your attention and enables you to escape and relax. Exercise would be my other big suggestion. Running always helps me to relieve stress and eliminate my anxiety. You might not want to push yourself to go for a run or go do some Pilates at the end of a big day, but you’ll always feel much better after having done it. I think that having that surge of activity and pushing yourself to exercise always enables you to relax much more afterwards. Best lifestyle tip Find your own form of personal expression. I think It’s important to invest your time and energy into things that allow you to express your feelings and passions and who you are as a person. It can be as simple as practising a sport or hobby, or planting a garden but I think its great to have a creative outlet or something to channel your energy into in a positive way. I also think it’s extremely important to have a consistent exercise routine. I think the importance of exercise is still underrated, and its critical to exercise every day and you’ll feel much better for doing it, and will be much healthier and happier in the long run. Favourite activity For me, I love to surf. It’s been something I’ve done my whole life since I was a little kid. I’ve always loved the challenge and unpredictable nature of surfing, there are so many variables and every session and wave is different to the next. There’s nothing that can come close to the exhilaration and adrenaline felt when you pull into a big barrel, or land a trick you’ve been trying for ages, or just do a really big turn. It can be frustrating at times but I love the challenge and will always be drawn back to the ocean and the anticipation of the next wave. Favourite Recipe Something sweet for sure. I’ve got a very big sweet tooth and love a spot of baking. Favourite recipe would have to be gooey chocolate brownies with raspberry sorbet. Not great for the waistline, but so, so good. A typical Sunday A typical Sunday would involve a nice long sleep in, followed by a big breakfast whilst catching up with the news of the day. Then I’ll head out for a surf and hopefully spend most of the day bobbing around in the ocean getting some waves. I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon cooking up something for dinner and then might enjoy a sneaky glass of white wine while I watch some TV or a movie. Not the most exciting routine, but a nice way to finish the week and get ready for the week ahead.
How to Stand with Good Posture
• Hold your head up straight with your chin in.
• Ensure that your earlobes are in line with the middle of your shoulders.
• Keep your shoulders back.
• Push your chest out, slightly.
• Keep your knees straight, but not locked.
• Stretch the top of your head toward the ceiling.
• Engage your abdominals, but don’t suck in or tilt your pelvis.
• Carry your weight equally between the balls and heels of your feet.
• Breathe naturally.
Ways to Improve Posture
1. Exercise
Focus on stretching tightened muscles in the chest, front of the shoulders, and hip flexors (front of the hips) as well as strengthening back, abdominal, and glute muscles.
2. Foam Roll
Foam rolling, or myofascial release, is becoming much more popular, and for good reason. It is essentially like a deep tissue massage for your muscles. This is important because it allows tight muscles and fascia to loosen up so that stretching those muscles becomes easier. If you have formed bad posture of years and years of bad habit, it may be very challenging to correct it without release those over worked and tight muscles.
3. Ergonomics
Ergonomics involves changing your environment to support and encourage good posture. Adding lumbar support to your chair is a good example, or even invest in a standing desk. You could also modify a tool, work station, counter height, or task to improve its ergonomics.
4. Eliminate Bad Habits
You must first be conscious of these bad habits, but things such as slouching in a chair or reading while lying down are some places to start. Working under dim light is also one, it results is craning your head forward to see your work better as well as slouching. Even driving your car in a bad position can help contribute to poor posture.
Did you know posture affects many areas of your life:
Mood
Memory
Confidence
Digestion
Bones & Muscles
Content adapted from http://blog.paleohacks.com/how-to-improve-your-posture/#
Work Out Excuses
Here are some of the more common workout excuses we hear and what to do about them
- No time: we all have the same hours in the day so how do some people (even the busy ones) find time to exercise and others don’t – the answer lies in what you prioritise. Do you waste time on social media, watching TV or surfing the net? You don’t need to allocate massive blocks of time just 20 minutes will do. Exercise must become a non negotiable entry in your diary preferable every day but at least a few times each week. We always have time for what we WANT to do.
- I am too tired: often people feel more energised after exercise due to the release of endorphins and increased circulation so sometimes it is worth just getting started, tell yourself you will just do 5 minutes then see how you are feeling, most of the time you will keep going and feel great afterward. You may also need to look at your sleeping patterns and go to bed earlier if you are planning to exercise early in the morning. If you feel you are chronically tired (all the time) you may need to speak to your GP and get some blood tests – if this is you start with restorative exercise like gentle Yoga, Pilates or Walking.
- The weather isn’t suitable: if you are an outdoor exerciser find an indoor option for bad weather days: skipping, dancing, stream a yoga class, or do a few bodyweight exercises like push ups, squats and lunges.
- It’s too hard: working hard does get results but it is a good idea to start gently and gradually build up the intensity as your body strengthens, find a qualified coach in your chosen area to help you work at the correct level.
- I forgot my gym gear / togs / sneakers....: organisation is key, pack your exercise gear the night before or have a spare set in the car just in case.
- I can’t escape the kids: so exercise with them: a walk to the park, jump on the trampoline, dancing, skating, bike riding, scootering..........
- I am too old: there is exercise for everyone. You may not want to join the gym but what about walking, gardening, lawn bowls or Pilates (we have a few people in their 90’s doing Pilates with us)
- I am not good enough: I hear this so often – but you have to start somewhere. We offer personalised programs from the most basic to the most advanced so there is a program for everyone no matter what your condition.
