By Daniel Browne, Physiotherapist, Langwarrin Sports Medicine Centre and Edithvale Physiotherapy Clinic.

With the end to the winter sport season fast approaching, many of you will be preparing for a budding successful finals campaign on the charge for the premiership.

Entering finals can be challenging time for most athletes – emotions run hot, expectations are high and there’s a buzz in the air. Unfortunately though by this point of the season, we’ve often been nursing injuries and niggle’s for the past couple of weeks, or potentially even months and one week off depending on your sport, is generally insufficient time to get back to 100%. The beauty is everyone else is feeling the same way!

So here are our top three tips to gain an advantage over your opponents, as we knock down the door for the final month of winter sport:

1. Recovery

Often talked about, rarely performed well. As our bodies sustain wear and tear from day to day work, training and then competition, it is essential that we give our bodies the right tools to recover. Sleep, nutrition and mobility in my opinion are the cornerstones of this.

• Sleep: avoid caffeinated drinks after lunch and limit screen time before bed. If you can’t sleep, get up and move around! Laying there thinking about sleep often results in sleep anxiety which, in turn, is further disruptive.

• Nutrition: get an ample amount of fresh fruit and vegetables, unrefined carbohydrates and protein as well as drinking enough water before, after and during training. Our body needs nutrition to fuel our performance – there are no Ferrari’s scooting around with 91 in the tank.

• Mobility: A physiotherapist specialty. If you have a manual job or maybe your desk bound, how your body moves or doesn’t during the 8-10 hours you’re at work will directly correlate to your performance come game day. (See below for some examples of everyday mobility work that everyone should be endeavoring to add into their regime). If you can feel your back starting to stiffen up, or neck is getting sore hunched over a desk all day get it seen to, get some advice, and optimise your performance on and off the field.

2. Sports Psychology

With finals comes excitement. But for some, comes the pressure of performance.

When you hear any elite athlete talk, they often say “its 90% mental”. Having your head in the game, so to speak, is one of the biggest factors when returning from an injury or when playing sore.

Confidence leads to natural movement, hesitation leads to unnatural movement and a subsequent increased risk of injury, further decreasing performance.

Have a chat to someone senior at your club, your coach or a teammate that has been there before. And if you do have an injury – maybe an old calf that’s niggling or a shoulder that doesn’t feel quite right – get it seen to so that you can put to it to the back of your mind and you can once again solely focus on the sport at hand – stress free.

3. Training load

Although you’re fortunate enough to find yourself at the business end of the year, now is not the time to try and get fitter, stronger, and faster – that’s for the preseason.

The goal now is to maintain and rest up. You won’t lose any fitness doing three sets of ten on the bench press instead of your usual three sets of twelve!

Listen to your body. If you are unsure, come have a chat to a Physiotherapist. Load management – particularly pertaining to muscle tears, growth plate related issues in our junior athletes (e.g. Severs, Osgood Schlatters, Sinding-Larsen-Johansson syndrome) and tendon pathology – are daily conditions for physiotherapists.

Our goal as physiotherapists is to get you, the athlete, back to 100% ASAP, and with the proper management leading into the next month and beyond we are confident everyone will reap the rewards of a long 2018 season.

For more information or to make an appointment with Daniel you can BOOK ONLINE or call your local clinic.

In our latest ‘SPOTLIGHT ON’ series, we sat down with Zoe Farrant, Physiotherapist at our Rosebud clinic. In our chat, Zoe talked to us about her passion for equestrian sports and why she believes prevention is always better than a cure.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A PHYSIOTHERAPIST?

My fascination with the human body, and this will sound super corny, but I wanted a career where I could help people. I also wanted to be able to combine my love for equestrian sports with my occupation which works beautifully as a Physiotherapist. A chunk of my caseload are fellow equestrian enthusiasts. It is extremely rewarding helping these individuals to achieve their goals in the saddle and/or ride pain free.

What does being part of community sport mean to you?

I believe being involved in community sport (including Pony Club) as a youngster helps shape one into a well rounded adult. Learning to be a team player, carry responsibilities, and having an active lifestyle from a young age certainly sets one in good stead for many of life’s challenges. Continued involvement in community sport as an adult and parent gives the opportunity to give back to the sporting organisation as a volunteer and continue to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle.

More recently I’ve gained a greater appreciation and respect for motor sports such as Super Cross. It is exhilarating being part of a medical team helping these gutsy athletes.

What is your philosophy around injury management?

Prevention is always better than a cure. Get on top of those weaknesses and ‘deficits’ before they let you down. Physiotherapists are equipped to assess and prescribe management plans to hopefully reduce the risk of injury and optimise performance. Unfortunately, even with all the best intentions, injuries will still occur from time to time. Don’t wait weeks/months before being assessed as it is certainly more challenging to resolve a chronic problem than an acute one.

What is your proudest sporting moment as a dressage rider?

Hrmm, don’t really have a proudest moment as such. Being able to train under and learn from some of the worlds best dressage riders and trainers on my young horses over the years has been such a thrill.

What is your worst injury and how did you overcome it?

Nasty knee injury involving a ruptured ACL, MCL and LCL, post lateral meniscal tear and so on in 2016 during a ski trip to Niseko, Japan. Amazingly, touch wood++, I have fallen off horses hundreds of times (who’s counting?) and never had a serious injury. I feel I shouldn’t be saying this, hope I haven’t jinxed myself!

Who is your sporting hero and what do you admire most about them?

Charlotte Dujardan, broken every world record there is to break in the dressage world. She has nerves of steel. Her mindset is inspiring as is everything else about her!

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

To fly. Not sure why, but flying features in my dreams ever since I remember.

To make an appointment with Zoe you can BOOK ONLINE or call Rosebud Physiotherapy Clinic on (03) 5986 3655.

As part of Eramosa Physiotherapy’s recent alliance with the Somerville Eagles Soccer Club, we are pleased to introduce our “Soccer Injury Prevention Series”.

In a series of articles, Physiotherapist and Director Clinton Watson, will be discussing soccer injuries and injury prevention for soccer players.

In this first article, Clinton outlines the types of injuries and frequency that we know exist in soccer players.

Soccer injuries are the second most common sporting injury presenting to hospital emergency, accounting for 8% of all cases (behind AFL with 9%). Soccer injuries occur at a rate of 35 per 1000 hours or broken down you would expect a significant injury with in a team every 2nd game played.

More injuries occur during games than training and 35% of injuries are as a result of foul play, with acute injuries accounting for 70% of injuries. One point to note (and hopefully a point that good physio can help with) is that 17% of injuries were classified as a recurrence. Muscle strains account for 25 % and ligament strains for 23% with the most common injury being, not surprisingly, lateral ankle sprain.

Concussion accounts for 7% of all hospital presentations, though rates are dropping as water proofing qualities of balls continues to improve. Concussion is often caused by heading the ball, older balls especially leather ones became waterlogged therefore much heavier, increasing the chance of concussion.

The following factors increase your risk of being injury:

1. Age
2. Previous injury
3. Poor football skills
4. Poor injury rehabilitation
5. Lack of attention to warm up
6. Poor or limited skills
7. Joint instability

So this gives an idea of what we are looking at. Next, we shall address more closely how to reduce the likelihood of injury.

For more information or to make an appointment, contact Eramosa Physiotherapy on 5977 6590.

Starting en pointe in ballet is an exciting milestone for dancers, but it is increasingly important to remember how it can affect young people’s bodies.

The human body was not made to functionally put our entire body weight through our toes.

Although Pointe is a stunning art form when done well, it can lead to many painful issues later on in life.

This is why proper preparation and training is essential before even starting en pointe.

As well as attending normal ballet classes, it is important for teenagers to be assessed by a qualified health professional in order to deem whether they are physically ready to begin Pointe training.

Many aspects determine whether someone is ready for such as physically demanding task such as:

• hip control
• core strength
• flexibility

Recently, most ballet schools require students to attend a minimum of three physiotherapy sessions in order to begin Pointe training.

An initial Pre Pointe Assessment allows a physiotherapist to spend time with each dancer to thoroughly assess stability and prescribe a specific exercise program to enable them to start en pointe.

Call us at our Langwarrin or Mornington clinics or BOOK ONLINE today with our specialist Pre Pointe Assessment Physiotherapists Alanna Churcher, Cassandra Skilton and Therese Stegley.

In our latest ‘SPOTLIGHT ON’ series, we sat down with Cassie Skilton, Physiotherapist at our Langwarrin clinic. In our chat, Cassie talked about why she believes age is just a number and anyone can achieve their goals if they put their mind to it.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A PHYSIOTHERAPIST?

When I was ten years old, I tore my hamstring badly. The rehabilitation was a lengthy process and everything my physio said would happen, did! I thought that was pretty amazing and it inspired me to acquire that knowledge for myself and help others.

WHAT DOES BEING PART OF COMMUNITY SPORT MEAN TO YOU?

I like the social aspect of sport. Exercise should be fun! Community sport achieves this, meaning that more people get involved and stay active.

What is your philosophy around injury management?

Age is just a number. Everyone should be able to work towards their goal no matter what it is, no matter their age. If you put in the effort you’ll get there.

What is your proudest sporting moment as a player?

My first ever goal in football. I didn’t even realise it had gone through at first, I’d kicked it that far!

What is your worst injury and how did you overcome it?

I re-tore my quadricep central tendon at the end of last year. Managing day-to-day was fine but whenever I did something more intensive, it would feel great at the time but would pull up much worse afterwards. Recovery was really hard as I had to pull myself out of all sport completely and rehabilitate really slowly to prevent re-injuring it. Made it back just in time for Beach Handball Nationals in Adelaide!

Who is your sporting hero and what do you admire most about them?

Dustin Martin, I’m jealous because I can’t do a ‘ don’t argue ‘ quite as well as him.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

Teleportation, no more long haul flights.

To make an appointment with Cassie you can BOOK ONLINE or call Langwarrin Sports Medicine Centre on 9789 1233.

Eramosa Physiotherapy (part of Peninsula Sports Medicine Group) is pleased to announce its new partnership with Somerville Eagles Soccer Club.

Peninsula Sports Medicine Group has been involved in community sport for over 28 years with many of its physiotherapists having previously been part of elite clubs like St Kilda FC.

Eramosa Physiotherapy brings a high level of expertise to the table. The Eagles teams will be looked after by Physiotherapist and Director, Clinton Watson.

Clinton Watson

Clinton is a passionate and experienced physiotherapist who draws his greatest joy from communicating and helping those from all walks of life. He is a keen triathlete and an accredited triathlon coach who has a special interest in biomechanics especially of cycling and running. Clinton’s approach to injury management is holistic and functional, based upon improving the efficiency of the body whilst encouraging general health and well being.

Clinton said the partnership reflects the strong commitment to community sport within the local area.

“We’re looking forward to working with The Eagles coaching and playing groups to provide the latest evidence based knowledge, education and hands-on physio skills to assist in a successful 2018 campaign”

“We are absolutely passionate about being ingrained in our local community. Being injured is a frustrating time for any player. Actually talking to players about how injuries occur, the causes, how injuries can be prevented and what they should do to ensure an optimal recovery is a really important part of what we deliver”.

To make an appointment contact Eramosa Physiotherapy on 5977 6590.