The summer holidays are something we all look forward to  –  spending time with family and friends, getting out and about, doing new activities or jumping into the car to head off on a classic Kiwi roadie!  It’s also a time that we see an interesting variety of injuries coming through the door. Here are a few tips that might help reduce your chance of injury and maintain your holiday happiness!

Driving/travel – Holidays often mean quite a bit of travelling either by car, boat or plane. There can be long periods of time sitting and often not in the most comfortable position. This can place significant stress on the lower back and neck with sub-optimal postures. When driving, try to avoid resting your arm up on the door as this can place unnecessary stress on the shoulder region. Sitting on your wallet is another no no. And remember to keep hydrated and take frequent breaks and change posture regularly.

Jandals – Wearing jandals all summer long can result in foot issues, in particular heel pain (otherwise known as plantarfascia pain).  A good idea is to go jandal free and to have a tennis ball handy to roll the arches of your feet.

Pillows – Take your own pillow with you on holiday, especially if you have problems with your neck or back. We’re often in different beds and so it’s nice to have your favourite pillow to help catch those much needed zzzzzz’s.

Activity levels – Summer time is a great time for people to take up new activities or exercise more vigorously. Any sudden increase in load or intensity can put you at risk of developing an injury.  So take time to increase your activity levels slowly and enjoy getting out there without risking any strains.

Backyard games –  Games that haven’t been played for a while can take their toll if you’re not used to that sort of movement. Backyard cricket, touch rugby and beach volleyball are a few common culprits. It may seem a bit silly, but take some time to limber up and get ready for action – much better than having to deal with a ruptured achilles or groin strain later…

DIY – Getting some of those jobs done around the house is a great summer pass-time; but it’s good to be mindful of the type of work you’re doing and the impact on your body. Taking breaks during the day and changing movement patterns is helpful.  For example, painting the ceiling or deck can put your neck under strain and develop into a real pain in the neck if you’re not careful.

Gardening – The ground is usually pretty hard during the summer so digging can be hard work. Make sure you wear supportive shoes, take breaks and change activity and movement to ease the strain on backs, necks, shoulders and hands.

Sharing the load – Lifting bags and gear in and out of the car, to the camping ground, beach, home or boat can be tough going. Share the load with the heavy items and be careful with bending and twisting at the same time and this can put tension and stress on the spinal structures.

If you do get yourself into a pickle with an injury, we’ll be open during the holiday period, so don’t hesitate to give us a call on 09 378 6890 and get yourself back on track to enjoy your summer.

Running is a great time-efficient way to exercise, a good way to see the neighbourhood, find new trails and get some fresh air.  Because it’s a weight bearing and repetitive activity it’s prone to cause overuse type injuries – of which there are many.  Plantar fascia pain is one of these common running injuries and one that can cause nagging discomfort and limitation to activity levels.

What is the Plantar fascia?

The plantar fascia is a thick connective tissue running from the heel bone to the toes which provides support for the arch of the foot.

Plantar fascitis or plantar fascia pain results from excessive stress placed on this structure resulting in sharp pain, ache or burn at the heel or in the middle of the arch.  A common symptom is hobbling with pain after a period of sitting or rest.  A lot of people complain of discomfort first thing in the morning, but find they can still run as they warm up, only to find that when they sit back down for a period and get back up again it is very painful and limiting.

The plantar fascia can not only be put under stress, causing an overload of the tissues resulting in pain but it can also be acutely torn, causing severe pain and inability to walk normally.

What are the common causes of Plantar fascia pain?

• • Rapid increases in training frequency/time or intensity including hills and speedwork
  • Inappropriate shoes – either not the right ones for your foot structure or shoes being too old
  • Poor foot biomechanics – pronation, high and low arches etc
  • Poor running technique and core control
  • Types of terrain – eg: running on hard surfaces all the time

Some helpful tips to avoid Plantar fascia pain

• • Spend the time getting the right shoes for your feet and running style
  • Making appropriate increases in running training – time, frequency and intensity
  • Vary running terrain
  • Stretching – particularly the calf area and foot region but also overall body stretching
  • Self-myofascial release work using foam roller or spikey ball/tennis ball
  • Strengthening – important for runners to include strengthening work into training schedule; core strengthening is key, but also more specifically calf and foot muscles.
  • Running technique – overstriding is a common problem that can cause many injuries associated with running

How can Physiotherapy help?

A thorough assessment is essential to work out possible causes of this injury. Hands on treatment including soft tissue work as well as mobilisation of joints and nerves in some cases, may form part of the treatment programme.

Taping can help provide pain relief and support for the arch region.

Various stretches and strengthening exercises can be prescribed to help treat the injury but also to increase the overall running strength and flexibility, along with training suggestions and advice.

Our physiotherapists can show you how to do self massage and myofascial release using a foam roller or spikey ball, plus other useful techniques to alleviate your symptoms.  

We can provide a podiatry referral if required, as we have a fully qualified, experienced podiatrist operating from our clinic.

If you think you could be suffereing from plantar fascia pain; give us a call on 09 378 6890 to make an appointment.

Ever woken with a stiff, sore neck or a headache and shoulder pain? The neck is often the culprit for aches and pains that occur in our shoulders, jaw, arms and even our hands. There are many different causes of neck pain, most common are those associated with postural stresses and strains.

Trauma is another key factor for the development of neck pain. This can include serious injuries such as fractures, dislocations, disc injuries, nerve injury, whiplash and concussion associated neck pain, for which physiotherapy plays an important part in recovery and rehabilitation.

The impact of our busy lifestyles, sustained or repetitive postures and the use of digital devices mean that neck and shoulder pain is never far away. The result of prolonged stress in our lives can also be a major factor in the development of pain around the neck and shoulder region.

So how do these factors cause neck pain?

Postural neck pain is often caused by continued tension being placed on certain muscles which then develop muscle trigger points and myofascial tightness in the soft tissues, which can put a strain on both joints and ligaments.

We often have a tendency to change our breathing pattern when we are busy, tired or stressed and this too can contribute to the development of neck pain. This creates imbalances in the musculoskeletal system and often results in pain.

The body is capable of managing a certain load for a period of time, but once it reaches its limit pain and tightness start to develop. Some examples of sustained postures or repetitive postures that can cause neck pain include computer work, factory work, building, mums who are breast feeding or people doing fine hand work just to name a few.

Symptoms can be localised to the neck and shoulder region, but it’s also possible to get headaches that originate from the neck, as well as referred pain that can travel down into the arm and as far as the fingers. Sometimes there can be associated tingling and numbness which can occur in the face, neck, shoulder, arm, wrist and hand regions.

It is not only muscles, fascia and joints that become tight and sore but also the nerves that pass out from the neck and down the arm. This can be referred to as neural tension. In some cases, nerves can be stretched or compressed causing significant dysfunction. Nerves can take quite a long time to recover from damage and must be treated with respect.

How can you help reduce your neck problems?

It’s important to get an assessment done by your physiotherapist to work out what structures are causing the pain and to help identify the likely triggers and look at ways to reduce the impact on the body.

This may include such things as changing the way you sleep at night. A change in pillow or using one good pillow and not two or changing from sleeping on your stomach to a side or back sleeping position can be beneficial.

Reviewing your desk set up at work, or changing the way you move, lift or reach if you have a job that requires these movements can also help.

Breathing can also be a factor.  Taking notice of whether you tend to hold your breath when busy or perhaps shallow breathing can cause issues.  Try to make your breath out longer than you breathe in. Remember to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Yoga can be very beneficial in this area.

Posture is crucial.  Getting a postural check is always a good thing. We often get tight in some areas and weak in others, so postural and strengthening exercises can be very helpful. Common postural issues include the classic poking out of the chin (particularly when looking at a screen), shoulders up around ears, slouched middle back and rounded shoulders.

For those that work on computers all day, including micro pauses in your day is important. Putting a reminder into your computer to take regular breaks and get up and stretch is also helpful.

For people who do repetitive work such as lifting, reaching or working in tight or awkward spaces, then it’s important to try and counter the favoured movement pattern with the opposite movement patterns. This maybe through the use of stretches or dynamic stretches or strengthening exercises.

Exercise, in general, is very good for pain relief. Remember exercise is medicine!

How can Physiotherapy help?

Physiotherapy can help by identifying the problem and formulating a plan of action. Techniques such as joint mobilisation, soft tissue techniques, including trigger point release and myofascial release are normally prescribed.

Acupuncture is also very helpful in the treatment of neck pain and its related symptoms.

Breathing or postural exercises or advice and strengthening and stretching exercises can help build up weak muscles and stretch those that are too tight.

It can take time to change bad habits and to strengthen key areas, so you need to be patient.

If you feel like you have been struggling with a sore neck for some time then book an appointment with us today on 09 378 6890 or email us at info@ponsonbyphysio.co.nz

There are many things we can do to strengthen supporting muscles and ligaments to help in minimising knee and ankle injuries.

Alignment

Maintaining good alignment is one of the key things to keep knees and ankles safe during exercise.  Specific muscles tend to weaken and others tighten, which can impact on alignment; so it’s important to isolate those muscles and target them for strengthening.

Strengthening & Lengthening

Postural muscles which control the hip position, such as the lower abdominal muscles and posterior gluteus medius (the muscles running down the outside of your bottom) need to be strong.  If they become weak they can impact your posture, causing other muscles to tighten and pull knee joints out of alignment.

The VMO (vastus medialis oblique) is a small part of the quad muscle that sits on the inner side above the knee cap; it also needs to be strong to ensure control and full range of movement of the kneecap.

The ITB (ilio tibial band) of muscles which run down the down of the outside of the thigh and the rectus femoris (the quad muscle that starts above the hip and extends below the knee) are prone to tightness, which affects alignment, so it’s important to lengthen these muscles.

All the muscles around the ankle including the upper and lower calf muscles that attach to the achilles, and those running from the shin down to the inside of the arch (tibialis posterior) and the peroneal muscles on the outside of the lower leg, all need to work together to provide control, strength and stability.

Ultimately it is the timing, patterning and interplay of all these muscle groups that provide good, preventative strength to the legs.  Practicing functional and sport specific drills (i.e. FIFA 11+ and netball smart) will help to train the muscles to react quickly and ensure your safety on the court or field.

Exercises

To help minimise knee injuries the following exercises can be of benefit:

1. 1. Small knee bends – with the knee over the middle of the foot
   2. Single leg squats, moving to lunges and jumping
   3. Wall squats, leg extensions and leg presses