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One of the biggest weight lifting myths I’ve heard is that lifting weights makes women manly. It takes an incredibly strict and specific dedicated approach to training and diet for a female to look that way (even then some “assistance” can be required). The greatest misconception of fitness is that it is one dimensional, while there is no denying a world record holder marathon runner has incredible endurance, s/he would most likely struggle to keep up with a swimmer or track

“You must always stretch before working out, otherwise you will risk injury” is a pretty common statement that floats around in the fitness world. But how true is it? And what is meant by stretching? I’m guessing that when most people hear the word stretching they think of static stretching where the muscle is stretched to it’s limit and then held in that position for some time. Some other forms of stretching include; dynamic, and Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PN

Migraines are a common and distressing disorder which can limit the person’s quality of life. Studies have shown the incidence of migraine to be 9-10%. From this about 17% of suffers are the female population in comparison to 6% of suffers from the male population. Thus, about 2 million Australians can be expected to suffer from migraine with about 1.5 million women and about 500,000 men respectively. It is thought that more women suffer migraines than men due to hormonal fac

The most common health complaint in the modern world is headaches. Headaches affect 75% of the population with reports showing a person will suffer from one or more headaches within the year. There are three major categories of headaches: Primary headaches; cluster, tension headaches and migraines Secondary headaches; due to an underlying structural problem in the neck or head Cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches: Occur when the nerves in the head and upper ne

Headaches are a common ailment which varies in intensity, pain and location. Although the majority of headaches are a temporary nuisance some can be more serious, concerning and disruptive. One common patient complaint is occipital headaches which can signify an underlying condition that can be treated with massage and bodywork techniques. Occipital headaches also known as occipital neuralgia is a non life threatening disorder that is located at the back of the head and can

Lower-half Headache or Facial Migraine Also known as carotidynia and applies to a common migraine that causes severe pain lasting from minutes to hours (frequency – several times per week) that covers one-half of the face involving the nostril, cheek and jaw. The presence of tenderness and swelling over the carotid artery in the neck also may occur. This type of migraine is more common in older people. Migraine Aura without Headache This is when the attacks are referred to

The rotator cuff comprises; Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and Subscapularis. Muscular function: The rotator cuff muscles balance the forces of the deltoids which act to raise the arm and in doing so forces the humeral head superiorly towards the acromion and coracoacromial arch. The rotator cuff muscles (especially supraspinatus) counteract this action by preventing or limiting the head of the humerus moving superiorly when the arm is raised, which if not preven

Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) Diastasis Symphasis Pubis (DSP) The pelvis is a structure which is circular in shape and comprises of three large bones: the sacrum and the two large ilium bones. The two ilium bones are joined together at the front via cartilage and ligaments. These structures make up the symphasis pubis joint. At the posterior the hip bones (ilium) attach to the sacrum via he sacroiliac joints. The symphasis pubis allows for small

ITB friction syndrome is common and results from inflammation of the distal ITB and the bursa which lies deep to the ITB and over the lateral femoral condyle Causes are often associated with a single long hard run, a rapid increase in training distances, running on banked surfaces or excessive hill running Other contributing factors might be: tightness of the ITB, malalignment and leg length discrepancy, excessive foot pronation and downward contralateral pelvic tilt during s

Hamstring stains most commonly occur during running or sprinting activities during the swing phase of the gait cycle just prior to foot strike. In this position there is a high degree of eccentric loading occurring through the hamstring in order to decelerate the leg as it swings forward in preparation for the foot plant. Increased muscle tensile strain also occurs when hip flexion is added as in when bending down to pick up a ball whilst running. Reduced flexibility makes a

Often referred to as Tennis Elbow and involves pain in racket sports when hitting the ball (or absorbing force) through a backhand stroke as the forearm extends. Stress is absorbed through the tendons of the extensor muscles of the wrist and forearm which with repeated actions may cause inflammation, pain and altered movement mechanics to avoid pain that may result in the development of muscle and tendon weakness. Signs: Lateral elbow pain upon activation of extensors of th

This injury is primarily caused by force being applied during repeated arm abduction movements. In swimming for example this translates to the athlete using an excessively wide arm pull that results in medial rotation of the humerus as force is applied during the pull phase of the arm-stroke. This action results in the long head of the biceps tendon rubbing against the lateral side of the bicepital groove causing frictional stress on the tendon, abrading, inflammation and pai

This occurs when there is tearing of some or all of the adductor muscle group. These muscles are responsible for stabilising the pelvis and moving the leg towards the midline of the body. These muscles are activated during running (changing direction) and kicking. This injury usually occurs in sports such as soccer, football, skiing, gymnastics, athletics (hurdlers, sprinters, and long jumpers). Predisposing factors: poor groin flexibility muscle weakness (especially of the

The Achilles tendon is the common tendon of the gastrocs and soleus muscles. The tendon twists as it descends, rotating laterally. The twisting produces a concentration of stress in the tendon above the insertion where rotating is most pronounced. The Achilles tendon is subject to various forces which may compound stress through the twisting tendon at its point of least blood flow. Common symptoms: Thickened tendon, oedema, sore to touch ,posterior heel pain on first few ste

Scoliosis is a word we use to describe the most common type of spinal curvature. When a scoliosis develops the spine bends sideways and rotates along its vertical axis. These changes have cosmetic and physiological effects with long-term consequences which may result in significant health problems with severe curves. Idiopathic scoliosis is a condition not associated with any other disorder or disease and it comes in three main types classified according to age of onset; Infa