Does kinesio tape actually work? Our Highett Physio Explains!
What happens when your favourite footy player suffers an injury mid-game (besides panicking as you wonder about the rest of the season, that is?) Well, the medics come out on the field and take them off. A few minutes (and a range of mobilisation exercises) later, they’re back in the game with nothing more than a taped-up knee to suggest they were just injured. Of course, it isn’t just elite athletes that use taping to treat injuries and pain - everyday Australians like yourself can also benefit. How so? We’re glad you asked! No ordinary tape Just to be clear, when we say that taping can relieve pain, we’re talking strictly about TEMPORARY pain relief - for lasting relief, you’ll need to directly address the root of the problem. Of course, that doesn’t mean that tape isn’t able to provide you with some pain relief while waiting for your next appointment with our Highett physios! Before we dive into how [...]
Learn what telehealth options our Highett physios offer
Over the last couple of weeks, everyone’s been scrambling to sort out their affairs and make as much of their business remote as possible. And our Highett physios are no different. Fortunately for us, we already have several systems in place. These allow us to continue offering effective treatments for your pains, aches and injuries without you having to attend our clinic in person. Whether you don’t feel comfortable heading out at the moment, or you simply can’t find the time to attend in person, our physiotherapists in Highett can still help you with your unique injuries, pains and aches. Even before the pandemic, our physiotherapy team offered extensive telehealth options! What is telehealth for physio? Simply put, it’s all about taking parts of your health treatment online. Just to be clear, not all physiotherapy treatments can be done remotely. Some treatments will require you to attend in person, or use equipment that can only be found in our Highett [...]
A Highett physio explains the most common causes of leg pain
So you’ve got leg pain, and you can’t walk it off. Owing to the fact that our legs are some of our most-used limbs, leg pain and injury are extremely common, and one of the most popular conditions our Highett physios help clients out with. Whether it’s a sharp ache following sport or exercise or a dull throbbing that’s been with you for a while, there are very few pains quite as debilitating as leg pain. When it comes to leg pain, there are 3 main culprits... Suspect #1: overuse Do you spend a lot of time on your feet? If so, there’s a good chance that your leg pain is the result of an overuse injury. Certain movements cause trauma on the nerves, muscles, tendons and ligaments in your legs. Under normal circumstances, this trauma is nothing at all, and you never feel any adverse effects. When these movements are repeated over and over, day-in, day-out however, it adds [...]
How our Highett physio freed Bobbie from lifelong injury
All too often, our Highett physiotherapists hear from patients think they’ve gotten an injury for life. Whether it’s on-again, off-again back pain for the last 10 years, or constant nagging pain in their shoulder that they have been living with for the last 6 months, too many resigned themselves to a life with chronic pain. Bobbie is one of them… or rather, he WAS one, until he started seeing our Highett physio team! Meet Bobbie Bobbie, a 57-year old Male, was referred to us from a Doctor with a history of left shoulder pain following a workplace injury. Before he saw us, he had suffered a fall which led to the doctors also identifying that he had a brain aneurysm which required surgery. After recovering from his surgery, he experienced ongoing pain that restricted his movement and limited the use of his arm to basic things like putting his shirt on and off, cleaning and washing his hair. The diagnosis After [...]
What’s the secret to recovering from surgery? A physio in Highett!
Make no bones about it - recovering from surgery is tough! It’s slow, painful and worst of all, you can’t do half the things you normally can thanks to a loss of mobility and muscle or joint function. You might feel that right now, there isn’t much you can do but rest. However, there ARE some ways you can regain your strength and increase your range of movement. If you guessed “visit a physio in Highett”, you’d be correct! Physio vs. surgery: which one’s right for me? It depends! Traditionally, we used to think surgery is the only option for certain conditions. For example, grade 3 sprains resulting in a complete tear in the affected ligament - used to be a slam-dunk case for surgery. However now more than ever we continually find that physio and strength and conditioning stand up just as well to surgical interventions in studies conducted. However in some cases we decide on a combination of [...]
Why does your workout pain take a full day to flare up? Our Highett physio explains!
So you’ve just finished a tough workout routine, and you’re feeling great! You’re energised, pepped up and best of all, your muscles don’t hurt at all. You hit the showers, get changed and head home, collapsing on your bed as drift off into a well-deserved sleep. Come morning, you wake up. You try to climb out of bed - and that’s when it hits. Despite feeling completely fine the night before, your muscles are absolutely killing you now! Why now? What causes this delay? Should you be worried? If you’re experiencing muscle pain the day after a hard workout, we suggest getting comfortable and reading - today, our Highett physio explains this strange delay! An Highett physio explains delayed onset muscle soreness Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS for short) is something many fitness fanatics, athletes and weekend warriors will no doubt be familiar with. Even our Highett physio team experiences it from time to time! While you’re in the zone [...]
Ask a physiotherapist in Highett: pelvic floor problems
The pelvic floor is an important structure in your body. However, thanks to its behind-the-scenes role, most of us have no idea what it does, or what could happen in the event of problems with your pelvic floor muscles! Many people - in particular, women - experience pelvic floor problems, some of whom never seek out help for it. But you don’t have to be one of them - of course, you need to know what the pelvic floor is, first! Curious? Saddle up - today, our physiotherapists in Highett will explain the ins-and-outs of this often overlooked part of your body… First thing’s first: what is the pelvic floor? Located underneath - what else? - your pelvis, the pelvic floor is a network of different muscles and ligaments that all work together to perform the one function. It’s job is simple: to support and hold up the bladder, bowel, and in women, the uterus. In addition to supporting each [...]
Does posture REALLY cause lower back pain? A Highett physio explains
Despite common belief, there is no such thing as correct posture - in fact, it varies (quite literally!) If you ask our Highett physios, correcting posture is somewhat overrated when it comes to muscular aches and pains. What we aim to do at Physio AUS is to educate you and encourage more frequent movement. So, what is good posture? Your next posture is your best posture, SIMPLE. Well not quite! Today, we’ll be breaking down posture and look at it in depth. Posture - how important is it really? What people generally base their postural “goals” on is actually flawed - it’s possible to have good posture and still have to contend with back pain! There are people out there with “perfect posture” who still have pain, just as there are people with “poor” posture who don't have pain. But just because good posture isn’t a cure-all for lower back pain doesn’t mean we can work to change our postural [...]