The Philosophy of Total Physiotherapy

It's been a big week for Total Physiotherapy - officially opened on Monday, finally had the phone connected after a 6 week wait (don't ask!) and yesterday we received our final and most important delivery of equipment. It wasn't the treatment beds, the array of braces and supports we stock for each body part and it wasn't the HICAPS terminal so we can receive payments. I admit all of these are important and you wouldn't be able to run much of a Physio practice without these things. The most important equipment was the strengthening and exercise equipment - the bulk of which was delivered and set-up by Life Fitness yesterday. So what is this equipment and why is it so important, surely you can still provide quality Physiotherapy without it, after all we are not a gym. 

Firstly the equipment - Total Physiotherapy has a leg press machine, functional cable trainer, stationary bike, a range of free weights, multiple resistance bands and equipment to improve and re-train balance. Yes it is possible to provide a quality Physio service without this equipment but it is not possible to achieve the results Total Physiotherapy strives for without it. Physiotherapy is a profession where you should expect your therapist to provide Evidence-Based Practice in your management. This means that the treatments your Physio use should be supported by research, clinical studies, literature reviews and their own clinical experiences. Ultrasound, interferential and electrical stimulation are examples of treatments being used less in Physiotherapy as there is no quality evidence to support their effect on recovery from injury. There is growing and very strong evidence for the role of exercise in not only the management of a presenting injury but also improved performance following injury and prevention of further episodes. This includes strength and conditioning, technique correction, load management and improving motor control or the way different parts of the body work together to perform an activity.

Total Physiotherapy is designed to enable you to make the most successful recovery possible from your injury. The combination of a well equipped practice, Stuart's Exercise Physiology background and experience as a Physio mean you not only get the treatment and advice required to make a recovery from your injury but a supportive and comfortable setting to perform your rehab program. All of this with a Physio present rather than hoping you are doing the right thing on your own at home or in the gym. At Total Physiotherapy you will not only recover from your injury, you will make the best recovery possible.

If you would like to see what the practice looks like now it is fully equipped then check out the Gallery.

5 Tips for Resuming Training

It's that time of year where a lot of us decide we are going to ramp up our exercise. We've enjoyed Christmas and New Year, some of us have returned to work and those lucky enough still to be off are probably starting to think about getting back in to some form of routine. Getting back in to training is a great way to do this. After a few weeks you will be looking forward to your training sessions, feeling great about yourself and starting to reap the many rewards for your efforts. The last thing you want at this point is to be struck down by injury. I have been considering this quite a bit myself lately – a few mates and I have decided to pick up the running this year and work towards our first Marathon next January. While it's impossible to completely eliminate the risk of injury it is possible to minimise it - so I'd like to share some of the things we are going to keep in mind as our training picks up. 

1. Plan your training and what you want to achieve from it. This will keep you on track and help you stay motivated. If you have a good plan in place you are less likely to get injured.  

2. Rest is just as important as training. Following a cardio or strength session it takes 24-48 hours for your body to recover and adapt. If you push yourself too hard again before you have adequately recovered you overload your body, increasing the risk of injury and you won't get the improvements you expect. This is particularly important if you are resuming or significantly increasing your exercise. 

3. Lay some foundations. If your goal is to lift a 120kg bench press, jumping straight in and doing lots of heavy bench press isn't the best approach. Same goes for running a marathon, not having the strength to get you through the amount of running you will need to do is a recipe for disaster. It's much easier to spend some time getting this right now rather than trying to overcome an injury 4 weeks out from the Marathon! In our training we've given ourselves a six week period where we are working on core, gluteal and lower body strength and improving our flexibility. We will start with one run a week and add an extra run every two weeks as our strength improves.  

4. Identify and address weaknesses. If you have had a previous injury that you still feel is a weakness, or one side of your body doesn't feel quite right then it is best to try and sort it out early in your training program rather than it becoming a problem later on. It might be that you need to perform additional strengthening for that area or have a management plan in place to stop it coming back to bite you later on.  

5. Variety to combat boredom. Doing the same routine over and over quickly becomes repetitive and we lose interest. It also puts the body under repetitive stresses and this can contribute to injuries. Incorporate strength, cardio and flexibility training in to your routine to make sure your training program is balanced and interesting while keeping your body in peak condition. 

This is just a selection of steps you can take to help prevent injury. Diet, correct equipment and good technique are other things to consider and may be worth discussing at another time. The above 5 tips will be helpful to anyone re-commencing or starting up an exercise routine and help you structure your training program.