Blog
Research and Evidence Based
Resources for your Physical Health
Research and Evidence Based
Resources for your Physical Health
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) or anterior knee pain is a common complaint seen here in the BeFit clinic. It usually presents as a sharp pain felt under the knee cap and is aggravated by movements or positions that stress or compress the joint between the femur...
When Should You Visit Your Physiotherapist?
You’ve only got one body, so why don’t you start taking care and listening to it the way you should be. A physiotherapist is a bodies best friend, they have the ability to help us reach our personal optimal level of functioning – no matter age or previous issues....
Neck pain
Winter is upon us and with the cold we often see an influx of neck pain. But what causes neck pain? Neck pain or stiff necks are very common among the population and often can feel incredibly debilitating as you try to get through your day to day living. Neck pain can...
Benefits of Sports Massage
Whether you are a professional sportsperson or not, whether you are injured or not, massage has numerous benefits to help maintain the body in top condition, prevent injuries, boost performance and extend your sporting career. BENEFITS Increased tissue permeability –...
ACL – Return to running
So my 6 month ACL check-up was a success! The graft is strong and intact, hooray! There is still some swelling inside the knee but very minor. That lump in the back of my hamstring I spoke about last time was a Bakers cyst. Very common post surgery and more often than...
Strength training for endurance athletes
Strength training remains an under-utilised tool to improve performance in endurance sports despite recent evidence showing beneficial outcomes (Blagrove, Howatson, & Hayes, 2018). Concerns about slowing down, gaining muscle mass and the perceived opportunity cost...
Plantar Fasciopathy
Background Plantar fasciopathy (previously known as plantar fasciitis) is the most common cause of heel pain in adults and effects up to 8% of running based athletes. (Taunton et al., 2002) Symptoms of plantar fasciopathy include pain at the base of the heel that is...
ACL Rehab Part 5: Time To Strengthen
Welcome back! If you missed Part 1 and Part 2 or Part 3 or Part 4 of this blog go back and read them so you have some context before diving into today’s blog, which is all about post-op rehab 3 - 5 months post-surgery. Time To Strengthen It was time to get my rehab on...
ACL Rehab Part 4: Healing Takes Time
If you missed Part 1 and Part 2 or Part 3 click the links to catch up. Where were we? Oh yes, that’s right! Like I mentioned in Part 3, I thought I had re-torn my ACL 2 weeks after the surgery. Luckily that wasn’t the case. I had to keep reminding myself that I just...
ACL REHAB PART 3: REDUCING SWELL AND IMPROVING RANGE OF MOTION
If you missed Part 1 and Part 2, click the links to catch up. With my first week was behind me, I was up and moving about. Remember when I said the first key goals are to: 1. Reduce swelling and 2. Improve knee range of motion (ROM)? Welcome to my first major...
Calf Muscle Series Part 2: Helpful Stretches & Strength Exercises
Calf Muscle Series Part 2: Helpful Stretches & Strength Exercises In Part 1 of our Calf Muscle Series, we looked at the different calf muscles, what they do and some common injuries. Today we’re expanding on the topic even further with some useful stretches and...
Calf muscle Series Part 1: What They Do Plus Common Injuries
WHAT ARE THE CALF MUSCLES? The calf muscles, as they are typically referred to, make up the back part of our lower leg. They begin at the rear of our knee and insert into the back of our heels. The calf muscles AKA Triceps Surae (yeah bro you have a triceps in your...
The Best Tip I Ever Learnt
A few years ago, an old boxing trainer told me that lying on your back, with your legs up a wall, helps recovery. I never understood why, but I did it. It actually turned out to be the best thing I ever incorporated into my training. Now my training sessions are...
What to expect from your physiotherapist?
I felt compelled to write a blog about what to expect from your physiotherapist, because I feel it’s a topic not often touched on, yet so important for soon-to-be physios as well as prospective clients. Over the last 5 weeks I’ve been mentoring a Masters of...
Everything You Need To Know About Shin Splints
Shin Splints: What Causes Them, How To Treat Them And The Best Ways To Prevent ThemShin pain can be relentless. Ongoing pain that stops you doing the exercise you love. You’ve probably tried to ‘rest up and hope for the best’, which makes the pain go away, but as...
ACL Injury Part 2: Surgery & Post-Op Rehabilitation
If you missed part one, click here to read about Joel’s ACL injury, confirming the ACL tear, and early prehab before surgery. In Part 2 of our Knee ACL Injury and Rehab series, we follow Joel through surgery and his first week of rehabilitation post-op. Take it away...
Gut Troubles?
Gut Troubles? Here’s How To Manage Your Symptoms WITHOUT eliminating the Foods You Love Abdomen extended like a balloon, wind as you walk or frequent trips to the bathroom? If you answered yes to any of these symptoms, you’re not alone. Research shows that 10-25% of...
Strength Training for Women
Once upon a time the gym was segregated into two main areas - the male/weights area and the female/cardio area. Nowadays it's great to see more ladies lifting weights and building a fit body rather than pounding the treadmill relentlessly trying to "get skinny". In...
Why you need a rest day
There’s always a vibrant hum in the gym in January. Everyone has set goals and resolutions to get fitter, faster and stronger. It’s usually a case of more training, or an increase in intensity in the hope of quicker results. However, there’s one important factor that...
Stories of Recovery: Andrew Cloake’s Fracture & Journey To Walk Again
Andrew Cloake wasn’t expecting this outcome the day he decided to climb into his locked apartment from the roof: a shattered tibia and fibula and a potential amputation prognosis. Yet that is exactly what happened. Luckily his leg was saved, but the road to recovery...
NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES TO REDUCE MUSCLE CRAMPING
Muscles Cramping Your Performance? Here’s What Foods and Supplements Can Help Defined as ‘painful involuntary skeletal muscle contractions’, muscle cramping is a common and unwelcomed complaint among many athletes. Exercise related muscle cramps (ERMC) typically occur...
Knee injury ACL tear
A Pain In the Knee: Joel Adelman’s ACL Injury and Rehab THE INJURY Let me set the scene. It’s Monday night at my mixed social netball competition. We are currently up by 11 goals in the final stages of the fourth quarter. This game is in the bag. The ball gets thrown...
Shoulder Impingement Part 3: Treatment
The other week when I was lecturing fourth year physio students at UTS, a debate started about strengthening versus stretching in treatment, which is of particular relevance for shoulder impingement. A mistake I commonly see with clients that have coracoacromial...
Shoulder Impingement Part 2: Primary vs Secondary Impingement and why it matters
Look at any anatomical photo of the shoulder and you’ll notice there’s a small space between the acromion and the humerus. However, this tiny hole, known as the subacromial arch, isn’t a void space like photos make it out to be. In fact, in real life there are...
Shoulder Impingement Part 1: Where is my pain coming from?
The moment clients experience shoulder pain they tend to head to Dr. Google, type in their symptoms and BOOM, shoulder impingement pops up (or if you’re a hypochondriac like me, you’re convinced it’s cancer). Impingement is like the physiotherapy equivalent of...
Nutrition for Injury
Nutrition Strategies To Stay LEAN And MAXIMISE Recovery From An Injury Whether you’re an athlete or gym junkie, an injury will knock you back physiologically and psychologically. I’ve lost count of the number of times people fall into the ‘all or nothing approach’ and...
What you need to know about lower back pain? Part 4
What exercises are best for lower back pain? Now that you have self assessed your lower back (see Part 3 if you missed it) its time to start the long road to improving your overall back health. One common question I get asked is “what is the best exercise to do for my...
What you need to know about lower back pain? Part 3
If you’re just tuning in to our lower back pain series, make sure you check out Part 1 (common myths about lower back pain) and Part 2 (where your back pain is coming from). In Part 3 of this series, we’ll be looking at a simple self-assessment you can do for your...
What you need to know about lower back pain? Part 2
Where is my lower back pain coming from? Now we have answered some common myths, lets look at the structure of the spine and where your lower back pain might be coming from. Bones and Joints The spinal column is made up of bones, called vertebrae, which are stacked on...
Cooper and that scapula fracture
That fractured scapula! The scapula is the shoulder blade, it is a triangular shaped bone located in the upper back that is protected by a complex system of muscles. The scapula provides the primary connection between the chest and the arm. Research indicates...
What you need to know about lower back pain? Part 1
Lower back pain affects 80% of Australians during their lifetime, with many of us suffering from issues that affect our daily lives. Over the next few weeks I’m going to deliver my thoughts on back issues. First, let’s start with a few myths: Back pain is hereditary –...
How to use a break to boost performance
Let’s start by saying its ok to have time off from exercise, you won’t lose fitness, you won’t gain weight and it won’t affect your performance. Breaks in a few forms: Unplanned – i.e. injuries, illness. Planned – i.e. natural breaks, like the end of competition...
Let’s talk running with AFL legend Josh Gibson
Let’s talk mindset with AFL premiership player Josh Gibson
Let’s talk recovery with AFL premiership winner Josh Gibson
Why you should warm up?
Why warm up? Above all else, the most important thing you can do is warm up properly. The first reply I get is “Come on. It cant be the most important thing” If you don’t have time to warm up, you don’t have time to work out. Why? Warm up – a Norwegian study in 2012...
Avoid lower back pain – Learn how to squat with proper technique
Overtraining and Adaption
How to approach training Adaptation This is when we develop our capacities to training – the physical ability to perform the task e.g. performing on the track. This is the role a strength an d conditioning coach might play in this area of training Every training...
Headaches and neck pain
Headaches can affect up to 60% of Australians; they can be debilitating and affect productivity. What causes them and how can we treat them? I’m going to classify headaches into 8 main categories Headaches associated with illness (respiratory infections,...
Tendinopathy
A question that I am frequently asked is do I have tendinitis or a tendinopathy, sometimes just to confuse you I will call it a tendinosis. So all these conditions with tendons, what’s the difference? Firstly, tendon – itis/ opathy/ osis are often used...
How to use a massage ball
Sitting at Work
You’ve probably seen all the news reports and read the paper about how bad sitting all day at work is for you? But is it really that bad? Short answer YES! Let’s break it down, you wake up, sit down to have breakfast, make your way to work probably sitting in a car/...
Stretching
There are several misconceptions regarding stretching so let’s get things straight: Stretching is most effective when the body is warm; otherwise it may have a negative effect and can in fact cause a weakening of the muscles by between 8-10% . So stretching is ok...
Does Cold Weather Affect Your Neck?
Sydney Winters… they can be unpredictable! One day its 18degs and we are all standing in the Winter sun saying what a beautiful day it is; and the next it’s raining, windy and there’s that cold snap coming off the ocean that seems to make 13degs feel like 5. During...
Recovery
Things you should do? Warm up – a Norwegian study in 2012 found a 20 minute warm up was more effective than a cool down for reducing delayed onset muscle soreness. Ice baths – the research is still not out as every few months, an article claims they are effective,...
Weight training and low back pain
Thoughts on weight training or bending with a Hx of lower back pain? For me weight training is essential for anyone with a history of lower back pain, but you have to earn the right to commence weights training. Following an injury its important to put the ego aside....
Running Shoes
With the City To Surf coming up fast and many of you have started preparation and running program but have you had a look at your footwear. Here are some simple tips to pick the right shoe for you! What’s the best shoe for you? Well, that depends on a rand of...
Dermatomes, myotomes and reflexes! What’s it all about?
What are dermatomes? A dermatome is an area of skin that is supplied by a single spinal nerve. Maps like the image above do vary from text to text, but familiarity with dermatomes can be useful in localising lesions to a nerve root or spinal cord. If you...
Dry Needling
What is dry needling? ‘Clinical or Western acupuncture’, where sterilised acupuncture needles are inserted into the skin. It differs from an injection which is “wet needling”. It is used to target and restore muscle function, in conjunction with physiotherapy,...
How to train like a professional athlete
So you’ve been watching the commonwealth games, you’ve seen the bodies, the records tumble and all the magic moments have inspired you to start training. So how do you train like a pro? Now most busy 9-5ers don’t have time to spend all training, eating and recovering...
How to train the Core
I often get asked when should I do core training and what is the best exercise for my core? Well luckily Dr Stuart McGill (@backfitpro) has done all the research for us! McGill found that an isometric program was superior to a dynamic program. It effectively increased...
What is what?
I often get asked questions like what are tendons, what are ligaments, what do they do? So lets get back to basics. Part 1: Bone Bone is the most rigid form of connective tissue, despite this rigidity one undergoes constant metabolism and remodelling . Bone is...