Preventing injury with physio and yoga

Are you in a constant battle with your body to stay injury and pain-free? Maybe you’re having the same conversation with yourself over and over about how you need to be kinder to yourself, eat cleaner, and get stronger and more flexible? When you don’t have the right ingredients making up your life, this can be a difficult task to undertake. Luckily, there is an answer.

Many people will visit a physiotherapist after they injure themselves. A common occurrence is to then part with the physio sessions once the pain has gone away and the person is back to their normal lifestyle. On many occasions, we see these people back in the clinic again within 3-6 months, often with the same problem rearing its ugly head. This is because pain-relief and return to function is only the beginning of the recovery and rehab phase. To avoid these repeat visits to us for the same issue time and time again, rehab should be seen through (and continued) until you are back to baseline PLUS giving yourself some “extra in the tank.”

Making a real change to the body in the way you move, how frequently you move, and how strong you are takes a long time. Many injuries are years in the making and cannot be reversed in a few treatment sessions alone. So, how about having your knowledgeable physio see you through to that 110% mark so next time you take to the field, not only will you not be afraid of injuring yourself again, but you’ll be able to put more into your performance (on and off the field) than you did before. Visiting your physio on a regular basis, regardless of whether you are injured or not, is a great way to PREVENT injury, as you’ll have a movement and health expert with you at every step of the journey.

There are many benefits of seeing a physio regularly for injury prevention. These include:

• Having a qualified health practitioner who is able to seek out movement problems before they present to you as pain and disability
• Having your very own sounding board for any frustrations you may have with your body
• Knowing you have the best person to treat and provide lifestyle advice based on the most up-to-date evidence-based research
• Having an expert practitioner who is able to assess, implement a short and long-term plan, and then re-assess along the way where required to ensure you are reaching your goals

We understand regular treatments can be costly,but staying healthy and injury free is a much better option then constantly being plagued with injury, or possibly ending up with a life-changing, chronic condition that requires ongoing medical costs. Put it this way, why not use your private health cover to prevent injury, rather than to treat it once it arises and impacts your life?

What else can I do?

There are many healthy options out there that can supplement the good work you do with your physio. Not everyone is game for following strict exercise regimes set by their practitioner. A different outlet may be required, and we are trained to recognise these patients and are always supportive of any choice a patient makes if it is going to benefit their mind and body. A very popular exercise choice is yoga. Yoga has been practiced by millions of people for thousands of years (3000+ years to be more accurate!) and provides a whole body, or holistic approach to health. That is, it’s good for the mind, body and spirit. The beauty of yoga in modern times is that it is widely accessible, has different forms for different tastes, and can be enjoyed by all regardless of age.

Some of the proven benefits of yoga include:

• Improved flexibility and body-wide strength
• Improved heart and lung health
• Improved sleep cycles
• Effective weight management
• Effective control of stress, anxiety and depressive disorders
• Effective pain management (including chronic pain states)
• Enhanced overall quality of life

The list goes on. We think all of these qualities perfectly complement what we are trying to achieve in our treatment plan for you. Considering trying yoga after reading this? Speak to us next time you are in the clinic, and we’ll be able to recommend a local yoga studio to try. Bonus yoga benefit… It’s a social affair, so take a friend or family member with you and you can both reap the benefits, and enjoy a coffee after class!

(And ahem… please pass on our details to them too) 😉

 References

1. Physiopedia. 2020. Physical activity and injury prevention in adolescents. [Onlinehttps://www.physio-pedia.com/Physical_Activity_and_Injury_Prevention_in_Adolescents. [Accessed 05 Nov 2020]

2. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 2020. Yoga injury prevention. [Onlinehttps://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/staying-healthy/yoga-injury-prevention. [Accessed 05 Nov 2020]

3. Harvard Health Publishing. 2015. Yoga - benefits beyond the mat. [Onlinehttps://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/yoga-benefits-beyond-the-mat. [Accessed 05 Nov 2020]

4. Woodyard, C. 2011. Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. International journal of yoga. 4 (2). 49-54. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/

Uploaded : 5 December 2020