NERANG PHYSIOTHERAPY

If you or someone you know is duefor a Total hip replacement (THR) itwould certainly be to your benefit tohave a Physiotherapy assess-ment done prior to your surgery.

On many occasions I see peoplewho have already undergone a THRand weeks, months down the lineare still struggling to regainstrength and function and are oftenin pain.

I put this down to one main factor,no pre-surgical Physical work doneon the hip and surrounding areas.This means that after the surgery,the soft tissue and muscle issuesthat caused the damage to the hipin the first place, are still present,making it difficult for the body torecover fully.

At Nerang Physiotherapy it is ourgoal to get you in for Physiotherapyat least 2 weeks prior to surgery towork on all the soft tissue, bloodflow and muscular issues that canbe improved upon and willtherefore speed up recovery aftersurgery.

Many of the weaknesses found infaulty hips is not from a lack of use,hence post-surgical exercises arenot always successful instrengthening muscles. I often seegross weakness in hips aftersurgery and after all the prescribedexercises.

Most weakness is due to poor bloodflow and tight soft tissues whichcannot be improved by exerciseshence many people still suffer withhip problems even after successfulsurgery.

So if you or anyone you know is duefor a THR get in to see us prior tothe surgery and make your recoverya walk in the park.

GENERAL NEWS

8/5-7 Lavelle Street, Nerang, Queensland, 4211 Tel: (07) 5596 4711Web: www.nerangphysio.com Email: nerangphysiotherapy@onthenet.com.au

The difference is obvious

January2017

Peter Mitchell

Yes another year haspassed and how quicklytoo. We would like towish all of you a HappyNew Year and all thebest health andhappiness for 2017. Welook forward to beingable to assist you withyour aches and pain sodon’t hesitate to call.

Total hipreplacements:What to do

Burning feet?

Do you suffer from ‘burningfeet’? Are your feethot to the touch?

Commonly hot feet areactually cold (not always),and it is the sense of heatthat can be confusing.

In most cases burning feetis a result of poor bloodflow to the legs affectingthe feet more due to thembeing the furthest pointfrom your heart.

However, it is not the heart’sfault but the nervous systemthat controls the arterialtone and how the arteriespump the blood to the legs.

This nervous system calledthe Sympathetic NervousSystem (SNS) is oftenfatigued and cannot controlthe tone of the arteries, thusreducing the flow to the feet.

This reduced flow stressesthe nerve in the feet andthese nerves send offdistress signals interpretedas heat. So what we feel isthe body’s message to saythere is insufficient blood inthe feet.

At Nerang Physiotherapy wehave a unique treatment forthis condition called Myo-flow, exclusive to us, whichimproves the control of theblood flow and relieves thesymptoms.

BRAIN TEASER OF THEMONTH

Answer:

John took his brother in the wheelbarrow.

Peter Mitchell Nerang Physiotherapy 5596 4711

(Excuse the pic, it’s the onlyone I could find…:-) )

As part of a waking upprocess this exercise is greatas it fits in with what mostvertebrates do after waking(watch your cat or dog)

As our nervous system is inthe spine including the partof the nervous system thatcontrols the blood flow, it isvital that the spine getsmobilised first to generateblood flow through the spineand thus through the nervoussystem.

So lying on your back withyour hands by your side,slowly arch your spine start-ing at the base of your spine.Do this while slowly breathingin from the belly.

As you breathe higher up inthe chest, arch the middle ofthe back and then the neckso, where possible, you areresting on your neck andbackside. Do not push up withyour hands, the back musclesalone must do the work.

Now breathe out and relaxthe back so you lay flat on thebed again. You only requireone stretch like this. Now dosome gentle and slow armand leg stretches as theblood flow to these will havebeen activated by the nervoussystem.

Have a laugh

To sit correctly in an office chair ensure the following:● Sit in the front half of the chair● Do NOT use the back-rest, our backs do not require support● Have your feet flat on the floor, or on a foot rest if you are

vertically challenged (how’s that for PC)● NOW set up your desk to suit your sitting position.

John said to Tim, his older brother, “Youare stronger than I am, but I can putsomething in this wheelbarrow andwheel it to the apple tree that I’ll bet youcan’t wheel back.” Tim took the bet andlost.

What was it that John wheeled to theApple tree?

Dehydration:A big factor in pain

One of the most common yet leastlooked at problem in pain isdehydration. Our body is 80%water and the soft tissues whichhelp us move and stay supple areeven more than 80% water.

In many cases it is the lack ofmobility of the soft tissues thatcause pain, as without goodmobility our muscles cannot work,joints seize up and we suffer pain.

The key to hydration is drinkingclean water as it is the onlysubstance that does not requiredigestion. Add anything to water,be it tea, coffee, alcohol or anyfood and you will have to digestthis before the water can beaccessed.

It will take 6 times longer to get thewater this way compared todrinking pure water. Even worse,coffee, cafeine-containing tea andalcohol all dehydrate the body, sothey will not be an effectivehydration policy.

In our climate we get dehydratedby the heat but also by air-condi-tioning so don’t make the mistakeof thinking you are OK in a coolroom, you will still be losing water.Drink about 2 to 3 litres of purewater per day. Start the day bydrinking 1 litre in the 1st hour ofwaking and then top up throughoutthe day. Drink to stay alive.