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16 Maroubra Road
Maroubra, 2035 NSW
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Month: March 2017

Maroubra Road PhysiotherapyBlog2017March
By MarcF 0 Comments Conditions, Physio

Is Osteoarthritis Affecting Your Life?

Sometimes called degenerative joint disease or degenerative arthritis, osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic condition of the joints.

OA can affect any joint, but it occurs most often in the knees, hips, lower back and neck, small joints of the fingers and the bases of the thumb and big toe.

In normal joints, a firm, rubbery material called cartilage covers the end of each bone. Cartilage provides a smooth, gliding surface for joint motion and acts as a cushion between the bones. In OA, the cartilage breaks down, causing pain, swelling and problems moving the joint.

Strengthening exercises build muscles around OA-affected joints, easing the burden on those joints and reducing pain. Range-of-motion exercise helps maintain and improve joint flexibility and reduce stiffness.

Physiotherapy can help relieve your pain by showing you specific exercises designed to correct muscular imbalances.

Here are just a few exercise guidelines to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle!

  • Concentrate on quality rather than quantity with your exercises.
  • Move your joints smoothly and slowly. Always maintain good posture.
  • Be aware of pain and swelling.
  • If pain lasts more than 2 hours, you have overdone it! Ease off during the next session.
  • Do not continue with an exercise that causes pain.
  • If you have had surgery, or if your joint pain or swelling is not responding to rest, seek professional advice from your surgeon or physiotherapist.

 

 

By MarcF 0 Comments Physio, Therapy

Back Pain – Common Misconceptions

Just over 80% of the population will experience back pain at some stage of their lives and most people don’t take the correct steps to manage their pain. There is a sea of information out there regarding back pain and navigating the waters is both daunting and intimidating. Here are some common misconceptions about your low back pain.

1. Resting Is Good For Me

Lying in bed or on the couch will cause your muscles and joints to stiffen, resulting in prolonged and possible persistent pain! It is important to keep moving muscles and joints as tolerated. A qualified physiotherapist will help you manage your symptoms and provide appropriate gentle stretches and exercises to help get you moving.

2. My Pain Is Tolerable, It Will Go Away If I Leave It

Pain is your brain telling you that something isn’t quite right. Sometimes pain is not indicative of the severity of the issue. The pain may increase over the course of days, weeks, or months. It is essential that you get checked out if you feel any pain that doesn’t readily settle.

The body always follows the path of least resistance. When you’re in pain, you may adopt alternate postures to protect your back, and you engage muscles and joints in a way they were not designed to be used, thus overloading them and causing further pain and dysfunction in other areas. This may cause you to present with a much more global picture of pain affecting multiple joints and muscles , than if you had addressed the problem sooner.

3. My MRI And XRAY Show Disc Damage Which Is Contributing To My Pain

Disc degeneration, prolapses, disc bulges and annular tears are highly prevalent in the pain free population. They are not strongly predictive of future low back pain and correlate poorly with levels of pain and disability. These changes are similar to getting grey hairs, a natural part of aging.  Therefore the findings on these investigative scans are only relevant if they correlate with your actual symptoms. The spine is one of the strongest and most robust structures in the body, and is designed to move!

 

Common Misconceptions About Your Low Back Pain

By MarcF 0 Comments Physio, Therapy

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – All You Need To Know

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

 

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway on the palm side of your wrist, made up of bones and ligaments. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is defined as a condition that affects the median nerve that causes hand pain and numbness/tingling – specifically the thumb, index finger, middle finger and half of your ring finger. Various reasons such as repetitive work (typing, drilling, playing an instrument), pregnancy, or diabetes may cause this tunnel to get smaller and restrict the median nerve’s ability to send signals to the hand.

Here are a few tips to help prevent and treat carpal tunnel syndrome.

  • Take frequent breaks. Give your hands and wrists a break by gently stretching them periodically. Alternate tasks when possible. If you use equipment that vibrates or requires great force, taking breaks is even more crucial.
  • Modify your activities. Avoid activities that bring your wrist into end of range flexion or extension. Keep it nice and neutral!
  • Seek professional advice. Nerve stretching and manual therapy are a great way to allow your median nerve to move and flow without restriction. Often nerves can get tethered and caught in between muscles. “Releasing” the nerve from being tethered in the fascia or muscle is an excellent way to get the nerves gliding as optimally as possible.

For more information on what we treat, please visit: https://maroubraroadphysio.com.au/what-we-treat/joint-problems/

By MarcF 0 Comments Exercises, Sporting, Uncategorized , ,

10 Week Half Marathon Training Schedule

Running and training for a marathon or half marathon can be an incredibly enjoyable, social and rewarding experience. However, preparing for the big day will ensure you get the most out of the race and more importantly ensure that you don’t get injured in the process!

Our physiotherapists at Maroubra Road Physiotherapy have prepared an easy to follow 10-week half marathon training schedule to help you get ready!

10 Week Training Schedule:

Week

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Total

1

4km

Rest

4km

4km

Rest

6km

Rest

18km

2

5km

Rest

5km

5km

Rest

8km

Rest

23km

3

5km

Rest

6k

5km

Rest

10km

Rest

26km

4

5km

Rest

8m

5km

Rest

13km

Rest

31km

5

5k

Rest

8km

5km

Rest

16km

Rest

34km

6

6m

Rest

8km

6km

Rest

18km

Rest

38km

7

6km

Rest

10km

7km

Rest

20km

Rest

43km

8

7km

Rest

8km

6km

Rest

15km

Rest

36km

9

5km

Rest

7km

5km

Rest

13km

Rest

30km

10

5km

Rest

4km

Walk 3

Rest

Walk 4

RACE

16.1km

(all distances are in kilometres)

If you would like some more tips on how to get the most out of running, please read our blog post here on how to get started!
By MarcF 0 Comments ankle sprains, Physio, Sporting ,

Ankle Sprains – All You Need To Know!

Ankle Sprains – All You Need To Know!

A sprained ankle occurs when your ankle ligaments are “overstretched” or “torn”.

There are 3 grades of ankle sprains, depending on the severity of the injury.

  • Slight tearing of the ligament with mild tenderness, swelling, and stiffness (Grade 1).
  • A larger but incomplete tear with moderate pain, swelling, and bruising. Although the ankle may feel stable, the damaged areas are tender to the touch, and walking is painful (Grade III).
  • A complete tear of the affected ligament or ligaments with severe swelling and bruising. The ankle is unstable and may feel “wobbly.” Walking is usually not possible because the ankle may give way, and there may be intense pain especially on weight bearing (Grade III)

Assessment and Treatment

Treatment options will vary, depending on the severity of your injury. Your physiotherapist will assess your injury and give you guidance to promote optimal healing. If we are concerned by the severity of your injury, we will refer you on to your doctor for further investigation.

Until you’ve been accurately diagnosed, use the following guidelines:

Rest, Ice, Compression, & Elevation (first 48-72hrs) are great steps to ensure that your injury is on the correct road to recovery.

It is important to book an appointment with a physiotherapist. During the session, we will assess your strength, range of motion, walking patterns and biomechanics to ensure normal function is restored following your injury.

We will help to keep you moving, as your ability to move your ankle is often restricted following a ligament sprain. We will use manual therapy techniques for joint stiffness, and massage and soft tissue release techniques for muscle spasm and tightness. We will also give you rehabilitation exercises to improve your strength and function. These exercises will include:

  • Range of motion Exercises (foot and ankle)
  • Gentle strengthening exercises
  • Band and body-weight resistance exercises
  • Proprioception/balance exercises
  • Functional weight-bearing activities to improve walking patterns and return to function and sport

Book an appointment with an experienced physiotherapist at Maroubra Road Physiotherapy to facilitate healing, prevent re-injury, and get you back on your feet!