CALF STRENGTH FOR RUNNING - FLOW PHYSIO CO SUTHERLAND

Joel from Flow Physio Co Sutherland chats to us about an easy way to assess calf strength.

TRANSCRIPT:

Hey guys. I've recently been seeing a lot of soccer players and runners, and people from other sports who've been coming in with some calf and shin issues.

So I wanted to give you guys a quick little test to have a look at your calf strength, and a way to work on it as well.

So the first one to do is to get into a single leg standing position. Use a wall for balance. And just do some calf raises. Up on to your toes and back down.

So you want to get some nice control there as you're going up and down.

Then test side to side, see how many you can get before you hit fatigue on each side. If it's nice and even, that's really good.

The goal for you would be able to get about 30 repetitions or more.

Second one we want to do, is have a look at doing the same thing but with the knee bent. So coming into this squat position. Same thing, going up and down. So that's a bit more challenging, in this muscle we don't work on so much, but it's called your soleus muscle and it's really important for running.

So have a look at that as well, and have a look at your capacity there. Now, again, if they're not even side to side, or you're not getting that 30 repetitions on each side, that's something to work on.

So you want to work on that exercise, basically going to the point where you're almost getting fatigued, give yourself a couple of minutes rest, and then go again, and do the same thing. You better challenge that muscle to be able to load it a bit and get a bit stronger.

Flow Turns 2 - Flow Physio Co Sutherland

Last week Flow Physio Co Sutherland celebrated 2 years operating in the Sutherland Shire.

Jason sat down to talk through the 2 years and give a big thank you to the Flow community.

His top 2 tips from the 2 years:

1. Prioritise your health. Without your health, how do you expect to look after your family, run a business and do all the things you want to do?

2. Learn how you manage your stressors. Stress is inevitable and a part of a healthy life. It’s not in the stress that you bear, it’s how you handle it.

Happy ✌🏽 years.
Here’s to many more.

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.

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR DECREASING INJURY RISK - FLOW KNOWS

Craig from Flow Physio Co Sutherland talks to us about a recent study that looked at the effects of strength training on injury risk. Read on for more.

Strength training programs as a whole reduced the likelihood of injury by 66% (Lauersen et al 2018)

A recent meta-analysis of 6 studies with a combined total of 7739 participants aged from 12-40 published in the BJSM looked at strengthening intervention on injury risk.

It was found that strength training programs as a whole reduced the likelihood of injury by 66% with 95% certainty!

It was also found that the longer programs provided the most favourable results.

The programs had an average of 8 months with zero adverse effects reported.

Strength training appears to have a direct preventative effect for injuries of the hamstrings, ACL and anterior knee pain.

Take Home Messages:

• This study obviously indicates the benefits of implementing a strengthening program for all athletes and weekend warriors regardless of age or sport

• Consistency over time provides the greatest benefits

• Strength training is safe

• Appropriate dosage and progression is important

Reference: Lauersen JB, Andersen TE, Andersen LB. Strength training as superior, dose-dependent and safe prevention of acute and overuse sports injuries: a systematic review, qualitative analysis and meta-analysis Br J Sports Med 2018;52:1557-1563.

Full Text

2019 Guidelines for Physical Activity in Pregnancy - Flow Physio Co Sutherland - Women's Health Physio

The 2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity in Pregnancy  provide guidance for pregnant women, obstetric care and exercise professionals on prenatal exercise.

The guidelines provide evidence based recommendations regarding physical activity throughout pregnancy in the promotion of maternal, foetal and neonatal health. 

The Benefits of Being Active through Pregnancy

In the absence of contraindication, following these guidelines is associated with fewer newborn complications and maternal health benefits such as:

• Decreased risk of gestational diabetes and preecplamsia

• Less risk of Instrumented-assisted delivery; and

• Decreased risk urinary incontinence post birth

What is Recommended?

The guidelines make 4 strong recommendations and 2 weak recommendations:

1. All women without contraindications should be physically active throughout pregnancy (Strong recommendation, moderate-quality evidence)

2. Pregnant women should accumulate at least 150 of moderately intense physical activity each week to achieve clinically meaningful health benefits and reduction in pregnancy complications (Strong recommendation, moderate-quality evidence)

3. Physical activity should be accumulated over a minimum of 3 days per week, however being active everyday is encouraged (Strong recommendation, moderate-quality evidence)

4. Pregnant women should incorporate a variety of aerobic and resistance training activities to achieve greater benefits (Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence)

5. Pelvic floor muscle training may be performed on a daily basis to reduce the risk of urinary incontinence - instruction on proper technique is recommended (Weak recommendation, low-quality evidence)

6. Pregnant women who experience light-headedness, nausea or feel unwell when they exercise flat on their back should modify their exercise position to avoid the supine position (Weak recommendation, very-low quality evidence)

Enhancing maternal health and reducing pregnancy complications

In conclusion prenatal exercise should be therefore considered the front line therapy for reducing the risk of pregnancy complications and enhancing maternal physical and mental health. 

What should you do?

You should check with your obstetric care provider or Women’s Health Physio to make sure you don’t have any contraindications to exercise and enjoy the wonderful benefits of being active through pregnancy.

Source:

• 2019 Canadian Guidelines for Physical Activity in Pregnancy