Welcome to the Summer edition of Infocus, the Backfocus Physiotherapy newsletter. At this time of year, we would like to take the time to say a special thank you to all our valued clients for their custom over the past year. We hope that you will all have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year Holiday period.

However, Summer is also a time to get out and enjoy the warm weather and long lazy days – and what better way to do that than keep in shape! As part of our ever expanding services, Exercise Physiology has become one of the new options available to our clients. In this issue, we will explain what exactly Exercise Physiology can do for you, and how it can increase the effectiveness of the exercise you are currently performing.

We will also look at getting into shape for those runners out there. Our Clinician Profiles this edition focus on our Exercise Physiologist, Gemma Houston and one of our new Physiotherapists, Rebecca Davies.

In the meantime have a great holiday period, and we will see you in the new year!

RUNNING INTO SHAPE!

With the weather getting warmer, and the days longer, its so much easier to fit a run into your daily or weekly routine. Sometimes there’s nothing better on a warm summer’s evening than hitting the track by the beach for a half an hour or so!

To make sure the your body is in shape, and less prone to injury, there are a few things that people can do to make their running more enjoyable, but most importantly, reduce the chance of injury. Correct biomechanics – i.e. correct muscle and joint alignment – is probably the most significant factor in reducing the incidence of injury. There are many areas to focus on, but in this article we will focus on two – the calf and the gluteals (or bottom).

The calf plays a very important role as a shock absorber when running. This means that if the calf is too tight or not strong enough, this shock absorption role is reduced. If too tight, the motion of the foot is restricted when on the ground, resulting in detrimental forces through the knee and ankle, and abnormal compensatory adaptions in the lower limb. If too weak, then the calf is unable to absorb as much force from the impact on the ground as it should, increasing the forces felt through the knee. Hence strong calf muscles are important to maintain a healthy running action.

The gluteal muscles (bottom), are very important in controlling rotation of the leg when running. If the gluteals are not strong enough, especially the gluteus medius muscle, then the thigh suffers from decreased rotational control. This can lead to knee, hip and ankle problems if left to progress too far. Further, if the muscle is too weak it can lead to back pain, so therefore it is important to ensure that this muscle remains strong. However, to strengthen Gluteus Medius is quite a lot more complicated than you would think. Normal gluteal exercises such as lunges or squats are not necessarily that effective for gluteus medius - hence to strengthen this muscle, it is important to consult with a Physiotherapist.

If you feel that these areas are problems, or you are noticing other aches and pains when you run, our Backfocus Physiotherapists will design a remedial exercise programme (or preventative if required) to improve your condition and reduce the risk of injury.

WHAT IS EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY?

Exercise Physiologists (also know as EPs or Ex Phys) are the ‘new kids on the block’ in primary healthcare. Exercise Physiologists are trained to assess a wide variety of health conditions such as musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and neurological conditions, and then prescribe exercise, lifestyle change and behaviour modification as forms of therapy to help manage and improve that condition.

Research shows that exercise is just as beneficial, if not even more so, than many medication regimes prescribed for conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood glucose management (Diabetes). It is also highly beneficial for a wide variety of other conditions such as weight management, injury rehabilitation, falls prevention in the elderly, balance and mobility retraining. EPs are trained across many areas so it’s likely they’ll be able to help you with virtually any condition - you just have to ask!

Given the huge long-term benefits of exercise, EPs are trained to provide the initial education to clients to ensure an exercise program is safely undertaken. They are also trained to provide ongoing support, which means clients are given the best opportunity to develop their program and then continue with it in the long term so as to achieve the best health benefits possible.

As a patient, you are able to book an appointment with them in exactly the same way as you would for a physiotherapist, myotherapist or other clinician. You can also be referred to an EP’s services by your doctor for management of chronic conditions ( conditions lasting or expected to last longer than 6 months ), however this is at your GP’s discretion.

If you wish to make an appointment with a Backfocus Exercise Physiologist, please contact our Epping or Sunbury clinics, on 9401 1999 or 9740 4429 respectively.

A Christmas Gift Idea...

We have the ideal Christmas gift solution this year –

Backfocus Myotherapy Gift Vouchers

You can purchase these for use at any of our Backfocus Myotherapy clinics.

Speak to your local Backfocus Clinician for further details.

Staff Profiles

To further introduce our Backfocus Physiotherapy staff, we have included two more profiles for you to get to know our Physio’s better.

Gemma Houston

Gemma is our new Exercise Physiologist, having started with Backfocus in August. She grew up in Sydney, and as such has been a passionate Sydney Swans fan since she was 10 years old. That passion inspired her career path, prompting her to complete an undergraduate degree in Health and Sports Science at the Univeristy of New South Wales (UNSW)

Upon finishing her degree she worked as Medical and Rehabilitation Officer with the NSW AFL Talent Program and also as a Research Assistant with UNSW. She then decided to undertake her Masters in Exercise Rehabilitation at Victoria University (VU), which she has now almost completed. Having completed the classwork for her Masters she is now building up her time with Backfocus, as well as fitting in a role as the Rehabilitation Co-Ordinator with the Sandringham Football Club in the VFL.

To make an appointment with Gemma, please contact our Epping or Sunbury Clinics, on on 9401 1999 or 9740 4429 respectively.

Rebecca Davies

Bec is a recent edition to the Backfocus Physiotherapy team, having joined in September of this year, after moving to Melbourne from Perth. Bec graduated from Curtin University in 2005 and has spent the last three years working in a large private practice, where she dealt with a broad scope of practice. As a result she has a thorough understanding of orthopaedic rehabilitation and experience in musculoskeletal, sporting and women’s health issues.

Over the last year, Bec has had a large focus in Clinical Pilates working with a range of patients from antenatal, postnatal to spinal rehabilitation. Bec thoroughly enjoys working within a multidisciplinary team environment and is enthusiastic about achieving the best possible outcome for her patients. Other areas of expertise include dry needling and shoulder rehabilitation.

Bec can be found working out of the Collins St Clinic as well as Brooke St Medical Centre in Woodend. Outside of work Bec enjoys outdoor sporting activities and the brilliant food and festival scene that Melbourne has to offer!

To make an appointment with Bec, please contact our City or Woodend clinics, on 9614 0804 or 5427 1002 respectively.

Thank you for your continued support of Backfocus Physiotherapy, where we continue to strive to provide excellence in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. We look forward to seeing you in our Autumn edition of Infocus.