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Category: Blog

By Team @ Physio On Miller Blog, featured , , , , ,

Abdominal Separation After Pregnancy – How Physio Can Help

Abdominal separation after pregnancy is very common. It is also know as Diastasis of Rectus Abdominis Muscle and refers to the separation of the two sides of your rectus abdominis during pregnancy.
Abdominal Separation After Pregnancy
This can occur as your baby grows and the uterus expands it pushes the muscles apart which over time lengthens them. Most women would not notice any issues but you may notice a small bulge developing above and below your belly button.
Once you have given birth this separation generally returns to normal within a couple of months. If this is still present after this then it may increase your risk of back pain as you do not have the support from your abdominal muscles. Following giving birth you may have your separation checked in hospital otherwise one of the team at Physio on Miller will be happy to do this for you.
Generally, the separation is measured in fingers. A one-two finger separation is not too much of a
problem but if your separation is larger or has not reduced within two months speak to one of our
physiotherapists. It is important that you avoid exercises that over work the rectus abdominis (outer
abdominal layer) and that you build the strength of your deep abdominals and pelvic floor muscles.
One of our team of physios will be able to advise you as to exercises that are safe for you to complete.
Hip flexor stretch - Physio On Miller, Cammeray
By Team @ Physio On Miller Blog, featured

Hip flexor stretch – Exercise of the Month

With the months getting cooler and shorter it’s harder to stay active. With this sedentary shift we can find our hip flexors start to tighten, particularly with more time sitting such as the commute to work and watching tele or going for a drink at the pub.

The kneeling hip flexor stretch is a great way to open the hips and surrounding muscles which get tight with prolonged sitting.

To stretch:

  • Start in a kneeling position with one foot out in front. The back leg is the one you will be stretching.
  • Keep your body straight and squeeze your glutes (this will help to keep your pelvis tucked and avoid over extending your back and losing the stretch).
  • Maintaining this position lean slightly forwards without arching your back. Hold this for 20 seconds.
  • If you could like to feel more stretch you can lift the same arm to the stretched leg (ie kneeling leg) and reach for the ceiling

As always stretches should not cause any pain and if so please stop immediately. If even after this stretch you’re still experiencing tight hips please give us a call and we can add manual treatment to get them sorted.

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By Team @ Physio On Miller Blog, featured

How to start running

We have many clients wanting to improve their cardio and ask us how to start running. From a physio point of view it’s important to ensure good leg strength and core stability prior to starting out. Once you’ve established this good platform we often recommend the Couch to 5k program. I’ve used it many times when getting back into running following a hiatus.

Reasons we love and recommend the Couch to 5k program:

  1. It’s easy!
    • With only 60 seconds of running followed by 90 seconds of walking for a total workout of 20 minutes it doesn’t feel like hard work. Of course it gets harder throughout the program but by that stage you’ve started to build up your fitness.
  2. It’s great to focus on technique.
    • We often see clients who have just gone out for their first ever 5km run and within 1 km of the run are experiencing pain. This can be because they don’t have the endurance and fitness to focus on a great technique. By only starting with 60 seconds of running it allows you to run at a good pace (not a sluggish one which is usually the case by 3km in) and focus on foot placement, glut and core activation and posture.
  3. It helps prevent injury.
    • As clients who we recommend this program to are only beginners it is a gentle introduction to running without causing overuse injuries. With the 90 second walk following the 1 minute run it helps to allow the body (and lungs) recover before beginning the next cycle of running.
  4. It’s great for injury rehab
    • When coming back from injury it’s important not to overdo it and using the Couch to 5k helps to pace your running. It provides a good warm up, enough time to focus on running technique and recovery time following each run cycle.
  5. It’s achievable and successful
    • We’ve had many clients try this program and have had great successes. Clients who never thought they would be able to run 5k or clients who after injury were nervous about running again. Given the slow, paced style of the program (and only 3x per week) it’s a great running program to commit to.

So good luck if you’re going to try this, you’ll be proud of your achievement.

By Team @ Physio On Miller Blog, featured , , ,

Preventing Recurrent Hamstring Injuries

It’s the start of touch football season and with this we commonly see recurrent hamstring injuries flare up. There are proven risk factors to a hamstring injury including previous hamstring injury, increased age of player and sudden change in direction. To make sure you start your football season right we’ve put together some tips on preventing a hamstring injury:

  • Warm-up – don’t just sprint onto the field, make sure you’ve done a jog, stretched your muscles and joints
  • Maintain an adequate level of aerobic fitness in the off and pre-season
  • Begin a pre-season training program including football specific drills
  • Include stretches, strengthening regime and speed work in your weekly training program
  • Gradually increase the intensity and duration of training
  • Allow recovery day between training sessions
  • Drink plenty of water before, during and after the game
  • Stretch and cool down after every training session and game
By Team @ Physio On Miller Blog, featured

World Osteoporosis Day

Today is World Osteoporosis Day and it’s important we (as health professionals) spread the word about good bone health. Some interesting facts about osteoporosis in Australia:

  • 4.74 million Australians over 50 have osteoporosis or poor bone health.
  • There is 1 fracture every 3.6 minutes in Australia (2013). By 2022 there will be 1 fracture every 2.9 minutes.
  • 144,000 fractures occurred due to osteoporosis or osteopenia in 2013.
  • Over the next 10 years, the total cost of osteoporosis and associated fractures is estimated to be $33.6 billion.

These facts are astounding but the good news is there is something you can do to prevent poor bone health right now. As physios we are all about prevention and good health so it comes as no surprise that exercise is key to good bone density.

Types of exercises

The main types of exercise recommended for bone health include:

  • Weight-bearing aerobic exercise (lower limbs bear weight which places stress on bones).
  • Progressive resistance training (lifting weights that become more challenging over time).
  • High velocity resistance training (lifting weights quickly and then lowering slowly).
  • Moderate to high impact exercise (eg: jumping, skipping, dancing,
  • basketball, tennis).
  • Balance and mobility exercise (eg: standing on one leg with the eyes closed, heel-to-toe walking).

Along with exercise a healthy diet rich in Calcium and a good does of sunshine will have your bones smiling.