Townsville Physio Point

Did you know these fun facts about the shoulder?
💪The shoulder has the most movement of any joint in the body.
💪It is the fastest moving of any joint rotating 80 degrees in 9000th of a second.
💪It has very limited bony stability and is heavily reliant on muscle function for stability.
💪Shoulder pain is the 3rd most common musculoskeletal injury. 1 in 3 people will experience it in their life.

🙌🏻 So best to keep those shoulders strong to avoid injury and pain 🙌🏻

Vertigo is the sensation of dizziness or disequilibrium (think room spinning/sea legs). It is symptom rather than condition itself but the word vertigo is often used as a broad term for the conditions that cause dizziness.
And what does this have to do with Townsville PhysioPoint?

We can diagnose, treat and rehabilitate peripheral causes of Vertigo! So no need to have dizziness interrupt your life.

As a side note, in some cases a referral to other specialists may be required and often it is a good idea to be checked out by your GP if the symptoms are new.

Huge shout out to this Champion 👆🏼

Zac has worked hard off and on the field. Not only to better himself physically, but also to help others and kick off wheelchair Rugby League in Townsville!
Your efforts have obviously NOT gone unnoticed with the comp now officially named the Zac Schumacher TDRL Cup!
👏 👏 🙌🏻🙌🏻

Do you Nordic?
While the evidence for this simple yet challenging exercise has been around for some time, I felt it was worth restating, especially for my weekend warriors.
Adding this movement to your weekly regime can decrease the risk of a hamstring strain by 50%!
(Van Dyk et al, 2019).
If you don't have a partner handy, try using a bench to hold your heels down. Keep your trunk straight and lean forward. You can start by moving just a little and come back or go as far as you can and catch yourself on the floor and start again.

Rewards for an early start.
🌅 Have a great Monday everyone!

Why is it important to follow through with rehab? 🏋️

A recent study has shown what we physio’s always knew… Less than half of our patients are not doing their rehab! So no need to deny it any more, you can come clean.
Personally, I am a terrible patient and don’t do as much of my recovery/rehab as I know I should. 🤦‍♂️
The study, carried out by Clausen et al(2020), which looked specifically at shoulder pain goes on to find that only 43% of patients were reaching an acceptable symptom state 4 months after diagnosis.

The up side?

Those that COMPLETED their rehab and had a good program of strength work had a further 66% chance of improvement. 💪

So best to do as I say, and not as I do😜
The best rehab/exercises are the ones that are done! 💪
⛹️‍♂️🏌️‍♀️🏄🏼‍♂️🧗‍♂️🚴‍♂️

Happy Saturday folks!

Posted • From this moment on, you will never see a cervical vertebra in the same way again! 😁
Tag your classmates or collegues who need to see this! 😊👍

Do you need a bigger boat?

It may be a resounding yes from many of my gentleman patients, but this question is not as it seems.
I am referring to a metaphor regarding pain. There are a few, such as the overflowing cup, or bathtub, but I love referring to this classic book, ‘Who sank the boat?’ In the book a whole gang of farm animals pile into a small dinghy, and the unfortunate mouse who is last to climb aboard brings down the vessel!

While it may be over simplified, I believe it helps look at the person as a whole, the ‘bigger picture’ as it were.
The metaphor suggests that pain occurs when all of the stressors/loads in our lives are greater than our capacity to cope (our boat). When the boat is overloaded and sinks, we experience pain.

The cow, horse sheep and pig represent our stress, tissue damage, poor sleep, finances etc. The poor old mouse might be something as small as a change in weather or putting our socks on, you get the picture. Very often we blame the ‘mouse’ for our pain without considering all of the events leading to that moment.

So what can we do about it? The good news is we have two approaches:
Reduce the load in out boat (our stressors)
Build a bigger boat (our capacity to cope)
The metaphor highlights that we have pain when we have not adapted positively to the loads in our life, and also recognises that these loads are not merely physical but social, emotional, psychological.

Reducing stressors helps, but these can persist after the pain improves. This is because our boat is now capable of tolerating them without sinking us.

I love treating complex pain conditions and helping those people who have been fighting to keep above water. Seemingly simple interventions and reassurance can have tremendous outcomes. It is such a reward to see someone return to work, pick up their children/grandchildren, get back to what they love after thinking that possibility had passed.
How good is physio!!
Have a great day everyone, and let’s all work on building some bigger boats 😉

Tendon Vs Ligament

Do you know the difference?

Tendons are primarily made of strong collagen fibres arranged in parallel bundles which increase the strength of the individual fibres and makes them great at withstanding high tensile (pulling) forces. Each muscle has 2 tendons attaching it to bone at either end with their primary function to transmit the pulling force of a muscle to the bone and move the joint!

Ligaments are also made of strong collagen fibres but are arranged in crisscross bands which helps them resist forces in multiple directions. They attach bone to bone meaning they have no contractile ability and have a primary role of stabilising joints.

With COVID-19 restrictions throwing our usual schedules into chaos there has been a trend in over use type injuries. I expect this will actually increase over coming weeks/months as Gyms and sports start operating again.
People who usually lift weights have changed to more calisthenic type workouts. More people are hitting the pavement and trails walking, running and cycling.
Our bodies do not appreciate such a drastic change, especially in such a short timeframe and this is manifesting in all sorts of repetitive use injuries. One of the most common I have seen over the past 2 months include tendon overuse injuries, particularly the foot, heel and knee. In coming posts I will be covering these and more, and providing some insight as to how you can avoid an injury as you get back to your healthy habits! 👊

Mondays can be a drag…but not when patients return with wins like this!
Picture this
🔨55 yo builder
🔨battling progressively worsening shoulder pain for the past 6 months.
🔨staring down the barrel of a surgery that he can’t afford time off for.
🔨no guarantee of making it back to the level of work he is currently performing

With 3 consults over 2 months
💪Now sleeping through the night and able to lay on his injured side
💪put in 2 full days of sheeting walls and ceilings with barely a ni**le
💪no longer needing regular pain medications to make it through the day. 🌟So how did he get here? There is no secret answer I swear. We developed a rehab plan together based on my assessment and he has been diligent to a fault in completing it. Honestly, having the opportunity to help create such a positive change in someone’s life, how could there be Monday blues!

Coronavirus (COVID-19) health alert

**COVID-19 Update **

It is currently business as usual here at PhysioPoint but we are continually monitoring the situation and taking a few extra precautions to ensure we follow best practice health and hygiene within the clinic to keep all of our patients and staff safe.

There is hand sanitizer at the front desk and we kindly ask you use this upon entering the building.
💧 If you wish to use warm soapy water this is provided in the bathroom.

As a matter of routine staff wash their hands before and after (sometimes even during) patient contact and all surfaces will continue to be cleaned between patients. Fresh linen is always provided for each patient contact.

😷 As always, if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms we kindly ask you contact reception and we can reschedule your appointment. You should also seek medical assistance as per the Australian Dept of Health (DOH) recommendations.

✈ If you have returned home from an overseas trip from a high risk country in the last 14 days, please let us know and we will happily re-book your appointment after the 2-week quarantine period.

Here is the link to the DOH website with updates regarding COVID-19

https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert

If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the clinic on 4779 9777 or for Shannon directly- 0466 859 582.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) health alert The World Health Organization has announced that COVID-19 is a pandemic. Find out how we are monitoring and responding to the outbreak, how you can help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Australia, and what to do if you have symptoms. We also report the latest official medical advice and case numbers.

Thoughts become things...

New blog is up on the website. Let me know your thoughts or if you too have experienced 'Nocebo' ;)

tsvphysiopoint.com.au As some of you may already know, my wife and I run a Kumon Centre which is a program for maths and English and aims to have students studying above their grade

Shannon has a rare vacant appointment tomorrow at 9am.

We would like to offer the first person* to message the page and secure the slot a free injury or movement screen!
What does this include?
A no obligation assessment of your injury or problem movement with detailed description of findings and prognosis.
So if you have been battling an ongoing chronic ni**le or want to start that bootcamp for Summer but are worried about aggravating an old injury, here is a fantastic opportunity to have a 1-on-1 appointment with a Titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist free of charge!

*not a pre-existing client.

Psssttt, let me tell you a secret...
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Seldom is there a day I don’t encounter a patient who wants the quick fix for their injury. Unfortunately, more often than not they have bounced around between a few health professionals chasing this quick fix unicorn. 🦄

My motto for these presentations: It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon…

But what’s the secret? Consistency!
Keep up those exercises, keep track of the diet, work on your sleep and watch the magic happen.
You got this!

✨Only a handful of appointments left next week. You can easily book online by clicking the book now button in our Facebook profile ✨ Come and experience the Physio Point difference with Shannon, a titled APA Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist.
We pride ourselves on delivering high quality physiotherapy services to the Townsville community.

In 2017–18, over half of people (58%) with osteoarthritis experienced ‘moderate’ to ‘very severe’ pain.

People with osteoarthritis were also 2.9 times as likely to have ‘very severe pain’ (4.9%) compared with those without the condition (1.7%)

In addition, almost half (48%) of people with osteoarthritis described their pain as having a ‘moderate’ to ‘extreme’ interference with
their normal work during the last 4 weeks, compared with 22% in people without osteoarthritis.

Did you know the GLA:D programme has a 30% reduction in pain at 3 months, many participants can actually cease or reduce their pain medications! Also, 92% of participants were satisfied or very satisfied with the program 3 months after the program completed.

As a Titled Musculsokeletal Physiotherapist Shannon is well positioned to help you manage your arthritis!
It’s amazing how much can be gained with the RIGHT information, education and reassurance.
Start the journey to manage your pain, get active and start living again.

GLA: D is the best first treatment for hip and knee osteoarthritis.
Exercise and education to help you regain your life.
Contact us now to find out more or to book in to secure your spot in our next six week program.

Should you repair a torn ACL? That's a surprisingly tricky question

A controversial yet exciting topic in the world of physio and orthopaedics! Worth a second opinion and in many cases a solid stint of good conservative management can see very favourable results.
I have personally worked with several athletes and weekend warriors who have succesfully returned to their sport and recreation without surgery.

If you or someone you know has suffered an ACL injury I would love to hear from you. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section or pm my page.

theage.com.au Perth Glory’s Dino Djulbic tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and under five months later - without surgery - he lined up again for Perth.

Are you one of the 4 million Australians suffering from hip and knee arthritis? Are you on the wait list for surgery or an orthopaedic review?

The GLA:D Program could be just what you need!
Join us at Townsville PhysioPoint on Thursday 7th at 9am for a free information and education session regarding osteoarthritis and best practice management. This forms the initial education session of the GLA: D program which goes on to include 2 fully supervised exercise sessions per week (eligible for private health rebates).
The GLA: D programme is world renowned with thousands of participants reporting high levels of satisfaction, pain relief and physical improvement.
Townsville PhysioPoint is the only registered provider for the GLA: D program in Townsville, check out the GLA: D Australia website for more information.
https://gladaustralia.com.au/

Townsville Physio Point is looking for a motivated and enthusiastic physio to join our team on a casual basis. Hours are negotiable, but the successful applicant will have the opportunity to come on board with huge scope for career growth.
To apply or for more information please email [email protected]

Stretching, massage and rest will fix my tendinopathy

Unfortunately no. While passive techniques such as massage and rest may help reduce pain in an acutely irritated tendon, the problem comes back to the tendon’s ability to manage the load you are putting on it, i.e. running, jumping etc.
The only way to truly ‘fix’ your tendon pain is strengthen it and condition it to cope with the demands of your activity. Failing to do this adequately will mean your pain will come back with a return to activity.

Achilles tendon still giving you problems even after some treatment? Chances are you haven't loaded it enough! Progressively heavier loads lead to positive adaptations in the tendon like reduced pain, better endurance/strength and allow you to get back to running, jumping or whatever it is you love!

Whether you are training for an event, training for life or rehabbing after an injury it doesn’t matter where we start, but that we actually start.
It also pays to have a group of people there in your corner to help get through those rocky moments! 💪

Learning never stops!
Had a great time over the weekend attending the lower limb tendinopathy course with tendon guru Dr Peter Malliaras. Pete is a wealth of knowledge and we have come away with some fantastic up to date methods of treating common tendon issues in the lower limbs.

A perfect end to a relaxing Sunday.
Nothing like a walk along the river with such a beautiful backdrop to help clear your mind and prepare for the week ahead.

Don’t let small setbacks in your rehab journey keep you from achieving your goal. Let start the week off with the right mindset. You’ve got this! 🙌🏻💪🤛

Lifting with a flexed spine?

We have all heard at some point that unless you keep your back straight when lifting (whether it be in the gym or at home) you will hurt your back.
>>Myth alert

Feeling confused, frustrated and simply lost with tedious exercises your physio has prescribed with the intention of ‘stabilising your core?’

You’re not alone. Thankfully, you really don’t need to be doing these anyhow! There are plenty of other really good options to get you moving again.

There is considerable evidence that ‘core bracing’ or ‘stability’ exercises are no more beneficial than any other form of exercise intervention. In fact, in some cases where patients are more worried about the ‘stability’ of their core, they already brace too much. These exercises then only serve to inflate the notion their back is fragile or unstable, leading to further dysfunction. It is very rare that true instability is the cause of your back pain.

If you want more information or explanation on this topic I welcome your questions and comments! It is a contentious topic for some 😉, let’s get the good news out there Townsville!
🙌🏻