STRETCHING VS. STRENGTHENING “I’m always getting injured…”“It’s because you never stretch!” Let’s modernize that exchange a bit, shall we? “I’m always getting injured…”“It’s because you don’t lift!” If you’ve ever heard the advice to stretch before playing sports or exercising, you might be thinking back to the days when your dad, uncle, or granddad (or […]
Read MoreTHE GLUTE MUSCLES & HAMSTRING INJURY RISK Down-regulated gluteal muscles (when people have a hard time activating or feel their glutes) is an extremely common clinical finding that increases the risk of a number of injuries – one of them being hamstring strains. The gluteals are the primary hip extensor, and when there is poor […]
Read MoreBACK PAIN IN A NUTSHELL Did you know less than 10% of lower back pain is caused by serious or specific conditions like cancer, fractures, or disc prolapse? That leaves 90% of back pain with no clear structural cause—meaning it’s non-specific. Non-specific lower back pain (NSLBP) isn’t about damage; it’s about sensitization of the area. […]
Read MoreTHE CORRELATION BETWEEN IMAGING AND SYMPTOMS IN TENDINOPATHY Imaging results (x-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound) in general correlate very poorly with an individual’s reported symptoms. Tendinopathy is a great example of this. A pathological tendon found on imaging (with an MRI/US reporting tendinosis, degeneration, disorganization of fibres or intratendinous tears) is purely a RISK FACTOR […]
Read MoreFEAR AVOIDANCE & CHRONIC PAIN One of the leading causes of chronic pain is fear avoidance – which is literally fear of movement and exercise due to pain and discomfort. Individuals are hesitant to exercise (particularly to lift weights), falsely believing that they may do further damage to pre-existing injuries. The vast majority of the […]
Read MoreEXERCISE > SURGERY FOR ROTATOR CUFF INJURY Conservative management (exercise-based rehab) is always preferred to surgery when it comes to rotator cuff tendinopathy… Physiotherapy has been considered the first-line treatment for shoulder pain for some time now, and published research further confirms this. A telling trial, which was conducted and followed-up over 10 years, found […]
Read MoreIn today’s fast-paced world, finding time for physical activity can feel like a challenge, but the National Physical Activity Guidelines provide a clear roadmap for integrating movement into our daily lives. These guidelines are designed to help people of all ages achieve better health and well-being through regular physical activity. Let’s break down these guidelines […]
Read MoreTHE ISSUE WITH IMAGING We have previously posted about the prevalence of pathology such as disc bulges appearing on MRIs in those without back pain. Well this trend is not limited to the lower back. One study used ultrasound imaging to assess 51 people WITHOUT shoulder pain (between 40-70 years of age) and found a […]
Read MoreSTRETCHING AS A WARM UP For years we have relied on static stretches before participating in our exercise or sport of choice. This idea is now very outdated. Many have believed for a while that static stretches provide no benefit. However evidence now tells us that not only is this a good waste of time, […]
Read MoreWHAT IS GOLFERS ELBOW? Golfers elbow is an overload injury affecting the common wrist flexor tendon. This tendon connects the wrist flexor muscles (on the front of our forearm) with the elbow. Despite the name, it is not specific to golfers. Golfers elbow is common in weightlifters, CrossFiters, hockey players, tradies, office workers, hairdressers, the […]
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