Monday, October 29, 2012

What are the Common Boxing Injuries?


Boxing Injuries

boxing injuries
Picture: A Boxers Fracture

Boxing is a contact sport, and contact sports can lead to impact injuries. 

Researchers support that improving your boxing techniques results in less frequent boxing injuries. However, boxing injuries can occur to your various body parts.

Common Boxing injuries include:

Head or Brain Injuries

The most concerning boxing injury is a head impact resulting in a potential brain injury

The punch impact shakes the brain within the skull and causes the brain to act abnormally for a brief period of time. This is known as concussion, which can result in the following symptoms:
  • Unconsciousness
  • Brief loss of short-term memory
  • Nausea
  • Loss of coordination
  • Confusion
  • Headache
Wearing head gear can reduce the impact stress and shock that could reverberate through your brain.

Jaw & Facial Injuries

Punching impact to your jaw can cause jaw, nose or facial fractures. Jaw injury resulting in TMJ dysfunction may result with either a fractured, subluxed or dislocated jaw a possibility.

Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder injuries can occur through repetition of impact. Common injuries includerotator cuff injuries or shoulder dislocation.

Hand and Wrist Injuries

Your hand and wrist are vulnerable to impact injuries. Milder injuries include soft tissue bruising or joint sprains.

Finger, thumb and hand fractures may also occur.

Ankle, Knee & Leg Injuries

Lower limb injuries can occur with overuse eg stress fracturestendonitis or with trauma eg ankle or knee sprain.


Neck, Back & Rib Injuries

Boxing can injure your spine or ribs through impact or overstraining. An awesome set of core stability muscles will not only protect your spine from injury, but also improve your punching power and ability to absorb the impact of a punch.

Cuts & Bruises

Cuts and bruises are the most common boxing injuries. These injuries occur from contact with an opponent’s gloves or head.

Kidney Damage

Punches to the kidneys are illegal at all levels of boxing. This rule was set in place in order to protect boxers from the severe damage that a kidney punch can cause. A heavy blow to the kidney can cause kidney failure.

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Common Boxing Injuries


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More info about: Boxing Injuries

What Does Calf Kinesio Tape Help?

Spidertech calf kinesiology tape is a professionally engineered, dynamic therapeutic support for your calf muscles supporting and stabilising your foot arch, ankle and calf musculature.

Spidertech calf kinesiology tape products use a high-grade cotton material with 100% acrylic, low allergy adhesive.

The kinesiology tape is water-resistant and breathable, which can usually be worn for up to 5 days.

Spidertech calf kinesiology tape allows you to resume exercises and activity with greater protection!


Calf kinesiology tape helps you by:
  • Supporting your calf, Achilles tendon and foot arch while still being able to move freely
  • Restoration of normal calf muscle activation
  • Improve your pain 
  • Improve your athletic performance
  • Cleverly integrate support for both your arch and the calf muscles simultaneously
  • Improve your body's feedback and timing of calf and stabilising muscles of the ankle and arch of the foot
  • Aid in the prevention of further injury by providing mild support and feedback
  • Provide injury-protection during the healing phase.

Wearing the Calf & Arch Kinesiology tape can help you with the following conditions:



Thursday, October 25, 2012

What is a Bunion? What Causes it? What is the Best Bunion Treatment?


What is a Bunion?

what is a bunion?
bunion is a deformity of the big toe. A bunion is a toe that points at a sideways angle towards your second toe. There is also a characteristic bump on the inner side of the foot. 

As the bunion becomes more prominent, bunion pain can develop. The medical term for a foot bunion is hallux valgus.

What Causes a Bunion?

Bunions are a result of complex biomechanical changes that occur in your feet.

The type of footwear that you wear does cause bunions. We know that foot bunions occur in about 30% of the population of most Western countries but only3% in Eastern countries. They are seen most commonly in women and become more common as people get older.

Tight-fitting shoes are thought to be the main cause of bunions.. Shoes such as high heels and shoes with tight toe boxes (eg womens fashion shoes and cowboy boots) are particularly damaging to the toes. These shoes have a sloping foot bed and a narrow toe box.

The slope causes the front of the foot to bear your weight, which encourages your forefoot to widen. Also, the angle pushes your toes into the narrow toe box, causing the toes to become angled and squeezed together.

With prolonged wearing of constraining footwear your toes will adapt to the new position and lead to the deformity we know as a foot bunion.

Footwear is not the only cause of a bunion. Injuries to the foot can also be a factor in developing a bunion. Poor foot arch control leading to flat feet or foot overpronation does make you biomechanically susceptible to foot bunions.

A family history of bunions also increases your likelihood of developing bunions.

Many people who have a bunion have a combination of factors that makes them susceptible to having this condition.

For example, if you are a women over the age of forty with a family history of bunions, and often wear high-heeled shoes, you would be considered highly likely to develop a bunion.

Bunion Treatment

PHASE I - Pain Relief. Minimise Swelling & Injury Protection

Pain is the main reason that you seek treatment for bunion. Analgesics may help.

Inflammation it best eased via ice therapy and techniques or exercises that deload the inflammed structures. Anti-inflammatory medications may help.

Your physiotherapist will use an array of treatment tools to reduce your pain and inflammation.

These include: ice, electrotherapy, acupuncture, deloading taping techniques, soft tissue massage and orthotics to off-load the bunion.

PHASE II - Restoring Normal ROM & Posture

As your pain and inflammation settles, your physiotherapist will turn their attention to restoring your normal toe and foot joint range of motion and muscle length.

Treatment may include joint mobilisation and alignment techniques, massage, muscle and joint stretches, taping, a bunion splint or orthotic.
Your physiotherapist is an expert in the techniques that will work best for you.

PHASE III - Restore Normal Muscle Control & Strength

Your foot posture muscles are vital to correct the biomechanics that causing your bunion to deteriorate. Your physiotherapist will assess your foot posture muscles and prescribe the best exercises for you specific to your needs.

PhysioWorks has developed a “Foot Posture Correction Program” to assist you to regain your normal foot posture.

Please ask your physio for their advice.

PHASE IV - Restoring Full Function

During this stage of your rehabilitation is aimed at returning you to your desired activities. Everyone has different demands for their feet that will determine what specific treatment goals you need to achieve. For some it be simply to walk around the block. Others may wish to run a marathon or return to a labour-intensive activity.

Your physiotherapist will tailor your rehabilitation to help you achieve your own functional goals.

PHASE V - Preventing a Recurrence

Bunions will deform further with no attention. Plus, the bunion pain associated does have a tendency to return. The main reason is biomechanical.

In addition to your muscle control, your physiotherapist will assess your foot biomechanics and may recommend either a temporary off-the shelf orthotic or refer you to a podiatrist for custom made orthotics.

You should avoid wearing high heel shoes and shoes with tight or angular toe boxes.

Your physiotherapist will guide you.


Bunion Surgery

Bunion surgery is occasionally required when the bunion deformity is too advanced for conservative treatment to work. Your surgeon will usually cut an angular section from the bone to correct the alignment. In some cases, multiple toes may need to be straighten.

Bunion Night Splints

Bunion Night Splints are an option for stretching and re-aligning your toe joint.

The most popular bunion splints that we recommend are:

Darco Toe Alignment Splint

More info: http://bit.ly/UFsRIZ

Hallux Valgus Night Bunion Splint

More info: http://bit.ly/QHqVM9

More Bunion Advice

If you have any concerns or have some specific questions regarding your condition, please ask your physiotherapist.


Bunion FAQs


Bunion Treatment Options


Bunion Related Products

Metatarsalgia

Bunion Related Conditions



More info about: Foot Bunion

Monday, October 22, 2012

New Massage Therapist in Sandgate Brisbane

Kylie Farrell

Remedial Massage
Sports Massage
Deep Tissue Massage
Relaxation Massage
Sports Injuries
Acupuncture/Dry Needling
Massage Sandgate, Brisbane
Kylie Farrell is a multi-talented health professional with a wide range of expertise related to conditions she can treat or assist via remedial massage and acupuncture.

Kylie has the following qualifications:

Diploma of Health Science (Acupuncture) ACNM 1996
Diploma of Remedial Massage ACNM 1998

Kylie has worked in several prominent physiotherapy, natural health and chiropractic clinics over the past 16+ years. Her special interests and experience include sports and remedial massage treating a broad range of musculoskeletal conditions and sports injures. Kylie has treating leading sports athletes along with the general population.

Kylie now brings her massage and acupuncture skills to Sandgate PhysioWorks in Brisbane.

Remedial & Sports Massage

  • Sports Massage: Pre-event, post-event, injury management and prevention.
  • Fluid Retention, Muscle Cramps, Trigger for muscle for definition.
  • Pain management, pinched nerves & movement issues. 

As a registered remedial massage therapist, private health insurance rebates apply for massages with Kylie.

Phone our Sandgate Clinic on 3269 1122 now to book your massage treatment.
Click Here to Book Your Massage Online Now!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Who's just won a Massage at PhysioWorks?

Congratulations to...

A Gunning-Davis from Nundah

Please call us now on 3862 4544 to claim you prize.


Didn't win... but need a Massage?

Call us now:

Clayfield 3862 4544
Sandgate 3269 1122

Discover more about Massage at PhysioWorks

Sunday, October 14, 2012

What are Common Triathlon Injuries?



Common Triathlon Injuries

What are Common Triathlon Injuries?
Triathletes are vulnerable to the full spectrum of sports injuries that could be sustained from swimmingcycling or running.

Most triathletes suffer overuse or overtraining injuries, but acute traumatic injuries can also occur during an event or training.

Please visit the following links dedicated to the three disciplines of a triathlon:

Most Common Triathlon Injuries

Typically, the types of injuries triathletes deal with are overuse injuries.

Triathlon training repetitively stresses muscles, tendons, and the tissues around joints and bones. This continuous stress produces repetitive microtrauma.

Overuse injuries result from the body's inability to keep up with repair of the damage created by repetitive microtrauma. The body's tissue eventually breaks down -- resulting in pain, inflammation, and weakness.

Ignoring the pain and inflammation and continuing to train will lead tomacrotrauma and disruption of the tendon, muscle or bone. The worst case scenario is an injury that could result in weeks or months away from your triathlon training and competition.

If you need advice or you need to manage your triathlete injury, we strongly recommend that you utilise expert advice. Poorly diagnosed and mismanaged injuries can ultimately interrupt your training and event schedules.



Specific Triathlon Injuries



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How To Treat Triathlon Injuries

The following treatment guidelines will obviously vary depending on your specific injury.

Treatment for most triathlon injuries includes:

Acute Injury Management

  • Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation (RICE)

Soft Tissue Management

  • Massage, Dry Needling, Acupuncture and Muscle Stretching 
  • Neural Tissue Mobility

Muscle Control

  • Daily program of Core Stability Training 
  • Strengthening Program to Correct any Muscle Imbalances

Biomechanical Correction

  • Contributing Biomechanical Factors: identification and correction
     
  • Orthoses to correct leg length discrepancies or foot deformities
     
  • Professional evaluation/correction of your swimming style,  running gait and cycle position eg Physio or Podiatrist
     
  • Cycling Set-up Analaysis

Training Analaysis

  • It is important to ensure that you are undertaking a well balanced training schedule to optimise your performance and minimise your injury risk.
For more significant or persistent injuries, a triathlete will typically seeks out a medical professional from a Sports Physiotherapist, Sports Physician, Podiatrist, Sports Massage Therapist, Sports Dietitian and/or Sports Psychologist.

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Common Triathlete Treatment Options



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FAQs about Triathlon Injuries



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Helpful Products for Triathletes

Triathletes

 



More info about Triathlete Injuries

Need a Simple Multi-Purpose Knee Brace or Support?

The Open Elastic Patella Knee Brace 2021 is a simple but supportive knee brace for most mild knee pain & injuries, including minor knee sprains and strains.

This knee brace provides firm support for the maintenance of knee joint structures with gentle compression and support around your kneecap.

Which Knee Brace Size?

Measure around the mid-section of your knee, while in a standing position.

Size Knee Circumference (cm)
 S 30.5 to 34.0
 M 34.0 to 38.0
 L 38.0 to 42.0 
 XL 42.0 to 46.0

This open patella knee brace could be useful in the following knee conditions:

Knee Pain
Other Knee Pain Conditions

Where to Buy a Knee Brace or Support?