Physiotherapy Column

Hi all, Sal here – physio and avid paddler. No, not the K1 or K2 kayaks and not those crazy river rapid ones either. The type of kayaking I do is relaxed, non-competitive and something everyone can have a go at if they’re keen. I have been kayaking/surf skiing since I was 10 and have managed to accumulate a few water toys over the years to share with friends and family. So how much do kayaks weigh? And can you ...
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I'm getting into exercise, but I haven’t exercised before. Where do I begin? Our Barefoot plan brings our clients to step 10 which is ‘Living your Barefoot Lifestyle’, this includes being able to start new activities and try new things! You can also bring this up with us at any other step in the plan. Exercise can be anything that you find enjoyable, that is the first step. Let’s find out what it is you like to do! That way, ...
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It's all happened to us, even from the most innocuous of activities: picking up my keys. Does our body really start to fall apart as we age? I just jumped in my car, and as I went to grab the door handle with keys in hand, I dropped my keys.  While seated, I twisted and bent over to pick them up - then I felt it - a tiny twinge in my lower spine. Not enough to hurt, but just ...
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If you have been to a Physiotherapist before, there is a good chance you have been prescribed a muscle self-release (Usually performed with a ball) or a muscle stretch of some kind as homework. At Barefoot Physiotherapy, both are prescribed, and for slightly different reasons. Below, we will go through the benefits of Self-Releases vs Stretching and when each are appropriate. Benefits of both self-releases and stretching: Decrease in tension/discomfort in the muscle Potential to lengthen the muscle and increase ...
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Here at Barefoot, a lot of our clients present to us with an injury they sustained during sport. From dance to yoga and football to power-lifting, there is nothing more frustrating than having an injury prevent you from doing the activity you love. The most common question in returning to sport after injury, is how long should I wait? or get treatment for? Other questions such as: How long until I can get back to running? How long until I can ...
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Do you suffer Fat Ankles from Flying? With both domestic and international flights having become cheaper over the years, more and more of us are flying. Sometimes these trips can be longer than 2 hours, reaching 13 hours for a long-haul flight, which also might be followed by even more flying.  Prolonged sitting, lack of movement, dehydration, pressure on the hips and hamstrings can all contribute to fat ankles from flying. Sometimes no matter how much you try and move ...
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Anyone can, and does fall at some point throughout their lives, for most of us it is multiple times. Unfortunately, the older you get the more impact these falls can have. As we get older we need to take further precautions in order to stay safe. We can do this by putting in place some falls prevention techniques. Here are some falls prevention quick tips for either at home or in the community. Stay active and participate in group activities ...
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At Barefoot Physiotherapy we utilise techniques from multiple learnings all combined into our unique Barefoot Physiotherapy Plan. These techniques include; LJ Lee's training in The Thoracic Ring Approach™all of our Bachelor/Masters degrees, Mulligan, Maitland and Ridgway Methods, Western Acupuncture, Dry Needling, and Pain Science/Graded Motor Imagery. We are continually learning and evolving our Framework and an essential part of it is the Thoracic Ring training we have had. The Thoracic Ring Approach™ is an innovative assessment and treatment technique for the body (treating through ...
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Whatever sport you do you’re no doubt putting in endless hours of specific training, along with maybe some alternative recovery and rehab sessions like yoga and stretching. However, like most people, there’s even one more activity you’re probably doing more of than even sleeping – sitting! It's the new epidemic. We all spend too much time sitting. Whether it’s in the car, at work, at home or at the dinner table – you always find yourself sitting.  This situation gets ...
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Here's a great article from our Industry Body explaining the current situation with Codeine becoming prescription only, and how Physiotherapy for Pain Management can be an effective treatment option. With codeine becoming a prescription only drug from February, a large number of Australians will be seeking alternative ways to manage their pain. National President of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, Phil Calvert said, ‘The good news is that physiotherapy is proven to provide effective pain relief, which treats rather than simply ...
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Easy exercises to keep you healthy and active as you age. For many people, aches and pains have become a normal part of their life, especially as they age. However, it doesn’t matter if you’re 7 or 77, pain is not a normal part of life, and should be something that you take seriously. This includes general aches and stiffness from your daily life! Here are some easy exercises and body management tips to keep you happy, healthy and moving ...
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If you’ve never had physiotherapy, or if you haven’t been in a while, it can be good to know what to expect and how best to prepare. Appointment Preparation Once you have decided on which Physiotherapist you’re going to go to, you can give the clinic a call or jump online and book an appointment through their website. When you’re on the phone some clinics will have a couple of questions for you about what the issue is, don’t be ...
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Barefoot Physio Cam is our 'go-to' guy to discuss all things Basketball. He has played professional basketball for several years and loves to chat about the best way to keep your body happy before, during and after the season! This blog will be centered around some of the things you can do to help with game performance and recovery. Pre-Game Before a game there are two things that are very important; nutrition and hydration. Both of these factors play an important ...
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Following the warmer weather ( and the rain finally clearing up) it seems like a great time to discuss shoulder injury and pain in climbing now that the conditions seem just right! Physio Kirsten is an avid climber, when she isn't treating our incredible clients you will most likely find her on a rock wall somewhere, or scaling the cliffs at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane.  Kirsten has given us her top tips for climbers, and sat down to let us ...
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A lot of pelvic health issues (Women’s health / Men’s Health) are tied in some degree to the digestive system. When you think about the postures you take when you have an upset tummy, the strain your pelvic floor muscles take when you are having difficulty with a bowel movement and the close proximity of the pelvis and digestive system you can see why. Therefore, in conjunction with musculoskeletal assessment and treatment, nutrition and gut health should also be addressed ...
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Here at Barefoot we’re often asked about buzzwords in the fitness space and a phrase that regularly comes up is functional training. You’ve probably seen the term used in fitness advertising and many trainers offer it as a part of their exercise programming. So we want to discus the functional approach to exercise, the benefit it provides, and give you a few tips on how to ensure your exercise involves a functional component. Let’s begin with the term functional.   ...
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With recent reports about the hazards of prolonged sitting, standing desks are increasing in popularity. Standing desks have shown to be particularly beneficial for people with lower back, hip or pelvis pain and even improve return to work outcomes. However many people report more discomfort and fatigue in their legs with a standing desk and certain health conditions (such as varicose veins) are better suited to sitting. It is important to note that sitting at work still has a role ...
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Top tips for those who are sitting at their desk all day. If you are an office worker chances are you have come across or experienced first hand the pains of sitting for too long. While a typical desk job may seem to expose the body to little physical strain, prolonged sitting can wreak havoc on the body. The reason for this is that we are meant to move. Our anatomy and biology is set up for us to walk, ...
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Ever had a tight muscle that doesn't seem to budge no matter how many stretches you do? It's so common at Barefoot to have new clients tell us " I stretch my ** tight muscle ** all the time and it still feels super tight" . . . so why is this happening? Alot of tight muscles often have palpable "knots" and "triggers" in them. These are specific areas of contracted muscle within the entire muscle belly. To target these ...
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Pregnancy is such an exciting time, however it can also bring a lot of questions about your health & well being. As your pregnancy progresses and your baby bump grows it's important to strengthen your pelvic floor and improve pelvic floor health.  Sami Cattich from Body Birth Physio gave us her tops tips for improving the health of your pelvic floor, positive positions and how to maintain posture throughout your pregnancy! √ - Practice Good Alignment Poor alignment affects our ...
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August is Tradie Health Month and we wanted to thank all the wonderful tradies for doing what they do! With that said, the work involved on a day to day basis for tradies can often be demanding on your body.  There is an ever increasing number of injuries that occur when tradies are working. Did you know that 1 in 5 workplace injuries involve those working on the tools? What you may not know is that the predominant amount of ...
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You're bending down, or doing a movement you have done hundreds of times and then all of a sudden you're in a world of pain. Accumulative strain can present in multiple ways, and significantly affect how we function and move on a day to day basis. Have you turned slightly the wrong way and had your back go? Have you had an injury seemingly come out of nowhere? These are just a few examples of how accumulative strain presents in ...
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Sports Physiotherapy explained More often than not it can be confusing deciding what physio you should see, and how will this change your Physio experience. To answer your questions about Sports Physio we sat down with Barefoot Physio and Olympian Caitlin Sargent! Many people ask me why we differentiate between the terms ‘physiotherapy’ and ‘sports physiotherapy’.  And fair enough, as the term sports physio isn’t widely understood – in fact, physio in general isn’t widely understood. But there’s a difference, ...
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Work Station Set Up Our bodies are made to move, and when they aren't moving often you can start to experience stiffness and soreness. We've all experienced the pain of standing at a concert for too long, or sitting still while watching a 3 1/2 hour movie. When our brain is focusing on other things, it doesn’t give us the signal that our joints, muscles and nerves need to move. Being in one position for long periods can cause some ...
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When Pain Persists – What is going on? And what can WE do to help? When you move well, you feel good. The better you feel the more you move. Sounds simple enough, right? So often we find ourselves limited by our pain, which affects how we go about every day life. As human beings, we need movement and exercise to feel good, for both the body and mind. So what happens when movement hurts? The more it hurts, the ...
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There is nothing better than a good nights sleep. It can set you up for a productive day, allows for our bodies to reset and helps our mind to clear and recharge. So what happens when your body is strained and tight throughout the night? A bad sleeping posture can lead to pain and joint stiffness - which doesn't exactly allow for a refreshed state. Finding the ideal sleep position for YOU is important to ensure that you don’t put ...
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Physio Kirsten has recently completed the Oxfam trail walk! The trail went for a total of 55km's - and lasted for almost 12 hours! The biggest thing when preparing for a challenge such as this is staying injury free in training and during the event. Kirsten has picked her top tips for preventing hiking injuries, and what this would look like for training and preparation. How Prevent Hiking Injuries Appropriate progression You’ve decided to start training before your event, awesome! ...
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Brain Overload: We’ve all been there before, your mind is running at a million miles per second and it feels like you have far too many things going on. When you aren’t feeling 100% there can be a multitude of things that can be contributing to this. This blog will look at “Brain Overload” and what this can mean for you health, well-being and your recovery! We all have a lot going on in our life – and it is ...
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We understand that when you are in pain, it can be extremely hard to function and enjoy life on a daily basis. At Barefoot Physiotherapy, our treatment plan is focused on helping you to do what you want with your body! We use a thorough whole body assessment to work out the underlying cause of the condition. We can then treat it, teach you to treat it and together take care of your body long term - getting you back ...
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As many dancers know, your body can be placed under a lot of stress through continuous exercise and training. It's extremely important to listen to your body to ensure that it is well looked after, allowing you to focus on what you do best – dance! To discuss this in more detail, we sat down with Miranda a physio here at Barefoot, to understand what to look out for and what to do if this is happening to you. Snapping Hip ...
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