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

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

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

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

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

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! 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

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

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

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,

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

  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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is Bursitis you ask? Inflammation of the bursa.  Well… what is a bursa? A bursa is a small fluid filled sac that acts like a shock-absorber between soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments) and bone. The role of the bursa is to reduce friction and assist optimal joint movement. So how does a bursa become inflamed? Overuse, impact, or poor biomechanics can cause irritation and inflammation of the bursa, causing it to fill with excess fluid. The bursa then becomes a source of pain, and can interrupt normal movement. This can lead to a vicious cycle of altered biomechanics causing

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