May Newsletter
Update from Angela ….
It was great to see many of our regular ‘Posture & Strength’ class ladies adapt to our online Zoom classes when the tight social distancing restrictions were in place. Now that restrictions are starting to ease we are please to announce the recommencement of our ‘Posture and Strength’ classes in the Park. These classes will run at 8.45am on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Spaces are limited so booking is essential.
Clinic appointments are now available with our Physiotherapist Meredith
We are pleased to announce the recommencement of our clinic appointment with our Senior Physio Meredith. Meredith treats a wide variety of conditions and has a special interest in Sports Injuries, Neck and Back pain, tendinopathy, Jaw (TMJ) dysfunction and Women’s Health. Meredith has a Bachelor of Physiotherapy, a Masters of Musculoskeletal and Sports Physiotherapy & training in Women’s Health Physiotherapy (including pessary fitting), Pilates and Dry Needling.
Appointments are available between 7am and 2pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday with Meredith here at Graceville Physio.
5 best Physio tools to add to your ‘home care’ tool kit.
Here is a list of our top 5 favourite products that are great for self care at home.
#1 FOAM ROLLERS are a great addition to any home gym. Small half rollers can be used for calf, ankle and foot strengthening, stretching and stabilising. Short rollers can be used to roll out tight muscles in your ITB, gluts, hamstrings, and calves. The larger long foam rollers are used to help stretch out tight chests and to help mobilise tight joints in the thoracic spine. There are also lots of core strengthening exercises that you can do lying or standing on a foam roller.
#2 SPIKEY MASSAGE BALL … these are used to stimulate blood flow and lymphatic drainage to different areas of your body. They can be used for trigger point relief and massage to tight areas. The spikes on our massage balls are a little soft so as not to cause tissue damage when using them. They are great to use at the end of a work day if you have tension in the neck, upper back and buttocks and can also be used on the ITB.
#3 RESISTANCE BANDS are used to strengthen muscles and stabilise joints and can be used for just about every part of the body. They are inexpensive and very versatile because they roll up into just about nothing. They can be used instead of hand weights for many exercises and are great for posture strengthening exercises when you have a break from your computer when working from home. They also come in all different strengths to suit different exercises.
#4 HOT/COLD PACKS … Everybody needs a hot/cold pack at home in case of pain or injury. They are a great natural therapy for pain relief. Pro Packs are great because they come in 3 different sizes and mould to your body part you want to cool down. The neck pack is especially good as it sits over your shoulders providing cooling relief to your neck and upper back without you having to hold it in place. The ‘Wrap on Ice’ packs can be used as both a heat pack and a cold pack and come in a handy pouch with a velcro band attached so that you can strap it to nearly any part of your body. Other heat therapy options include wheat bags and warm eze heat patches.
#5 NECK TEK
The NECK TEK is a great invention that helps alleviate neck tension and neck pain. We also call it the headache remover as sometimes just 10 mins lying with your head in one eliminates that tension headache. Anyone who is using a laptop, desktop, tablet or smartphone will know that too much time on them causes a lot of neck tension. This is due to the position of your head and is especially common in those that use their smartphone a lot. Exercises in the Neck Tek is like doing Pilates for your neck and strengthens the very important postural muscles at the back of the neck and upper back that help to hold your head up. The stronger these muscles are the better your posture is and the less tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back that cause pain and stiffness.