What to do if you have torn your ACL

Ankle sprains are the most common injury in sport. Whilst they are the most common injury, they are often undertreated. People often feel that the sprain isn’t bad and will recover in a couple of days. While it may feel better in a couple of days, often the ligaments are stretched and the muscles are […]

So you decided to re live your old glory days on the football field, or reintroduce running to your exercise regime. Suddenly you have a sharp pain in your calf. Congratulations you have yourself a calf tear.  How do I know if I’ve torn my calf?  You will feel pain in the calf muscle (the […]

What is concussion? Concussion is a traumatic brain injury resulting in a disturbance of normal brain function. Symptoms and signs of concussion vary but common symptoms include, dizziness, memory disturbance and/or balance problems. A loss of consciousness (being knocked out), surprising to some only occurs in less than 10% of concussions. Loss of consciousness therefore […]

What is plantar fasciitis?  Plantar fasciitis is pain on the sole of the foot under the heel. The name plantar fasciitis indicates that there is inflammation of the plantar fascia, this can be misleading as there is little evidence that it is an inflammatory condition.  The Plantar fascia is a rigid fascia that sits under […]

What is taping and strapping? You may have seen football players on TV with either beige, black, white or fluro tape on their body. this is sports taping. There are 2 basic types of sports taping. Rigid tape This is either the beige, black or white tape. this is used to reinforce body parts and […]

How many injuries are there in Cricket? Lower back pain and stress fracture. How do I know if I have a stress fracture? Whether its diving catches or repetitive movements playing cricket relies heavily on the lower back. These movements and actions can trigger pain and inflammation. A specific lower back injury which is particularly […]

All your questions answered!! Do I need a referral to see a Physio?  No, you do not need a referral. Physiotherapists have extensive training in the assessment,  diagnosis and treatment of injuries and as such are considered primary practitioners.  What is the difference between a physio/chiro/osteo?  You may have similar clinical experiences with these therapists. […]

What is Osgood-Schlatters Disease? One of the most common knee conditions that active children may develop is Osgood Schlatters disease. Osgood-Schlatter’s disease is an overuse injury which presents itself as pain and swelling at the upper shin bone, just underneath the knee. Your child is likely to report increased pain with running, walking up or […]

What is an acute injury? What is a Chronic injury? Acute injuries: 1-2 weeks after injury.   Sub-acute injuries: 2-8 weeks post injury  Chronic injuries: any injury where recovery is longer than 8-12 weeks.  This classification is used with all injuries. The earlier we see you, the quicker your recovery will be.   Conditions we […]

What is Hypermobility Syndrome?  Benign Hypermobility Syndrome is often referred to as being “double jointed”, however the diagnosis and treatment is more complex.  The main issue with Hypermobility Syndrome is excessive laxity of multiple joints in an otherwise healthy person. People with Hypermobility will present with recurrent neuromuscular complaints, which are often slow to recover.    Joint hypermobility happens most often in children and […]

The rotator cuff is the most commonly injured structure in the shoulder.   Just as if your car breaks down, it’s most likely your engine (except for some rare cases). If you have shoulder pain your rotator cuff is likely involved (with rare exceptions).  What are the rotator cuff muscles? The rotator cuff is made up of 4 […]

Being in lock down, we are now spending more time playing our video games, typing on laptops, and phones. Whilst this will likely keep your mind occupied, unfortunately it also opens up the door for a condition called Gamer’s thumb.   Gamer’s thumb, scientifically known as De quervains tendinosis, is the inflammation, swelling and irritation of the tendons and/or tendon-sheath that run from your forearm to your thumb. This will cause friction between the tendon and the sheath it glides in, […]

We have long known that Exercise is a “magic bullet” treatment and cure for many conditions. Exercise therapy and general exercise have proven time and again to improve many physical and psychological conditions.   In his book ‘The Miracle Pill’, Peter Walker states “What is the ‘miracle pill’, the simple lifestyle change with such enormous health benefits that, if it was turned into a drug, would be the […]

One of the questions we get asked most by patient’s is “when can I return to sport/ work/ physical activity?” The short answer is-it depends. Injuries are multi-factorial and go beyond just the physical condition of the individual. The person’s general health status, level of sport/ activity, and psychological well-being all need to be considered.  An injury can be simple and straight forward, or it can be […]

Joint mobilisation is a gentle hands-on physiotherapy technique used to improve the range of movement of a joint to decrease joint stiffness and pain. The technique involves the physiotherapist applying pressure and making small movements in an oscillating manner on the joints.  Your Physiotherapist will be skilled in the assessment of your body and be able to determine which joints are stiff. They may get you to […]

What are the soft tissues? Soft tissues are basically all the components of our musculoskeletal system excluding bones. These include: –  Muscle  Tendon  Ligament  Fascia  Lymph channels, arteries and veins  What is Soft tissue therapy? There is much more to soft tissue therapy than just massage. Soft tissue therapies, when used by a physiotherapist, can be considered targeted hands-on clinical massage.  When is soft […]

Most people have suffered from neck pain and/or headaches at some point in their life, in fact studies have shown that at any given moment 10-20% of the population will be experiencing some degree of neck pain.With COVID impacting many of our usual work arrangements, working from home has raised the question: what is the […]

To the average person Dry Needling and Acupuncture look very similar. Thin metal needles are inserted into the body at various points to stimulate a response. The term “dry” is used as the needles do not inject any fluid into the tissues.  How does Dry Needling Work? Dry Needling is a very modern technique where a thin metal (Acupuncture needle) is inserted into muscular trigger points (muscular […]

What is Frozen Shoulder Frozen shoulder (ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS) is a common condition seen in about 3% of the population. The cause of this condition is unknown. It more common in women than men and in people over 40. Having diabetes or thyroid disease increases your risk. 10% of people will develop frozen shoulder in both sides. Most commonly it occurs spontaneously, […]

Low back pain is a very common problem that will affect up to 70% of us at some stage in our lives. The million dollar question is “how do we prevent low back pain”? There have been thousands of  studies dedicated to answering this question. Unfortunately there is no simple answer. The true answer is […]

Remedial Massage Therapy vs “massage”. What’s in a name? The difference lies on the experience and training of the practitioner. The title Remedial Massage Therapist is protected and can only be used by people who have completed a Diploma of Remedial massage therapy. This includes 1 year of full-time study and 80 hours of practical […]

What is Physiotherapy? The Australian Physiotherapy Association defines physio as- “Physiotherapists help you get the most out of life. They help you recover from injury, reduce pain and stiffness, increase mobility and prevent further injury. They listen to your needs to tailor a treatment specific to your condition. As first contact practitioners, you don’t need […]

The widely held belief throughout the history of medicine has been that we have pain receptors throughout the body and when there is damage to a tissue they are triggered. The signal then travels to our brain and is controlled by a specific part of our brain that controls pain. This theory does make sense; […]

Ankle sprain is a very common injury. Some studies have indicated that more than 1000 people will sprain their ankle every day in Australia. How do I know if my ankle is sprained? An ankle sprain occurs when we roll our ankle either inwards or outwards. This puts strain on the ligaments and tendons on […]

What is sciatica? You have pain running from your low back or buttock down into your hamstring, calf and foot. What is the main cause of sciatica? There are 2 forms of sciatica-both of which cause considerable pain. True sciatica- where the large nerve running from the spine and down the leg (The sciatic nerve) […]