Peak Pilates and Physiotherapy Hibiscus Coast Blog

     Whether you’re a tennis junkie, social football player; training for your first half marathon, or embarking on a new fitness regime of walking or running, a calf strain can be a major hinderance to your New Years fitness plans.  What is a calf strain?      The calf complex comprises of the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles and their main role is to point the foot and push off the ground to propel you up and forward during walking, running and jumping.       The soleus muscle is the most commonly affected in acute strains as it makes up the bulk of the calf muscle and is subjected to forces that are 6-8 x your body weight when running!  The severity of tear can be graded from 1-3 with 1 being mild and involving only a few muscle fibers affected. You might feel like you've 'tweaked' or 'pulled' your muscle. The muscle can feel tight and tender, but overall strength and flexibility is well maintained. Grade 2 can involve up to...

Our bodies tell a great many stories about our lives with scars being a visual reminder of these experiences.  What is scar tissue? Scar tissue is thickened fibrous tissue that replaces healthy tissue that has been damaged. It is a normal part of the healing process. Scar tissue is made of collagen like normal tissue but the fibre composition and alignment can differ causing it to create tension in a singular direction. The following information on scar tissue management is looking more specifically at scars associated with child birth but can be transferred to other areas of the body as the principles are much the same. This is of course only a guide and it is important to talk to your GP or Physiotherapist if you have any concerns or questions.  Scar tissue massage and mobilization can usually begin after 6 weeks as long as the wound is closed and there has been no complications such as infection. The scar will be at approximately 60% of it's previo...

So you've signed up for a Half Marathon! Congratulations!  Now there's a few things I think you should know.  Firstly beware, running can become addictive! Secondly say good bye to weekend sleep-in's. You've got to get out there and run before it gets to hot! And lastly you'll be surprised how much you can talk running and will naturally gravitate towards the subject of running, running shoes, watches, clothes, chaffing, technique, injuries, pace, training, running events... the list goes on and on.  Karen and Brad are the faces of Peak Pilates Millwater and are well known now on the coast among the local running community. Since starting the run everyday challenge in 2018 Karen has had 7 Half marathon wins and brought her half marathon time down from 1.31 to 1.22:34! Brad has resumed a run everyday challenge in 2019 which has shown that the 5km everyday training plan can produce some pretty good results (if you can avoid injury and illness),...

Dry needling is a technique where sterile, single-use acupuncture needles are inserted into tight or dysfunctional muscles. The technique is based upon western anatomical and neurophysiological theories, rather than Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture which is based upon energy meridian theories. During dry needling, needles are inserted into the muscle to target "trigger points". These trigger points are tight, painful bands in the muscle that may also refer pain to other areas. Trigger points may contribute to muscle pain, restricted movement or altered muscle function. Dry needling is a fast technique, where needles are inserted into the muscle and gently moved in and out and then removed after a short period. During the technique, you should feel a dull, achy sensation and often a "twitch" or jumpy feeling in the muscle, you may also feel referral of pain to another area. Mild adverse effects may occur such as bruising and post treatment soreness (...

Sleep is crucial for balancing blood sugar levels, reducing inflammation, release of growth factors for cellular regeneration, motor retaining, and cognitive function and processing. Everyone needs between 7-9 hrs of sleep per night so don't try and fool yourself into thinking you can operate on less. Recovering from 1-2 nights of sleep deprivation is manageable but any more than this we simply can not make up for with a few sleep in's or afternoon naps.  🙌  Respect your individual body clock and circadian rhythm. Find out what works for you. Keep a diary for a few weeks of what time you went to bed, what time you woke up, and how well you felt and performed each day.  ⏰  If you have a set time that you need to get up in order to go to work, gym, exercise then plan your bed time around this. Set an alarm at night to remind you it's bed time and allow enough to wind down and start your bed time routine. 📱 Turn off devises an hour before bed if you s...

Karen has recently finished her certification in cancer rehabilitation through the PINC and STEEL  Trust and is now available to offer these services at Millwater. Many people are unsure as to what cancer rehabilitation entails or why it is necessary so we hope that this can help anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer or who knows somebody who is has better understand how physiotherapy can help. What is the PINC and STEEL program? The PINC program is a rehabilitation program for women who have been diagnosed with cancer and the STEEL program is for men who have been diagnosed with cancer. It involves a comprehensive assessment for cancer treatment related side effects and a tailored rehabilitation plan specific to the individuals needs. Why Cancer rehabilitation? If people don't get rehabilitated after cancer it can affect their ability to work, their families, their physical, emotional, and s ocial well-being , their long-term health , and ultimately survival ...