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MY PAINFUL EXPERIENCE – JACK TROAKE

Back in my first year of University, I fancied myself as the next Michael Jordan. So I decided to play a summer league competition of domestic basketball.

The Injury

Ten minutes into the game I realised I may have overestimated my skills and fitness levels – first year of university will do that to you! Long story short, I zigged when I should have zagged! My knee collapsed, leaving me with intense pain and a bruised ego. A concerned official was on hand soon enough with some ice and to my luck he was a trained medical officer. He magically diagnosed that I hadn’t ruptured my ACL by merely touching my kneecap. I wish I was blessed with those skills to this day! Whilst I’m sure he was well versed in injury management, I decided to seek a second opinion from an Osteopath.

Treatment

I entrusted my recovery and rehabilitation with a local, recommended Osteopath. The Osteopath carried out a thorough examination, diagnosing me with a medial meniscus irritation. To read more about meniscus injuries please click here. He also outlined my injury in easy-to-understand language so that I felt really informed. After all knowledge is power!

Initially, treatment was focused on getting me out of pain. Once my pain started to recede, we moved to a more active phase of rehabilitation. We also set up a management plan going forward. This involved at-home exercise techniques and a graded strengthening program. This helped to strengthen the knee so that I was less likely to have the injury happen again. I was hoping to return to the court, as well as surfing again, so this was important.

Not only did my knee improve from weekly sessions following my Osteopath’s rehabilitation program, but I noticed other benefits. My balance improved from doing more single leg work and my whole leg and core strength also improved.

Being a first year student studying Osteopathy, I was lucky enough to always have continual treatment. This meant I could maintain and strengthen the gains I had made in my rehabilitation. And thankfully my knee injury has not reared up again. It’s never felt better actually!

What I learnt from my knee injury

One thing I learnt through this experience was that my recovery did not lie entirely in the hands of my Osteopath. As a client, I had to take an active role in my recovery to ensure I returned to throwing up bricks on the basketball court… much to the disappointment of my teammates!

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Home Based Exercise

So with the ever changing landscape we are living it at the minute, it is important to be adaptive to remain fit and healthy. With the recent forced closure of gyms around the country, there is no reason why you cannot perform a high intensity, fun, challenging exercise routine at home.

What Exercises Should I do?

Well here are some great compound exercises to perform at home. Compound exercises are ones that use lots of muscles when performing the movements, meaning we get more bang for our buck when we perform them. Click on each exercise to see a Youtube version with correct technique.

Squats
Push ups
Plank (hold as long as you can or start off aiming for 30secs)
Lunges
Bird dog
Donkey Kick
Deadlifts (if equipment is available. Or improvise with something like milk bottles filled with water)
Crab Walk (if band is available. We sell them at the clinic if you can drop by and grab one)

General rule of thumb is to try and perform x 10 repetitions x 3 sets of the above exercises. You will find some of these exercises more challenging than others so you’ll need to tailor the amount of reps and sets to your age and fitness level.

Couple these with cardiovascular exercises such as skipping, high knee taps, burpees and the use of an exercise bike (if available) and you can smash out a 30-45 minute challenging exercise circuit using minimal equipment.

Mental Health

Whilst it is easy to focus on physical health at this time it is as equally important to not forget about our mental health. A couple of fantastic techniques for the body and mind are the use of yoga and meditation.

A great, free yoga channel is called Yoga With Adriene which provides yoga routines for all abilities and techniques.

Meditation exercises can also be used. Youtube and our smartphones are a great resource which can provide us with the ability to practice mindfulness along with reducing stress and anxiety.

The apps I recommend are, Buddhify, Calm, Smiling minds and Headspace. Most of the apps have a free trial with some in-app costs associated so my advice is to try each one and see what works best for you before committing financially.

I hope the information I have provided today can assist you physically and mentally during this challenging time we are all in.

To finish off on a high, here’s my joke of the week…

Who can drink 5 litres of petrol?

Jerry Can.

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A Guide to Remaining Injury Free this Cricket Season

Bye Bye Footy, Hello Cricket!

With the warm weather starting to finally break through after a bitterly cold, disappointing (Melbourne Demons Supporter!) winter we look forward to another summer spent chasing a small red leather ball around an oval.

On our return to the cricket field we can be using muscles we haven’t used in months – going from passionate armchair footy expert to demonstrating our best Brett Lee impersonation! This can leave us vulnerable to injury.

How Do I Return To Cricket Without Risking Injury?

While there are no absolutes with injuries, we can decrease the likelihood of injuries occurring via “gradually increasing” our training loads. In addition to this, an adequate warm up performing exercises that mimic our on-field movements (i.e Bowlers going through low intensity controlled run throughs and Batsmans going through low intensity controlled shots and short sprints) can also help. This is called functional or dynamic stretching and can lead to improved performance compared to static stretching.

Another strategy to decrease injury involves strength training whether that include gym work, body weight exercises or swimming. By strengthening the muscle, it is better able to manage the load that can be exerted on it during training and playing. Therefore decreasing the likelihood of injury.

Other strategies we can incorporate include:

1. Compression shorts/pants which provide stability and reduce the force that is placed on muscles during strenuous exercise. This in turn can potentially decrease the likelihood of muscular strain. These have also been shown to also assist in the recovery of muscles post exercise.

2. Supplements such as magnesium have been proven to assist in muscle tone and function enabling you to recover faster. Magnesium may decrease the likelihood of muscle cramp or spasm which can potentially lead to muscular strain.

What Do I Do If I Get Injured?

This will depend on the severity and location of the injury, however if suffer a muscle or ligament injury during training or match day conditions, the first steps you should take are the R.I.C.E (Rice, Ice, Compression, Elevation) principles. Seeking evaluation and treatment from your local Osteopath or medical professional as this can speed up recovery time.

What Will An Osteopath Do To Help?

Osteopaths can diagnosis and treat musculoskeletal injuries along with many others complaints using techniques such as:

Soft tissue massage
Gentle stretching
Taping/bracing
Joint mobilisation
Provide muscular strengthening/stretching exercises
Home-based or gym-based exercise programs to assist in your recovery.

If the severity of the injury is significant enough, your osteopath can refer for the necessary imaging. Or we may utilise our network of health care professionals to refer you to the appropriate specialist to get you back on the field sooner rather than later.

Want More Information?

For more information on Osteopathy and Pakenham Osteopathy follow the links provided or call our friendly reception staff to enquire about how Osteopathy can assist you in achieving your sporting potential today!

https://www.pakenhamosteopathy.com.au/
https://www.osteopathy.org.au/

Tennis Elbow

It is a really common condition that affects people from all walks of life whether you’re Roger Federer, the weekend warrior or even a desk worker. It affects… you guessed it, your elbow! Usually as a result of overuse from either sport, work or poor lifting technique.

What is Tennis Elbow?

Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis) is a condition that typically affects people aged 30-50 years of age. Occurring from the overuse and irritation of the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis (ECRB) tendon which is found in the forearm. The overuse then causes inflammation of the muscles and tendons on the outside of the elbow, and this results in pain.

How long does it take to heal?

As tendons have a poor blood supply, the healing time can be longer than your typical muscular strain. Typically you can expect to see significant improvement after 3-4 weeks of treatment. After 6-9 weeks of treatment most people are largely symptom-free.

However, depending on the presentation, management and adherence to the rehabilitation program some tendons can take longer to heal.

Chronic (Long Term) tennis elbow injuries can take 6-12 months to recover. It can be associated with degeneration of the tendons and an increase in chemicals associated with the pain response in that area.

What can your Osteopath do to help?

1. Firstly decrease muscular tension around the elbow and surrounding joints to assist in offloading the irritated tendons.

2. Improving upper limb joint mobility and range through articulation and mobilisation.

3. Potential use of Dry Needling which increases blood flow to the area to assist in healing whilst decreasing muscular tension.

4. Potential use of Radial Shockwave Therapy which enables the tendons to glide freely whilst also decreasing pain and increasing blood flow to the region.

5. Strengthening exercises to build up the muscles/tendons surrounding the joint to decrease pain and the likelihood of recurrence of injury.

6. Education and management to assist in decreasing the likelihood of recurrence or aggravation of the injury, this can be in the form of taping, bracing and education on which movements or activities to alter in the short term.

What can you do to help yourself?

1. Alter or avoid movements in the short term which cause pain or aggravation of your symptoms.

2. Applying Ice to the affected area can assist in decreasing pain.

3. Make an appointment with one of our Osteopaths.

Questions?

If any further questions or advice is required, feel free to phone our friendly reception staff or enter your question on our website via drift at www.pakenhamosteopathy.com.au, or you can email me directly jack@pakenhamosteopathy.com.au

Thanks for reading!

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How to Remain Injury Free this Season!

With another AFL football and netball season on the horizon, our local clubs in Pakenham, Berwick, Beaconsfield, Officer, Koo Wee Rup, Bunyip and surrounds start to gear up for their own pursuit for that September glory! But with an off season filled more by the “off” – enjoying the festive season rather than in the gym! – gearing up for another football season leaves many of our local players vulnerable to sports injuries, particularly soft tissue injuries.

How Can I Prevent Injury?

While there are no absolutes with injuries, we can decrease the likelihood of soft tissue injuries occurring by gradually increasing our training load. Many players go from the couch to then emulating their training from the latter part of the previous season! Crazy!

Other strategies to minimise the risk of injury include:

Adequate warm ups and cool downs,
Strength training whether that include gym work or body weight exercises
Cross training such as swimming or cycling which loads muscles differently. By strengthening the muscle it is better able to cope with the demand or load that is exerted on it during our chosen sport.
Compression shorts provide muscular stability reducing the force that is placed on muscles during strenuous exercise. This can potentially decrease the likelihood of muscular strain, and further is has also been shown to assist in muscle recovery post exercise.
Supplements such as Magnesium (the trusted magnesium brand we stock in the clinic is Ultramuscleze by Bioceuticals) have been proven to assist in muscle function meaning you to recovery faster. This decreases the likelihood of muscle cramp/spasm which can lead to muscle strains.

What Do I Do If I Get Injured?

This will depend on the severity and location of the injury, however if during training or match day play you occur a soft tissue injury the first steps you should take for a soft tissue injury are the R.I.C.E (Rice, Ice, Compression, Elevation) method and seek evaluation and treatment from your local Osteopath or medical professional.

What Will An Osteopath Do To Help?

Osteopath’s can diagnosis and treat musculoskeletal injuries along with many others complaints using techniques such as soft tissue massage, gentle stretching, taping/bracing, joint mobilisation whilst also providing muscular strengthening/stretching exercises and home based management advice to assist in your recovery.

If the severity of the injury is significant enough osteopaths can refer for the necessary imaging or utilise our network of health care professionals to refer you to the appropriate health professional to get you back on the field sooner rather than later.

In Summary

Gradually increase training load
Always warm up before a session and cool down afterwards
Integrate strength training into your program
Cross train to maintain fitness but decrease chance of injury
Try compression shorts or supplements such as Magnesium if possible
RICE immediately if you sustain a soft tissue injury
Seek professional advice from an osteopath to help speed up your recovery

More Information on Sports Injuries

For more information on Osteopathy and Pakenham Osteopathy follow the links provided or call our friendly reception staff to enquire about how Osteopathy can assist you in achieving your sporting potential today!

https://www.pakenhamosteopathy.com.au/
https://www.osteopathy.org.au/

Photo Credit: Brad Hill Go to “Albums” for all pics <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/65902072@N08/27909429675″>IMG_7907</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/”>(license)</a>

Ankle Sprains

What are they?

Ankle sprains are usually the result of trauma or an injury to the ankle joint. The most common ankle sprain is known as an ATFL (anterior tibiofibular ligament) sprain which commonly occurs when you roll the outside of the foot inwards, known as “inversion”. When this occurs, the ATFL ligament over-stretches causing pain, swelling and at times bruising.

Less commonly, the inside of the foot rolls outwards (known as “eversion”). This type of injury usually takes a lot of force (think someone falling on your ankle!) and this damages the deltoid ligament of the foot – one of the strongest ligaments in the body. This injury can take longer to recover from compared to an ATFL sprain due to the force required to injure this strong ligament.

How long do they take to heal?

The recovery for a sprain injury depends on the severity and location of the injury.

Mild sprains you can start to see improvement in your ankle within 1-2 weeks.

Moderate sprains can range from 3-6 weeks.

Severe sprains the recovery process can take up to 2-3 months.

What can your Osteopath do to help?

Firstly decrease pain by:

Increasing ankle joint motion along with the surrounding joints of the lower limb with the aim to decrease swelling and offload compensating areas.
Soft tissue work to reduce muscle tightness and increase blood flow to area.
Strengthening and stretching exercises to build up the muscles surrounding the ankle to decrease the likelihood of re-injuring the joint.
Education/management to assist in decreasing the likelihood of re-injury.

What can you do to help yourself?

Apply the R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) injury management method as soon as possible.
Gentle pain free movement of the ankle as early as possible.
Bexter Soda Crystals (Epsom salts) to assist in decreasing the swelling within the joint.
Make an appointment with your Osteopath.

Questions?

Hope you enjoyed reading this blog, if you have any further questions or you’d like some advice, feel free email me at jack@pakenhamosteopathy.com.au or enter your question on our website chatbox at www.pakenhamosteopathy.com.au

Reference

Please click here for the Ankle Injury fact sheet by Sports Medicine Australia.

Buttock Pain? or Pain on the Outside of Your Hip?

What is it?

Gluteal tendinopathy is a really common injury that can cause pain in the buttocks and the outside of the hip. This area is referred to as your “glute”, and pain can extend down the leg and even into the foot in severe cases. Tendinopathy refers to an irritated, inflamed “tendon”- the spot where the muscle attaches into the bone.

This injury occurs more commonly in women than men with research showing 1 in 4 women over the age of 50 are likely to present with the condition (1).

How long until it’s healed?

Tendons, unlike muscles, have a poor blood supply which can slow down the healing process. Nevertheless, tendons do recover and if managed properly, the individual will experience little to no discomfort long-term.

Long term resolution always involves re-strengthening the surrounding muscles, and this is not a quick fix. Having said that, most patients experience pain relief and improvement after 2-3 weeks of treatment.

How do we fix it?

Hands on treatment:

Soft tissue massage: to decrease muscle tightness and tension in the affected areas.
Exercises: specific tailored exercises to strengthen the muscles which helps stabilise the pelvis and offload the irritated tendon.
Dry Needling (if required): to decrease muscle tightness, increase blood flow to the area and decrease inflammation.
Shockwave therapy (if required): for more stubborn cases where other hands on therapies have not provided relief.

Some basic exercises to commence your recovery are:

Gluteal Clams: please click on the video below to see a demonstration

Gluteal Bridges: please see this short video below

Further progressive exercises can be prescribed to you by your Osteopath during a consultation.

What You can do to help yourself?

Foam rolling the gluteals and leg muscles (hamstrings and quadriceps) if no sharp pain is present.
Using an ice pack on the inflamed, irritated area.

More Questions?

If you have any further questions or if you’d like more tailored advice please feel free to email me jack@pakenhamosteopathy.com.au, or give the clinic a call on 5941-4157.

References

1 https://www.bmj.com/content/361/bmj.k1662

Runners Knee – a very common problem!

Patello femoral pain syndrome – also known as Runners knee/ or Jumpers knee – is a very common knee problem for active & inactive people alike contributing to 25-40% of all knee complaints seen in health clinics.

Patello-femoral pain is associated with pain at the front of the knee and is usually is felt when performing activities such as squatting, rising from a chair and walking up and down stairs. Sudden increase in activity such as a return to football/netball training can also aggravate this condition. Minor contributing factors may arise from changes in footwear, playing surfaces or incorrect training techniques.

The cause of this ubiquitous problem is often a muscle imbalance between the different sections of the quadriceps muscles which form the thigh. The thigh muscles usually responsible for this are vastus lateralis (VL), the muscle on the outside of the thigh, and vastus medialis oblique (VMO) on the inside of the thigh. The VL pulls your patella upwards and out and the VMO pulls your patella in and slightly upwards. If out of balance, the kneecap is dragged outwards generally as VMO is most commonly weaker and struggles to balance with the usually tight VL and iliotibial band (ITB). The kneecap then glides incorrectly and over time gives pain.

Your hip muscles can also contribute to this condition. Poor firing or weak hip muscles can cause altered biomechanics down at the knee further complicating the imbalance. This is why we as Osteopaths will address just not the knee but further up into the hip and also down at the foot and ankle as well.

Current research suggests that patello-femoral pain syndrome responds extremely well to treatment involving manual therapy, education and exercise rehabilitation which we as Osteopaths can provide. If left untreated however, symptoms can linger for many years resulting in decreased performance when participating in sport or hobbies.

Some simple at home tips you can do to assist your recovery is foam rolling your lower limb including the hamstrings,quadriceps and gluteals for 2-3 mins daily to release tension off the knee itself.

If you’re having trouble with your knees, please book in for a consultation so we can get you back moving better today and for the future! To book online click here or call the clinic for an appointment on 5941-4157.

Thanks for reading!

Jack Troake

References:

Crossley KM, van Middelkoop M, Callaghan MJ, et al

2016 Patellofemoral pain consensus statement from the 4th International Patellofemoral Pain Research Retreat, Manchester. Part 2: recommended physical interventions (exercise, taping, bracing, foot orthoses and combined interventions)

Br J Sports MedPublished Online First: 31 May 2016. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096268