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

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,

We have all heard of ‘core stability’. Perhaps a term that is now overused and brings up images of planks and balancing on exercise balls. The stability of the ‘core’ is very important, however what is less targeted but just as important is stability at our joints. The body always has a want and need for stability at its joints, proximally (hips and shoulders) more than distally (knees and elbows) because if you don’t have control at the hips and shoulders, you are fighting a losing battle trying to stabilise the distal joints. Muscular control is a crucial component of

We recently had Alex in for a Total Care Embodied assessment, as she decided she wanted to run her local 10km, but didn’t really know where to start… but we did! From the ground up! We assessed her: Feet (TICK) Calves – left calf was tight, preventing full ankle range (stretches prescribed) Knees – (R) knee had a mild valgus drift (glute strengthening) Hips – (R) glute mildly delayed firing pattern, hip lacking terminal extension (glute strengthening, hip flexor stretches) Back – TICK Neck – TICK Alex had rolled her (L) ankle 12 months prior and never really rehabilitated it,

Most of us know the benefits of physical activity such as walking, swimming, running, cycling (cardiovascular fitness). But strength training shouldn’t be forgotten in our exercise programs, especially as we age. Not only does physical activity have a vast array of general health benefits (heart health, weight control, bone density maintenance) but is also a key factor in improving memory, reducing depression and alleviating stress. Now walking for 30 minutes a day definitely has its benefits, but is it enough to provide lasting changes, and can including strength training help increase the benefits? A recent review of research articles found

It’s really important to have strong glut med muscles as: They form part of a complex that draws the ball of your hip joint back into the socket, lessening symptoms of arthritis, bursitis, impingement and more. They help to hold your pelvis level. This means you’ll get less shearing and jarring through your spine on movements such as walking, and less chance of landing awkwardly on your knees and ankles as you step. Key Points: Hips stay stacked over each other, or even roll slightly forwards on the top hip. Less is more- a small lift of 1-2cm where you

Physiotherapy for patients before or after orthopaedic surgery can take place in the hospital, community, gym, pool or private practice settings (usually a combination). Research continues to show that numerous surgeries traditionally performed in Australia are unnecessary. Knee arthroscopies (key hole surgery) for arthritis have been proven to be ineffective and there is evidence that clients rotator cuff tears have the same outcome whether they undergo surgery or intensive physiotherapy. Orthopaedic surgery can take place following trauma (pinning, plating, re-setting broken bones) , where we will generally see the patient after for strengthening, stretching, balance and education on how to

Wellness Embodied Cairns practice principal, Suzanne Rath, educates marathon runner Dwayne on posture. This video was shot in Timber Creek in the beautiful Northern Territory. At our Cairns central Physiotherapy Clinic, we are lucky to have a Rehab Room on site. Here, we provide several physiotherapist led small group exercise sessions per week, tailored to your specific rehab and injury prevention needs.

Who has seen the meme saying “Exercise is the most potent anti-depressant. And it’s free” ? If you haven’t, you’ve more than likely seen any one of a series of other humorous or inspirational posts reminding you of the importance of exercise. It’s true- amongst its many benefits exercise can help to prevent against numerous types of cancer, diabetes, heart and lung diseases, as well as alleviating stress, increasing endorphins and preventing cognitive decline. For some people, it can often be one of the hardest things to start doing, particularly if you’re in pain. As a physiotherapist who also holds

Earlier this year I attended an eight day Spinal Manual Therapy certificate course, run by Manual Concepts. Manual Concepts are well known and respected in the physiotherapy field due to the volume of research they put out and their role in changing the field of physiotherapy. They also run a manual therapy course which physiotherapists used to refer to as a ‘manips’ masters. (A manip or manipulation is a high velocity mobilisation of the joint, typically causing that ‘crack’). But perhaps we should change the name in our minds. As a skilled, patient specific treatment, when performed to its best