admin, Author at Fit and Flow Physiotherapy

World Continence Week

World Continence Week Brings Awareness to Incontinence

Did you know that incontinence affects 1 in 4 Australians?

Incontinence includes any accidental loss of urine, faeces or flatus (wind).

Incontinence can affect men, women and children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

Unsure if you might need to see someone about your bladder or bowel control?

First of all, if you are questioning this then the likelihood is that you might need to speak with your health professional (there are no silly questions about bladder or bowel)

But if you need more convincing, see if you answer yes to any of the following questions that might indicate that you need to seek some help:

– If you experience bladder or bowel problems, but are not sure if you should seek help, try this quick quiz. If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions you may have a bladder or bowel control problem.

• Do you sometimes feel you have not completely emptied your bladder?

• Do you rush to use the toilet?

• Are you frequently nervous because you think you might lose control of your bladder or bowel?

• Do you wake up twice or more during the night to go to the toilet?

• Do you sometimes leak before you get to the toilet?

• Do you sometimes leak when you lift something heavy, sneeze, cough or laugh?

• Do you sometimes leak when you exercise or play sport?

• Do you sometimes leak when you change from a seated or lying position to a standing position?

• Do you strain to empty your bowel?

• Do you sometimes soil your underwear?

• Do you plan your daily routine around where the nearest toilet is?

It can feel embarrassing or scary to have to open up to people about issues you may be facing with continence… but there is a lot you can do to improve and even get rid of some continence issues!

There are a number of places that you can get more information and help, visit the Continence Foundation of Australia website or give them a free call on 1800 33 00 66.

Or you can speak to your GP or our Women’s Health Physiotherapist to gain more help as well.

Hand to Hand

Achieve your Baby’s Motor Milestones with our Physios

Early on, your baby is working hard just to overcome gravity… a heavy head and weighty limbs definitely feels different compared to moving within the fluid filled womb.

Spending some time lying on their side during those short, wakeful periods after a nappy change allows your baby to use gravity in their favour , helping them bring hand to hand and hands to mouth.

The trick to side lying is feeling well supported!

Use a rolled towel behind your baby’s back and tuck the end between your baby’s thighs. Next, position your baby’s top leg with knee towards chest (the towel should resemble the letter J ).

In this position, your baby will be able to bring their hands to touch and hands to mouth.

Hand to hand and hand to mouth movements are early skills that will progress to significant motor milestones, such as their ability to manipulate an object or toy, bring an object or toy to their mouth (a form of exploration) and eventually feed themselves

To encourage the action of bringing hands together and to the mouth:

• Spend some time with your baby supported in side lying

• When your baby begins to show an interest in toys, use an ‘O’ ball or rings that are easy to grasp with both hands and light enough to lift to the mouth

Contact Our Sutherland Shire Baby Physios today for more tips on achieving your baby’s motor milestones.

Young Athlete Physiotherapy

Sutherland Shire Physio for Young Athletes

Adolescence is the second decade of life and represents a period of significant physical development (not to mention psychological, cognitive and emotional development!)⁠

⁠

Adolescent athletes can suffer different injuries to their adult counterparts and should be managed by physios with experience in this area!⁠

⁠

At Fit and Flow Physio, we have a strong interest in keeping our junior athletes fit and active. We work not only with the junior athlete, but with their coach(es), their family, school and sports team(s) to ensure a smooth rehab and return to sport!

Apophysitis is a one of the most common overuse injuries found in the young athlete. ⁠

⁠

Often following periods of growth and when a young athlete is under high training loads, the cartilage is put under a repetitive traction load (because of the strong tendon and it’s muscle pulling on it) and can become inflamed and irritated. ⁠Common areas for an apophysitis are the knee (Oschgood Schlatters) and the heel (Sever’s Disease) and the hip.

Contact Fit and Flow Physiotherapy today to book your young athlete in for a session with our experienced physiotherapists.

⁠

Growth Spurts

Does Your Adolescent Need Physiotherapy?

Did you know that on average girls will grow a total of 25cm and boys 28cm during their pubertal growth spurt? ⁠

⁠

So during puberty, our young athletes are dealing with changes in height , limb length and mass. On top of that they also experience reductions in coordination and neuromuscular control during this time… meaning that they have a bigger heavier body to move around and less of an idea of where their body is in space!⁠

⁠

Any wonder our junior athletes sustain some injuries!

We can’t manage adolescents as if they are just small adults when it comes to injuries. During adolescence, the presence of growth cartilage and a reduction in bone density following growth spurts means that bones are relatively weaker compared to muscles or tendons and can be a site of injury. E.g. An insult that causes a muscle tear in an adult could create an avulsion fracture in an adolescent athlete.

So what is an avulsion fracture? An avulsion fracture is when a small chip of bone is pulled off by a relatively stronger muscle-tendon or ligament.

⁠

They are more common in children and adolescents (but can also be seen in adults), due to the relatively weaker nature of bone and cartilage in this group!⁠

⁠

You may see an avulsion injury with a sudden, forceful muscle contraction during sports or activity. The player will experience pain and reduced power in that activity following the injury(it will often look like an adult “muscle strain”).⁠

Contact our Physiotherapists in the Sutherland Shire today and start you teenagers road to recovery. Or view more about adolescent injuries here.

Tummy Time

Tummy Time with Your Baby

We’ve all heard how important tummy time is for your baby to develop skills to move! From tummy time your baby will learn to roll, pivot, creep and crawl BUT there is so much more to gain from it…⁠

⁠

Early tummy time such as chest to chest (YES, this counts!) provides an opportunity for you and your baby to bond It has been shown to calm and regulate a baby’s temperature, heart beat and breathing rate, which will aid in digestion and deep sleep. Later on, tummy time is not only incredibly useful for the development of neck, shoulder, trunk and hip muscle strength but also assists in the development of depth perception, spatial awareness and hand eye coordination In saying all that, we appreciate that tummy time is not always easy! Tummy time can be challenging for little ones but does not have to be a stressful experience!⁠

⁠

Here are some tips to have you both enjoying your tummy time more:⁠

1.Chest to chest is a lovely way to introduce the position of tummy time⁠

2.Position your baby’s hands by their face and tuck elbows to give them the best chance of lifting their head⁠

3.Once you transition to the floor, use a folded towel to lift your baby’s chest ever so slightly⁠

4.Use a mirror or get down low to interact with your baby in tummy time. Seeing your face is incredibly motivating!⁠

⁠

Having difficulty with tummy time? Get in touch to see what is involved in a paediatric physiotherapy consultation

Pelvic Girdle Pain Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy in the Sutherland Shire for your Pelvic Pain

Pelvic Girdle Pain… it affects 1 in 5 women during their pregnancy and can be a real pain in the butt… or thigh, or hip, or groin!⁠

⁠

It is often aggravated by prolonged standing, walking or sitting . Also by activities like stair-climbing, standing on one leg to put on your undies, rolling over in bed and getting in and out of the car. ⁠ Only 1 in 4 women seek treatment for their pelvic girdle pain, despite it being one of the most limiting pains in pregnancy!⁠

⁠

Although pelvic pain is very COMMON during pregnancy, you don’t have to just put up with it. There are a number of different treatment modalities that can help you reduce your pain and/or increase your function during pregnancy!⁠

Current guidelines recommend the following to get on top of pelvic girdle pain: ⁠

1. Exercise
2. Physiotherapy
3. Support garments or pelvic belts
4. Acupuncture

Your physio will start you on some specific exercises and discuss how to modify your exercise routine or day-to-day tasks in an effort to reduce pain. ⁠

⁠

They may also fit you with a belt or teach you taping around your pelvis to provide relief throughout the day.

Contact Fit and Flow Physiotherapy today to start your treatment with one of our specialist Sutherland Shire based physios today!

Physiotherapy for Knee Injuries

Knee Physiotherapy Sutherland Shire

The knee is a hinge joint – yep think of it like the hinge of a door. With a simple purpose: to bend (flex) or straighten (extend)! ⁠While this explanation is simple, there are a lot of structures, including bones, ligaments, cartilage, muscles and more that make up this joint!⁠ All of these structures have a role in allowing the knee to function optimally, so we can walk , run , kick and dance!

Almost 20% of people experience knee pain in their life-time and this proportion increases with age! But knee pain isn’t isolated to just our senior athletes… with a recent study showing that 1 in 4 athletes suffer from pain in the front of the knee, with 70% being between the ages of 16-24 !⁠

⁠Following a knee injury, people will often notice “weakness” in the muscles around their knee, in particular in their quads! Arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI) is a response from your body to prevent full activation of the muscles in an injured area… ⁠

⁠Research has found that swelling is a big factor in AMI, even without pain or damage to the knee. As little as, 10mL of swelling can reduce muscle activation and 20-60mL can reduce quadriceps activation by 40%!⁠

⁠Now you can see why your physio is so focused on reducing swelling in your knee!⁠

Contact Fit and Flow physiotherapy today or read more about our knee and general musculoskeletal physiotherapy.