When should I see a physio?
Would you consider seeing a physiotherapist when you have little or no pain or are injury free?
For many people the answer is no. Whether sporty or sedentary they consider physiotherapy something to help after an injury, if they have pain or when they cannot manage their daily activities.
But is that the best time to get expert physiotherapy input and advice? Why not get advice and treatment before you start to suffer?
At Connexus Health and Rehabilitation, we encourage a pro-active attitude to health and wellbeing. If you enjoy being with your children, avoiding sick leave or your hobbies, they all require you to be fit, healthy and pain free. Preventative physiotherapy is not just for elite athletes and sportsmen!
Overuse Injuries, what are they?
This is an injury to a structure or tissue sustained from repeated action that our body cannot adapt to- so causing something eventually to fail.
When we move and exercise, or hold a position, stresses are applied to specific parts of the body. Over time our tissues can adapt. Muscles may become larger, stronger or more flexible. Tendons may become thicker and bone density can change.
However, if exercise or movement or even static positions are applied in such a way that adaptation over time cannot occur then microscopic injuries start to form. This leads to inflammation-the body’s response to injury and eventually the tissue may tear, break or fail.
The early signs of injury
The first sign may be stiffness or soreness (especially in the morning) which may disappear once the body is warmed up-after exercise or even a warm shower.
If the stress continues there may be an increase in:
- Swelling
- Redness
- Heat
- Stiffness in the morning or with inactivity.
Unfortunately, many patients ignore the warning signs like the odd ache or pain which may ease with rest or stretches but eventually the tissue fails, and they then have a significant problem.
What causes overuse injuries
Some of the most common causes for overuse injuries are:
- Lack of core stability. Puts stress on the rest of the body- shoulders, hips back etc.
- Muscle imbalance. Joint forces must be equal. (Strong tight muscles versus weak stretched muscles)
- Incorrect or unsuitable footwear. Some foot types need a more flexible trainer-others one with a firm heel cup and arch support.
- Incorrect equipment e.g. a tennis racquet needs the correct strings and grip to prevent straining the elbow
- Incorrect technique whether running, yoga or weight lifting. it is vital you work in a good alignment and position
- One sided weakness/ pain Leads to overuse of the other side and poor alignment
Poor and Prolonged Workstation Posture. Holding your body in one position causes muscles to become tired and put extra stress on other tissues such as ligaments, joints etc. So, all of you office workers need to watch out.
Do you feel any of the above symptoms mentioned?
How Connexus Health and Rehabilitation help you?
At CHR we have the time and experience with our expert clinicians to ask the right questions about what you do and how you move. This will help us find the cause of your problem which is the key to your recovery. We will do this via our consultation and assessment of your body and lifestyle to be as thorough as possible.
We look holistically at the whole body-not just the injured body part as the cause of a problem can be somewhere else entirely. For example, a stiff big toe can cause back pain. A leg length discrepancy may be the cause of neck pain.
We can prescribe a custom made physio plan for you outside of sessions to maximise your recovery time and prevent any further injuries.
