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Did I Wreck My Radial Nerve?

Posted on Education

There are some days that your wrist feels weak when doing everyday activities like using the screwdriver, using the spatula or picking up a jug of water. Generally speaking, it’s usually nothing serious and giving it a rest for a day or two would usually fix it. However, what if resting just isn’t cutting it? What if it’s something else?

Basic Anatomy:

Nerves are a tricky thing, so let’s go over a bit more anatomy this time. The wrist is a complex structure consisting of 29 bones and 34 muscles that complete the dexterous movements of the hand. Along with this, you have 3 major nerves that supply the front and the back of the hand. If you’ve got lingering weakness with your grip, especially during the movement of opening your palm, you might have injured one of your major nerve. The particular nerve of interest with this opening of the palm and also the bending the wrist upwards is the radial nerve.

Radial Nerve Supply:

The radial begins in the side of your neck traveling behind your upper arm then into the back of the forearm. At the forearm, it supplies the muscles of the forearm that does the movements mentioned previously: opening the palm and bending the wrist upwards. Hence, that weakness felt when opening your palms or bending your wrist upwards if the radial nerve is irritated. Not only does it supply the muscles of the arms, it also has touch sensory input on the back of your forearm hand. So if you’ve got some lingering weakness and also feel some weird different sensation on the back of your hand/forearm, it’s quite possible the radial nerve is involved.

How Does It Happen:

Since the radial nerve travels from the neck all the way to the hand, anything that irritates the nerve along its pathway can be considered radial nerve irritation. One of the silliest (but common) ways is if someone (or yourself) sleeps on your arm. Having the full weight of a head on your arm the entire night can cause compression to the nerve leading to radial nerve irritation. In activities where you have to continuously use your forearms (screwdriver, hammer, racket sports, gym training, etc.), the repetitive contraction of your forearm muscles can also compress and irritate the nerve.

Again, nerves are not the easiest things to deal with. If you’re getting lingering symptoms like change in sensations in the back of your hand and especially weakness of your forearms, it’s best to get it checked out by a professional. Physiotherapist are movement therapist and are familiar with the anatomy of the arm. We can help identify where the nerve has been irritated to specifically and effectively treat the area of irritation.

At Capital Physiotherapy, we believe in a holistic approach from pain management to return to daily activity and then return to work or hobbies. If you’ve got worries with your arms, email us at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au to book an appointment with us at South Yarra, Balwyn and Footscray and our friendly physiotherapist will help you find out the cause of your worries and get you back to doing what you love.

Do I Have an Unstable Shoulder?

Posted on Education

Shoulder instability is a catch all term used to describe the inability of the body to keep the upper arm in the center of the shoulder joint. Misalignment of the shoulder joint can arise as different symptoms, but generally most complain of some sort of weakness during overhead activities.

The Shoulder Joint:

Quick anatomy class, the shoulder joint is made of the upper arm bone (Humerus) and the shoulder blade bone (scapula). Notice the connection point between the humerus and the scapula. The head of the humerus is pretty big compared to the connecting surface of the scapula. In order to keep the head of the humerus centered in on scapula surface, the ligaments, muscles and cartilage structures around the shoulder joint need to work together in coordination.

How does it happen:

Unstable shoulder can begin with a single traumatic event causing damage to the surrounding structures of the shoulder. In the sporting world, getting tackled from behind or the side with your arm reaching overhead can easily damage the ligaments of the shoulder leading to shoulder instability. If you fall with an outstretched arm directly onto your side, there is a big risk for injuring both cartilage and ligaments.

Unstable shoulder can also occur with repetitive extreme range motions. A classic example would be the baseball throw position. Due to the repetitive action of placing your shoulder in an extreme range of motion, the ligaments can get overstretched and muscles can be strained. Other notable activities with these extreme shoulder ranges include swimming, weight training and overhead related work like light fixture installation.

What does it feel like:

If the muscle, ligaments or cartilage around the shoulder is injured, there is a chance that the humerus will be off centered when moving your arm around, especially during overhead activity. Pain and/or weakness at the shoulder would be the most common complaint, especially when performing overhead activities like hanging clothes, reaching for high cupboards, catching ball overhead and overhand throws.

Shoulder instability can be debilitating to a point where it interferes with your hobbies. If left unchecked, it may start affecting your activities of daily living as well. Simple task like hanging clothes, reaching of high cupboards and every reaching across the table may become more and more difficult. Before it gets to this point, it’s probably a good idea to get it checked out by a physiotherapist.

Physiotherapist are movement specialist and can help manage shoulder conditions like shoulder instability. At Capital physiotherapy, we perform a thorough assessment to identify which structures of the shoulder has been compromise. This way, we can directly target the deficit to get the best results as efficient as possible. If your shoulder is giving you grief, email us at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au or give us a call at one of our clinics at South Yarra, Balwyn and Footscray to start a holistic tailored program.

Click! Snap! Pop! Dancers Hip

Posted on Exercise

So you’ve been dancing for a while, everything is going great. Gradually, you’ve noticed there is a clicking sensation during some of the bigger movements. It doesn’t hurt or anything, so it’s probably nothing to worry about. A few months down the track, the clicking is getting more apparent and now there is pain associated with it. What’s going on?

What might be happening is a tendon flicking over a bone. No pain happens immediately because minimal irritation is occurring between the bone and tendon. However, when the tendon becomes stronger and the dance movement becomes bigger, the tendon can rub on each other stronger and that’s when the pain begins.

Dancers hip, also known as snapping hip syndrome, is characterized by a flicking or snapping sensation when the hip is in motion, especially during end range movements. A couple of muscles could be the possible culprit for this condition. If you’re getting the flicking sensation on the inside of your hip, its likely the iliopsoas tendon that’s flicking over one of the bony parts of your pelvis. If the snapping is felt on the outside of the hip, its likely the iliotibial band (IT band) flicking over the big bone on your upper leg.

Generally speaking, this condition occurs with repetitive movement of the hip. Lots and lots of big movement of the hip would cause some muscles to tighten up which may contribute to the clicking sensation. If you feel like the muscles on the inside and outside of the hip feels really stiff, try some of these stretches out and see if it helps with your hip.

Stretches are important to settle down the pain to be able to continue what you love. However, you would likely require a strengthen protocol to build a stable core/gluteal to prevent the symptoms from reoccurring. More information regarding the gluteal and core strengthening can be found in our previous post at:

https://www.capitalphysiotherapy.com.au/kim-k-workout-get-dream-bottom/

https://www.capitalphysiotherapy.com.au/importance-of-core-strengthstability/

If that hip is still giving you some annoyance, it would be worthwhile to get it checked up by a physiotherapist. Physiotherapist are movement experts who have plenty of experience with hip issues and we love seeing people return to what they love doing the most.

Whether it is dancers hip or any hip conditions, Capital Physiotherapy has experienced physiotherapist who are familiar with hip assessments. If your hips don’t seem to be performing to your standards, call us at 0401 865 333 or drop by one our clinics at Balwyn, Footscray or South Yarra and one of our friendly Physiotherapist will gladly take a look. We’ll provide you with an individualised plan to get you back to dancing safely and effectively!

The Importance of Core Strength and Control in Breakdancing

Posted on Education

Continuing on the topic of dancing, let’s talk about breakdancing. What really sets apart breakdancing from all other dances is the flashy moves executed on their hands. Basic movements like transitioning from crab position to prone position and handstands are considered easy to breakdancers. Experienced breakdancers can spin and jump from hand to hand for a good 30 seconds when performing some of the more advanced moves.

Much like any other dance, breakdancers requires a great deal of strength, body awareness, balance, flexibility and coordination. Lack in any of these components of fitness would definitely reduce the fluidity of bboy moves. However, I would argue the most important factor for any breakdancer would be the extraordinary core strength and control.

Let’s take the beginner downrock footwork “6-step” for example:

When we break down the move, it’s basically a transition move from plank to side plank to reverse table top by stepping your legs in a circle. The planks, side plank and reverse table top all have a component of core strength. Since breakdancers transition in and out of this position regularly, they should have extremely strong core strength.

Now consider the basic power move “flare”:

This is a move where both legs are off the ground for the duration of the move, which means the breakdancer will only be on their hands. Arm strength is definitely required for the move, but it is more important to be able to bring your body high enough to allow your legs to clear the ground. In other words, you need that core strength to elevate the body up.

With that said, core strength sets up a solid foundation to execute various moves in breakdancing. If your foundation is weak, the entire move would crumble. Check out one of our previous blogs for more information on core strength and stability: https://www.capitalphysiotherapy.com.au/importance-of-core-strengthstability/

If you seem to be you’ve been in the bboy scene for a while and seem to have plateaued despite the number of hours spent practicing in the studio, it might be worthwhile to get thorough analysis completed by a physiotherapist. As movement experts, we can pick up on subtle muscle deficiency that may be the reason why you’ve plateaued. We can incorporating an individualized strengthening program can greatly complement breakdancing.

It’s also common for breakdancers to be hiding their aches and pains to continue dancing away. If you’re looking for an alternative to improving your dance or have some muscle issue that you are unwilling to share with your fellow dancers, come talk to one of us at Capital physiotherapy. Contact us by phone 0401 865 333 or email info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au and one of our holistic friendly physiotherapist will help you stay on top of breaking.

A Physio’s Perspective On Gaming Hands

Posted on Physiotherapy

The rise in technology comes with increase popularity with Video games. Gaming was originally designed as a casual activity to relax, escape the world for a bit or just as something to do when hanging out with mates. While the vast majority of gamers tend to be as described, things can still get quite competitive in casual gaming. I mean, the goal is to win in any game and it’s no fun to keep on losing.

If you’ve got that winning mindset, you are likely to spend more time on practicing your game plays, reaction speed and experimenting different strategies. Practice makes perfect after all.

However, that means more time on a chair or couch and in front of a computer or TV. Constantly clicking away on the keyboard/controller can also have an effect on your wrist, thumb and fingers. It’s really important to take 5-10 minute break in between each round to give your hands and fingers a chance to rest. During the break, try some of these stretches to keep them nice and limber.

Wrist Flexor Stretch

Wrist Extensor Stretch      Index Stretch

 

Thumb Adductor Stretch

Thumb extensor Stretch

 

 

 

 

Hopefully these stretches would ease the ache and you won’t need any further treatment.

However, it might be a good idea to seek professional help if you’ve got lingering aches and soreness. Physiotherapists can give a holistic analysis of your gaming posture and help relieve those achy symptoms. We can also give some essential advice for posture, wrist alignment and strengthening exercises to allow you to game longer and harder.

If you’re in the neighborhood of Balwyn, Footscray or South Yarra, Capital physiotherapy is around to help relieve your symptoms. Give us a call at 0401 865 333 or email info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au and let’s figure out a way to let you play without soreness!

Physiotherapy and Sciatica

Posted on Exercise, Physiotherapy

The term sciatica is becoming commonly used. Some use it to describe lower back pain that radiates down the leg, other believe it starts that the bottom muscle and tingles to the back of the heel. What exactly is this sciatica thing?

What is Sciatica?

A quick anatomy lesson, there is a long nerve that runs from your back all the way down to the heel called the sciatic nerve. Nerves carry sensations such as pain and touch from the muscles and skin. Sciatica is a broad term used to describe any pressure placed onto this nerve which may causes numbness, tingling, pain and/or paresthesia along the lines of where the nerve innervates. Various parts of the body can cause these symptoms not limited to tight muscles, inflammation and disc bulge.

Am I at risk of getting Sciatica?

Sciatic is seen more often between the age of 30 and 50. Some occupations may be more prone to this condition as well, especially ones that involve heavy lifting and twisting and also prolonged hours of sitting.

How do I fix Sciatica?

Unfortunately, this is not a simple answer because it depends on where is the sciatic nerve getting pushed. You probably want to see a physiotherapist for a better analysis, but try some of these stretches to see if it relieves your symptoms for now:

Lumbar Rocks
Cat Camel
Child’s Pose
Piriformis Stretch

Again, do see a physiotherapist for a full diagnosis for a complete treatment plan. If you are near Balwyn, South Yarra or Footscray, drop by Capital physiotherapy to see one of our friendly physiotherapists who are experienced with treating Sciatica.

Physiotherapy and Non-contact Martial Art

Posted on Physiotherapy

We’ve talked about full-contact mixed martial arts, now let’s talk about some non-contact based martial arts. All martial arts was traditionally designed for combat or self-defense. Before learning to strike, many martial arts begin with a set routine are designed to refine techniques, stances and build overall foundation. Nowadays, there are practitioners that specialize in these routines and are used to compete in a non-contact point based system.

Since these routines are non-contact in nature, this section of martial arts have evolved to incorporate fluidity and grace to make techniques more attractive to the eye. What better to be able to beat people up and look good at the same time?

Although martial arts routines or foams are non-contact based, many technique within the foam can be quite demanding on the body. These include:

  • Coordination: Much like the left-right-hook of boxing, linking various techniques together require great body awareness to coordinate hands and feet to complete execute the technique.
  • Agility: Forms are designed to mimic real-life scenarios. The mindset of striking techniques are to hit without getting hit; thus, there is a heavy emphasis on making the speed and agility of the kick and punches faster.
  • Balance: With a wide variety of stances that are imbedded into these forms, much balance is required to keep upright. The speed required for upper limb techniques would easily throw an amateur off balance.
  • Power: In many advanced forms, airborne techniques are added into to increase the difficult of the foam and also to earn more points on the point based system. Your legs would need much power to get enough airtime to complete the movement.

Lacking in any of these demands can compromise performance in a competition. If continuous drilling of techniques just doesn’t seem to be improving your performance, it might be a good idea to get some input from a physiotherapist.

At Capital physiotherapy, our physiotherapist are experts in human movement and can help identify factors that can improve your performance. We can help development a holistic program to target these deficient factors and boost your performance.

We have clinics located in South Yarra, Balwyn and Footscray. If you’re around the area, give us a call and we’ll help you achieve develop a program to help place more points in your competition.

Physiotherapy and Common Injuries in Mixed Martial Arts

Posted on Physiotherapy

With the conclusion of UFC 234, Melbourne is experiencing a spike in interests the world of mixed martial arts. Although the sport has been around for decades, fighting athletes like Conor McGregor, Rona Ramsay and Robert Whittaker has increased attention towards mixed martial arts and attracted new participants to this full contact pastime.

When you just starting mixed martial arts training, hitting the mitts and learning submissions can feel great. The rush of adrenaline when landing a shot on your partner or making them tap out is a real thriller. All the fun aside, you should probably note there are injuries associated with this sport.

The goal of any fighting sport is to knock the other person out or make them tap. That being said, receiving kicks and punches can result in collisions type injuries. If you aren’t use to striking, there is also a risk that you can injure your own arm and leg. This can include:

  • Concussions: commonly associated with receiving a heavy strike to the head from kicks, punches or thrown directly to the head
  • Contusions: bruising that commonly occur when you get hit in any part of your body either from a direct strike or blocking a strike
  • Dislocation and Subluxation: occur usually when the joint of the body is being taken past its end range of motion ie. during an armbar
  • Fractures: generally occur as a result from a high impact strike to anywhere of the body with less muscle protection, for example the shin and arm
  • Muscle strains: occur anywhere in the body if that particular area have not been conditioned enough to withstand the activity ie. quadriceps strain
  • Ligament sprains: typically occur when you are fatigued and similar forgot to brace for a movement like a kick. Ligament injury is also common during dislocation or subluxation. 

If you do run into trouble with these injuries, a physiotherapist can help identify which structures have been injured and create an individualized rehabilitation program to get you back to hitting mitts. At Capital Physiotherapy, we have experienced physiotherapist with various sporting and martial arts backgrounds that can thoroughly assess your condition and help you return to doing what you love.

You can find us at South Yarra, Hawthorn (Formerly at Balwyn) and Footscray. Drop by or email us at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au or contact us at 0401 865 333 if you’ve got anything discomfort or just want to improve your performance!

High Heels: How Are They Evils To Your Body And How Can Physiotherapy Help?

Posted on Physiotherapy

Many ladies love to put on a few inches on the heels for some extra glam to their look.  Elevating our heels by a few inches changes the whole biomechanics of being upright bipedals and may cost your body the price of that glam.  Here are a few of those price tags and some tricks to help from our physiotherapists at Capital physiotherapy.

1. Forefoot pain

Being on high heels shifts the centre of gravity forward.  The normal load transfer from the heel, side of foot, ball of the foot then to the big toe; is disrupted.  Instead, it puts pressure focally on the forefoot throughout the stance phase of our gait. As our forefoot is not designed to be solely taking our full body weight, it then can be overload and sore overtime.  This is worse when the heels are closed and pointed, where the shoe is too narrow for the forefoot to spread out sideways. The little muscles in the forefoot that react to loading for balance are not in the position to control the weight acceptance process.

2. Calf pain

In every gait cycle, the calf muscles lengthen when the heel strikes to store energy and shorten as we push off.  High heels keep calf muscles in a shortened position and make it difficult for the calf muscles to do its job in propelling us forward.  This can then result in tightness and fatigue in the muscles and eventually pain.

3. Knee pain

The forward shifting of the centre of gravity does not only affect the forefoot but it also puts a lot of extra loading on the knee cap.  It can cause problems with mal-tracking of the knee cap or painful knee joint simply from overloading.

4. Lower back pain

Another consequence of the anterior shift of the centre of gravity is the excessive lower back extension (arch back) in an attempt to balance our upper body on the legs.  Such posture changes how our body weight is distributed on the spine and can aggravate lower back pain.

Here are a few tips to look after your body when you wear high heels:

  1. Have frequent timeouts when wearing them.  Have a sit to stretch out your forefoot and wriggle your toes when you can.
  2. Minimise time of wearing them. For example, if you have to wear them at work. Consider wearing supportive flat footwear when getting to and from work, and only put the heels on when needed.
  3. If possible – wear lower heels instead of high heels. The amount of load on the forefoot is proportional to the height of the heels.
  4. Do frequent calf stretches (with barefoot not with heels on) – hold for 30secs in each of these positions on each side 3 times a day.

If you are experiencing any pain from wearing high heels.  Feel free to contact Capital Physiotherapy us at 0401 865 333 or email us at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au to speak with our friendly physiotherapists.

 

How Does Physiotherapy Prevent Common Figure Skating Injuries?

Posted on Physiotherapy

The moment a figure skater steps onto the ice, there is one dream they have in mind. Any true figure skater wants to be able to land that double salchow, that triple lutz, or the ever elusive quadruple jumps. 

Figure skating is both a highly technical sport and an art form. Not only does it involves strength, balance, control and coordination, figure skaters are require to perform with grace and elegance.

Figure skaters put their bodies through a tremendous stress.  Whether it is through their knee, hip, ankle or lower back; figure skaters know one principle in their everyday lives and that is “Practice makes perfect.”  This sport is all about repetitions.

Here are some of the most common injuries that we see for figure skaters/ Ice dancers:

  • Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome + Jumpers Knee
  • Ankle Sprains
  • Shoulder Tendinopathy
  • Disc Bulge
  • Spondylolithesis
  • Hip tendinopathy
  • Pubic symphysis dysfunction

Figure skaters need to be conditioned not only on the ice, but off the ice as well.  Conditioning program off ice is equally important as on-ice training. Plyometric exercises, agility and dynamic stretches are vital for this sport.

At Capital Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists are trained to identify the most common injuries that comes with this sport and give conditioning program that not only treat the injured area but also strengthen our figure skaters so that we could ensure athletic longevity of the sport that they love.

We focus on the control of the hip, core, back and ankle to help ice dancers and/or figure skaters achieved their ultimate goal for this sport.

Some of the common training that we give for our figure skaters are as follow:

Box Jump:

Box jumps build explosive power to the figure skater’s legs and is vital of any jumps. Not only does it increase their leg strength but it also help with them with their overall balance and coordination for this sport.

Bosu Arabesque:

Bosu Arabesque helps figure skaters with balance and control for their core and at the same time improve their static strength for their glutes, core and back extensors. This exercise will help skaters improve their efficiency on ice which in turn improve their performance by making the movement looks effortless on ice.

Adductor Plank:

Adductor plank is also one of the more common exercises that we give our skaters as it helps with their core strength and hip adductor strength. This will help with the skater overall alignment when they are skating and help improve their balance and give their movement a graceful appearance.

The above are just a brief overview of how our physiotherapists in Capital Physiotherapy can help you to improve your skating skills and overall performance.

Whether it’s your loop, flip, lutz, salchow or axel and/or whether it’s your scratch, one foot, sit, camel, attitude, layback, flying camel or Bielmann spin. At Capital Physiotherapy, we are the movement specialist and we can help you get there ☺

We work closely with your coaches to help you achieved your highest level of skills and performance because your wellness is our pride!

If you do experience any aches and/or discomfort or if you simply wants to improve your skating skills please do not hesitate to contact us at 0401 865 333 or email us at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au.