Category: Education

You’ve probably had your share of experience with bruising. It is a very common injury associated with collision with someone or an object. This happens frequently if you are playing a competitive sport and collide with someone while chasing the ball. Another frequently culprit of bruising is the table corner which you just forgot about and bumped into it really hard. Not the most pleasant feeling in the world, but generally it gets better within 1-2 weeks. 

On occasions, there are times the bruising feeling feels a lot more deeper than the usual bruising feeling. Sometimes this feeling can last a while and seems to be healing really slowly. In this case, you might have suffered not a bruising for your muscles but your bones.

Bone bruises are similar to muscle bruising but occurs within the bones instead. There is comparatively less blood going through the bones compared to the muscle, which is why healing process takes longer. To get a formal diagnosis of bone bruise can only be done through MRI, but the treatment of this injury does not require this formal diagnosis. It is important to ice it down, give it time and do everything within pain free level to allow for optimal healing to occur.

For the active individual, pain free levels can be rather difficult to sustain. Telling a footy playing who has mild pain to not play yet is rather difficult. However, it is essential as the pain interferes with muscle function and increases the risk of injury. It is a good idea to check up with a physiotherapist to ensure you return to sport in a safe manner. 

At capital physiotherapy, we have clinicians who have ample experience returning athletes back to sport. If you’ve got lingering bruising pain that is sticking around longer than expected, book in with one of our friendly physiotherapists and get some recommendations on what to do. We are conveniently located at South Yarra, Footscray and Balwyn so choose a clinic most convenient for you. You may drop an email at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au or do an online booking here.

Do you know someone who has this lingering pain that doesn’t seem to go away? This mostly happens with lower back pain. Their doctors have done scans and examinations and found nothing physically wrong with their condition yet they continue to claim they are in pain. Does that mean they are faking it? Make no mistake, if someone says that they are in pain, they are likely serious about it. However, the structures around the back itself may not be the cause of pain anymore.

Previously, we’ve discussed how stress can influence the amount of pain which an individual can feel. Fear of movement can also cause stress which influences how one feels about the pain.

Using low back pain as an example, it can arise if you’ve placed it under heavy load and unfortunately pulled something, ie. during gardening, new movement at the gym or twisting movement during work. In a normal physiological response to pain, there is generally an extremely painful pain that limits movement followed by a period where there is not so much pain with minimal limited movement movement.

Both these periods has some degree of pain; initially there is a lot of pain followed by less further down the tract. Generally speaking, the likelihood of the structures in the back still damaged is relatively low further down the track. This raises the question of why is there pain?

As mentioned in our previous blog, the brain is the organ which registers the pain. The brain can actually increase sensitivity to pain base on our perception of the injury. In other words, if you have really high fear of your lower back pain getting worse, your brain will increase the sensitivity around your back so it hurts even with little movement in your back to help avoid the movement. In addition, avoiding the movement also reinforce the brain to think there is damage to the area, which can also cause increase pain sensitivity.

With that said, breaking out of this pain cycle can be very difficult. There needs to be methods to desensitize the body and brain to the movement and allow for normal movement. If you are having this annoying lingering pain, it’s a good idea to see a physiotherapist to get it sorted sooner rather than later.

Never give in to living with pain, especially if it’s interfering with what you love. At Capital Physiotherapy, we have movement specialists who have experience with chronic pain. If this niggling pain has been with you for a while, please give us a call at 0401 865 333 or book in an appointment online at https://www.capitalphysiotherapy.com.au/online-booking/. We have clinics conveniently located in South Yarra, Footscay and Balwyn.

Nowadays, headaches are relatively common. What you should know is that there are over 100 types of headaches that have been classified today. Within this gigantic list of headaches is one that is associated with joint and muscle tension of the neck. Although this type of headache is not as common as other types, this one is treatable with conservative management rather without the need for drug usage.

Headaches associated with neck muscles and joints are referred to as cervicogenic headaches. Pain in the neck from either joints or muscles can have a referral pattern towards the head, which can go as far as the front of the head. One theory behind this phenomenon is the muscle and joints of the neck are innervated by the same sensory nerve of the head. So when there is a pain in the neck, it confuses the brain to think that there is something going on with the head as well.

This type of headache is often associated with whiplash injuries. Whiplash injuries are damage to the neck from a violent jerk of the head, like in a car accident. In response to this injury, you’re neck muscles tense up as a protective mechanism. This tension restricts neck movement, which stiffness the joints of your neck. Even after the damage has resolved, muscle tension and joint stiffness remains and can become the new source of pain. When the muscles and joints become stiff, there can be radiating pain from the neck to the head which manifests as a headache.

Another common way for neck muscles and joints to become stiff and tight is from sitting posture. This is common among people who work long hours at a desk. Sustained poor posture for a long period of time can overload the neck joints and cause neck muscles tighten up, leading to cervicogenic headaches. Do check out our previous blog on desk sitting posture and stretches for some more advice to help alleviate these symptoms.

If headaches are a common occurrence for you, it’s best not to leave it for long; speak to your clinician to identify which type of headache you have and how to reduce the severity of the symptoms.

At capital physiotherapy, our physiotherapist have helped manage clients with headaches arising from different sources including cervicogenic ones. If you are having headaches, book in with one of our physios and get started on your treatment today. Contact us at 0401 865 333 or through our website online booking to book in with one of our friendly physiotherapist to build an individualized program best suited for you. 

Back braces are becoming more and more popular. Some people use a back brace because they have sustained a back injury. Others may use the thing to improve their posture. Have you wondered which is the correct way to use this device? Better yet, what are the consequences of using a back brace?

We discussed the pros and cons of braces in one of our previous blogs: (https://www.capitalphysiotherapy.com.au/sports-physiotherapy-pros-cons-bracing-taping/)

Generally, a brace is used protect your body from injury or prevent further injury. Therefore, if you’ve sustained a back injury, a brace can potential reduce the amount of strain some activities may cause you. This would allow the injury heal. An example of this would be using a back brace after sustaining a back injury to go back to playing footy. You would still need to be mindful of some movements that you do, but the brace just might be enough to bring you back into the game.

Back braces can also be used as a preventative measure to add extra support during activities which you know can be risky for your back. Take weightlifters for example. Many weightlifters wear a back support when completing an extremely heavy deadlift.

The above examples are solid reasons to use a back brace. On the flip side, using this device with the intention of improving their posture is a bit more controversial. For example, if you work in front of a desk a lot, there is a good chance that your posture isn’t the greatest and your neck or back can get painful from sustained long sitting position. Using a back brace to correct your posture reduces the load which your body has to sustain in that position and allow you to work for a longer period of time. 

However, by reducing the load which you back needs to take may also weaken your muscles. This would make you reliant on the device to reduce the load of prolonged sitting. Overtime, your body may progressively weaker to a point where the support of your back brace is not enough to reduce pain. 

As physios, we highly recommend preventing back and neck related injuries through a solid, individualized preventative strengthening program rather than using a brace to alleviate the pain. If you have lingering issues with your back, it is a good idea to see a physiotherapist before it gets any worse. 

At capital physiotherapy, we have excellent physiotherapists who have considerable experience with back related issues. We believe each individual injury is different and will set you up with a rehabilitation program tailored to your individual needs. If you are in the area around South Yarra, Footscray or Balwyn drop us an email at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au and one of our physios get you started on a holistic back program. 

“Ow, I think I pulled my hammies”. If you play any sport, you probably heard this one before. Indeed, this is one of the most common injuries in sports, especially anything that has to do with running. Let’s go into a few more details about this big muscle on the back of your leg.

The hamstring is a collection of 3 muscles that has the main function of bending the knee. Although it is located on the back of the thigh, most of the muscles actually don’t attach onto the back of the thigh bone. Instead, they originate from the sit bone of the pelvis. Because of this attachment, the hamstring muscles has a function which is to extend the hip.

As mentioned, runners seemed the have drawn the shorter end of the straw as these individuals seems to have a higher occurrences of hamstring injuries. Other running type sports including soccer, footy, american football and athletics. If any of these sports are what you love, be sure to check out our previous blog on essential stretches for runners and cyclist: https://www.capitalphysiotherapy.com.au/essential-stretches-runners-cyclists/

Other than the type of sports, specific individual risk factors have been found including but not limited to:

• Tight hip flexors
• Imbalanced quadriceps and hamstring strength
• Short pre-season
• Leg dominance 
• Previous hamstring injuries

After sustaining a hamstring injury, it is vital to undergo good rehabilitation program prior to returning to sport. The hamstring needs to be progressively loaded to be nearly as strong as the other leg before returning to sport. Along with strength, there is other fitness factors to consider including balance and body awareness. With these factors in mind, it would be a good idea to get a good rehab program going through a physiotherapist.

At Capital Physiotherapy, we have physiotherapists who are familiar with hamstring injuries and have brought many people back to sport after sustaining a hamstring tear. If this sounds like you, be sure to contact one of our clinics located at South Yarra, Footscray and Hawthorn (Formerly at Balwyn) or send an email to info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au to get you safely back to doing what you love. 

“Shin Splints”. This word has been thrown around and used often, especially within the running population. Most people would suspect they have shin splints if they have pain on their shins. Ever wonder what exactly this condition refers to?

Let’s state some of the obvious first, this condition occurs on your lower leg. The big bone on your lower leg is called the “tibia”. In front of the tibia is a muscle called the “tibialis anterior and another muscle behind it called the “tibialis posterior”. These muscles work in coordination to adjust your foot position during walking and running. When these muscles are overworked, they can become irritated. Irritation of these muscles is what shin splints is.

Since these muscles are involved in foot position especially in walking and running, people who do a lot of running or walking like runners, soccer, basketball and hikers would have higher risk of irritating these muscles. If there is some change in your usual routine, it would force these muscles to work harder which increase the risk of getting shin splints. This includes recently changing shoes, started a new training program, increased your intensity or starting running on a different surface. 

The most important thing to do to help shin splints recover is avoid things that hurts the condition. So, if running hurts it, you need to stop running; if walking hurts it, you need to find ways to help reduce the load on the muscles so it doesn’t hurt during walking. This is a lot easier said than done. Another thing is shin splints do take a while to recover, so jumping back straight into activity once the pain has settled can re-aggravate it. Therefore, it’s probably a good idea to check up with a physiotherapist to get some recommendations. 

At capital physiotherapy, we have therapist who are familiar with and have managed many running injuries including shin splints. If you’ve got what you believe to be shin splints, book an appointment with us today at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au to get started on a recovery program tailored for you. We are located in Balwyn, Footscray and South Yarra so choose a location closest to you. 

The word fall seems like a very simple word but has drastic effects on individuals who have had falls, especially in the older population. Children and teenagers, on the other hand, generally don’t have to worry about it because they have good balance developed from an everyday activity like running, jumping around, playing and exploring the world. Youth also has a stronger ability to heal from injury, therefore it wouldn’t be too big of an issue even if the fall happens.

For adults and older individuals, falling comes with more unwanted effects. Stating the obvious, we get taller as we grow. This also means we fall harder since we are further away from the ground. The healing abilities of an adult and older individuals are also not as good, therefore injuries take time to heal. During this time, muscle tends to atrophy relatively fast, so rebuilding muscle mass would take time. With the loss of muscle mass also comes with reduced balance as well and increase the risk of falling.

From that vicious cycle of falling, deteriorating and further increasing risk of falling, something has to be changed. We highly recommend starting an exercise program that specifically trains your balance. Balance specific exercises have been found to reduce the risk of falls, especially in older individuals. 

With that said, make sure you check in with a physiotherapist to ensure you are safe to complete the specific exercises. Some of these exercises are specially designed to challenge your balance, in which there is always that risk of falling during the completion of the exercise. To ensure safety, it is best to get a trained pair of eyes to monitor and guide your process.

If reducing the risk of falling is something you are interested in, speak to a physiotherapist to see which exercises are best suited for you. At capital physiotherapy, we encourage exercise based therapy as a preventive measure for falls risk reduction. Our physiotherapists have ample experience setting up balance specific exercise program and can give individualized recommendations to help with falls prevention. Our clinics are located in Balwyn, Footscray and South Yarra so contact us today at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au and get a holistic individualized program set up that is best suited for you. 

The days are getting colder and winter is coming. What better time to head to the mountains and get your adrenaline pumping with a ski trip. Who doesn’t like a bit of speed to get your blood pumping in the snow? Skiing is a great form of exercise because it develops your cardiovascular fitness and your balance as well. To be able to ski properly, requires quite a bit of control and coordination before you get fluent with the motion. This does take some time to train up, so in the meantime do be weary towards some common ski related injuries.

Skier’s Thumb (ulnar collateral ligament tear)

A very common injury which the thumb is wrenched backwards when falling onto your hands. The name Skier’s Thumb is appropriate because it occurs more commonly in skiing. This is due to the poles that you fall on adds an extra lever of force to bend the thumb backwards.

Shoulder Dislocation

If you fall during your skii, you little time to think about how to land. Both falling on an outstretched hand or directly onto the shoulder has a chance for your shoulder to dislocate, especially when you fall at a high speed.

Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL)

PCL injuries mostly occur when you fall directly onto your knee, causing the lower leg to shift backwards. The skis and boots add an extra weight to shift your knee backwards during the fall, therefore increasing the risk of this injury to occur.

Lower back Pain

If you are ever going to gain lots of speed in skiing, you’ve need to lean forward to cut through the air. This does put quite a bit of strain in your lower back. For people who have not maintained their fitness levels, your core and lower back muscles may not be developed enough to sustain this position and therefore are more susceptible to back pain.

With all these potential injuries that can occur, it is important to take steps to reduce the chances of these injuries from occurring. There are plenty of ways to accomplish ski injury prevention. The simplest way is to maintain or increase your fitness levels. This means continuing with your walking activities or ramping it up to a run, maintaining your gym activity or increasing your intensity inside the gym.

On the other hand, if you hardly do any exercise and are wanting to get into skiing for this season, it might be a good idea to start some specific strengthening and prevention exercise before starting. 

At Capital Physiotherapy, we have physiotherapists who are familiar with starting people in the right level of exercise intensity aimed to progress to intensive sports like skiing. If you planning to start a new activity, make an appointment so we can point you towards the right direct safely and efficiently.

Capital Physiotherapy is conveniently located in Hawthorn (Formerly at Balwyn), Footscray and South Yarra. You may call, email us at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au or book online today to get started on a program best suited for you.