A new take on scoliosis

If you've ever been diagnosed with scoliosis, this is a must watch 👀

About 4% of the population has scoliosis in some form or another.

Fear of damaging the spine can lead to over-protective behaviours and reduced physical capacity.

Don't ever let yourself be defined by your spine or x-ray changes. You may have to put in a bit more effort and be more consistent with a daily exercise program. But there is always room for hope and achieving great things.

Many world class athletes have been diagnosed with scoliosis and achieved world-class success, such as Mick Fanning and Usain Bolt.

Usain Bolt says, “If I keep my core and back strong, the scoliosis doesn’t really bother me,” he says. “So I don’t have to worry about it as long as I work hard.”

And if you would like some guidance on how to help with your spine, don't be afraid to get in touch 😊

Managing My Patellofemoral Pain - Free Education Leaflet

Thanks to Christian Barton, an expert knee Physiotherapist in Melbourne, for putting this useful leaflet together.

This freely downloadable PDF explains:

• what exactly is patellofemoral pain and how it develops

• contributing factors

• key treatment options

• how physiotherapy can help

Free Pain Guide

If you’re feeling ongoing pain and have ruled out serious red flags with your doctor (such as infection, inflammatory arthritis, fracture, cancer e.t.c) then it’s important that your pain makes sense to you.

Research has shown the when you understand more about your pain, then you become less threatened by the experience and get back to focusing on enjoying a happy and productive life.

This 71 page PDF, (available for free download) is a comprehensive and easy to understand pain education resource, written by Canadian Physiotherapist, Chiropractor and pain science researcher Greg Lehman.

You can download the BOOK HERE

Greg Lehman is a physiotherapist, chiropractor, middling researcher and continuing education educator (Reconciling biomechanics with pain science). Greg’s career in health care started with a MSc in Spine Biomechanics where he researched the mechanisms of manual therapy and exercise biomechanics.

Fortunately, Greg was introduced to the biopsychosocial model of pain and injury at this time as well as some excellent clinician researchers who challenged and researched many of the dogmas of our professions.

In clinical practice Greg recognises that the biopsychosocial model is of importance in all conditions and believes in treating with as wide a net as possible to address a multitude of factors. Here is his website

3 reasons sleep is every athlete's best friend

photo source

Sleep is crucial to everyone who wants to be the best that they can be.

It is all the more important for athletes who need to be at their physical peak in order to perform at their very best. It can be tempting when you are training hard for an all-important competition to forgo your sleep in favour of extra training, but you really are not doing yourself any favours.

Read on to find out exactly why sleep is your best friend and why you should make it a priority, even if you are training hard.

1. It can help you make healthier dietary choices

When it comes to training, one of the most important factors is diet.

It is no good training hard to get your body into peak condition and then filling it with the wrong types of foods. When we don’t get enough sleep we can create an imbalance in the hormones that tell us when to eat and when to stop.

Ultimately, a lack of sleep can lead to surplus ghrelin, the hormone that tells you it’s time to eat and a reduction in leptin, the hormone that tells you that you are full. It’s easy to see therefore, how lack of sleep can lead to overeating.

Add to this the fact that not getting enough sleep makes you feel rubbish anyway, making it more difficult to make good dietary choices, and you can see how you might not be in a position to fuel your body in the best way.

2. Repair muscles quicker

Studies show that sleep releases a growth hormone that is responsible for helping to repair muscle damage. It also plays a part in building new muscle, burning fat and strengthening bones. These are all essential if you are to make sure that your body is in peak condition ready to compete in a big event. It is recommended that athletes aim to get around two hours of extra sleep per night, for this very reason.

To ensure you get this extra rest, you might need to consider setting up a sleep routine for yourself, to help you maximise the amount of sleep that you get. It’s all about creating the right atmosphere, to tell your body it is time for sleep.

Look at your routine, how comfortable your bed is and also the temperature in your room. The ideal temperature is around 16-23C (60-75F), so take a look at your thermostat and see if turning it down might help you.

photo source

3. It can boost performance

Sleep deprivation affects glycogen and glucose production.

The body relies on these two substances to fuel itself and if you are not producing enough, it might be missing out on that extra fuel that it needs to get you through those difficult training sessions.

Not having enough glycogen and glucose in the system can also impair cognitive functioning, which could be detrimental when it comes to making sure you are on top of your game ready for the big event too.

Much success in sport comes from brain power and being able to logically work out your way to the top.

Don’t harm your chances by cutting back on your sleep.

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Free Your Upper Back And Shoulders

Stiffness in the upper back and shoulders can develop over time, especially if you have an office based job. This can lead to compensations and eventually pain in the muscles around the neck and lower back.

Below you'll find a short (less than 3 minutes) set of exercises - that you can do once or twice per day to keep your upper back and shoulders healthy and mobile 👇

This would be really helpful for anyone who spends time sitting in front of computer or driving around a lot.

Movement is Medicine!

We each have our own strengths and weaknesses, so getting a personal assessment / set of exercises from your Physio would be best, but this would be a pretty good start.

Let me know how you go in the comments and please tag anyone you know who might benefit 🙌

The exercises include:

• push-ups

• cat-cow with hands on foam roller

• childs pose lats stretch using foam roller

• thread the needle using a foam roller

• pecs stretch on the foam roller

• foam roller upper back