Sports injuries
Sport is very important for good health but injuries can occur. Common injuries in sport are bruises, ligament sprains, joint injuries and overuse injuries. They can be caused by a direct blow,or a indirect force such as a twist, or with over use of a muscle. Your Physiotherapist will use their knowledge of biomechanics, tissue injury and healing to assess the problem and provide the most effective treatment. Before returning to sport you must regain strength, mobility, balance and co-ordination. Your Physiotherapist will show you how to improve them. Christopher Matthews and Jacquie Dundee at Physiotherapy Centre Ivanhoe have a special interest in sports injuries.

After an Injury remember for 72 hours you need to:
Rest - Move only within your limits of pain
Ice - As soon as possible, and for 20 minutes every 2 hours apply ice or frozen gel pack wrapped in a damp towel. This helps to control bleeding and pain
and reduces on going tissue damage.
Compression - Firmly bandage the injury to control swelling
Elevation - As much as possible, elevate your injury higher than the level of your heart
to reduce swelling.

Avoid HARM factors for 48 hours:
Heat, Alcohol, Running. Massage 

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Back pain - There are many causes of back pain 
Postural Stress - Poor posture causes your ligaments to be over stretched, Your muscles to tire and place the joints and nerves under pressure. The posture needs to be corrected ad the body trained to maintain the new correct posture. Your Physiotherapist will assess your posture and show any corrections required. Ergonomic advice will help improve the comfort of your surroundings.
Muscle strains - These can be very painful and often improve on their own. They may be caused by over loading the muscle, for example, during gardening or lifting. Physiotherapy help to relieve the pain and promote healing.
Ligament sprains - With injuries caused by a fast action, such as a whiplash or sporting injuries, the muscles do not respond fast enough to protect the spine, so the deeper ligaments may be damaged. This results in bleeding, pain, swelling and disruption of the normal movements of the joints. Physiotherapy helps to relieve pain, promote healing and restore normal movement.
Disc Problems
Discs are cartilage rings that are anchored between the vertebra. They cannot slip out of place. However, if the structure is damaged they can bulge (prolapse), herniate or rupture causing severe pain in the back and legs. The damage often can not be repaired but your physiotherapist can help to decrease pain, increase function and prevent reoccurrence with an ongoing maintenance exercise program.
Sciatica
The sciatic nerve runs from your back, through the buttocks into the back of the leg and down to the foot. If this nerve is irritated anywhere along it’s course it may lead to pain or a change in sensation in the back , the legs and the feet. Depending on the severity of the injury your Physiotherapist can help reduce the pain .
Arthritis
The joints between the vertebra can be affected by arthritis leading to degeneration, inflammation and pain. A change in posture and regular exercise as instructed by your physiotherapist can often help to alleviate the pain.
Muscle Weakness
If there is not enough support by the muscles of the abdomen and back the spine poor postural habits develop and the risk of injury is increased. Specific exercises for your problem will be provided by your Physiotherapist.
How to avoid back injury
Lifting - Prepare the surroundings and your body for the move. Bring the item close to the body, have the feet wide apart and the back straight. Use your abdominal and leg muscles to lift and don’t twist the spine.
Posture - Be as tall as possible with the shoulders relaxed back, the chin tucked in and the head level. Don’t stay in any posture for more than 20 minutes. Move regularly and choose supportive furniture for sitting, driving and sleeping. Your physiotherapist can assess y
Exercise - Choose something that you enjoy that will gently move and strengthen the body.

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Neck pain and Headaches
These are very common in today's society where people spend a lot of time looking down at lap tops or other forms of study. All our Physiotherapists at Physiotherapy Centre Ivanhoe will be able to help you with neck pain and headaches.
Your neck supports and moves your heavy head. It has 7 vertebrae with discs in-between and is supported by ligaments and muscles. Injury and poor posture are the most common causes of neck pain but arthritis and degeneration may also.
Injuries may occur from a motor vehicle, sports or occupational accident. Damage may occur to the muscles, ligaments, nerves, discs, joints or bones of the neck. Your Physiotherapist can help with mobilisation, exercises, massage, electrotherapy, posture correction, and relaxation
Poor posture can cause neck pain, head aches and dizziness. If the ligaments are over stretched the muscles become tired and place stress on the joints and nerves. This leads to pain. If the upper neck is in a shortened position the pain may go into the head causing headaches and dizziness. If the head is held at an angle the muscles have to work harder and become sore. If the arms are held away from the body, such as using the mouse or painting, or exercise, the muscles from the shoulder blades, that run up to the neck, can become overtired and painful, leading to neck pain and headaches.
Prevention of neck pain
Good posture is the key. Your postural muscles will become stronger if they maintain your neck in the correct position with the chin tucked in, the head over the body and the shoulders relaxed. . 

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Dizziness 
Do you have, a spinning or falling sensation? Is it difficult to focus your eyes, especially after moving the neck. Do you veer off to one side when walking? Do you avoid crowds, noise or bright lights? Do you have to roll over in bed or sit up slowly? Do you have to walk with your feet further apart to keep your balance. These are just a few of the symptoms produced by a problem with the vestibular system or the neck. Physiotherapy can help. Sarah Cutland and Jacquie Dundee have a special interest and experience with treating dizziness.
However, dizziness may be caused by many other problems so please see your GP for a thorough check up first.
Vestibular rehabilitation
The inner ear has 3 fluid filled canals and 2 chambers (otolith organs) which tell you if you are moving, in which direction and which way up you are. If there is a problem with the floating crystals in the ear you feel nausea, unsteady, anxious and many other of the symptoms mentioned above. Some times this can be cured using a special technique called the Epley or Canalith repositioning technique, or the Sermont Manoeuvre. Often a series of exercises are required to steadily challenge and improve the balance. The starting exercises will be different for everyone, depending on the severity of the problem and the treatment is ongoing for several months. You are taught the exercises for home and these are progressed as you improve. Often there is a component of neck dysfunction and pain as well.
Cervical Dizziness
This is caused by the structures at the top of the neck becoming sensitive and painful. Your Physiotherapist will help to settle the pain, correct the posture and relax the upper neck muscles. You will have to maintain the new good posture and continue with exercises until the dizziness has settled.                                                                                                         UP TO TOP OF PAGE

Pilates 
At Physiotherapy Centre Ivanhoe we have Physiotherapist run Pilates classes through the week and on a Saturday morning. We have only four in a group so the required exercises can be achieved at your level and constantly adapted as you improve. To prevent injury, your Pilates Physio will see you for a one to one assessment before starting classes. This will enable your Physio to set suitable exercises and monitor any problems.
Classes include reformer and trapeze work, balls, balance boards and mat work. 
You may enrol for a term to ensure you have the time you like, or you can come on a casual basis, as places allow.
Chris Matthews, Tamsen Osbourne, Jacquie Dundee and Eva Bogatek all run classes through the week. 

Phone to find out who runs the class at your preferred time. 9497 3075.   UP TO TOP OF PAGE

What is Clinical Pilates?
Clinical Pilates has been developed by Australian Physiotherapist and ex dancer Craig Philips. It was developed originally by Joseph Pilates in the first world war. He used exercises to rehabilitate injured soldiers and later dancers. The exercises were often performed against the resistance of springs. His exercises provided the basis for the early physiotherapists.
At present Pilates exercises are used as either by the fitness industry as a form of exercise for people with no injuries or by Physiotherapists as a method of pain relief, restoration of normal movement, and improving balance and co-ordination of the central body. A Physiotherapist teaching exercises, including Pilates exercises, will ensure that the position of the body and the level of exercise is correct and that the movement pattern is normal. Once you are able to perform the exercise safely you can practice without supervision. One important difference with Pilates exercises is that the strength used should never be more than 30% of the maximum you can do. To improve you increase the duration of the exercise or make it more difficult to balance during the exercise. Think of the balance required by dancers!
All the Physiotherapists at Physiotherapy Centre Ivanhoe can help you with Pilates exercise. 

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