Written by Suzanne Rath, Director. Having just completed 4 days studying Craniosacral Therapy & the Immune Response (Brisbane 2024) I could write for days about inflammation and its role in mediating many modern day illnesses and symptoms! We spent lots of time looking at the organs and cells of the immune system, strategies for calming the immune system down (in the case of dysregulation or autoimmune conditions), as well as allowing it to work more effectively. For the purpose of not boring you to death however, let’s break it down! My Story With Inflammation. Many people know that in 2013

More than just one day a year, “R U OK? Day” has been a sign for Australians that we often need to check in with the mental health of others and ourselves. Unfortunately, many Australians don’t discuss their mental health, from concerns of appearing weak, vulnerable, burdensome, or that others won’t understand what they’re facing. Addressing mental health stigma is important, and simply asking others if they are ok, can allow people to see that others are aware that they may indeed be struggling, and that it’s ok to talk. There are different ways we can ask if someone’s ok,

Please note that on 11 December 2023, the Wellness Embodied Cairns City clinic will be moving from its current Sheridan Street address to a new location at Level 2, 80-86 Abbott Street. This is in the Mantra Trilogy building. We will be taking over the space formerly occupied by Trinity Plastics, as shown in this photo. In opening this new city clinic, we are also moving some of our team members around, across our other clinics. This will occur at the same time as the new clinic opening. To help prepare for this, please see the below, which highlights who

Play is not just entertainment for children. Play is a child’s equivalent to work – it is their main occupation, and the task through which they begin to develop complex skills. These skills include social intelligence, use of language, fine and gross motor competency, emotional understanding, empathy, understanding of right and wrong, concentration, imagination, problem solving and so many more! Even the simplest of games have a wealth of learning opportunities. For children, everything is a learning opportunity. Even kids who are too young to be educated begin to explore and learn from their surroundings. You might not give much

Had a recent surgery or trauma and notice a restriction of movement because of your new scar? A wound will progress through stages to become a mature scar – though the duration and outcome can be impacted with physiotherapy. There are different types of scars, determined by the cause and management. A well healed incision will have a fine lined scar, that does not normally impact movement or even appear different to surrounding skin. A keloid scar is an overgrowth past the original injury which occurs gradually, because of excessive collagen which can appear raised and impact movement of the

Exercise is an essential component of managing Parkinson’s disease and can greatly improve quality of life for those living with the condition. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and can lead to tremors, stiffness and difficulty with balance and coordination. While there is no cure for Parkinson’s, regular exercise has been shown to be a powerful tool for managing the disease and its symptoms. One of the primary benefits of exercise for people with Parkinson’s is that it can help to improve mobility and flexibility. Stretching and strengthening exercises can help to loosen tight muscles and improve

Mindfulness and meditation have long since been a great method of addressing feelings of anxiety, stress and sadness. But more recently, it is becoming more useful in the management of various injuries and chronic pain. Even more specific to us, is the use of mindfulness and meditation in rehabilitation for concussion injuries. What Exactly Is Mindfulness And Why Is It Useful In Concussion? Mindfulness is a form of meditation that is designed to orient yourself back to the present moment, improving your awareness of what is happening in your immediate surroundings, and what is happening within yourself. It is task-orientated

CrossFit is a one of a kind sport. It certainly isn’t for everyone, but hey, what is? You wouldn’t catch me at a yoga class! CrossFit is one of those sports that attracts high energy, competitive, very enthusiastic athletes. Once you start to see improvements in your skills, physical appearance and strength, you truly can become addicted. Did you know, CrossFit has been around for over 20 years now!? It started in one gym (owned by Greg Glassman) in California in 2000 and now has over 12,000 affiliated gyms worldwide. The problem with CrossFit is that sometimes athletes forget to

Fatigue and tiredness are something that everyone will experience during their lives. It can be short-term, in response to an event, activity or occasion, or it can be long-term. Regardless of the cause, tiredness and/or lack of energy and fatigue can have a widespread impact on wellbeing. Fatigue can decrease safety, judgement, memory, problem solving, motivation and emotional regulation, whilst increasing pain, headaches, posture, and other symptoms. While many people will experience issues with energy conservation, those experiencing the following conditions/injuries may have worse symptoms: Stroke Headaches (especially ongoing) Ongoing pain in muscles or joints Stress and anxiety Depression Post

Sleep hygiene is something that not many people know about, and yet so many struggle with sleeplessness and/or poor, broken or restless sleep. This leads to our bodies not being able to function at their best. Hence the purpose of this story, the importance of Practicing Good Sleep Hygiene. Firstly, what are some of the causes and conditions which may impact sleep? There are many, some of which are outlined below and can be treated and supported by the professional team of allied health professionals at Wellness Embodied – which includes an Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapists, Osteopath, Exercise Physiologist and Remedial

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is one of the ways you can monitor your health and empower yourself. What is it? ~ Simply put, it’s a measurement of how quickly our body can shift between parasympathetic (a relaxed, calm, sleepy, slower digestive state) and sympathetic (an excited, adrenaline based, fearful, faster state) nervous states. If you’re training, stressed, starting to feel a little off, or want a spur to begin better breathing practices, checking out HRV is a great place to start! Most people understand the concept of heart rate and can make a stab at taking their own pulse (the

Wellness Embodied is proud to support the Glenoma parkrun. This Cairns parkrun takes place every Saturday morning from 7am at Glenoma Park, visit the parkrun website for more information. Supporting parkrun is just one of the ways the Wellness Embodied team strive to attain their vision, of making Cairns the healthiest city in Australia. In conjunction with our support of this event, we are working with our local GP’s to improve the physical health of our Cairns community, and work towards more “social prescribing”. What’s that? ~ Social prescribing is a new initiative for health practitioners to use a more

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common disease characterized by progressive airflow limitation and tissue destruction. It’s most commonly caused by smoking and is seen in people over the age of 40. The disease is linked with ongoing airway limitation and inflammation. It causes problems with breathing, especially breathing air out of the lungs, and problems with the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the lungs. Other problems that may be caused by the disease are changes to the breathing mechanics (pattern), breathlessness, reduced heart function, problems with skeletal muscles and lower overall fitness. Usually, the most common

Diabetes is a serious, chronic metabolic condition that results in abnormally high blood sugar. For our bodies to work properly, we need to convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy. Insulin is the essential hormone in our bodies that controls this process. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and allows the glucose we get from food, to be absorbed from the bloodstream into the body’s cells. In someone with diabetes, this process can’t occur and instead of being absorbed, the glucose from food stays in the bloodstream, resulting in abnormally high blood glucose levels. There are a few types of

June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and we should all know what the symptoms are and embrace a ‘bowel-healthy’ lifestyle!   Why should you care? Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. Being young does not make you immune to bowel cancer and 1 in 13 Australians will develop the disease in their lifetime with 10% of those being under 50 years of age. Bowel cancer in people under age 50 is being diagnosed at later stages, indicating the trend in young onset bowel cancer is not due to earlier detection. 99% of bowel

Training for the IronMan 70.3?    One of the biggest things we see from our athletes is that they leave their niggles to the last possible minute, which then results in them becoming full blown issues!    Many of our athletes are currently working towards the Iron Man, held in June this year. It is getting towards the end of peaks in training, and people are starting to feel the fatigue. NOW is the time to book an appointment for the remedial massage, or to get your aches and pains assessed and addressed so that you can go into the

So you’re a weekend warrior?   If you play, or have played, a lot of contact sports in your lifetime, chances are, you will have sustained a contusion (“cork”) at some stage of your sporting career. They’re big, swollen and painful, and leave you feeling a little bit worse for wear for the following days. You may have even had one stick around for a few weeks, to the point where it required external treatment. Here at Wellness Embodied, we want to empower our clients to take charge of their own recovery and wellbeing, all as part of making Cairns

Survive Survive is the stage many of our clients come to us at. They may have had an acute injury, be suffering from severe pain, or have a significant health concern like chronic fatigue, diabetes or more which is stopping them from doing what they want to do! Our Services at this stage include Physiotherapy & Osteopathy to assess, diagnose and treat the problem, Exercise Physiology to kickstart working towards some health outcomes and Remedial Massage for pain & tension relief.   Products which may help to relieve your pain and make you feel better, include tape, our range of

We often get asked in practice if dry needling is the same as acupuncture. Although the same fine needles are used to elicit a change or reaction within the body, there are some key differences between the two.   What is dry needling and how does this differ to acupuncture? Dry needling involves inserting sterile needles into trigger points within the muscle. Trigger points are taut bands of muscle which can cause and contribute to pain within the body. Inserting the needle into these trigger points will elicite a local ‘twitch’ response, allowing the muscle to then relax and begin

At Wellness Embodied, we offer orthotics prescription services utilising our GaitScan technology. Our therapists are qualified in assessing your need for orthotics, and will determine exactly what is going to be suitable.   So, who needs orthotics? If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, you may be in need of some extra arch support! – do you stand for long periods of time, and often leave work with aching feet? – do you suffer from low back, hip, knee, ankle or foot pain? – do you suffer from niggling overuse injuries such as stress fractures, tendon

At some point in your rehabilitation or sporting journey, you have probably heard the terms strength and conditioning thrown around. But what do these terms actually mean?  Put simply, strength and conditioning is the process most athletes will go through to better prepare their bodies for the sporting/competitive season. It is a program that is tailored to the individual athlete and their sport, and is designed to prepare their body for peak performance in their chosen sport or activity. It is a process that involves collaboration between a strength and conditioning coach, the sporting coach, and any relevant health professionals

Are you worried we’ll tell you to stop exercising after a concussion? One of the main barriers we hear from athletes against seeking help post concussion is, ‘I want to play in the Grand final/ compete in 2 weeks’ BEST PRACTICE concussion management is to obtain a baseline test at the beginning of season (so that when you sustain a concussion, we’re comparing your performance to your normal- as well as dealing with any niggling issues BEFORE the season begins… ), plus to see a practitioner with knowledge of all facets of concussion management WITHIN THE FIRST 48 HOURS POST

The Quadratus Lumborum (QL) is a deep lower back muscle that lies on both sides of the lumbar spine. The QL muscle is critical for spinal stability and side bending, and it has the capacity to cause a lot of pain and imbalance when it gets tight. Quadratus Lumborum (QL) Muscle QL Muscle Pain The QL muscle has the capacity to cause a lot of pain in the body when it is ridden with trigger points, also known as knots. Trigger points are tight, shortened bands of muscle that constantly pull on joints when present. Constant muscle tension induced by

October is Mental Health Month!    This year, we celebrate the theme of “tuning in” to your mental health, and to the factors that may be impacting upon it. What exactly does this mean?    Put simply, tuning in means being present. It means that you aware of both what is happening within yourself, and what is happening in the world around you. It can help to build awareness of your thoughts and feelings, identify negative thought patterns, assist you in making positive choices, and build positive connections with the people around you, as well as outside influences.    How

Wellness Embodied are delighted to be the first Cairns clinic to offer the GLA:D program for sufferers of hip and knee OA. The GLA:D program in Australia shows an average pain reduction of 36%, reduced analgesic consumption, reduction in perceived need for surgery, clinically meaningful improvement in joint confidence. We often see clients with OA who are confused about exercise and its benefits, as well as their condition, so we look forward to improving the quality of life of OA sufferers greatly. An initial appointment is required to assess the clients eligibility for the program. The program will start on Tuesday

Lets talk about lateral elbow pain, also known as “tennis elbow”, lateral epicondylitis or by the newer name lateral epicondylalgia.   It is a common overuse injury of the elbow. The cause can be repetitive overuse of the upper limb such as heavy lifting, computer use or some occupations where people have to do the same movement with their wrist or elbow repetitively (such as carpenter, gardener). Besides tennis, other sports can cause the problem as well, such as squash, badminton and baseball. It can be related to changes in biomechanical factors such as new tennis racquet, poor technique, overtraining

What and where is Tibialis Anterior? It is a muscle located in our shin, right next to the tibia bone. It is an important muscle because it is responsible for bringing our foot up (dorsiflexion) and help us for our walking. What is tibialis anterior tendinopathy? And what are the symptoms? Tibialis anterior tendinopathy is an overuse injury of the tibialis anterior muscle. If we use the tibialis anterior muscle beyond its capability, the tendon may start to get some micro injuries, and gradually become a tendinopathy. Generally, at the beginning phase, patients with tibialis anterior tendinopathy will only experience

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month so this a good chance for us to fully appreciate this important ‘male-only’ gland and the benefits of keeping it healthy. The prostate gland sits directly below your bladder and encircles the tube that carries urine from your bladder out through your penis. The job of the prostate is to produce the majority of the fluid making up your semen, which carries and sustains your sperm cells. There is also smooth muscle in the prostate and this acts as a pump during ejaculation and also helps prevent accidental urine leakage. Why should you care?

There’s a compelling reason why the Cairns Ironman send an email out the very next day after athletes have completed their first 70.3 team or solo, or a full Ironman event on the iconic course. While we may be tired and sore, we’re also on a high from the buzz of the crowd, the pride at having completed an endurance event or the lovely medal we now own. It’s the perfect time to hit the sign up button- with many potentially thinking ‘I’ll train up next year!’ But before you get back into Netflix, camping and fishing (or whatever floats

What is the current prevailing narrative of an athlete who sustains an ACL tear?   This was the first question that I was asked when completing the Global Specialist Physiotherapy course on Non-Operative ACL management. The answer is that patients immediately think, and are advised that surgery is the only option for optimal healing.   BUT, this is no longer true.   Over the last couple of decades, research has been trickling through showing that the ACL can spontaneously heal with the right rehabilitation. It has also debunked some common myths surrounding ACL reconstruction surgeries, such as:   – having

Have you ever had a niggly hamstring and you’re wondering why it just won’t go away? First of all, let’s run through a bit of anatomy. The hamstring group is made up of three muscles. They all originate at your sit bones, and insert either side of your knee. Because they attach over two joints (hip and knee), they can produce movement at both! The main movements they produce are knee flexion, hip extension, and rotation of the hip through different movements. So, being a relatively big muscle group, why are they so often injured? Well, the hamstrings are most

Do you know what patellofemoral pain (PFP) is? It is a common condition, and studies have suggested that 25% of people suffer from PFP at some point in their lives, and 2.5 million runners experience PFP in a year. PFP is usually caused by malalignment of the knee-cap and the distal end of the thigh bone, which the knee cap glides on to when we move our legs. It is similar to a train on its track. The knee-cap is the train and the femur (thigh bone) is the track. If they are not aligned properly, the soft tissue underneath

Do you know much about bone health/bone density or osteoporosis?    What is Osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is defined as reduced bone density, and it leaves bone brittle, and at higher risk of fracture when an osteoporotic person had a fall or any other high-impact incident. Osteoporosis is a very common condition in Australia, and it was estimated that approximately 3.8% of the Australian population has osteoporosis, and it leads to over 170,000 fractures each year.    Osteoporosis is generally diagnosed with bone scan. Common osteoporotic areas such as the lumbar spine and hip will usually be scanned, and data will be

What is manual therapy? Manual therapy is a technique that is applied by hand from the physiotherapist, and has a neurophysiological effect that can modulate and reduce pain. It is an umbrella term and it consists of a variety of different techniques, such as joint mobilisation and soft tissue release techniques. What does manual therapy do? In the past, it was thought that manual therapy can physically put structures that are “at fault” or “malaligned” back into places. However, more recent scientific evidence has shown that manual therapy does not work this way. Manual therapy actually provides a neurophysiological effect

Are you someone who routinely suffers from jaw pain? One of the most common causes of jaw or TMJ dysfunction that we see in the clinic results from people clenching their teeth at various times throughout the day, as well as when asleep at night! Why is this? Clenching generally occurs when an individual is under an extra amount of stress during the daily lives. This can range from feeling frustrated at work, to trying to load your squat up too much at the gym. Whatever the cause, we are sure that you have been guilty of it at some

Diet is an often overlooked part of concussion management, as well as health in general. We’ve heard that your gut is a second brain. At Wellness Embodied Cairns, we’re lucky enough to have a Physiotherapist who is also a degree qualified naturopath- working out of our Scott Street clinic. Part of our CCMI concussion injury management protocol is to provide nutrition advice. BUT- what impact would it have on your sporting performance, as well as your recovery, if your nutrition was optimised BEFORE sustaining an injury? Check out our Wellness Embodied Cairns physiotherapy video discussing this here. For further information

Whether you’re frustrated with the rate of an injury healing, or your progress in training/ life, the concept of the ‘dip’ is important to be aware of. A simple case study on how injury healing isn’t linear might be a sprained ankle in a marathon runner. Say the runner simply rests for several weeks – even with Physio to restore normal range of movement and advise on protective loading. By the time they go back to training, they’ll already be a little bit behind, may have lost some vital strength in the glutes and other muscles (unless they’re very diligent

Ever get stiff and sore at your desk during the day!?   Follow along with our Cairns Physiotherapist Maigi as she leads you through a series of desk based stretches to keep the niggles at bay. If you are suffering from any desk bound aches and pains in your office or need guidance with your workstation ergonomics please contact our clinic on 42319777, email admin@wellnessembodiedcairns.com or visit our online booking page here 

Our fortnightly Facebook Wellness Embodied live videos are back! We are going live on Facebook every fortnight on Thursdays at 1:00pm (Cairns time) Tune in on Facebook to watch us live! On this weeks Facebook Live video, our Cairns Paediatric Physiotherapist Maigi is talking about kids lower limb development and common causes for parental concerns. If you have any concerns about your child’s development, we can help! Call 42319777 to book an appointment, or visit our online booking page  

Paediatric Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome What is benign joint hypermobility? It is when the joints move beyond the normal range of motion. Benign joint hypermobility tends to be more common in girls than boys and usually is genetic. It affects the connective tissue. Connective tissue is throughout the body, therefore, not only the joints are affected, it can affect digestion, skin, eyes and in more severe connective tissue disorders it can affect the heart.   Benign joint hypermobility syndrome is a condition when there are musculoskeletal symptoms in people with hypermobility. The most common symptom is pain. Kids can present

Many back injuries occur after incorrect bending or lifting, especially when we try to lift a heavy object up by ourselves with incorrect technique. If we try to lift something heavy with our back it would put on a big load onto our lumbar spine, which might cause injuries. Therefore, a good lifting technique is essential to protect us from sustaining a back injury. Generally, we should try to push the object rather than lift and move. If pushing is not feasible, then we try to lift it (with a correct technique!!!). Secondly, if we decide to lift something, we

April is autism awareness month!  Let’s talk about autism, what is it and how it affects a person. Autism is a condition that affects how a person interacts with others, how the person feels, thinks and experiences their environment and situations. People with autism spectrum disorder can have repetitive behaviours or hyper- or hyposensitivity processing information from vision, auditory, touch, taste, smell, from the vestibular system or proprioception.  They can have difficulties with social interactions, communication or can show restricted interest. It is a developmental condition and the cause of autism is not fully understood, but early intervention, education and

Our fortnightly Facebook Wellness Embodied live videos are back! We are going live on Facebook every fortnight on Thursdays at 1:00pm (Cairns time) Tune in on Facebook to watch us live!   In this weeks Wellness Embodied Live, our Cairns Physiotherapist Alyza talks about exercise during pregnancy. If you or a loved one is pregnant and would like some guidance on exercising safely, please contact our Cairns clinic on 42319777 or visit our online booking page

Our fortnightly Facebook Wellness Embodied live videos are back! We are going live on Facebook every fortnight on Thursdays at 1:00pm (Cairns time) Tune in on Facebook to watch us live! In this event Suzanne updates on the benefits of correct Rehab exercise for injury prevention and treatment. If you would like further information on our rehab services or our Rehab Room classes, please call 42319777 or visit our rehab room page on our website  

Our fortnightly Facebook Wellness Embodied live videos are back! We are going live on Facebook every fortnight on Thursdays at 1:00pm (Cairns time) Tune in on Facebook to watch us live! In this week of our Facebook Live we have our Cairns paediatric Physiotherapist Maigi talking about motor skills and the test we are using in our clinic to assess fine and gross motor skills of 4-21 year olds. For further information about our Cairns paediatric physio services or our Bot2 testing with report provided, please call our clinic on 42319777 or visit our information page on our website.  

Our fortnightly Facebook Wellness Embodied live videos are back! We are going live on Facebook every fortnight on Thursdays at 1:00pm (Cairns time) Tune in on Facebook to watch us live! Have you set your goals for the new year? Join our physio Alyza as she walks you through how to set a SMART goal, the importance of setting long and short-term goals, and how to make sure you stay on track!  

Our fortnightly Facebook Wellness Embodied live videos are back! We are going live on Facebook every fortnight on Thursdays at 1:00pm (Cairns time) Tune in on Facebook to watch us live.   In this week of our Facebook lives, our physio Clara will be explaining common causes and symptoms of vestibular dysfunction in kids and what the treatment options are. If you would like more information about our Cairns paediatric vestibular rehab, please visit our blog page or call our friendly clinic staff on 4231 9777 for more info or to book in with us.

What is Stroke? Stroke is one of the most common causes of death in Australia and worldwide. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2018, there was an estimated 387,000 people in Australia had had a stroke at some time in their lives. There are two types of stroke: ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke. While ischaemic stroke is caused by a blockage of a blood vessel, haemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding inside the brain from the result of a broken blood vessel.   Both types of stroke cause damages to the brain. Depending on the area that is damaged and

It is well known that a dysfunction of the vestibular system can cause symptoms such as vertigo, dizziness and imbalance. New research shows that kids with a vestibular dysfunction can also present learning difficulties and delayed fine and gross motor skills . At Wellness Embodied we have developed a comprehensive rehab program to improve your child’s quality of life. Common symptoms are: spinning nausea vomiting headaches imbalance falls learning difficulties, motion sickness delayed motor skills. Causes- Prevalence: Sensorineural hearing loss: 80% Cochlear implant: 51% Congenital CMV 92% Ototoxicity- Chemo: 61% Prematurity: 10% TBI: 30-80% Chronic otitis media with effusion: 71%

Did you know that 1 in 6 people will be affected by brain disease and disorders within their lifetime?    This week, we are celebrating Brain Awareness Week at Wellness Embodied. Brain Awareness Week is an international initiative designed to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research, in particular, research in relation to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, schizophrenia and depression.    Due to the ageing population, the prevalence of conditions affecting the brain is increasing. Brain Awareness Week aims to improve awareness of the

We now have gym balls for sale at Wellness Embodied! Gym balls are for people of different ages and with different functional levels. They are used in fitness, rehabilitation and prevention. They are for kids and adults, just ask for the correct sizing from our friendly staff. They are useful for people with different problems, including back pain, decreased joint range of motion, muscle tightness, or for those who want to make their training more challenging. Here are some ideas on how to use them: Gym ball to improve range of motion:  If you have problems with your range of motion,

Neck pain is one of the most debilitating types of pain we see at our Cairns physiotherapy clinic. There are multiple factors that contribute to neck pain, including sleeping posture. Poor neck posture may not just lead to neck pain but also headache, shoulder pain and even jaw pain! A suitable and supportive pillow is essential for our sleeping quality and keeping our neck pain-free! Different people have slightly different types and curvatures of cervical spine, and different necks require different types of pillow. Here at Wellness Embodied Cairns, we recommend the Denton’s pillow and we stock these at both

Last week was Tinnitus Awareness Week in Australia, so lets learn a little bit about the condition. Tinnitus is an often distressing condition where the sufferer experiences suffering in one or both ears. It can be present along with vertigo, can be exacerbated by allergies or other factors and is often constant. At Wellness Embodied, we see a number of clients with tinnitus as a ‘side symptom’- particularly in our clients with headaches and vertigo/ vestibular conditions. We often find that once the clients neck, or vestibular dysfunction is treated, their tinnitus is much lessened, or in some cases goes

Did you know that studies have shown that approximately 10% of people who participate in contact sports will sustain a concussion at some point during their career? If you have a team of 15 players, it is likely that one or more will have already sustained a concussion at some point during their contact sport career.   So, why is this important?   Left untreated and unmanaged, concussions can lead to a whole range of chronic health issues such as headaches, neck pain, dizziness, and fatigue, just to name a few. Returning to play to soon, is one of the

Our fortnightly Facebook Wellness Embodied live videos are back! We are going live on Facebook every fortnight on Thursdays at 1:00pm (Cairns time) Tune in on Facebook to watch us live!   Here is Clara our Cairns Complete Concussion Management Inc certified physiotherapist chatting about Post Concussion Syndrome characteristics and management.   If you or a loved one has sustained a concussion, it is best to book an appointment with us as soon as possible, at least within the 24 hour period following so we can get working on getting you back to work and play as soon as possible!

Kids Yoga is coming to Wellness Embodied!! Let’s talk about kids yoga! Kids yoga is a combination of games, postures and breathing exercises. Yoga is beneficial for the body and mind, it helps kids to cope with stress and improves their physical fitness. It is a fun way for children to develop different skills in a non-competitive environment. They can develop strength, coordination, balance in a supportive environment that allows them to relax and have fun. Benefits of Yoga for Children Yoga is good for our body and mind! Some of the benefits of yoga for children are the following:

Do you suffer from chronic dizziness but you haven’t found any answers about what has been going on? Have you ever heard of 3PD?…here is a short explanation… Persistent postural perceptual dizziness = 3PD It is long duration unsteadiness and dizziness (longer than 3 months), that worsens when standing and walking, or when going to busy environments such as supermarkets, shopping centres, crowded or open places; or exposed to complex visual stimuli like patterned carpets or watching traffic. 3PD is usually initiated after a vertigo episode , where the spinning feeling goes away but there is persistent dizziness that does not

Our fortnightly Facebook Wellness Embodied live videos are back! We are going live on Facebook every fortnight on Thursdays at 1:00pm (Cairns time) Tune in on Facebook to watch us live! Here are the last 2 fortnights of our Wellness Embodied Live –  First up is Clara, our Complete Concussion Management Inc certified physiotherapist chatting about introduction to Head Concussion. Next up is Concussion Management Protocol – What to expect on the first appointment after sustaining a concussion and how physiotherapy can help. Led by our Complete Concussion Management Inc Physiotherapist Alyza Brown. If you or a loved one has

Vestibular Migraines Are One Of The Most Common Causes Of Vertigo. With this condition, patients suffer from migraines that involve vestibular symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo and nausea. Headaches do not necessarily have to be present. In fact, sometimes some people may have vertigo without any headache. The term migraine in this condition means it is a spontaneous episode caused by a combination of triggers. There is not a clear explanation for why vestibular migraines happen but there are lots of things we can do to help to reduce them. Vestibular migraines present as spontaneous episodes of vertigo that last

Did you know that at Wellness Embodied, we are now offering a one hour running assessment appointment, during which our physiotherapist Alyza will analyse your running technique, and provide you with tips and tricks on how to make your running more efficient. It also includes a full lower body strength assessment to look for any weaknesses or imbalances that you may have, to ensure that we can provide you with a targeted exercise program and assist in preventing any injuries that you may sustain from running.  These running assessments are suitable for everybody! Whether you are wanting to begin running,

Benign: because it is easy to fix Paroxysmal: symptoms start very suddenly, without other symptoms ever happening before Positional : when you put your head in a specific position Vertigo: sensation of movement when you are stationary    Crystals? What crystals? They live in our inner ear. They are formed by calcium and carbonate. They lie down on hairy cells and they move every time we move our head up and down or during acceleration and deceleration of our body. Like if you had little rocks lying on your head: every time you bend your head forward they will fall,

RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Light physical activity each day in the first 5 days, provided it: –Does not exacerbate symptoms –Does not put you at risk for hitting your head 2. Light cognitive activity for the first 2-3 days: -Screens ok, cognitive activity ok -Do whatever doesn’t provoke your symptoms too much and DO NOT do anything which places you at risk of hitting your head 3. Driving protocol: DO NOT DRIVE FOR THE FIRST 48 HS Stage 1–Riding in a car as a passenger. If your symptoms do not increase for 24 hours, you can move to stage 2 Stage 2–Driving around neighbourhood with

POST CONCUSSION SYNDROME (PCS)  What is it? It is a group of symptoms following a direct blow to the head, face or neck or by an indirect impulsive force transmitted to the head. If after the concussion, symptoms are prolonged for longer than 10 days, we call it Post Concussion Syndrome. 5 Main Causes of PCS & how we are going to tackle each one: –Blood Flow : We will assess your cardiovascular system to find your ideal level to exercise at. This will help to provide your brain with enough blood flow to heal, without exacerbating your symptoms. –Metabolic/Inflammatory: We will provide you

The physio’s at Wellness Embodied have a new tool to play with! Our new MAT developed by Movement Assessment Technology, improves the ease of completing a whole body assessment, and allows us to really nut out why you may be experiencing pain. This tool is great for assessing a whole variety of tasks such as: Single leg balance and stability Range of motion of the ankle, knee, hip, back and upper body Jump and hop tests Core balance and stability General and endurance based strength Our physiotherapist Alyza is currently completing her Level One MAT course, and is already implementing

We are discussing all about exercise during pregnancy!   Congratulations! You may be expecting 🙂  There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding this topic, as a lot of people may think that it is unsafe to exercise at all whilst pregnant. We are going to bust a few myths related to exercise during pregnancy! 🔹 Exercise is harmful to your baby 🔴 BUSTED – exercise is not harmful to your baby provided that you follow advice from your healthcare professional, and follow recommended guidelines on how to exercise safely 🔹 If I haven’t exercised before, I shouldn’t start exercising during pregnancy 🔴 BUSTED –

Now that restrictions are easing, I’m sure most of you are very excited to resume your normal gym routine and return to your previous exercise regimes. Whilst this is very exciting, and exercise is indeed the best thing for our bodies, I am here to tell you to start slowly and build yourself back up.  Commonly, injuries are caused by overloading body tissues that aren’t equipped to deal with the activity you’re trying to complete. Ever seen a dad try to outsprint his 17 year old son and tear a hamstring because he hasn’t sprinted in about ten years? Then

Wellness Embodied Live is our free Weekly Facebook live series for people in isolation, or those who are keen to learn and improve their health. Videos will be available to watch online on our Facebook page or on our Youtube channel  This week, Practice Principal Suzanne Rath will share some insights from her recently completed training on Nutrition for musculoskeletal complaints- assisting you to improve your healing! You can view it here on our youtube page! We stock a large range of BioCeuticals products in our Cairns City Clinic, pop in to take a look, we can even set you

  Wellness Embodied Live is our new series for those of you working from home, in isolation, or simply worried about the current uncertain situation in the world. We’ll be producing short, sharp, free video tutorials every Wednesday at 12pm on our Facebook Page which you can tune in to at the time or later on to help you with an area of body pain, stress or tension.   See our previous Live FB events here! Rid your body of Stress and Tension – This week, Practice Principal Physiotherapist Suzanne Rath leads a short guided body tune in and gives

One of the most commonly prescribed supplements by physios is Magnesium. In this post we examine: What is it good for, why you need a practitioner grade product and how to know you may be deficient. Magnesium is an important macromineral, which plays a role in over 300 enzymatic reactions- including the metabolism of vitamin D. Studies have shown beneficial effects on anxiety and stress, as well as positive relationships with physical function in older adults (along with zinc, selenium and iron). Low magnesium intake is associated in epidemiological studies with high blood pressure, osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes. Magnesium levels are

Are you watching the social media feeds of others in lockdown, touting their extra exercise time, lovely veggie gardens and clean houses and wondering where your Mojo is? You’re not alone! For every person we see in clinic who’s sticking to their online exercise routine religiously, or baking sourdough, we see several others who are just fed up and want all of this to end now. This is particularly true for our clients who are awaiting surgery or are still in self isolation at home. RESET Some of the most powerful ways of ‘resetting’ are tools which we share in

It’s nearly May- and hasn’t April been the longest month ever?! We’re very grateful to be able to come to work each day for face to face and hands on time with clients, as AHPRA registered AHPs. We’ve also been pivoting a little to increased Telehealth for remote-based Australians, as well as home visits to some of our NDIS clients- it’s wonderful to be able to continue to provide a much needed physio service. But onto the topics for this week….. HAMSTRING MUSCLE REHAB Last week on our Facebook page, Alyza created some really great content on hamstring tears and rehab, including

One of the big benefits of the current down time is the opportunity to learn lots online. While we are still busy treating clients in clinic, as well as running Telehealth consults Australia-wide, we’ve managed to catch up with some great upskilling in the physiotherapy domain also. This is in addition to our weekly staff in-house training sessions (which we now run on Zoom, to minimise contact!). Tendon Pains A couple of weeks ago Suzanne, Alyza and Clara listened to a great Q&A with tendon pain expert Jill Cook. There are many different types of tendonopathy (tendon damage, inflammation or

Hope everybody had a nice Easter and maybe even a backyard camp-out! Many of you will know our physiotherapist Campbell Will, who is also a Certified Wim Hof instructor and writes extensively on the power of correct breathing and the Wim Hof technique through his Breath & Body therapy platforms (find him on Facebook/ Instagram). Campbell has been in New York since the end of January with his wife and was due to return to work with us in mid May- unfortunately, he looks like he is stuck there for the foreseeable future right now (making us feel even more lucky to be

Let’s talk about warm-up for hamstring injury prevention! Hamstring injuries commonly occur when the muscle is subjected to an excessive stretch whilst producing high force under high speed movements. Completing a proper warm-up before commencing a game or exercise session (especially those involving high load on your hamstrings) can reduce your risk of sustaining a hamstring injury. The aim of a warm-up is to increase blood flow to your muscles prior to placing them under high stress, and taking your muscles and joints through specific exercises that are directly related to the sport or activity you are about to perform.

Hi All We’ve noticed 3 interesting additions to our physiotherapy work last week. Isolation Injuries, head/ neck/ Shoulder pain consults due to home office set up and an increase in appointments for stress. Read on to see how we can help you with these! 1) Isolation Injuries Jigsaw neck? It’s a real thing. Many of us are doing things we wouldn’t normally do at home and getting new pains and aches as a result! Suzanne had her first Video consult with a client suffering from new onset headaches (from a change in work environment) last week. While we are still

Happy Monday to all of you! We hope you had some downtime over the weekend and are ready to face another healthy, hand sanitised week like we are 🙂 Please keep the memes coming for sharing on our Facebook page and VIP group too- we all need a little humour right now. We are still open for business for 1;1 appointments in our city centre clinic. You’ll notice that parking is super easy to come by, our door knobs, pens and other surfaces are sanitised within an inch of their lives and we are restricting further the number of clients in clinic at one

What a crazy week! We got authorisation from the government to stay open, as an essential Allied Health service and the Federal Health minister Greg Hunt reiterated this yesterday, stating that there is still a need for face to face visits and the Health Department will be releasing public information regarding the safety of Allied Health. For those of you who are part of our VIP group on Facebook, see more of the summary of this. Right now we’re happy to be assisting people with pain, stress relief and movement to get through both chronic and acute conditions. Pain and lack

In times of uncertainty, people are fearful- but it’s also a great chance for the community to come together. Like all small businesses in Cairns, things are uncertain for us as to how the pandemic will play out- but we’re happy to report we’re open for business. We post frequently on Facebook about the stringent measures we’re taking to maintain the health of our staff and clients- in fact, I would almost say it’s one of the safest times to visit us for a physio appointment- all of our staff are well and our clients cancel if they even have so much

Did you know that one of the best lines of defence against Covid-19 (or any virus) is through your nose? Breathing through your nose allows the tiny hairs there (cilia) to filter air before it reaches your lungs, reducing toxins. Slow, relaxed deep breathing is an excellent way to calm down and alleviate stress. If you’d like to start a great breath-work practice at home and learn more about the role of the breath, our Breathing for Daily Living is available on our website- lifetime access for just $34.95. This was created by our physio Campbell, who is also a

Is there such a thing as perfect posture? Well, to be honest, no. Posture is defined as the arrangement of the body and its limbs, but it is also defined as a mental or spiritual attitude. And what does it mean? Well…it means that there is not a unique posture. We are constantly moving and changing the arrangement of our body. If you are sitting and working on the computer you will have a different posture than if you are standing giving a speech, or just standing waiting in a long queue. The phrase, ‘your best posture is your next

Our Cairns city physiotherapists have been devastated to watch the effects of Covid 19 on the Cairns community and businesses. While at the time of writing, Physiotherapy remains open for business as an essential service, we are committed to giving as much as we can back to our community and clients to ease some of the stress of this time. Every Wednesday at 12pm we are running a free Facebook Live session led by one of our Physiotherapy team- Suzanne, Clara or Alyza, where we will share helpful tips and tricks on injury management, pain relief, stress release and more.

Lisa came into the clinic 15 months post-partum with a new incidence of thoracic pain concentrated on the left side of her spine. Being the mum of a 15 month old toddler, and having recently returned to work, Lisa was constantly on the go and performing a lot of manual handling tasks. During questioning, we were unable to pinpoint any specific trauma or incident that caused Lisa’s pain, it just seemed to appear suddenly and randomly! However, further questioning into the way Lisa performs her manual handling tasks showed that she was constantly carrying her child on one side, lifting

We’re excited to announce the commencement of Telehealth/ Remote Physiotherapy Consults for our existing and new clients who are unable to make a physiotherapy appointment in Cairns. For more information, please read on or visit our Cairns physiotherapy video consults page. At Wellness Embodied, we are a team of passionate physiotherapists who pride ourselves in thinking outside the box and getting to the root cause of acute and chronic pain and dysfunction. We see clients throughout the life cycle. Our specialist areas of interest and expertise include: Post Concussion Syndrome, Vestibular Rehab (vertigo/ Motion sickness/ Vestibular hypofunction), Neck Pain/whiplash, Headaches/

Do you find that you’re struggling to achieve the optimum squat technique for you? Squatting, whilst a seemingly simple exercise, requires a lot of coordination and balance, and is impacted upon by you individual anatomical make-up. If you’re someone who has always struggled with achieving a good squat, here are a few simple things that you can do to help: Stand with your feet shoulder width (or slightly wider) apart, and toes turned outwards (find that sweet spot for you!) Begin by slowly bending your knees and hinging at the hips, and allow your body weight to sink down and

Are you suffering from back pain and struggling to manage it? Do you find that your back pain is stopping you from living your best life? Would you like to learn more about how you can improve your lifestyle over a few short sessions? Then get in contact with one of the team from Wellness Embodied Cairns to secure your spot in our eight week Better Back Program designed to support you through the rehabilitation of lower back pain, and provide you with the strategies you need to manage at home whilst living an active and healthy lifestyle. The eight

Our theme for this week is sprains and strains! Watch to hear our practice principal talk about the healing phases of injury, how we can help in our Rehab Room and why RICE is no longer the treatment form of choice! #wellnessembodiedcairns #cairnsphysio Questions? For further information or to book visit our website www.wellnessembodiedcairns.com or call 42319777  

Do you hold tension or stress in your body and want to know how to release this? Do you know how your breathing affects your emotional state and energy levels? Practice Principal Suzanne and Senior Physiotherapist Campbell have been working on developing 2 online courses based on their areas of expertise: Fascia, and the Respiratory System, respectively. These courses have been designed to give you the tools and know-how to develop a deeper connection with your body. Suzanne and Campbell know that developing a better understanding of these systems helps to promote body awareness, self-regulation, energy management and stress reduction.

We’ve been devastated to watch the ongoing coverage of the widespread bushfires. Have you been wondering how you can help? We will be donating $10 for every new patient we see during the month of January directly to one of the bushfire appeals. We are starting with the NSW Rural Fire Brigade! https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer/support-your-local-brigade So if you have a friend or family member who’s been putting off a physio appointment, now is a great time to do it! If you would like to personally help with the cause, see the many ways to help or donate here : Bendigo Bank Bushfire

According to the Australian Government Department of Health more than 60% of men and 70% of women don’t get enough magnesium every day. What is magnesium and why is it important? Magnesium is an essential mineral and plays a role in over 300 enzymatic reactions within the body, including the metabolism of food, creation of important fatty acids and proteins, and nerve communication. Magnesium is essential for healthy muscles, nerves, bones and even blood sugar levels. It has been shown that people who have high levels of magnesium in their diets have a lower risk of a heart attack, stroke

We listen. We investigate. We communicate. We look through a different lens.  We treat the person and not the symptom.  At Wellness Embodied we pride ourselves on going the extra mile for our patients. We don’t have a one size fits all approach, because we know that doesn’t work. Every person that walks through our doors is different. They have a different body, a different history, a different story. This means they will have a different presentation and a different response to treatment. Treating every person with back pain the same way simply doesn’t work, because back pain is often

Liam came in to see us with clicking and pain on the outside of his knee. He had been doing a lot of rowing at the gym and the knee seemed to be getting worse every time. On testing his knee was stable, had full range of movement and other than being tender to touch it was difficult to reproduce his symptoms. The ligaments and cartilage of the knee was fine with specific tests and he had good muscular strength in the quadriceps and hamstrings.  We decided to look further upstream and assessed his hip, where we found an obvious

What if developing better breathing habits was just as important as developing better eating habits for your fitness and performance? Maybe it is!  It may seem simple, but developing better breathing practices during exercise can have a significant impact on your fitness. All of our muscles require oxygen to function. Getting oxygen into the blood is easy, simply take a breath, however getting oxygen from the blood to where it needs to go (the working muscles) is a little more complex. It requires some help from Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and this is where developing better breathing habits becomes important. We

What is pain? A complex, multifactorial input/output system that implies much more than just tissue health. Why do we get pain? Initially it is usually from damage to tissue and the inflammatory response. But if pain persists, we begin to see changes in the pathways between the tissue and the brain, and the nervous system gets involved. In an attempt to protect you from further damage, we feel pain to stop us doing something we shouldn’t.  The trouble is, less and less ‘threat’ or stimulus is needed before you feel pain. It is important to note that the pain you

Here at Wellness Embodied we are proud to support local charities and causes that are close to our heart! As we reflect back on the year that was we are proud to have supported the following Charities and causes in 2019: Fundacja Tymmmczasy (Polish Animal Shelter) Cardiac Challenge – Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation FNQ Cerebral Palsy Support Group Ruth’s Women’s Shelter Cairns Transfrontier Africa (Black Mamba – The 1st all female Anti-Poaching Group) Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation Mision:Mexico Orphanage The Rescue Collective Gratitude Gift Boxes Cairns UN Women National Committee Australia Clean Up Australia – Clean Up Australia Day –

David, a recent patient at Wellness Embodied has been struggling with his trail running. He usually runs 3-4 x per week but lately was only managing one run due to waking up the next day with severe pain and swelling around his ankle. When we asked David about his training he told us that the intensity, volume or frequency hadn’t changed, and he was running the same trail he usually does. He was maintaining his normal warm up and warm down routine and he even tried cutting down distance without improvements in pain.  With further investigating however, we found out

We recently had a competitive swimmer through the doors of Wellness Embodied who was struggling with persistent shoulder pain. This patient had seen two other physiotherapists who treated her shoulder locally with mild improvement, but the pain kept coming back when she returned to swimming. On assessment we did find a local impingement at the shoulder, but as the patient reported other physios found and treated the shoulder we decided to look for the root cause. The shoulder is a complex joint with many moving parts and relies on part on good mobility through the neck and upper back. A

Suzanne was recently lucky enough to attend an informative evening for Allied Health Professionals in Cairns, run by the Queensland Disability Network (QDN). The QDN have put together some helpful information and checklists to make the NDIS easier to understand and ensure you can get the funding and support which best suits your condition. We’ve posted links to some of these below. Wellness Embodied treats clients who are Self Managed or Plan Managed under NDIS and have funding for physiotherapy under Therapeutic Supports. Our clients love our individualised, whole person approach to assessment and treatment, our accessible environment and friendly

Muscle performance or muscle strength is “the ability of a muscle to produce force, regardless of the action,load, or intensity. For the neck muscles to control the head (which can weigh an average of 4.5kg), they must first have sufficient strength. There are many reasons why you may have less neck extensor muscle strength, like if you suffer from whiplash, road traffic accident, headaches, etc. This type of training has been shown to improve the neck pain symptoms and we find that they give excellent results to our patients! So we have created a video to show you how to do them correctly.

A new specialised respiratory assessment at physio clinic Wellness Embodied aims to help high performing professionals, chronic pain sufferers and those at risk of burnout change their lives after a single hour- long session. Physiotherapist Campbell Will, who is a Certified Wim Hof Method instructor, is leading the individualised sessions, which clients already report have led to ‘the best night’s sleep ever’, ‘ simple tools to manage my stress’ and ‘better mood’. The Wim Hof Method technique was founded by the Dutch ‘Ice Man’ Wim Hof, who has been studied extensively for his ability to control his response to extreme

What is a muscle strain? In short, it is the overstretching or tearing of muscle fibres. The majority of muscle strains occur for one of two reasons: either the muscle has been stretched beyond its capacity or it has beena forced to contract too strongly. The severity of injury can range from only a few muscle fibres that are damaged, and the muscle continues to function, through to complete tears where the muscle may be unable to function.  How do I know if I have strained a muscle? Symptoms include: Pain and tenderness in the muscle, especially after physical activity