Blog
Practical physiotherapy tips, wellbeing insights and news to help you build resilience, prevent setbacks and stay active.
Is Your Brain Fog A Jaw Issue?
by Alvin Ho, myofunctional therapist, Leeming clinic “Brain fog” is one common complaint I hear when managing patients with jaw pain (also known as temporomandibular joint dysfunction, TMJ dysfunction or TMD). “Brain fog” is also something which often bothers patients with a history of anxiety, panic attacks, and symptoms of extreme or chronic fatigue. Some common symptoms associated with “brain fog” include: Here I want to discuss some key mechanisms which could link “brain fog” with TMD, and what you should do if you are experiencing “brain fog”. Why jaw pain (TMD or TMJ) can feel like brain fog Jaw pain especially when persistent can keep activating the body’s sympathetic nervous system (also commonly known as the fight-or-flight response). This then inhibits the parasympathetic nervous system which is associated with the rest-and-digest functions. When the body keeps on getting signals of pain incessantly, especially in the face and neck regions, anxiety and depression pathways in the brain are more readily accessed. This can worsen cognitive ability as well as negatively affect sleep function. With this combination, people often feel as if they were drunk or having a hangover and everyday simple tasks can feel completely overwhelming. This manifests in research
ITB Syndrome In Runners: How I Managed My Own Knee Pain
by Kaitlyn Marshall, Physiotherapist – Leeming (Tue-Thu), Palmyra (Mon-Wed-Fri) My first run didn’t go to plan. Here’s how I managed my knee pain. Knee pain is one of the most common issues we treat in the clinic. Recently, my own knee decided to join the party. I had decided it was time to get into running for fitness. I’m normally a pretty active person – I play netball, go to the gym, walk and squeeze in a few Pilates sessions, too. But running? That’s never really been my thing. So when I headed out for my first run and couldn’t even make it through 2km without significant knee pain, you bet I was disappointed. So, what did I do? 1. Confirm an ITB Syndrome diagnosis Being a physio, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on – iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome – and a proper assessment by one of my colleagues confirmed it. The ITB is a band of connective tissue that runs from the outside of your hip down the outside of your thigh, attaching just below the outside of your knee. ITB syndrome is an overuse injury commonly seen in runners. It involves compression of
Beyond Hot Flushes: Genito-Urinary Symptoms of Menopause
by Rebekah Taylor, Senior Physiotherapist – Womens & Men’s Health (Palmyra, Mon-Tues) Originally published on the ILO Wellness blog. There are many symptoms we, as women, are likely to experience during perimenopause and menopause, but that no one wants to talk about. In honour of World Menopause Day on 18 October, I thought we could, well, talk about them. There are a number of common genito-urinary symptoms that can become particularly bothersome during this stage of our lives, including:– Urinary incontinence– Vaginal dryness– Vaginal atrophy– Vaginal shortening and narrowing– Loss of vaginal sensation– Urgency and frequency of urination– Pain and discomfort vaginally and around the vulva– Difficulty/pain with sexual activity Why do these things happen? Typically, these symptoms are because of declining oestrogen particularly in and around the vulva and vagina. There are a high number of oestrogen receptors in the vagina, and when that declines there is a subsequent decline in the quality of tissue and muscle. Reduced oestrogen production results in a drying of the tissues which can cause itching, discomfort, even bleeding if the tissues become cracked. As oestrogen declines, there can also be atrophy of the pelvic floor muscles, which gives rise to an increase in
Don’t Ignore the Ache: Understanding Stress Injuries in Runners
Feisal Zaw, Physiotherapist (Leeming clinic) Running has become extremely popular again and this season is well and truly off and… well… running. Running is an excellent form of cardio. It’s easily accessible and can provide mental and emotional benefits as well. Whether you’re training for your next marathon or have just started your running journey, it’s important to stay on your feet. Running puts repeated load through your bones. We often focus on muscles, tendons and ligaments but bone is a living tissue that also needs time to adapt. A stress reaction is the bone telling you that it’s struggling with the demands placed upon it. If we can identify this early, most stress reactions are easily managed. Conversely if they go untreated, they can progress into fractures which can range from weeks to months to resolve What Causes Stress Injuries in Runner? When running, there is a repetitive impact force that comes through the ground known as your ground reaction force. When running at a manageable and healthy load, there is microtrauma that happens in the bone. With adequate recovery, the bone adapts by replacing the area with stronger bone. This is so the next time you run, your
Lumbar Stress Fractures in Junior Fast Bowlers
What to Watch For This Cricket Season Izzi Ord-Kinnear, Physiotherapist (Palmyra clinic) Footy season wraps up and cricket nets start filling back up, and every year around this time I see the same pattern: young fast bowlers coming back from a break, building up overs quickly, and a few weeks later coming in with a one-sided lower back ache that just doesn’t settle with rest. This is often the result of a lumbar bone stress injury, one of the most common injuries in junior pace bowling, and one that’s very manageable when it’s picked up early. Why Fast Bowlers Are at Risk of Injury Every ball a fast bowler sends will load the lower back through extension, rotation, and side bend all at once, repeated hundreds of times a week. The lower lumbar vertebrae takes most of that load. In junior bowlers, this adds up: one study of teenage fast bowlers (aged 14 to 17) found about 1 in 5 already had signs of a bone stress injury when first assessed, with new injuries continuing to appear at a rate of roughly 27 per 100 players every year after that. The lumbar spine also doesn’t fully mature until the mid-20s,
Finals Are Here: How to Keep Your Body in the Game
by Angus Lally, Physiotherapist (Leeming & Palmyra) It’s that time of year. The weather is slowly getting warmer, finals pressure is hotting up, and suddenly everyone who has been managing an injury for the past few months is praying that it will somehow hold together. “I’ll just get through finals.” We’ve all heard it and, let’s be honest, many of us have said it. But rather than trying to push through on determination alone, now is the time to act. The Problem With Pushing Through A niggling hamstring, sore knee, stiff ankle or troublesome shoulder might have been manageable during the regular season. But when training intensity increases, recovery time decreases and games become more physically demanding, these small issues can quickly become bigger ones. And the last thing you want is to spend grand final week on the sidelines. How to Manage An Injury During Finals 1. Don’t ignore the warning signs Pain that is getting progressively worse, slowing you down, stopping you from training or lingering longer after games shouldn’t simply be written off. You may not necessarily need to stop playing, but you may need to change how you’re training and recovering, or seek treatment. 2. Manage
Shoulder Injuries in Contact Sport: A Physio’s Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment and Return to Play
Izzi Ord-Kinnear, Physiotherapist (Palmyra clinic) Footy, rugby, and every other collision sport out there all have one thing in common: shoulders cop an absolute beating. Between tackling technique, falls on outstretched arms, and the occasional shoulder charge nobody meant to throw, it’s one of the most common areas I end up working with in the clinic and on the field. Common Shoulder Injuries in Contact Sport A few injuries turn up again and again in contact sport shoulders: Scans: When They Help and When They Don’t The honest answer: usually, not straight away. A good history and a hands-on exam get us most of the way to a diagnosis, and imaging is best saved for when it’ll actually change what we do, when the diagnosis genuinely isn’t clear, when things aren’t improving as expected, when there’s significant weakness, or when a scan is needed for surgical planning. After an acute dislocation, an X-ray is standard to confirm the joint’s back in place and rule out a fracture. Beyond that, more detailed imaging is used selectively rather than as a routine box-tick. Plenty of pain-free shoulders show “abnormal” findings on a scan, rotator cuff changes especially, and more so as we
Physio POV: What Marathon Training Has Reinforced About Running Injuries
Riley Spring, Physiotherapist (Leeming clinic) This October I’ll be lining up for the Perth Marathon. Training has been a huge part of my year, and a few weeks ago I managed to run a 1:28 PB at the Perth Half Marathon. It has been rewarding, but even as a physio who knows more than most about exercise physiology, it hasn’t always felt easy. There have been sore mornings, sessions that didn’t go to plan and plenty of reminders that running is as much about consistency as it is fitness. Experiencing marathon training myself has reinforced the same principles I talk about with runners in the clinic every week. Here are three of the most important from physiotherapist’s perspective. 1. Running Injuries Can Be a Result of Training Load, Not Technique One thing that’s become even clearer is that most running injuries aren’t just about technique – a lot of the time it’s about load. Yes, things like overstriding or flat feet can be an issue, but for many runners I treat a common issue is how much load their body is being asked to absorb. Our bodies are great at adapting, but they need time. If you add too many
Can Supplements Speed Up Your Recovery? Here’s What the Evidence Says
Angus Lally, Senior Physiotherapist & TPI Accredited Golf Swing Assessor If you’ve spent more than five minutes on social media recently, you’ve probably been told there’s a magic powder, capsule or injection that will fix your sore shoulder, heal your tendon and have you back to running by next Tuesday. We wish it were that easy! Supplements are one of the most common topics we get asked about in the clinic. While some have solid evidence behind them, others have generated more hype than high-quality research. Here’s a quick rundown of the major players. Collagen: Probably Worth a Look Collagen has become one of the most researched supplements for tendon, ligament and joint health – and for good reason. It’s one of the main building blocks of tendons, ligaments, cartilage and other connective tissues. While taking collagen doesn’t magically send it straight to your injured Achilles or sore shoulder, it does provide the amino acids your body uses to build and repair these tissues. Research suggests that taking around 15 grams of hydrolysed collagen, along with 50-100 mg of vitamin C, approximately 30-60 minutes before exercise or rehabilitation may help stimulate collagen production. However, exercise is the important part –