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

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

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

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

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

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

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  

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

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,

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!

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that affects the brain functions after a blow or a head trauma. 90% of the time, symptoms resolve spontaneously within 4 weeks. However, it is important to note that in some cases (10%) symptoms may be prolonged. This results in significant and ongoing disability affecting educational, occupational, social and emotional functioning. Post-concussion syndrome occurs when symptoms resulting from a concussion, persist beyond the expected time-frame of recovery.    Post–concussion signs and symptoms: -Headache, dizziness, blurry vision, fatigue, altered noise tolerance, loss of balance  -Irritability, depression, anxiety, emotional lability.  -loss of concentration, memory, or intellectual difficulties, Insomnia    Post–Concussion recommended

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,