Physiotherapy Column

By Caitlin Sargent: As a physio I, along with many of my clients, expect I would rarely suffer injuries. As an elite athlete though it is kind of considered part of the deal. While it would be nice to always prevent all injuries, the nature of everyone’s lives is that at some point we are often going to accumulate too much strain and experience some degree of stiffness, pain or injury. It may be a slow gradual onset of tightness ...
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Treatment Direction Tests and Individualised Treatment Every body is different in its experience of movement and load. People have different postures, different exercise/activities, different injury history with different compensation strategies and different daily load from life, based on occupational demands, sleeping positions and much more. As a result, no two bodies are identical or present in the same way. In fact, two people can present with the same symptoms but with very different tight muscles and joints. Consequently, they improve ...
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At Barefoot Physio we treat the whole person, not just the specific injury that brought you in. In physio we are often told to “look at the joint one above and one below”. This means if you come in with knee symptoms, your hip and ankle will also be assessed and potentially treated. The Barefoot Treatment Plan goes one further and assesses your whole body in our 'full body assessment' in order to find where the restriction and cause of ...
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At Barefoot Physiotherapy we utilise a variety of techniques to help reduce pain and decrease muscle tightness. One of these techniques is called Dry Needling. Why we choose Dry Needling? It has numerous positive immune effects: It helps stimulate local endorphin release (which helps relieve pain) and it can increase blood flow to the symptomatic area. It has a pain gating mechanism – which essentially helps to introduce a new sensation to a painful area, over riding the original painful ...
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A common question we hear after a pain flare up or acute injury is “so, should I rest for a while?”.   The exact answer will depend on the injury but usually it’s either “no” or “yes, but only for a few days”.  Using a back flare up as an example – we’ll recommend to our clients to take it easy for a few days, resting in comfortable positions (but changing positions every 45-60 mins), using anti-inflammatories and heat as appropriate, ...
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Written by Catherine - Yoga Physio As both a physio and a yoga teacher I can honestly say one of the best things you can do for your yoga practice is to use props!  It’s a legitimate game changer. It’s common for teachers to make suggestions of using a block or bolster throughout a yoga class, but often it’s a bit more difficult to work out exactly how or why you should be using them, especially as we have more ...
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More time for running With gyms closed and exercise options somewhat reduced compared to normal, a lot of people are turning to running for their endorphin dose. Running is a great form of exercise, with the added bonus of getting some vitamin D and some seeing some fresh scenery. However, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. A sudden rise in running volume can lead to injuries, so I’ve put together my suggestions for how ...
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More time at home can mean more time for hobbies With many of us spending more time at home, we’re seeing people able to engage more with their hobbies (or even taking up new ones). It’s great to see creativity and passion being nourished like this. While the brain loves being engaged in an activity to the point of losing track of time, often the body feels otherwise. Awkward positions and long periods of sitting are just some of the ...
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Barefoot’s 10 step plan Client’s will often ask us how we will best determine the cause of their symptoms or ask us what sets us apart from other physiotherapy clinics. Our answer is simple, our Barefoot Physiotherapy Treatment Plan. Every client we see at Barefoot Physiotherapy is always approached with the same treatment plan, a 10 step process to help you get back to living your Barefoot Lifestyle. Now 10 steps may sound like a lot but I’m going to ...
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Corticosteroid Injections To get a Corticosteroid injection or not is a common question we as Physiotherapists are often asked by clients. As health professionals we always respond in a way that provides our clients with all the details and facts they need to know to help them make an informed decision. Corticosteroid injections are essentially a very strong form of anti-inflammatory medication. They are administered by a medical practitioner and can be given into either a painful joint or muscle ...
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It is a common complaint One of the most frequent problems we see in the clinic, is people with tight shoulders. Given the prevalence of desk jobs, many consider tight shoulders just a fact of modern life. However we often find that tight upper traps are rarely the real issue and rather they are a symptom of the body being unhappy. In particular, we find that tension in the upper traps is often present when there is neural irritation. Nerves ...
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Old injuries and Accumulative Strain Remember that incident from years and years back? The one has completely healed and doesn’t give you any pain, but it was a pretty big deal at the time? It may not seem related to a pain you are currently experiencing, and maybe it isn’t, but no matter where or what the injury was, it DID cause load and strain on the body. This load and strain causes other muscles and nerve pathways to fire ...
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Our rib cage is an essential for protection of our organs, having a strong trunk and is involved in our everyday movements, like breathing or turning our bodies. Our rib cage rises and falls with each breath using the muscles between the ribs and our diaphragm. Just like any other joint and muscle, these areas can be loaded and irritated. Rib pain is frustrating and can be treated with Physiotherapy. Symptoms Sometimes rib pain is hard to describe because there ...
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Nerve pain is a common contributing factor to a person’s overall pain presentation. It can cause tight muscles, stiff joints and restricted movements. Sometimes this pain is harder to describe and localize making it a difficult condition to understand. Nerve pain can be also be described as nerve irritation or nerve inflammation. When specific branch of a nerve is involved, it will often be named after that nerve. Here are some common examples: Piriformis syndrome – involving the sciatic nerve ...
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Hi everyone! Hannah here again. This time I'm going to be taking you through one of my favourite exercises to do - the Squat.  It's a lot more complex than you think and I've spent considerable time trying to get mine right, so I can become stronger and also lessen the risk of injury as I increase weights in the Gym.  Here's what I've got to share with you: What is a squat? When people think of a squat, often ...
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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 ...
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So what is a return to walking program? We have great evidence to support gentle activity/movement being beneficial to our bodies. And the current recommendations are 30min x 5 days a week + 2 strength based sessions. So what if you can’t physically manage to walk 30min most days of the week? And you’d like to? Now if you can play a soccer game or run 10km this may not interest you… BUT you may know someone that you can ...
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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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We all like to relax but more often than not, life gets busy. With the lead up to Christmas, school holidays, work deadlines and.... well the list goes on! This time of year can be particularly stressful and overwhelming.  It’s even more important to carve out time for active self-care when things start to get crazy. And no, I’m not just talking about watching Christmas movies on the couch!! Relax! I’m going to run you through a few, 5-10 minute ...
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You may have said out loud at some point “I really need to roll out my ___ (insert muscle here)” or "I need to do a self release". It has been back and forth in research, about whether the mechanisms through which rolling out muscles or doing self releases works, if at all. The next question we often ask ourselves is “Where and how much should I be doing?”. A recent review (see reference below) has gone into more detail ...
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Neck pain is one of the most common conditions that we treat at Barefoot. While there are sometimes acute or traumatic injuries (such as whiplash from a car accident) that can cause neck pain, far more common is pain caused by accumulative strain. This essentially means a variety of contributing factors such as posture (think time in front of the computer or looking down at your phone), sleeping position, stress and even exercise have built up over time, which is ...
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Do you have neck or shoulder pain that gets worse after a day at work? Have you thought about the way you sit at your desk could be contributing to strain building up in the body. Making sure you think about your body position throughout the day can reduce unwanted niggles and make you feel more comfortable. While every desk space is different and every worker has individualized needs, here are a few general upper body tips to get you ...
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When there is pain in your head, it can be difficult to tell whether you are experiencing a headache or a migraine. Therefore it is important to work out which one it is. Faster diagnosis of a headache or migraine means faster relief through better treatments. So, how can you tell the difference between a headache and a migraine? What is a headache? Headaches are unpleasant pains in your head. They cause pressure and aching. It can feel like your neck it tight ...
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Did you know Jaw pain can be treated. It can be common for clients to come to Barefoot Physiotherapy and end up getting an internal jaw release from one of the physios. Having a jaw release can sometimes come as a bit of a shock to people. This is because even though most people mention tension being held in the jaw, jaw pain, clenching or grinding, it isn’t usually directly addressed. What is Jaw pain? The small muscles in the ...
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Why we ask what a "good result" means to you. If you have been to the clinic, you’ll know that we like to ask “What would be a good result for you?”. This may seem straightforward or even silly to some, but we have found that talking about what "good results" means to you is one of the most important things we ask. Let me explain... Here at Barefoot, we see a wide array of people, with a variety of ...
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The Best Mattress for Lower Back Pain Sleeping on a mattress that isn’t right for you can cause stiffness and low back pain. Mattresses that lack the right support, reinforce poor sleeping postures and build up strain. Strain can be caused on muscles, joints and nerves. All of these contribute to low back pain. Choosing your Mattress Your sleep comfort are also affected if a mattress doesn’t match your individual needs and preferences. When you choose a mattress that provides ...
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Hi everyone, Catherine here. I wanted to give you some information on medical imaging. If you have any questions after reading this article, please feel free to get in touch. When do I need a scan?  X-Rays, MRI, CT and Ultrasound. Medical imaging gives us lots of useful information regarding injuries to muscles, ligaments or bone.  It really depends on the circumstance of your injury.  A subjective (talking about what happened/what you feel) and objective (hands on) exam with your ...
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Hi team, Sal here. I recently went back to school to talk to the grade 10s about a career in physiotherapy. One of the students sent me some follow up questions for an assignment about Career in Physiotherapy. I thought it would be good to share with you. How important is self belief, resilience and motivation when being a physio? Fairly important. Like any profession these are important attributes but if you happen to be someone who is working on ...
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Taking care of your body as a barista Whether it’s a flat white, double espresso or caramel soy latte, we all love a good coffee. But what about the people who make your perfect brew? Busy baristas are often making multiple coffees a minute and the load on their body can contribute to unwanted pain and injury. So I’ve put together my tips for taking care of your barista body! Set-up In a typical office workspace, we are able to ...
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Hi everyone, I thought I'd put a blog together about the often unknown aspect of Physiotherapy - performance enhancement.  Most often people come to us for rehabilitation or pain relief. However, an equally important role we play in working with clients is for injury prevention and performance enhancement.  In this blog I'll quickly discuss what pain is. Then I'll discuss the the difference in seeing a Physiotherapist purely for performance enhancement, that is: to make you faster, stronger and more ...
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