Tag: Parramatta Physiotherapy

What to expect with Injury Healing

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CUMBERLAND PHYSIOTHERAPY: When injury strikes, the first thing that most of us want to know is ‘how long will this take to heal?’ Unfortunately, the answer to this can be complicated and requires at least a little understanding of how the different tissues of the body heal. Each of the tissues of the body, including muscles, tendons, ligaments and bone, heal at different speeds and each individual will have some variation on those times as a result of their individual health history and circumstances. 

Understanding the type of tissue injured and their different healing times is an important part of how your physiotherapist approaches treatment and setting goals for rehabilitation. On an individual level, a patient’s age, the location and severity of the injury and the way the injury was managed in the first 48 hours all affect the healing times of an injury. Unfortunately, as we age, injuries do tend to heal more slowly than when we are young. Any medical condition that reduces blood flow to an area, such as peripheral vascular disease, can also reduce the body’s ability to heal at its usual rate. 

There are some guidelines that can be followed when predicting how long an injury will take to heal based on the tissue type affected. Muscles are full of small capillaries, giving them a rich blood supply, and as such, they have a comparatively fast healing time with 2-4 weeks for minor tears. This time will be extended for larger tears and more complicated presentations. 

Ligaments and tendons have less access to blood supply and injury to these tissues generally take longer to heal. Larger or complete tears of all soft tissues, may not be able to heal themselves and in rare cases, surgery may be required for complete healing to occur. Similarly, cartilage, the flexible connective tissue that lines the surface of joints is avascular, which means it has little or no blood supply. To heal, nutrients are supplied to the cartilage from the joint fluid that surrounds and lubricates the joint.  

While the different tissues of the body all have different healing times, they do follow a similar process of healing with three main stages, the acute inflammatory phase, the proliferative stage and finally the remodelling stage. 

The inflammatory stage occurs immediately after an injury and is the body’s primary defence against injury. This stage is identifiable by heat, redness, swelling and pain around the injured area. During this phase, the body sends white blood cells to remove damaged tissue and reduce any further damage. This stage usually lasts for 3-5 days. 

The proliferation stage is the phase where the body starts to produce new cells. Swelling and pain subside and scar tissue is formed that eventually becomes new tissue. This stage usually occurs around days 7-14 following an injury. 

The final stage, known as the remodelling stage is when the body completes healing with the reorganization of scar tissue and the laying down of mature tissue. This stage usually occurs roughly two weeks after the initial injury is sustained. 

At each stage of the healing process, a different treatment approach is required and your physiotherapist can help to guide you through your recovery. Ask your physiotherapist to explain how your injury can be managed best and what to expect in your recovery process.

Physio Suggestions for a Healthier New Year

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CUMBERLAND PHYSIOTHERAPY PARRAMATTA: Our health is something that is easy to take for granted, and it’s not until we’ve experienced a real loss of ability or comfort that we fully appreciate our health. It’s a phrase we’ve all no doubt heard, but prevention really is the best medicine. The new year is often the time that we all begin to make changes to maintain our health and prevent future illnesses. Here are some tips to make sure the next year is the healthiest it can be.

  1. Prioritise movement

Exercise and movement are arguably the most important factors when it comes to your health. Even more so than diet, weight and smoking status, believe it or not! If you do anything for your health this year, try to fit in some extra movement and exercise in any form you can. 

 2. Plan to start your New Year’s resolutions at the end of January. 

New years resolutions are almost doomed to failure. One of the reasons for this is that they are made at a time when people aren’t undertaking their usual routine. New found enthusiasm quickly wanes when the reality of the usual grind sets back in. You may have more success if you plan to start once life is back to normal and specifically plan how your new goals can be integrated into your usual schedule.

 3. Focus on small and incremental changes that you do regularly.

While big goals are important to set, small goals are easier to reach and can help release dopamine, reinforcing your behaviour and keeping you on track with your long term goals. You can still aim for larger goals, but if you set smaller markers along the way, this will make the journey more achievable.

 4. Buy or optimise your health insurance.

Two common mistakes when it comes to health insurance are to either not have any, which can help to cover the cost of physiotherapy or to not use what you have. When it comes to physiotherapy coverage, more often than not, rather than a safety net that you can use when something happens, policies are designed as a payment plan to help you spread out the costs and if you don’t use your limits for one year they don’t roll over into the next year. 

 5. Seek treatment for minor symptoms before they develop into larger problems. 

Many conditions begin as a small niggle that is easy to ignore, and most people don’t seek treatment until it’s impossible to ignore. Unfortunately, in many cases, treatment also takes longer, the longer that an issue has been present. Seeking treatment early can help you avoid months of pain and dysfunction. 

Ask your physiotherapist for more tip on how to reach your goals this year, no matter how big or small they are. 

Strengthen to Lengthen- Does it work?

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CUMBERLAND PHYSIOTHERAPY PARRAMATTA: Improving flexibility by stretching is a core tenant of most exercise programs. We have all heard the adage to stretch and warm-up before exercise to help prevent injuries and there is no doubt that stretching can just feel amazing! It can be surprising to learn that sometimes, the answer to improving flexibility can actually come from strengthening muscles, not just stretching them. 

Why is this? 

The muscles of the body are primarily responsible for its movement. By contracting and shortening they move their attachments closer together or by relaxing they allow their attachment to move apart in a controlled manner. The stronger and more coordinated muscles are, the more efficiently muscles are able to move the body more precisely and against more resistance. 

This likely comes as no surprise, however what you may not realise is that muscles also play a large role in providing stability to the body, particularly around the more flexible joints such as the hip and shoulder. If needed, they will often prioritise their role as stabilisers over that of movers. 

What does that mean? 

If muscles are too weak to allow safe and controlled movement when needed, they might ‘tighten up’ to provide the stability necessary to keep your body upright. The less movement through range, the less blood flow muscles will be receiving, which can also lead to reduced muscle health and greater risk of injury. Increasing the strength of muscles can allow them to relax and move more freely, improving flexibility.

One of the reasons why strengthening to improve flexibility may seem counter intuitive is because many of have experienced muscle pain and stiffness after a strength workout, which can add to the perception that strengthening muscles shortens them. This pain and stiffness is usually short lived, reducing over 48 hours as muscle tissues return back to normal. 

Do any strengthening exercises work?

While improving strength and coordination may allow muscles to ‘relax’, there is one type of strengthening exercise that will actually physically lengthen muscles by creating new muscle cells. Eccentric exercises, or ‘controlled lengthening’ have been shown to have a very beneficial effects on muscle health, length and even improve tendon health. Having a targeted eccentric training program to strengthen muscles has been shown to improve flexibility and reduce injuries overall. 

Ask your physiotherapist for tips on training muscles to their optimal health to promote flexibility. Your physiotherapist is able to assess any muscles for weakness and reduced length, giving you a targeted program to improve function and reduce injuries. 

Focus on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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 What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

CUMBERLAND PHYSIOTHERAPY PARRAMATTA: The carpal tunnel is a small space base of the hand. This tunnel is covered by a thick ligament and creates a small tunnel where various nerves, arteries and tendons pass through from the forearm into the hand. If anything causes this space to be reduced, these structures can become compressed and damaged, particularly the median nerve. This common condition is referred to as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).

What are the symptoms?

The hallmark symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are pain, numbness and weakness in the hand, usually following a typical pattern over the thumb, index and middle finger. There can also be a reduction in grip strength and wasting of the thumb muscles. Symptoms are usually worse on waking or with repetitive hand movements. Patients might also report difficulty holding items, writing or doing up their buttons.

How does it happen?

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by anything that reduces the space in the carpal tunnel, including arthritis, the growth of a cyst or compression from everyday activities. The median nerve is particularly vulnerable to compression and is of the most concern as prolonged compression can cause nerve damage and permanent weakness of the hands.

How is it treated?

There are a few different treatment options for CTS. Non-surgical treatment is often recommended first, which includes physiotherapy, wearing a splint, cortisone or plasma rich platelet injections to promote nerve healing. The effectiveness of physiotherapy will depend on the cause of your carpal tunnel. If the space of the tunnel has been reduced permanently, such as with arthritis, then surgery is likely to be the most effective treatment. Carpal tunnel surgery is an operation to widen and release the carpal tunnel allowing decompression. This is a common surgery but is not without its risks or complications and requires a period of time off work for recovery.

For non-surgical cases, altered biomechanics of the arm, the mobility of the median nerve and muscle tightness may all be contributing to symptoms. In this case, physiotherapy can be highly effective, along with a period of rest, splinting and a change in daily habits.

None of the information in this article is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your injury.

Focus on Thoracic Mobility

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CUMBERLAND PHYSIOTHERAPY: Almost everyone will experience lower back and neck pain at some point in their lives, even if just in the form of a slight neck twinge after sleeping in an odd position. Spinal pain of the thoracic region is much less common, however, you might be surprised to know how important this part of the body is when it comes to pain and injury.

What is it? 

The thoracic refers to the part of the spine that is surrounded by the rib cage. It consists of 12 vertebrae with small, thick discs that sit between each of them. The thoracic spine isn’t an area that you might associate much with movement, however, this area can account for a surprising amount of flexibility, particularly in rotation.

With joint attachments both between each side of the 12 vertebrae and a rib on either side, the thoracic spine has almost more individual joints than you can count. If each of these

joints is not regularly moved through their full range they can tighten up and lose flexibility. This stiffness can become quite significant over time.

Why is it important?

Many people may not even notice this lack of movement, primarily because the neck and lower back provide much more range and can easily compensate for any loss of thoracic flexibility to complete everyday tasks.

When there is no movement occurring in the thoracic region, this means that the structures of the joints in other regions are pushed closer to their limits of range, particularly during rotation. This results in more compression and stress on these joints and the structures surrounding them, such as nerves, blood vessels and muscles.

Thoracic stiffness can be a significant risk factor for neck and lower back pain. This can also reduce the mobility of the chest wall, which can result in less efficient breathing mechanics and, in extreme cases, even reduced exercise tolerance.

How can physiotherapy help?

Your physiotherapist is able to assess your thoracic mobility and help you with treatments to improve your range, both with manual therapy and home exercises. They may even help improve your thoracic flexibility as part of a treatment plan for neck and lower back pain.

None of the information in this article is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your injury. 

Five Physio Tips to Help Improve Your Health

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CUMBERLAND PHYSIOTHERAPY: There’s no doubt that doing the right thing for your health can be difficult. Whether that involves eating healthier, exercising more, flossing your teeth or even doing your physio exercises, the best choice is not always the most comfortable. 

Once a habit has formed and become part of your routine, making the right decision for yourself can become a lot easier. Getting to that point is much easier said than done. Here are a few tips to help you reach your health goals.

1. Choose a friend to join you for accountability.

One way to guarantee that you show up for an early morning gym session is to have a friend who you partner with. You might be comfortable sleeping in for yourself, but not so much when you have someone else you’re letting down. Sharing difficult tasks with a friend can make them more enjoyable and you can also set up a competition between them if you need a little extra motivation.

2. Combine tasks with an activity that you do like. 

Love a true crime podcast? The gym can be the time to catch the latest episode or even stream your favourite show. Anything you do that helps to increase the enjoyment of the activity you’re avoiding is going to help you get started.

3. Batch tasks to be more efficient.

Are you trying to drink more water, floss and also complete your physio exercises? Why not do all three in the same sitting? Combining tasks can be a surprisingly effective use of time and a way to remind yourself to complete them.

3. Use positive reinforcement for good behaviour, rather than punishments. 

Many people will feel bad when they fail to reach their goals and try to restrict themselves in another area to compensate. It can be a much more effective motivation strategy to reward yourself after completing a task, rather than punish yourself for not doing it.

4. Get your foot in the door.

Putting your shoes on can be the hardest part of going for a run. If you’re struggling to complete a task, sometimes all you have to do is tell yourself you only need to do five minutes. Once you’ve started quite often you’ll want to do more, but setting small goals can be the trick to getting started.

Once a habit is in place, the easy part is to increase the intensity or length of time you’re doing it. It only takes 21 days of completing a task for a habit to be formed, where you will do it automatically as part of your routine. For more tips and tricks on how to reach your health goals, speak to your physiotherapist. 

What Is Chronic Ankle Instability

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 Chronic ankle instability, as the name implies, is a chronic condition of instability affecting the ankle and it’s surrounding structures. It usually develops after a severe ankle sprain. However, some people are born with less stable ankles; these individuals are generally extra flexible throughout their bodies. Approximately 20% of ankle sprains lead to chronic ankle instability due to the resulting changes in ligament support, strength, postural control, muscle reaction time and sensation. 

What are the symptoms?

As well as being more susceptible to ankle sprains, people with chronic ankle instability may notice they are extra cautious during high-intensity activities, if running on uneven surfaces or when changing directions quickly. They may experience a sense of weakness or frequent ‘giving way’ when weight-bearing.

What are the causes?

The primary causes of this condition are ligament laxity, decreased muscle strength of the muscles surrounding the ankle and reduced proprioception. 

Following an ankle sprain, ligaments can be stretched and slightly weaker; in severe cases, they have torn altogether, leaving the ankle structurally weaker. Without full rehabilitation, the surrounding muscles also become weaker, and studies have shown that balance and sensation of the ankle can also be reduced. This means that the ankle is more likely to be injured again, creating a vicious cycle leading to further instability.

How can physiotherapy help?

Physiotherapy treatment for chronic ankle instability focuses on improving strength, control and balance with a variety of techniques. This approach can significantly improve ankle stability and reduce the risk of future sprains. Physiotherapists can help patients to regain confidence and get back to their best performance. 

In some cases, orthotic braces for support can be used. However, this can lead to dependence and further loss of strength and control if used unnecessarily. In cases of extreme ligament laxity or if physiotherapy fails, surgery to repair the damaged ligaments is considered. This is usually combined with a full physiotherapy rehabilitation program for greatest success.

If you don’t feel 100% confident with your ankle, come and have a chat with one of our physiotherapists to see if we can help improve your ankle stability. None of the information in this article is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your individual injury. 

Five Reasons To See a Physiotherapist After Injury

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 There is no doubt that the human body can be very resilient. Short of regenerating new limbs, our bodies are capable of recovering from large amounts of damage, including broken bones. With this in mind, many people are happy to let nature take it’s course following an injury, thinking that seeing a physiotherapist will only act to speed up already healing tissues.

The speed of recovery, however, is only one measure of healing and despite our bodies’ incredible capacity for repair; injury repair can be less than straightforward. Here are a few things about injury healing you may not have been aware of.

1. Scar Tissue is more likely to form without treatment. 

Scar tissue can cause ongoing pain and stiffness in skin, muscles and ligaments. Physiotherapy can prevent excessive scarring from forming through advice regarding movement, massage and other hands-on treatment. 

2. Your ability to sense the position of your body, known as proprioception, is often damaged after an injury and can be retrained. 

Impaired proprioception is a major factor in re-injury. If you’ve ever heard someone say “my knee/ankle/shoulder still doesn’t feel 100%” then this could be why. The good news is that with a specific exercise program, proprioception can be improved and recovered.

3. Once healing has finished, your body may not be exactly the same as before.

Following an injury, ligaments may be lax, joints may be stiffer and muscles are almost always weaker. While the pain may be gone, there might still be factors that need to be addressed to prevent more complicated issues in the future. 

4. You may have picked up some bad habits while waiting for the injury to heal. 

While in pain, we often change the way we do things, this can lead to the development of poor movement patterns and muscle imbalances. Even though the pain has gone, these new patterns can remain and create further problems down the road. 

5. Injuries don’t always heal completely.

 On rare occasions, injuries may not be able to heal completely on their own. The most serious example of this is a fracture that cannot heal if the bone is not kept still enough. Other factors that may prevent an injury from healing include poor circulation, diabetes, insufficient care of the injury and poor nutrition. 

Your physiotherapist can assess your injury and develop a treatment plan that will both restore you to the best possible function and prevent further injuries. None of the information in this article is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your individual injury.  

Focus on Calf Tears

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 What are they?

The calf muscles refer to a group of muscles at the back of the lower leg that act to point the foot away from the body and play an important role in walking and running. A tear or strain of these muscles occurs when some or all of the muscle fibres are torn or stretched. This is a common injury that can affect anyone from athletes to those with a more relaxed lifestyle.

How do they happen?

Calf tears are often caused by sudden, forceful movements or overuse of the calf muscles, leading to the rupture or strain of muscle fibres. Common mechanisms of injury are a quick take off during a sports match or simply going for a long walk when not accustomed. Factors that may increase the risk of a calf tear are previous calf tears that have not been fully rehabilitated, tight and weak calf muscles, poor balance and ill fitting footwear. 

What are the symptoms?

Typical symptoms of a calf tear are sharp pain over the site of the tear, especially with movement, swelling, bruising, and difficulty walking or standing. The severity of the injury can range from mild muscle strain to a complete tear, which will determine the appropriate treatment approach.

How can physiotherapy help?

The first step in managing calf tears is accurate diagnosis by a medical professional, who is able to rule out other conditions that might mimic a calf tear. They can determine the extent of the damage and create personalised treatment plans based on the patient’s specific needs. This ensures that the rehabilitation process addresses the root cause of the injury, leading to better outcomes.

Reducing pain and inflammation is important in the first one to two days following the injury. The muscle may need support during this time, depending on the severity. Over time as the swelling and inflammation subsides, your physiotherapist will help to address any factors that contributed to the injury such as muscle weakness or imbalance. Calf tears often lead to stiffness and limited range of motion in the affected leg.

Physiotherapists implement targeted stretching and range of motion exercises to restore flexibility and prevent the formation of scar tissue that may impede recovery. Gradually, the patient can regain the ability to move the calf muscle without pain or discomfort.

Rehabilitation past this point will progressively challenge the calf muscles without causing further damage. Strengthening these muscles not only aids in the healing process but also reduces the risk of future calf tears.

Proprioception, the body’s ability to sense its position in space, is crucial for balance and coordination. Physiotherapy includes specialised exercises that enhance proprioception and balance, reducing the likelihood of re-injury. This aspect of rehabilitation is especially important for athletes and active individuals who need to return to high-intensity activities safely.

None of the information in this article is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your individual condition.

Surprising Skills That Improve With Age

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 Many of us associate ageing with a decline of skills and quality of life. However, the truth is not as black and white as this. While certain skills and functions do tend to suffer as we age, surprisingly there are many abilities that actually improve as we grow older. 

Some studies have shown that happiness is U-shaped, proving that the mid-life crisis is real, with the ages between 40-60 holding the highest amount of stress and responsibility for adults. It seems that happiness increases steadily after this period, with the average 80 year old reporting themselves to be as happy as the average 20 year old. 

There is also evidence that your beliefs about ageing can act as a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you are positive about ageing, then your experience will be more positive than if you have negative beliefs about it. 

It’s not only good news about your mental health though. Studies have also shown that while your short-term memory might decline, other skills such as creativity can actually increase. One of the biggest reasons for a decline in skill and function is the disuse that comes with retirement from work. Keeping active and mentally stimulated can be enough to keep your skills up to speed. 

It has also been shown that confidence grows in both genders as we age. Making decisions becomes  easier as we know ourselves better and have a wealth of experience to draw on when a tricky situation arises. 

Certain physical skills such as strength and agility might decline, however it seems that other aspects of physical ability might increase, including endurance. There are many triathletes who are in their 70s, 80s, and unbelievably even in their 90s. In the absence of any serious disability, it might be the case that age is an excuse rather than an actual hindrance to being active. 

Verbal ability and vocabulary are also skills that improve as we age, which may explain why crosswords are so popular with the elderly. Making the most of your abilities at every age is important, so try not to let age be a barrier to trying new things and keeping active. 

Physiotherapists are dedicated to helping people stay active at any age and can help you with achieving your goals. Speak to your physiotherapist for more information.