How to Treat an Ankle Sprain with Physiotherapy
What do you do if you sprain your ankle playing sport? Most people who are active and have played sport through their life have at some point sprained their ankle and gone through the painful process of watching it swell, using tonnes of ice and strapping for a long period of time. Research shows, however,…
Abdominal Separation: The Facts
Abdominal separation, also known as DRA (diastasis rectus abdominus) is a common condition that arises in late pregnancy (affecting between 66-100% of women in the third trimester) and may persist in the postnatal period (affecting 35-65% of women). For such a common condition, there is actually very little research into what constitutes normal recovery and…
Back Pain: Myths and Misconceptions
Back pain is the most common condition we treat at Total Physiotherapy, which is no surprise given up to 80% of people will experience back pain at some time in their life. Here we discuss some back pain myths and misconceptions and, most importantly, how to recover from an episode of back pain. Back Pain Myth 1: “Back…
What to Expect from Your Pelvic Floor When You’re No Longer Expecting
The question we are often asked as Women’s Health Physiotherapists is: “Is this normal?” To shed some light on normality and the pelvic floor, we’d like to provide some accurate information about postpartum prolapse. We are bombarded daily with images, videos, blogs, forums, facts and figures and it can be difficult to sort out fact…
Injury Prevention in the Younger Athlete
Did you know that approximately 50% of youth sporting injuries are preventable? “Ausplay data tells us that 71% of Australian children participate in organized sport and up to 10% will be injured and need to go to accident and emergency every year. The data does not include all those that might turn up to a…
Is Exercise Harmful for Hip & Knee Arthritis?
The simple answer is NO, exercise has been proven to be safe and will help to improve pain and quality of life. However, we realise that this is often confusing as historically, people have been advised to rest and “put your feet up” when complaining of hip and knee joint pain. So here are some…
Focal Hand Dystonia
FOCAL HAND DYSTONIA (FHD) What is FHD? A movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions and postures affecting extensively trained movements. e.g. musician’s dystonia, writer’s cramp How does it present? Typical age: 30-40 Men & women can be affected Painless Absence of other signs & symptoms Little variation each day No sensory deficit Loss of motor…
Tips for Patients with Lymphoedema
Exercise Exercise and movement can help to improve the lymph flow and to maintain mobility – seek the advice of your physiotherapist or GP for some specific exercises. Point and flex your ankle or wrist, which helps to pump the fluid out of the effected limb. Water-based exercises are often easier and provide compression through…
Are You Suffering from Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and knee are two of the most common problems we see at Total Physiotherapy. “2.1 million Australians were diagnosed with osteoarthritis in 2014/2015” – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare What is Osteoarthritis (OA)? Osteoarthritis is a condition where the articular cartilage (lining of the bone joint surfaces) degenerates. The…
Is Work Giving You a Pain in the Nick?
“Up to 63% of office workers experience neck pain at some point each year.” – Cote et al., 2008. Neck pain in office workers not only has an effect on the individual; but it also has an effect on employers, productivity, workers compensation claims and quality of life. So how can the staff at Total…