Magic hands… and fingers!

Barefoot Physiotherapy Sal Oliver Lange

We’re a pretty musical bunch down here at the Blue House… Cherelle is off at Splendour as I’m writing this and Sal and I are busy practising our sweet tunes to play for her when she gets back (we’re thinking Blur but are open to requests). We thought you might want to hear more about our magic hands and playing Guitar from a physio’s point of view.

Since age five I was put into piano lessons (which I stuck out for a LONG 10 years), which actually built a great foundation for my passion of music.

This soon developed into what I thought were “cooler” instruments, focusing strongly on guitar. I have now played guitar for roughly 12 years (although currently not as often as I would like).

This love of music mixed with a determined personality makes for long hours put in when trying to learn a new riff of song.

About a two years ago when I was trying to master Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, I roughly put in 15 hours of practice over a weekend. When Monday rolled around I had a very sore neck, a throbbing wrist and almost bloody fingers. Although my raw fingers were directly caused by an accumulation of pressing them against wire strings for so many hours, I very well could have avoided a sore neck and wrist.

Especially when putting in hours after hours of practicing a musical instrument you have to remember to protect your body. It is so easy to get caught up in playing and forget this. Check out two of the most common postural mistakes when playing guitar (especially beginners!).

WRIST POSITION:

Take note of the photos below:

Physiotherapy for guitarists

On the left – notice the flexed wrist position. This compresses the blood vessels and nerves travelling through the wrist. Staying in this position for prolonged times will give you a sore wrist in the short term and can lead to more serious problems long term (Carpal Tunnel syndrome for example)

On the right – Magic hands! Good wrist posture. Notice the neutral wrist position. Happy wrist and hand!

POSTURE

Have a look at the photos below:

Posture for guitarists Physiotherapy

On the left – Poor playing position – notice the hunched over back and the flexed/bent forward neck. This position is sure to give me a sore neck and back!

On the right – Good posture! What a rock star! Notice the neutral spine and neck position. Although it can be more challenging to learn guitar without constantly staring at your hands, you will become more comfortable in the future and your body will thank you!

Any song requests?

Ben

 

 

 

Pete – touch footy, barramundi fishing and sirens blaring!

Physio for paramedics

Pete Joseph loves a challenge. Whether it be side stepping on the touch footy field, barramundi fishing or saving lives. 

At Barefoot, we love to look after the people who look after us. Being a paramedic is taxing on your body. You need to put yourself into difficult situations physically and mentally. It’s important to have your outlets and for Pete Joseph, it’s touch footy & barramundi fishing. We were keen to hear more about this lifestyle that sounds like it’s out of an Adventure magazine!

You’ve just played for the NQ Touch Footy team at a State comp, but you live in Brisbane. How does that come about?

I’ve represented Cairns Pirates at the NQ championship whilst living in Cairns multiple times and due to this I was able to use my home grown status to tour with the team this year in June 2015. This is an avenue for players such as myself that have a passion for representing their home region.

Having grown up in cairns you can’t help but feel an emotional attachment to representing the region at any opportunity you can get. Not only do I get to play touch football with my mates I grew up with, but making it known to everyone that I’m a proud NQ boy and will always be. This is something most city slickers won’t ever understand. Cairns will always be known to me as my home and the connection with the region is something that will never fade. I suppose you can compare it to the same passion that Queensland supporters have during the state of origin series… Queenslander!!!!!

Physiotherapy touch football

We know you get asked about it all the time (because we all want to know about you guys in uniform!) but can you tell us about what made you decide to become a paramedic and what’s a usual day like?

I’m a bit biased, but being a paramedic is the best job in the world. I was an electrician but I wanted a bit more of a challenge and being a paramedic has certainly filled that void. Being a paramedic is rewarding and unique which makes the role so enjoyable.

And what’s a usual day like? It’s sometimes that’s hard to describe. There are no two days that are similar, not even close. We don’t have a usual day which is one of the reasons why I and other paramedics are attracted to the role. When we log on with our communications centre, the possibilities are endless. We could be simply talking amongst ourselves about the weekend sport when we receive a job that requires us to treat a patient that can be medically unwell or involved in a traumatic event. We never know what we will encounter or who we will meet, which is what makes it so interesting.

We hear that you love fishing in the NT. Tell us about your most memorable trip.

Fishing is my chance to completely relax. Being isolated with your mates catching HUGE Barramundi is hard to beat. I have heaps of great memories however catching your first fish [especially barramundi] of the trip always sticks in your mind. This photo was taken in Kununurra W.A which was our plan B location due to bad weather in the Northern Territory.

Fishing lifestyle Physiotherapy

Thanks Pete!

PS – Pete’s next focus for touch is to be representing the North Queensland Cyclones, March 2016 at the National Touch League Championship in Coffs Harbour.

 

If you have a demanding job that is hard on your body, why not book in with us for a ‘tune up’ – where we can check you over from time to time and treat anything that may come up.  This is a great way to keep your body at 100%  If you’d like to book in with us for a tune-up, CLICK HERE.