Lateral hip pain or more simply put, pain on the side of the hip/buttock is a very common presentation to us at Blackburn Osteopathy. This pain is often referred to as hip bursitis or tendonitis. Recent research has shown that the pain is not due to inflammation of the bursa or tendons in the area. The condition has been given the name “Greater Trocanteric Pain Syndrome” or GTPS for short.

If inflammation isn’t causing the pain than what is?

The pain is caused from damage to the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus tendons. These two muscles attach from the pelvis to the Greater Trocanter (the boney part on the outside of the upper thigh) and their main function is to keep us upright when we stand on one leg. As you can imagine, these muscles work very hard when we walk, run, jump, cycle or climb stairs.

Who is at risk of GTPS?

Some research suggests women are four times more likely to have GTPS. The prevalence increases again post menopause as the decrease in oestrogen and collagen production causes changes in tendons and muscles. Other risk factors include a sudden increase in activity, being overweight, knee osteoathritis and low back pain.

What is the treatment for GTPS?

Strengthening of the the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles and tendons are key to the recovery. Cortisone injections have been shown to reduce pain in the short term but relapse of the pain in the long term has been associated with cortisone injection.

What can Osteopathy do to help?

Your osteopath can prescribe a progressive exercise program to strengthen the muscles and tendons involved. In addition to this your osteopath will address any underlying issues that caused or are maintaining the hip pain. This might include treatment of the hip joint, low back, knee, ankle or foot.

If you have been suffering from hip pain, the osteopaths at Blackburn Osteopathy can help.

Anybody in an office understands the perils of desk work; there is nothing easy about sitting motionless in front of a computer for eight plus hours a day, five days a week.  But why exactly is this so hard on our bodies?

Sitting with poor posture puts strain on the intricate balance of the network of bones, ligaments and muscles that keeps us functioning.  Though short term we can manage very well, sitting for hours on end has its consequences.  When we can no longer hold position, muscles may tighten and create muscular trigger points, or knots.  These can cause an achey tight feeling and when bad enough, even referral into headaches, spreading the feeling of tightness and pain.

But, fear less, as there are many things you can do, and not do to prevent desk pain!

Here are some do NOTs:

• Leaning on elbows
• Sitting cross legged
• Hunching forward
• Not taking breaks

Here are some DO’s:

• Maintain upright posture
• Adjusting computer height to eye level
• Adjusting chair hight so feet are flat on the ground, hips just above knees
• Walking on your breaks!  Not only does that help to get everything moving, you will come back to work feeling refreshed!

Counteract the round shoulders with

• Shoulder blade squeezes
• Door frame pec stretches
• Neck stretching

As they say, sitting is the new smoking!

If you are struggling with headache, neck and shoulder pain be sure to book in with one of our friendly Osteopaths at Blackburn Osteopathy for assessment and individualised management.  Call 03 9878 3122 or book online at Blackburn Osteopathy.

Golf and Osteopathy are a natural fit. For years, golf back pain has been accepted by golfers as some kind of badge of honour. But now golfers everywhere are beginning to realize the benefits of having regular Osteopathy treatment to treat their golf back pain.
Swinging a driver or three iron at speeds of up to 80kms/hr while turning, twisting and pulling can be extremely traumatic to the entire torso let alone just the lower back.
The golf swing isn’t the only aspect of playing the sport that causes golf back pain. There is a lot of walking in golf. In addition at other times you have to swing and torque your body while positioning yourself on unstable surfaces like hills, tree roots, or sand. Also there is a lot of standing around in golf, and when someone stands they usually shift weight to one side of their body. This tends to tighten muscles on one side while relaxing muscles on the other side. Next, the player moves to the tee box and soon starts swinging away again, causing trauma to both sides. Once he finally makes his way to the green he is then bent over lining up and standing awkwardly over the ball while trying to sink a putt.
When a player experiences back pain during a round of golf, their scores suffer and their enjoyment is taken away from the game. Back, neck, shoulder and elbow pain will sabotage any golf swing and ruin the golf experience. Regular Osteopathy treatments not only accomplish the goal of injury treatment and prevention, they can greatly improve a player’s game and score.  Healthy, strong, and loose backs perform better on the golf course

There are a number of ways a golf Osteopath can treat the golfer and enhance his golf experience, including:
• Spinal & extremity mobilisations & manipulations
• Swing advice
• Rehabilitation exercises
• Dry needling
• Massage
Golfers rarely consider the damage that the sport’s repetitive, torqueing movements inflict on their backs, necks and shoulders.  Neither are most recreational golfers proactive about preventing injury to these areas and improve performance.  While many golfers now see a Osteopath after injury, some are discovering that seeing a Osteopath before injury is the key to playing round after round without pain.

Stretch of the Month
Glute Stretch
1. Position your feet shoulder width apart.
2. With your arms extended and in front of you, lower your body by bending at the knees and raise back up.
3. Repeat this 10 times.
4. For a more advanced stretch stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your golf club at an arm’s length in front of you.
5. Now cross your right foot over your left knee and begin to ease your buttocks down until it is parallel to the ground.
6. Hold this position for 30 seconds and then repeat with other leg.
Towards Wellness
Don’t let the cold get you down

Use these tips to stay fit and healthy!
• Make sure to drink plenty of fluids, such as water, herbal teas, fresh juices or warm water with honey and lemon, to keep hydrated.
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet. This will ensure that your body is receiving the right nutrients to support your immune system.
• Keep your hands clean – wash them regularly or use a hand sanitizer to keep those nasty bugs away.
• Stay fresh – air flow helps to remove stale air and can also help to clean your air passages.
• Get an adequate amount of sleep, at least 6 – 8 hours per night to function at your best.

Your Blackburn Osteopath can give you with proactive treatment, strategies and advice that can serve as the foundation for realizing your full potential on the golf course while offering the opportunity of playing your best golf safely and injury-free for an entire lifetime. Call our friendly reception on 03 9878 3122 to make an appointment or book online at Blackburn Osteopathy.

Our feet are ingeniously built to sustain and absorb the shock of impact between the weight of our bodies and the floor.  Every step is an intricate balance between the many bones that make up our foot; a fine equilibrium of tarsals, metatarsals and phalanges.  Then, we throw heels into the mix.  All of the sudden all of our weight is put through the front of the foot.  To compensate for this, we shorten our calves, bring our knees and hips forward and hyperextend backwards to keep balance.   Sounds pretty awkward, right?  Ever notice that dull back ache at the end of a night out, too?

When all of our weight is pushed forward, our toes are the first to feel the pressure.  Conditions, or deformities, such as hammer toe, (toe bends downward), and bunions (big toe points sideways)  have been linked to prolonged high-heel shoe ware.  Repeated rubbing and pressure of tight heels can also contribute to the development of pesky ingrown toenails.  

Life-long use of heels has also been linked with a predisposition for developing achilles tendonitis; an overuse injury to the back of the heel.  This is because our calf becomes chronically shortened to compensate for the elevation of the shoe, placing pressure on the tendinous insertion to the calcaneus (heel bone).

And, of course, lets not forget the unlucky portion of the uncoordinated in our population, throwing out the centre of gravity is going to have some serious affects on balance, increasing the risk of traumatic falls, trips and ankle sprains.  (guilty)

So next time you see those over priced Louies or Laurents….think twice!

Its 2019; beauty is NOT pain!

Dr Lisa Timms

Osteopath

If you are struggling with foot, ankle or toe pain be sure to book in with one of our friendly Osteopaths at Blackburn Osteopathy for a thorough assessment and management plan!  Call 9878 3122 or book online at www.blackburnosteopathy.com.au

What is the best treatment for lower back pain?

An increasingly method to treat lower back pain as well as other signs and symptoms connected to this condition is by osteopathic manipulative therapy. This type of treatment modality focuses on manual therapy to correct any issues of the musculoskeletal system.

Osteopathic doctors are back pain specialists that make use of the right amount of pressure, movements, manipulation and exercise routines to deliver relief and correction to both muscles and the skeletal regions inflicted with pain.

A powerful back pain therapy can combine osteopathic treatment strategies with traditional medicine modalities, such as drug prescriptions and other conventional back pain treatments.

When should you go to the doctor for back pain?

When lower back pain persists despite ongoing osteopathic manipulative therapy, your osteopath will likely suggest you may need to consult with your doctor. He or she can then order additional diagnostic procedures to identify any issues that may have been left out during initial diagnosis and recommend other treatment options.

If you wish to learn more about osteopathy or if you want to find back pain relief centre near you, do not hesitate to call us on 9878 3122

If you’ve been looking far and wide for a modern, effective treatment strategy for those aches and pains, you should seriously consider visiting a skilled osteopath in Blackburn.

Here are some pointers about osteopathic medicine that you should know:

• Osteopathy takes a holistic treatment approach  

Most forms of traditional treatment symptoms focus on specific problems, whereas osteopathy stresses the relationship between all organ systems of the body. For instance, osteopathy emphasizes the connection between muscles, bones, and joints to overall functioning.

Doctors of osteopathy evaluate a variety of problems, but do not concentrate on treating one area of the body only. Osteopathy goes beyond only treating the musculoskeletal system, but looks into problems of interrelated organ systems and how they can cause referred pain to your musculoskeletal system, too.

• Lows-stress treatment that can deliver instant relief

Unlike traditional rehabilitative treatments that involve deep tissue pressure, osteopathy can deliver a lighter approach of treating problematic areas. Osteopathy mainly revolves around rendering light, manual manipulation to treat problems such as sports-related injuries, recurrent strains, and also various forms of headaches.

• Osteopathy can help enhance immune system functioning

Apart from effectively treating musculoskeletal disorders, osteopathic medical therapy may improve lymph flow and generalised fluid movement which can help improve general wellbeing.

Osteopathy is an alternative manual medical approach that is proven to deliver results. It delivers effective treatments that can reduce dependence on harmful medications such as strong painkillers , whilst ensuring fast recovery and improvement of the body as a whole.

If you want to learn more about osteopathy or if you wish to schedule an appointment with an expert osteopath in Blackburn, call us on 03 9878 3122 today.

Avoiding injury during preseason

One of the most common injuries we see during the preseason is a hamstring strain, or a ‘pulled hammy.’  This generally occurs through muscle overload or stretching beyond capacity, for example when kicking or sudden sprints.  Risk factors may involve poor flexibility, strength imbalances, inadequate warm up & previous injury.

So basically, don’t roll into training and instantly punt the footy as hard as possible – what a shock to your body! Instead, ensure you begin with a dynamic (movement based) warm up and gradually ease into training, particularly in that first session.

As the weather gets warmer our ovals dry out and become very firm, adding extra impact through our ankles, knees and beyond. Be sure to ask Santa for some new sneakers this Christmas – supportive shoe ware with plenty of cushioning will be ideal to take away some of the impact of that dry oval.  And, of course finishing up with your warm down and static/stationary stretching to avoid falling victim of the dreaded “DOMS“ (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

An Osteopath can help you identify and manage strength imbalances, poor flexibility and other contributing factors through a thorough case history and physical examination. See your Osteopath at Blackburn Osteopathy for more information, strengthening programs and injury prevention advice!

The majority of us at some stage in our lives have done some stretching. Whether it be at a sporting club or as directed by a health professional or friend, we all have a repertoire of stretches that we know.

One thing that a lot of people don’t consider when stretching and what we at Blackburn Osteopathy want you to ask is: What happens if I change the angle or direction of this stretch?

Some of us through the natural instincts of our bodies will vary the angles of the stretch without even thinking about it. Others though, do the same stretch over and over that they have been doing for years, without actually paying attention to the outcome or “feel” of the stretch.

With regards to movement the human body is described as moving in 3 planes.

• Sagittal plane: bending forwards/backwards or stepping forwards or backwards, etc.
• Frontal plane: bending to either side or stepping to the side, etc.
• Transverse plane: turning to the left/right or rotating feet inwards/outwards, etc.

A lot of stretches we do tend to utilise one, maybe two of these planes of motion. Most of us know that to make a hamstring stretch more effective we need to bend forward.  However, not everyone would have tried this same hamstring stretch whilst rolling your foot inwards/outwards or sideward bending through the trunk at the same time.

The more you play around with the various angles in your stretching, the more likely that you will better target the specific area that most needs the stretch. This in turn should give you better value from the time you put into stretching.

There is also value in stretching in differing positions. We can stretch whilst standing, sitting, kneeling and lying down amongst other possible positions.  Some of these might give you a better stretch or maybe they will just make stretching easier for you which may allow you to stretch more frequently.

If nothing else, we at Blackburn Osteopathy hope this article encourages you to experiment with your stretching and the angles and positions you are using.  If you can find a stretch that really feels like it is doing something positive, you are probably more likely to keep doing it!

At Blackburn Osteopathy we are often asked by our patients whether they should use a heat pack or cold/ice pack for their injury.

As a good starting point the following general rule can be followed:

• Sharp, acute, stabbing pain and inflammation/swelling – start with cold therapy.
• Stiffness, ache type pain – start with heat therapy.

However, as there is always someone who will give conflicting advice and people have a tendency towards their own preferences, we at Blackburn Osteopathy like to let your body give you the answer.

Step 1:

If you have a movement restriction (eg. Difficulty turning your head to the right), try that movement and take note of how far you can turn. Also give a pain rating out of 10.

If you don’t have a movement restriction just rate your pain out of 10.

Step 2:

Apply either heat or ice pack using the above guide or your own preference for 10 minutes.

Step 3:

Take the hot or cold pack off for 30 minutes.

Step 4:

After the 30 minutes, retest the initial movement that was restricted – if the range has improved and/or the pain has decreased then the method you chose has helped. Continue to use as necessary.

If you are the same or worse than the original test, repeat the above steps with the opposite pack.

Consider keeping step 3 as similar as possible if you need to retest. Eg. If you have sat down for 30 minutes after taking the pack off in test 1, then try and sit for 30 minutes in test 2.

If neither a hot pack or cold pack give any real relief, you could still use one if it feels comforting and doesn’t aggravate your symptoms.