Walk more for better health - A physios advice for better health in 2023

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, daily walking has numerous health benefits. The study followed a group older women for about 7 years and found that those who walked at least 4,400 steps per day had a lower risk of death from all causes, as well as a lower risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

Not only that, but the study also found that the benefits of walking were seen at all levels of intensity, from leisurely to brisk. This means that it's not necessarily the intensity of your walk that matters, but rather the fact that you're walking at all.

In addition to its physical health benefits, walking has also been linked to improved mental health and cognitive function. So not only can it help you live longer, it can also make the time you do have more enjoyable.

So if you're looking to improve your overall health and well-being, consider incorporating daily walking into your routine. It's a simple and convenient way to improve your health, and it doesn't require any special equipment or gym memberships. Just put on a comfortable pair of shoes and get moving!

References:

Lee, I. M., Shiroma, E. J., Kamada, M., Bassett, D. R., Matthews, C. E., & Buring, J. E. (2019). Association of Step Volume and Intensity With All-Cause Mortality in Older Women. JAMA internal medicine, 179(8), 1105–1112. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.0899

Flow Knows Conor McGregor's leg fracture, Tommy Turbo's hamstring and what you can be doing during Lockdown to minimise injury

Craig and Jason discuss their thoughts on Conor's fracture and the possible causes, Tommy Turbo's hamstring, the Quadrant of Doom for hamstring injuries and what you can be doing during the Sydney lockdown period to minimise injury.

Netball Knee Program - Reducing injury and improving performance - Physio Sutherland

Joel is a Physiotherapist from Flow Physio Co Sutherland with a passion for helping sportspeople perform at their best. Today he talks through the Netball Australia KNEE Program for improving performance and reducing injury risk.

What is the Netball KNEE Program?

The Netball KNEE program is a court-side warm up to help players prepare to play, move efficiently and land safely. It was designed by Netball Australia and a bunch of experts from various fields for people of all levels.

The goal is to build strength and control of your body in short, sharp movements that are specific to netball. What we’ve seen it do is improve performance and reduce chance of injuries - because you’re stronger, faster and fitter!

Why do the Netball Knee Program?

Knees and ankles are the most common injuries in netballers and most of these injuries occur when landing. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) represents roughly 1/3 of serious injuries reported in netballers every year.

The KNEE Program is based on injury prevention programs that have been proven effective in reducing lower limb injuries generally and specifically reducing ACL injuries from 40–70% (Netball Australia).

How can we implement it?

What we want to do at Flow is to provide an individualised exercise program for any netballer that comes into the clinic based on this program. We want to teach you this program to be able to use it as your warm up for training and games to reduce your injury risk and improve your performance on the court.

We would run you through a 1 on 1 assessment, looking at injury history and where you want to improve, then we will design a program individualised for you that you can complete in our group classes here in the clinic.

If you want to use this as a fitness session for you and a few team members, we can organise sessions just for you and your teammates. If you want to work individually on improving yourself, we are happy to work with that too!

Get in touch and we can chat about how it might work best for you!

Joel Potter - Physiotherapist Sutherland Shire - Flow Physio Co

Joel Potter is a Physiotherapist from Flow Physio Co Sutherland and he recently sat down with Jason for a chat about how he became a physiotherapist, what he is currently seeing in the clinic and his future in the profession.

Exercise for Low Back and Neck Pain

Exercise is Medicine - Low Back and Neck Pain

Exercise is not only the key to a healthy life but also leads to a comfortable life. The old saying “move it or lose it” was correct! We have previously discussed the importance of movement for general health and well being purposes HERE.

Move it, or lose it

Today we will talk about the benefits of movement for reducing the incidence of neck and back pain, which, unfortunately is becoming far too common in society today.

In 2014-15, 1 in 6 Australians reported back and neck problems which equates to approximately 3.7 million people.

1 in 6 Australians Reported back and neck problems in 2014-15.

The AIHW reports that neck and back troubles were the 3rd leading cause of disease burden in Australia in 2011 (1).

What does the research say?

As these levels are very high, there is a growing field of research to identify what we can do to prevent these issues. The recurrent stand out is exercise! Exercise has time and time again shown to be medicine for a variety of conditions (2-3).

Exercise programs have been shown to substantially reduce the risk of a new episode of neck pain (4) and the same just happens to be true for low back pain. Evidence suggests that exercise as a stand alone intervention or in combination with education is effective in the prevention of low back pain (5).

The Cherry on top

To really add the cherry on top, if this is combined with some strengthening exercise, then the risk of not only neck and back issues but all sports injuries is reduced to less than one third and the rate of overuse injuries is halved (6).

What does this mean?

Exercise is one of the best things that can be done to not only live a healthy life but also to feel good whilst doing so. All of the research suggests that it doesn’t necessarily matter what you are doing as long as you are moving. So don’t over analyse things just do what you enjoy!

In case you’re wondering how much?

• It is advised that for adults aged 18-64 years, 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both, per week is recommended.

• Strengthening activities should be performed at least twice per week.

• For adults 65+ at least 30 mins of moderate intensity exercise is advised daily(3).

Take Home Message

• Exercise is meant to be a long term drug, consistently taking it over time leads to the greatest benefits.

• Do what you enjoy and do it often.

• Add some variety and gradually progress.

• If you fall off the bandwagon don’t stress, life happens, just get back on.

References:

1. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-musculoskeletal-conditions/back-problems/contents/what-are-back-problems

2. https://www.primalplay.com/research/

3. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4364.0.55.001~2014-15~Main%20Features~Exercise~29

4. de Campos, T. F., Maher, C., Steffens, D., Fuller, J., & Hancock, M. (2018). Exercise programs may be effective in preventing a new episode of neck pain: a systematic review. Journal of Physiotherapy, 64(3), 159-165. DOI: 10.1016/j.jphys.2018.05.003- https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/89732879/Publisher_version_open_access_.pdf

5. Steffens D, Maher CG, Pereira LSM, et al. Prevention of Low Back PainA Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(2):199–208. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.7431- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2481158

6. Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials Br J Sports Med Published Online First: 07 October 2013. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092538- https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2013/10/07/bjsports-2013-092538