Most individuals, be they athletes or general population patients, understand that exercise is the most important factor in the rehabilitation of most musculoskeletal disorders. However, different types of exercises serve different purposes in the rehabilitation process, and we as health care providers (myself included) often fail to fully explain these purposes. Within our model, we talk about different types of load that can contribute to an injury and that need to be addre

The LIFTMOR for men trial The incidence of osteoporosis (defined as bone mineral density T score greater than -2.5) is thought to be over 200 million people globally. This condition, as well as osteopenia (defined as bone mineral density between -1 and -2.5) are thought to be a much greater problem in females than males. And while rates of these conditions are higher in women, morbidity and mortality rates associated with fractures that often occur conditions are actually hig

#fysiofriday #physiotherapy #rehabilitation #kneepain #illiotibialband #ITB #ITBS #ITBFS #physio #physicaltherapy #backpain #neckpain #sciatica #headaches #shoulderpain #frozenshoulder

Back and neck pain are the most common conditions we see in musculoskeletal practice, and are particularly common in sedentary individuals, including office workers. In a recent study, 1,500 office workers were randomly assigned to:A control groupAn active break group, who performed short active breaks (average of 32 times/day) throughout the course of the day, where they would get up from their desk and move around).A postural shift group, who performed small changes to thei

MANUAL THERAPY: WHAT IS IT ACTUALLY DOING? This post explores some of the mechanism behind the affects of manual therapy #fysiofriday #physiotherapy #rehabilitation #kneepain #illiotibialband #ITB #ITBS #ITBFS #physio #physicaltherapy #backpain #neckpain #sciatica #headaches #manualtherapy

The essence of musculoskeletal rehabilitation is taking a patient from where they currently are (often a state of pain, functional impairment, an inability to do the things that are important to them, a lack of confidence in their ability to perform their regular activities or a lack of understanding around the cause of their issues) to where they need to be. As famous Canadian biomechanist says “test the capacity, identify the goal, train the gap”. Therefore, in order for a

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) is an umbrella term to describe a few different conditions whereby the brachial plexus (a network of nerves formed from the lower levels of the neck) becomes compressed at specific sites between the neck and the armpit. Common sites of compression are between the scalene muscles of the neck and under the pectoralis minor muscle Thoracic outlet syndromes are often misdiagnosed as neck or shoulder problems, and they frequently cause pain in this a

The ITB (illiotibial band) is a long, thick band of connective tissue that runs from muscles in the hip and pelvis and attaches to a number of bony landmarks around the outside of the knee The ITB has an important stabilising role at the pelvis and hip, and contributes to maintaining side-to-side control when standing on one leg Both ends of the ITB can become overloaded and start to cause pain, however this is more common at the knee end of the structure. Common causes of pa

Concussion, also known as a traumatic brain injury (or TBI) is functional disturbance of the brain, typically caused by direct or indirect trauma. As with any injury, concussion needs to be assessed and treated in the correct manner to optimise recovery and avoid long-term disabilities. The acute evaluation involves questioning (using a specific tool such as the sport concussion assessment tool (SCAT)), to ascertain if the person has suffered a concussion. Acute symptoms of a

Do I need surgery for my shoulder pain? Physiotherapy can help to prevent surgery in non-traumatic rotator cuff injuries! #fysiofriday #physiotherapy #physicaltherapy #osteopathy #rehabilitation #injurymanagement #pain #strengthandconditioning #shoulderpain #rotatorcuff #rotatorcuffrelatedshoulderpain #shoulderimpingement

Musculoskeletal injury is a complicated, multi-faceted process, and the specific cause(s) of injury will be unique to the individual. However, in an effort to decrease the occurrence of injury, there is a general hierarchy of importance in terms of measures that can be taken. Health professionals often observe people over-emphasising some of the less important facets of injury prevention, in the process ignoring the “big rocks” Of primary importance is management of training

Clinical guidelines are devised by experts in specific fields, to provide consensus and improve consistency within management protocols. The ankle lateral ligament sprain is one of the most common injuries seen in orthopedic practice, and as such, treatment guidelines need to be frequently updated based on the latest research findings. The 2013 clinical practice guidelines for ankle lateral ligament sprains were updated recently by the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition that affects many, particularly older individuals. The most commonly affected joints are the knees and hips. There is an implied benefit of decreased body mass on the symptoms of OA. And while decreased weight and therefore decreased direct loading to the joint surface may be one proposed mechanism by which weight loss could improve symptoms, reduced body fat levels may also lead to a decrease in the inflammatory states that can

I have written and spoken extensively about the cross-education effect in the past. For a brief synopsis check out Ask 360 episode 11, released on October 1st 2021. The cross-education effect essentially refers to the notion that training one side of the body will result in positive adaptations to the opposite side. The mechanisms responsible for this are thought to be neurally mediated. Several studies now have demonstrated the ability to gain strength and maintain muscle bu

is commonly injured in sports involving twisting, turning, jumping, landing and rapid change of direction. The traditional approach to management of an ACL injury has been to reconstruct the ligament, usually with a donor site from else in the body. In recent times there has been more of a trend towards non-operative management for some patients, with studies demonstrating comparable outcomes from rehabilitation in ACL-deficient knees Over the last few years, there have been