Today’s topic answers “what type of massage do I need?”. This is for those who are new and curious about the purpose and effects of massage therapy. To celebrate my third year anniversary with Strength Pilates & Physiotherapy, I’m kicking off a series of posts that will break down the frequently asked questions over my time as a massage therapist. For some background, I graduated from The Australasian College of Natural Therapies (ACNT) in 2010 with a Diploma of Remedial Mass

I'm sure you've heard it all before... you need to exercise in order to get healthy. With the fitness market exploding with different type of exercises classes from aqua aerobics to crossfit classes it can get a little confusing as what you should be doing and why. This article is here to help you make the right choices and help you understand WHY you should exercise. Why you should exercise Not long ago, weight training was left to the body builders, Olympic weightlifters, a

I’m sure a lot of you reading this have been seeing a lot of coverage of the recent Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang. We all know that these athletes train extremely hard in order to excel in their respective sports. However, there is a very fine line between training hard to achieve desired results and overtraining. Achieving a balance between exercise and rest is essential for self-regulation and improved sporting performance in the long term. So how much training is too

Squats - Free weight vs body weight What is ideal? It all depends on what purpose you are training for. As long as there is a level of overload and increased resistance you will be able to elicit a training effect. If you're looking to build pure strength and size you should go down the path of free weight. However if you're looking to develop endurance and are not focused on size, plyometric and body weight exercises will be more than enough. But be prepared to but in the

A good place to start when doing a shoulder examination is observation through range. Before going into hands on assessments it's important that we review the motor pattern and control exhibited by the shoulder. Are there any significant scars, bruising, deformities, difference in muscle mass or asymmetry? Without looking and observing, how can you paint the full picture and diagnose properly? Use your eyes before your hands. For more information book online @ www.strengthand

Have you wondered why no two training programs are the same? That's because every program made has to serve a specific purpose for the individual and athlete. Depending if you are in the off-season, pre-season, in-season, peaking, prepping, or just looking to improve from your last training session; every training program should be specific to your goals. The common mistake most beginners make is that they follow so called "icons" that have been training for years and years a

When training and exercising there are a plethora of different training protocols and paradigms that can be followed but which one is suitable for you? The same movement (e.g. row) can be completely different based on the intensity, speed, technique and resistance and quality of the exercise control. By reducing the speed of the repetition and perfecting the movement, you will reduce the overall volume of training. Does this mean reducing the overall volume will mean you have

Ankle Fracture rehab part 5 - Functional Ankle Strength Strength training is the most evidenced based and common staple of a rehabilitation program. Depending on the stage of the rehabilitation, different exercise variations such as opened chained, closed chain, isometrics, eccentrics and many more will be used to get your body moving as it should. Similar to ankle sprains, a severe ankle fracture can cause disruption and damage of the lateral ankle ligaments. An active stabi

When to introduce range of motion? Now that we have been given the all clear to weight bear on our leg, one of the most common and important questions is when can we start moving the ankle joint. A closed reduction within a cast is designed to immobilise the joint to allow for adequate bone healing, however the secondary effects include muscle atrophy, increase joint & muscle stiffness as well as loss of control and coordination at the ankle. The time frame of immobilisation

When can we return to exercise after a fracture? As previously mentioned in Part 1 of our Ankle Fracture series, it is important that we determine what type of ankle fracture has occurred so we can program our rehab appropriately. Our ankle fracture will vastly vary in its management due to the location and type of fracture. For a stable fracture in which you have been given permission to weight bear inside a CAM boot, you can and should immediately begin to apply load and we