????Want to update or establish your sports taping skills in 2024?????

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This year NUmoves Physio will be running 2 courses:
Rigid Taping Fundamentals: 12th & 14th March 2024 6pm- 9pm.
Advanced Sports Taping: 19th March 2024 6pm- 9pm.
 
About the courses:
Rigid Taping Fundamentals provides education and hands on experience covering all the common taping techniques by highly qualified and experienced physiotherapists at NUmoves physio. 
This course will focus on the rigid taping of the: 
*Ankle
*Knee
*Shoulder
*Wrist
*Thumb 
*Fingers
Book HERE for Rigid Taping Fundamentals Tuesday 12th March 2024.
Book HERE for Rigid Taping Fundamentals Thursday 14th March 2024.
 
Advanced Sports Taping is designed for those with a basic understanding of taping principles. We will take a further look into the application of both rigid and dynamic tape for common presentations in sport. This course provides education and hands on experience for those wishing to advance their skills using rigid and dynamic tape taught by highly qualified and experienced physiotherapists at NUmoves physio. 
This course covers taping for the following conditions; 
*Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) 
*Plantar fasciitis 
*Turf toe 
*Elbow instability 
*Muscle strains 
*Scapular dyskinesia 
Book HERE for Advanced Sports Taping Tuesday 19th March 2024.

Education booklets, tape & Nibbles will be provided.
Hope to see you there!

Get ahead of the game in 2024 with pre-season training!

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Ready to make a triumphant return to your favourite sport in 2024?
Let’s talk about the game-changing combo: Preseason training under the guidance of an experienced physiotherapist????️‍♂️????

1️⃣ Injury Prevention: Ignoring holiday niggles could lead to serious problems throughout your sporting season. Get any discomfort assessed, diagnosed and rectified early to avoid complications throughout the year.

2️⃣ Precision Preseason Training: Ensure your pre-season training is relevant, safe and optimal for you. We can work with you to tailor your training plan to your specific needs!

3️⃣Faster Recovery: If you saw a lot of the sideline in 2023, ensure you get on top of your injuries early. Old injuries have a funny way of coming back if they are not looked after properly!

4️⃣ Consistent Support: From preseason to game day, continuity of care can elevate your performance. Ongoing care ensures you’re on track, and any hurdles are addressed promptly, so you can focus on giving your best on the field.

5️⃣ Maximise Your Potential: Physiotherapy isn’t just for recovery; it’s for optimisation! Ensure you’re getting the best out of your body with the best in physiotherapy care!

Exercising in the heat this Summer?

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As Australians we are no strangers to extreme heat but what do we do about our exercise regimes? Heat acclimation is key to building and maintaining exercise regimes through the summer months!

1️⃣ Physiological Adaptations: ????

Understand the physiological changes that occur during heat acclimatisation. Your body adapts by increasing sweat rate, improving blood flow to the skin, and enhancing thermoregulation. This results in a more efficient cooling mechanism during exercise.

2️⃣ Structured Exposure Protocol: ????

Implement a systematic approach to heat exposure. Initiate training during cooler periods, progressively extending duration and intensity. This gradual process allows your body to adapt to higher temperatures without compromising performance or safety.

3️⃣ Hydration Strategies: ????

Consider your hydration plan as a cornerstone. Optimal fluid balance is crucial for maintaining performance and preventing dehydration. Tailor your fluid intake based on individual sweat rates and electrolyte needs. Precision matters.

4️⃣ Strategic Timing: ⏰

Time your workouts intelligently. Leverage cooler times of the day to optimize training conditions. This strategic scheduling minimises heat stress and enhances the efficiency of your acclimatisation process.

5️⃣ Tech for Performance Monitoring: ????

If you have made the investment, monitor key metrics like heart rate, core body temperature, and sweat rate during acclimatisation. Data-driven insights allow for personalised adjustments, ensuring a finely tuned adaptation process.

6️⃣ Nutritional Considerations: ????

Fuel your body strategically. Adequate nutrition and a balanced diet support the energy demands of heat acclimatisation.

Static vs dynamic stretching. What’s the difference and what should I be doing?

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When it comes to preparing your body for a workout, the notion of static stretching as a warm-up is facing a considerable challenge. Recent research is uncovering potential drawbacks, revealing that this traditional approach might not be the performance booster we once believed it to be. In fact, static stretching could have the counterintuitive effect of decreasing muscle power for hours post-stretch, potentially hindering your athletic performance.

The promise of injury prevention often associated with static stretching seems to fall short in the scientific realm. Studies are urging fitness enthusiasts to pivot toward dynamic exercises for a more effective warm-up routine. Dynamic exercises, such as proprioceptive training, strength workouts, and dynamic warm-ups, are emerging as champions in preserving performance levels and reducing the risk of injuries.

The shift from static to dynamic warm-ups has a growing evidence base. Dynamic exercises engage your muscles in a way that static stretching simply doesn’t. They prepare your body for the dynamic movements that lie ahead in your workout, enhancing flexibility, blood flow, and overall performance. As we bid adieu to the old-school static stretches, consider embracing a new era of warm-up routines that incorporate dynamic, agility, strength, and balance exercises for superior results.

So, before you settle into that long-held stretch pre-workout, take a moment to reassess. Your body might just thank you for the switch, unlocking a new realm of athletic potential and injury prevention. After all, in the dynamic world of fitness, adaptability is key. ????????

Lets talk Tendinopathy

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Lets talk Tendinopathy!

When you think physio, you think bones and muscles…. But what about our tendons? Tendinopathies are a super common injury and correct management is crucial to getting you back out there!

What is a tendinopathy?

Tendinopathy is a condition characterised by the deterioration, inflammation, or irritation of tendons which is the fibrous tissues connecting muscles to bones. It usually develops due to repetitive strain/ overload, stretching or trauma to the tendon. 

The do’s of tendinopathy management 

✅Do seek professional guidence from your physio if you suspect you are dealing with tendinopathy. We can provide personalised advice and treatment options tailored to your specific needs.
https://tinyurl.com/NUMoves

✅Do Manage Pain Levels: During and after exercise, aim to keep your pain levels at a manageable intensity, preferably below 4 out of 10.

✅Beware of Provocative Activities: Activities that involve faster movements, plyometrics (jumping exercises), or excessive stretching can be more provocative for tendinopathy.

The don’ts of tendinopathy management

❌Don’t Stretch a Painful Tendon: Stretching can aggravate the condition and potentially worsen the pain. Instead, focus on gentle movements that promote mobility in the surrounding muscles and joints.

❌Don’t Poke or Rub the Tendon: It’s crucial to avoid direct pressure or rubbing on the tendon as this can further irritate the condition.

❌ Don’t Completely Rest the Tendon: While it may be tempting to rest the affected tendon entirely, it’s important to note that complete rest won’t promote healing or recovery.

Let’s talk tendinopathy today!

Train smarter

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Train smart

Train Smarter Not Harder!

The gyms are open!

Whether you are starting exercise as part of a New Year’s resolution, looking to shed some COVID kilos or preparing for the sporting season ahead, there are a few things to think about before getting back into training.

Change in health status?

If you have developed pain or have had a change in your health status since you were last in the gym, then it’s important to be assessed by a physiotherapist before commencing training. Understanding the source of your pain or impact of a health condition is necessary to minimise risk of further injury or illness.

If you are feeling well and ready to return, then here are a few things you should keep in mind to keep you injury free and on track with your goals.

Do not resume training at your previous loads!

We can all be eager to get straight back into training at the same weight or intensity as before the break, however jumping back in where you left off can be risky and is a common cause of injury. A good rule of thumb is to reduce your weights by 50% on your return to the gym or begin with body weight exercise before slowly adding weight.

The slower the climb, the higher the peak!

Stay on track to achieve your long-term goal by avoiding injury. Too often do people go too heavy too quickly, resulting in time spent missing training. Try to keep weight increases to no more than 10% per week. These incremental increases give your body time to adapt to the changing load.

Rest is Important!

Our bodies need rest and recovery time in between training loads to get stronger and minimise injury. It is important to program rest or active recovery days where your heart rate does not exceed 140 bpm.

Consider training every second day or complete a gentle walk, swim, or bike session on the off days if you are looking to stay active. If you need some advice to assist with getting back into the gym or run into problems on your return, the team at NU Moves Physio would be happy to give you a hand.

Walking

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Stay active – live better

Simple things work! A systematic review and meta-analysis of walking groups looked at forty-two studies involving 1843 participants & showed significant benefits in blood pressure, resting heart rate, body fat, body mass, cholesterol and depression*.

Start a routine. We have lots of great walks locally.

  • Walk on-campus
  • Walk in blackbutt reserve
  • Anzac walk

*Hansen & Jones, 2015. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/11/710.short

Sports injury management

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Sports injury management

When it comes to sports injury management, most people are familiar with the old acronym RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) for soft tissue injury management, but what is the evidence for it, and can we do better?

Complete rest is rarely necessary following simple soft tissue injuries. For example, following a simple ankle sprain, a person who continues to move the ankle and weight bear as tolerated will have accelerated recovery compared to someone who avoids weight bearing and keeps the ankle still.

Ice is often used immediately following a soft tissue injury. Ice does not reduce swelling. If applied correctly, ice can reduce the temperature of surrounding tissues enough to reduce the nerve’s ability to carry information back to the brain, thereby reducing pain. Unfortunately, ice can interrupt the natural inflammatory response following an injury and possibly delay the healing response. The consensus is: only ice following an injury if the pain is intolerable – then ice it properly by making a bag of crushed ice and water.

The new recommended acronym for soft tissue injury management. PEACE (Protect, Elevate, Avoid anti-inflammatories, Compress and Educate) refers to the steps immediately following injury. In the next few days, the injury needs a bit of LOVE (Load, Optimism, Vascularisation and Exercise). For more information on how to best manage your injury, contact us on 49216879 or admin@numoves.com.au

For the full article visit the BJSM editorial: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/2/72

Thoracic pain

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thoracic pain

The thoracic spine is your mid back between lower back and neck. Each of the 12 vertebrae of your thoracic spine has a rib on each side. Acute thoracic spine pain can be very debilitating. When it hurts to breathe the joints between the ribs and the thoracic vertebral body and transverse process can be the source. Postural loading and stress are common causes of this type of pain. Another is trauma in sport, but you also need to make sure there are no rib or other fractures in these cases.

Simple analgesics are usually advised at first. Sometimes taping can limit the pain by restricting painful movement when pain is bad but shouldn’t be used for more than a few days. The next step is to get moving via walking in water or on land followed by stretches. At this stage massage and joint mobilisations can improve your overall movement and increase the speed of your recovery.

Get good advice early is the quickest way to get back to normal once you have acute thoracic pain. This also includes analysis of the causes and implementing movement-based prevention strategies. Read more here on how we can help or contact us on 4921 6879.

Running resolution

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Physio for runners newcastle

Do you have a 2020 running resolution?

Here at NUmoves we love to support people to get active, exercise and stay healthy. If your 2020 goal is to get started on a running routine, we have a few simple tips to make it easy to keep on track and injury free!

  1. Setup for success – If you have not run for a long time, you will need to use an interval training (run-walk-run-walk) program condition your leg muscles before you can do longer runs. It is better to run at your natural pace and then walk for a short rest than to try and run very slowly. Here is an example of an interval program that should be tailored to your previous running experience and amount of time off.
Interval Program – Novice Runners (not first timers) – For return to run after 3-12 month break.
Weeks Time Run Walk 1st Week 2nd Week
1-2 15 mins 60secs 60secs 2 runs 3 runs
2-3 20 mins 120secs 60secs 2 runs 3 runs
4-6 25mins 120secs 60secs 2 runs 3 runs
7-8 25 mins 5mins 60secs 2 runs 3 runs
  1. Cross train – you can improve your cardiovascular fitness with other forms of exercise, cycling, rowing, swimming and HIIT classes are all great options if the running legs are feeling a bit overdone. A running specific strengthening program can work wonders to improve your running performance and reduce the risk of injury, which leads to the next tip…
  1. Listen to your body – most people will know when they are doing too much too soon, muscles feeling fatigued, tight, sore etc. Ignore the signs at your peril.
  1. Remember your goals! – Rome wasn’t built in a day. For long term success, take your time to get there and you will be much more likely to smash your running goals.
  1. Make it fun – listen to music, run your local trails, run with friends, take the dog, every time you complete a run give yourself a pat on the back, you are one step closer to being your best self.