My Life as a Physio’s Wife.

People who meet me and hear that my husband is a physio often say ‘Oh, you are so lucky’. I can only assume these people have not been to a physio and are confusing physiotherapy with massage.

In my experience Physio is effective, sometimes pleasant, sometimes painful (in a way I know it’s working) and it often comes with ‘homework’. Until recently I have pretty much neglected the ‘homework’ bit, booked in for treatment as and when I needed it (I still book an appointment like everyone else) or sometimes I just chose to put up with discomfort or pain.

Twelve months ago I had (excuse the Oprah-ism) an ‘a-ha moment’. I don’t want to be the old stooped lady wishing that she’d worked harder at being fit and healthy when it counted. The very next day I booked in to see Emma and Urs and entirely committed to my ‘homework’ and it has had a much greater impact than simply improving my pain.

This is what I found out in the first three months:

• Doing my homework (which for me is a few weights sessions a week and posture correction several times a day) has essentially eliminated my pain.
• When I stop doing my homework for a week or so my pain rears its ugly head.
• Making a few posture-corrections and completing my weights training first thing in the morning fills me with an energy and optimism that fills the rest of my day.

This is where I am after 12 months:

• I have lost weight, which feels good but more to the point it has eliminated stress on my joints and I can work harder for longer at my exercise sessions without the major effort it used to be.
• When I am exercising (or just chasing the offspring) I am very aware of my limitations and after working with Urs, Emma and Kieria (and David) I understand how to engage various muscles to ‘protect’ the parts of my body prone to injury – avoiding injury.
• I have gotten to a point where having a long lounge on the couch is still very enjoyable, but only really after a big day.

In beginning a rehab journey that for me may very well last for years (and maybe forever) I have begun to feel empowered with a control over my own body. I am beginning to learn ways in which to treat myself and understand what triggers and what improves my pain. In other words I no longer feel passive about my pain, my pain doesn’t own me or control me anymore.

Next time you’re with your Physio or our Exercise Physiologist I urge you to begin a communication about how to self manage in the long term. Discuss what you can do at home, what we can help you with and any other services you may need to add to you self management ‘toolkit’. Like me you might get a lot more out of your experience than being pain free.

5 more things you might not know about running.

Author: Emma McGuire, Physiotherapist, Arana Hills Physiotherapy

1.   Don’t get stuck in a running rut

Try not to do the same 3km loop at the same pace every single time you go running. Try to mix it up a bit with different distances, speeds, intervals (walk/jog, jog/run) and hill running.  You will get a lot more benefit out of this style of training, plus you won’t get bored so easily!

2. Running posture is important
When you run, keep your gaze in front of you rather than down at your feet. Your shoulders should stay relaxed and down away from your ears. Your arms will swing backwards and forwards, not across your body. Your back will stay relatively upright with only a slight forward lean. For distance running, your strides should be short with a quick turnover. You should strike the ground somewhere around the middle of your foot with quiet and springy steps!

3. You are only running against your self
You should not compare your time, speed or distance with anyone other than yourself. Keep a record of your PB’s for your own personal use, but do not expect to run your fastest time every time you run. It helps to include runs of different speeds into your training.

4. You are allowed to walk!
Walking on a run is not cheating. Don’t feel like you need to run the whole way, especially if you are new to running.  Including some walk / run intervals into your training regime will assist you to safely improve your running.

5. You will not get a “stitch” from drinking too much water
A “stitch” feeling is usually from breathing incorrectly. You will not get a stitch from drinking water, so if you are running for more than 30 minutes make sure you are staying hydrated!

2 good excuses to take a break from your computer.

What is posture and what does poor posture mean?

Posture is the way we hold ourselves, our habits, how we keep ourselves upright and functioning, getting our jobs done, living our lives, playing our sports.

Posture depends on your skeletal structure, which we don’t have much control over, but also could be considered as your body’s adaptive response to physical challenges, which we have a lot of control over. Examples include sitting or standing for extended periods of time, lifting heaving items repetitively or carrying children on a hip or breastfeeding. If we are facing these physical challenges repetitively our posture can become a habit and may lead to pain and discomfort in our neck, back, hips and shoulders.

Postural pain can be a recurring or persistent discomfort or pain from our work or life commitments where we may not be holding ourselves optimally.

The good news is that it can often be corrected with a little bit of effort and the rewards can be long-term and amazing. There are many ways in which you can get some easy wins with certain posture corrections. The trick is to understand how your individual postural habits are causing your aches and pains and being shown an effective way to correct. In some cases a few strengthening exercises or stretches can make correction easier as well as exercises to increase your awareness of better posture.

If you’re working at a computer for long periods of time, here are two stretches that may be helpful in giving your shoulders and back a good stretch. If you have specific postural concerns, contact one of our staff to discuss in more detail.

 

5 things you may not know about running.

Author: Emma McGuire. Physio, Arana Hills Physiotherapy.

1. Your old shoes may be causing you small injuries. Replace your shoes when they need replacing.
You may begin to develop niggling problems like foot, calf, or shin pain as your shoes stop providing you with the support you need. Unfortunately there is no set formula for when you should replace your shoes. Your shoes will wear out at different rates depending on things like your build, training load and running style. When they stop supporting you demote them to ‘yard clean up’ shoes and get a new pair for training.

2. Listen to your pain; it’s trying to tell you something.
<em “mso-bidi-font-style:=”” normal”=””>‘Pain’ is your brain suggesting that something is not right and is generally a good warning sign that you need to pay attention to your body – we pull our hand away from a hot surface because our brain says ‘ow, stop that!’. Your brain may be sending you a similar message after an uncomfortable run.  It is okay to have a couple of days off running to give your body a rest. If pain is persisting, see your physio for an assessment.  Remember that the saying “no pain, no gain” does not always apply!

3. Cross training will improve your running.
Running exclusively may be stopping you achieving a faster or longer run. You may like to include some other activities such as cycling, swimming, strength training, pilates or yoga to your week.  There are benefits from increasing your cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and flexibility that will notably improve your running!

4. Warm up before you run
Your warm up might simply be a 5 minute brisk walk or light jog, but it is very important to prevent injury and to get the best out of your work out. You can also do some other “dynamic” warm up exercises such as skipping, high knees, butt kicks, side shuffle… you get the idea.

5. Allow time to work on flexibility
Holding your muscles in a stretch position is not encouraged pre-run, but is great to do afterwards. Allow yourself a couple of days a week when you work through the major muscle groups in your legs, hips and lower back.  You should hold your stretches for 20-30 seconds and do each stretch 2-3 times.  Flexibility will not only prevent injuries, but also allow for a stronger and more efficient running style. Check out a yoga class or some yoga videos on YouTube for some stretching ideas.