The Phit Physio in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Gym/Physical fitness centre

The Phit Physio

Locality: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +353 41 661 2601

Address: L4/100 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, VIC 3008 Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website: https://www.pinnaclehealthgroup.com.au

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25.01.2022 MENTAL HEALTH AND EXERCISE With stage 4 lockdown restrictions well and truly underway here in Melbourne, a lot of us here in Victoria are adapting to our new living conditions for the next 6 weeks. A common theme in clinic this week when speaking to my patients is that most people are ‘feeling a bit flat’ or ‘completely fed up’. ... With case numbers from Covid-19 growing each day, it’s difficult not to become a little disheartened with the lack of progress, despite being on lockdown. Regular exercise is now more important than ever. Getting out for a run (within your 5km), a YouTube yoga session , or a home workout are all good options to help relieve stress, and provide some headspace from everything going on around us. I’ve added a simple 20 minute morning walk to my exercise routine which has really helped clear the head and also rack up the steps for @pinnacleheathgrpups August step challenge! Stay safe everyone. We’ll get through this!

24.01.2022 PAIN RELIEF Generally speaking, the vast majority of individuals who seek out my help are in some sort of pain/discomfort. As Physiotherapists we possess many skills to assist with pain, improve function, and promote overall health and wellbeing ... In particular, in cases of acute/traumatic injury like ankle sprains, or acute low back and neck pain, symptom relief is usually the number one priority in that initial treatment stage. Therefore it is important that patients have some strategies to manage pain outside of treatment sessions. My advice usually is: ‘Keep doing whatever makes it feel better ’ Ice, heat, pain medication, and gentle exercise, can all be good options in the short term, and none are categorically ‘better’ than the others. Try a couple and whatever you find works best for you, stick with it. Once things begin to settle down we can then begin to look at the cause of the issue and implement a treatment plan/roadmap to recovery Think positive, things will get better! As Louis Gifford said: Effective reassurance is a bloody good pain killer

23.01.2022 OPENING THE TOOLKIT It’s been a strange year! Amongst all the challenges, stress, and hard times that Covid-19 has thrown at us, I genuinely believe that 2020 has presented us with an opportunity as Physiotherapists to move forward and progress as a profession.... Physiotherapy will always have a ‘hands-on’ element to it, however the OVER-RELIANCE on passive interventions remains an issue. With virtual/online sessions being common practice now, our communication, education, and exercise prescription skills (which I believe should form the foundation of our practice), are becoming far more important and necessary in our sessions. Clodagh Burrell & I discuss this in more detail in Episode One of The Phit Physio podcast, coming soon.

22.01.2022 WHY I LOVE BEING A PHYSIO I became a physiotherapist for the same reasons as most I would imagine. I was interested in exercise, sport, and human anatomy/performance, and had a desire to help people. As the years have gone on and I reflect on my practice , I feel more and more lucky and privileged to do what I do. ... We are always learning We create meaningful change in people’s lives daily We have an active job No two days are exactly the same - there’s so much variety! We can work across SO many different settings Of course there are tough days, like with any role. However when I have a day like that, I often think of these reasons which help me to see the bigger picture, and bring me back to why I got into it in the first place Shoutout to @trustmephysiotherapist for the T-shirt Thanks Nils

22.01.2022 TALKING RESISTANCE TRAINING Huge thank you to Tom Bosna for having me on the Well Workplaces podcast to chat all things Physiotherapy, resistance exercise, and Physical Wellbeing To listen to the full episode, check out the Spotify link below:... https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LJuAZ0Pe4X9P04YlWtJC6

22.01.2022 WOBBLY ANKLES Lateral ankle sprains are among the most common musculoskeletal injuries sustained by the general population, with up to 70% of individuals reported to have sustained this type of injury at some point in their life. Think about it, how many of your friends and family have, at some point, if not multiple times, sprained their ankle? ... The 2019 ROAST consensus statement provides us Physiotherapists and Rehab professionals a solid framework to guide our assessment and treatment of these common injuries. It seems clear that exercise-focussed rehabilitation, looking at range of motion, muscle strength, postural balance, and proprioception, play a key role again here. Check out some of my go to ankle rehab prescriptions in the video above. Enjoy

21.01.2022 WHY CHOOSE ONLINE? Online consultations have some great benefits. Having been on both sides of a virtual consultation myself, accessing health services from home is not only convenient, but in some situations can be even more advantageous! Check out my top three reasons why I feel online consultations are equally effective as face to face appointments.

19.01.2022 GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR PHYSIO CONSULT Going to see a Physiotherapist or any rehab professional for the first time can be a daunting experience. Being prepared before your appointment and having an idea of what you would like to get from the session can really help. In the video above I provide my top THREE tips to get the most out of your first Physiotherapy consultation: ... 1 Wear comfortable clothes 2 Ask Questions 3 Leave with a plan

18.01.2022 PHYSIOTHERAPY MISCONCEPTIONS Don't you just poke, prod, and massage people? Unfortunately there still exists this belief that all we do as Physiotherapists is dish out rubs, poke on sore spots, and tell people to 'put an ice pack on it'. Sadly, this public opinion is unlikely to change when there are still members of our profession who seem reluctant to stay up to date and adopt best practice. ... It's our responsibility to engage and educate young and new graduate Physiotherapists, in order for the profession to continue to move forward and gain greater recognition & respect. My top three tips for any young or new graduate Physio are: 1 Seek out a good mentor : surrounding yourself with progressive and knowledgeable professionals who are eager to assist with your growth and continuing education is key throughout your career 2 Question everything: being comfortable with uncertainty is difficult, especially early in your career, however science and research changes ALL THE TIME so you need to be able to adapt easily 3 Volunteer with a team : getting involved with a sports team is a great way to 'jump in the deep end' and gain great exposure to a number of different conditions & issues, and will force you to think on your feet. It's also great fun! Let's get Physios the recognition they deserve. Remember 'Doctors save lives, but Physiotherapists make them worth living' @trustmephysiotherapist

18.01.2022 Normalise or Pathologise? I was really annoyed by something that happened last week.... My partner visited a podiatrist for management of a pretty routine issue with her toe. However when I spoke to her after the session and asked how she got on, she now no longer only had a toe issue, she had also been informed that she now:... 1 had ‘knocked knees’ that would lead her to be unable to walk in 20 years 2 had bad posture 3 needed orthotics for her ‘abnormally high arches’ 4 had ‘weak’ calves So in summary, she went in with one issue, and came out with five Now I’m no podiatrist, but I know in this case, the patient has never before had any issues with her ankles, knees, or posture, but now all of a sudden is going to struggle to walk in 20 years? Something not quite right there... Sadly this type of narrative is all too common in healthcare and is by no means an isolated incident. What’s the important message here? We need to be very careful with the language we use when talking about what we feel may be contributing to a patients symptoms. Even if you feel a movement asymmetry or lack of strength may be contributing to their issue, this needs to be framed/communicated in such a way so as not to tie a patient to that ‘issue’ or ‘pathology’ and potentially cause more harm. Besides, we come in all sorts of weird and wonderful shapes and sizes so defining ‘normal’ is not always straightforward Normalise, don’t Pathologise!

18.01.2022 PHIT PHYSIO PODCAST Episode one coming in the next couple of weeks Check it out on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3zNsq4FbU9XheNk9MyHDyB

18.01.2022 THAT’S A WRAP ON 2020 On behalf of myself and everyone Pinnacle Health Group I would like to wish all of our patients and clients a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride of a year, and it’s been really amazing to see so many of you continue to make progress during such a challenging time. ... Enjoy the break and looking forward to seeing you in Jan

18.01.2022 EPISODE THREE - RUNNING INJURIES IS NOW LIVE In Episode Three of The Phit Physio Podcast, Clodagh (@physio_clo) and I dive into the topic of running related injuries, specifically talking about those tricky Achilles tendon issues and shin splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome) We discuss the importance of patient education, load management, and exercise prescription, when it comes to the management of these common running injuries ... Give it a listen(link below), share it with any of your runner friends , and let us know what you think Also - what do you guys think of our new logo? https://open.spotify.com/episode/5osAXc5BJU3Iyg3LEDbyBF

16.01.2022 SMART WATCHES Yea or nah ?... Personally, I love them I use an Apple Watch and I feel it helps to keep me accountable and on top of my own physical activity levels . I get frustrated if it’s getting late in the day and I haven’t yet ‘closed my rings’ which triggers my competitive side and forces me into doing some exercise! ... There are so many options out there now with Garmins, Fitbits etc. and prices range from very cheap to outrageously expensive. Like most gadgets there are pros and cons. Pros Accountability Movement reminders Kcal tracking Can assist with tracking load in training/injury management Cons Can be very expensive They are an Extra Screen (we get enough screen time with our phones, laptops and TVs these days) What do you guys think? Do you use one? If so, what type? What are your pros and cons? I’d love to hear your thoughts

15.01.2022 PULL YOUR WAY INTO 2021 Resistance Training is all about balance We all love a good ‘push’ exercise - bench press, push ups, strict press but what about the pull? ... Getting a good balance between push and pull can be important in maintaining optimal shoulder health/function. However recreating ‘pull’ exercises at home can sometimes prove to be problematic. Check out the video above for some examples of the ‘pull’ exercises I often prescribe as part of my home exercise prescriptions.

15.01.2022 BUILDING A BIGGER CUP The cup analogy is a nice way of explaining how/why pain can sometimes occur. To put it simply, pain can come about when all of the stresses and loads in our life exceed the space in our cup. ... Therefore when the cup spills over - we have pain! If this occurs, we essentially have TWO options to reduce the pain: 1 Reduce/remove some of the stresses 2 Build a bigger cup So how do we build a bigger cup? Simple answer - lead a healthier lifestyle. Doing things like eating healthier, drinking more water, quitting smoking, doing more general exercise, getting more sleep, or starting a strength training routine, can help ‘build a bigger cup’. Having a bigger cup will then allow more space for some of the more ‘non-modifiable’ life stressors like troublesome 2 year olds or busy periods in work, and therefore you should be less likely to overflow and suffer with pain! Get building those cups

11.01.2022 VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE Who doesn’t love a good push up eh? Push/pressing exercises are often demonised and blamed for many shoulder issues. This, however, is often incorrect. ... Yes, too much of any exercise/movement, while neglecting other areas of your training may sometimes lead to dysfunction or pain; but a good ‘push’ routine is important in any resistance training program. The push up is a great option in rehab, and as a prescription as part of a home exercise program for many reasons: requires minimal equipment effectively loads the shoulder girdle has multiple progressions & regressions to account for varying individual capacity challenges core stability Changing your hand position, foot position, or trunk position, are all nice ways to vary the exercise and slightly adjust/change the area you are looking to load. I’ve been playing around with some variations recently that you can see in the video above. Enjoy

11.01.2022 MISCONCEPTIONS AROUND IMAGING REPORTS When it comes to imaging (X-Ray, MRI, Ultrasound etc.), I feel we sometimes place too much reliance on what a report says, rather than what a patient tells us. I see it so often where a clinician will read ‘degenerative disc’ and automatically decide that this is the primary reason for an individuals pain or dysfunction. However, are symptoms directly correlated with what we read in imaging reports? ... Not always Scans of healthy individuals with no symptoms of pain or dysfunction will often show signs of significant ‘degeneration’ or ‘damage’. Brinjinki et al (2015) showed that disc degeneration was seen in 37% of 20 year olds with no symptoms at all, and this increased with age to as high as 96% of 80 year olds with no symptoms. While, Schwartzberg et al (2016) found SLAP lesions to be present in as many as 72% of middle-aged (45-60) patients with zero shoulder pain! I’m not saying that imaging (X-Ray, MRI, Ultrasound etc.) is not a valuable tool, there are situations where it can add a great deal of value to a diagnosis and management plan. The point I want to stress is that it is only PART of the overall clinical picture. In my opinion, we get far more from just LISTENING to someone’s story than any scan report will ever tell us.

09.01.2022 PRIORITISING EXERCISE REHAB As Physiotherapists we possess a number of clinical skills to assist individuals in pain, including manual/mobilisation techniques, soft tissue release therapies, and Dry Needling. All of these treatments can help to reduce symptoms for a number of different conditions. However, when it comes to rehab, EXERCISE trumps the lot! ... Why? It’s the secondary benefits that exercise provides (as well as being a powerful reducer of pain) that place it above all else in terms of rehabilitation, improved function, and reduction in disability. These include: improvements in cardiovascular health improvements in mental health Weight control Sleep improvements To name just a very small few! Our role as Physiotherapists is not only to just reduce pain, but also to improve overall function, quality of life, and general health. Therefore exercise is always my go to! Make sure exercise is always prioritised as part of your rehab/recovery plan!

08.01.2022 EPISODE ONE IS LIVE Episode one of The Phit Physio Podcast is live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and most other listening platforms. In this episode, Clodagh Burrell and I discuss our careers to date, chat about burnout for Physiotherapists, and reflect on our own Covid-19 experience on a personal and professional level.... Thanks so much to everyone who has listened and given feedback so far. We really appreciate it. Give it a listen and it would be great if you could share it around with anyone you think might be interested.

05.01.2022 RUNNER’S KNEE (PFPS) Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) or sometimes called ‘Runner’s knee’ is one of the more common running-related injuries I come across in clinic. It is described as pain behind or around the patella that’s usually brought on after a period of loading the PFJ beyond its’ normal capabilities. Like many running injuries it can be tricky to manage (but not only because runners hate being told to reduce their running load! ). It can sometimes be ...difficult to identify a direct mechanism of injury, which can impact our rehab plan and delay a potential return to normal activity. It can also mean that ‘speed bumps’ are very common and normal in the recovery process. Generally speaking, I like to manage my PFPS patients using the following three step plan (see pics above): 1 Reduce load and desensitise tissues 2 Rehab involving strength, flexibility, & gait re-education 3 Graded Exposure to previous activity Education around load management and rehab expectations plays a key role throughout the recovery process. The jury is still out on what is deemed to be ‘optimal’ in terms of management strategies and like most issues we see regularly, an individual case by case approach is always best.

05.01.2022 Meet our Newest Physio, Riain Casey Physiotherapist : http://ow.ly/37sQ30a9cmM

04.01.2022 ACUTE NECK PAIN MANAGEMENT As a wise woman once said - ‘motion is lotion’ Clodagh Burrell Yesterday in clinic I happened to see 4 different patients with similar presentations of acute neck pain . All 4 had:... Sudden onset of symptoms (3 just woke up and struggled to move head/neck) Pain with any head/neck movement Significant limitations in range of motion Painful to touch (mainly on one side) parts of the cervical spine Once we’ve ruled out any sinister pathology, a lot of the time these issues settle down reasonably quickly when we introduce some simple strategies such as gentle movement, heat, pain killers, or manual therapy. Check out some of my go to early exercise prescriptions for those painful early stages above. Share them with anyone you know who may be suffering with neck pain.

04.01.2022 HEAVY VS LIGHT LOAD TRAINING It’s long been thought that in order to achieve improvements in muscle strength or hypertrophy that lifting heavy loads (>70% IRM) is required, and that lifting lighter loads (<50% 1RM) would produce more similar results to traditional cardiovascular or endurance training. In order to achieve optimal improvements in strength (isotonic & isometric), heavy loads seem to produce the best outcomes, however lighter loads can promote substantial ...improvements also (Schoenfeld et al 2017). The same can be said for improvements in muscle size. Both types of training have been shown to produce reasonably similar increases in muscle growth, provided the exercises are carried out with a high level of effort. Why this is relevant for us physios/those in MSk rehab: Lighter load training may be a more attractive option when working with individuals in pain or with conditions like osteoarthritis. From my experience, private practice physio clinics are rarely kitted out with access to heavy loads and therefore practitioners are often unable to directly prescribe heavy load exercises. When prescribing home exercise programs for our patients without access to a gym, lighter load training may be easier for home. As @adammeakins says, you can’t go wrong getting strong!

03.01.2022 TELEHEALTH PHYSIOTHERAPY I’ve really enjoyed the transition to telehealth sessions over the last number of months. Working from home or ‘virtually’ never really seemed like it would be an option with my job. However, I’ve found online appointments and classes to be equally effective as face to face in most situations. ... Would love to hear from anyone who has experienced telehealth appointments with their physio, GP, osteo etc. and how they found it.

03.01.2022 BUILDING A SOLID NETWORK A wise man once told me - "Your Network is your Net Worth". As corny as that sounds, when it comes to treating individuals with pain, it's important to recognise that working as part of a team is often the best approach. Pain can be influenced by sooooo many different factors and from my experience, it's not often 'only structural'. ... I am lucky enough to work in a clinic with direct access to a strong team of other allied health professionals, and have also spent a number of years developing relationships with GPs, PTs, surgeons etc. As physios, we have a vital role to play in the management of pain, and having conversations about nutrition, sleep, stress etc. is very much part of what we do. However in order to achieve the best outcome for our patients, having a solid network of professionals/experts to refer to is key! Go forth and build your Network!

03.01.2022 Head over to my Instagram page @the_phit_physio to check out my new Reel as well as a tonne of other physio-related content https://www.instagram.com/reel/CJVg6sClbKy/

02.01.2022 NTERNAL VS EXTERNAL COACHING CUES Coaching cues are essentially small pieces of information we give to our patients to help instruct them to complete a task/exercise. Generally speaking there are two main types:... 1 internal cues 2 external cues When it comes to rehabilitation and skill retention, external cues, which focus attention on the ‘movement effect’ eg. push the bum out the door, seem to be superior. Now most internal cues won’t be as bad as my examples in the video above, but you get the point! I’ve linked a really nice article from Brett Bartholomew: Performance Coach & Science for Sport in my bio for anyone interested in reading anymore. However for the best (funniest) external cues that your patients won’t forget, look no further than Coach Dave Hare - ‘king of cues’

01.01.2022 EPISODE FOUR - FINANCIAL WELL-BEING In Episode four of the Phit Physio podcast Clodagh Burrell and I chat to financial well-being expert Jeremy Taylor. Financial wellness is a topic I am keen to develop my learning in and I thoroughly enjoyed this chat with Jeremy and picked up so many useful pieces of information. ... 2020 has been a tough year for so many of us with extended stand down periods, unemployment rates high etc. so understanding how to be smart with your money and ‘financially well’ is more important than ever. Check out the full episode link in below. Enjoy guys https://open.spotify.com/episode/190SaUd9lx5AR2rCJMMrrQ

01.01.2022 Hey guys Head over to my Instagram page to check out my latest post on Virgil Van Dyke’s ACL injury https://www.instagram.com/p/CH08BzEDtgy/?igshid=n0xf6sehxssd