It’s that time again – we are starting to become active after the winter season and have resolved to get fit and lose the extra kilos we have put on. This often results in an influx of overuse injuries and a trip to your local physiotherapist in pain, as people get motivated and hit the roads, treadmills and gyms. As physiotherapists it is important to encourage people to stay fit and healthy, but to do this in a controlled and rational manner.
Safe exercise is required to reduce injuries in the population of people who have stopped exercising over winter and are now full steam ahead to get fit for summer. We all need to work within our limits and fitness level and should not be pushed beyond this limit. During fatigue we are at the greatest risk to sustain an injury. It is important to develop aerobic fitness, control and balance and to maintain good muscle length. This should increase gradually over time. Many people undertake exercise programs without adequate warm-up. Warm-up should build to the point where we develop a light sweat without any shortness of breath and should be specific to the activity you are doing.
For any activity the appropriate equipment should be used, especially for running activities the appropriate footwear should be worn. The shoes should have good cushioning but provide adequate stability to reduce the likelihood of stress fractures, planter fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis and knee problems to name a few. Shoes should be changed every 1,000 km – for runners every 6 – 9 months, while walkers should change every 12 months.
Gold Coast Sports & Spinal Physio offer more than just a quick fix approach to pain we take the time to do a thorough assessment, diagnose the problem and discover the factors contributing to pain. This allows for treatment of the cause rather than just the symptom, which provides long term benefits as the correct treatment and corrective exercise program can be prescribed. Gold Coast Sports & Spinal Physio has a gym and Pilates reformer on site to improve muscle function and core stability, which are major causes of pain and stiffness.