Nine long and scary months: Pregnancy can be the most wonderful experience filled with excitement, joy and happiness. There are an entire range of emotions that you will feel while your body is growing your little bub. Unfortunately for many women who experience a high risk pregnancy, they will experience enhanced anxiety, stress and fear. For some

I recently attended a webinar with knee Orthopaedic surgeon Nigel Hartnett and physiotherapist Christian Barton, on the topic of “Does Running cause or increase the risk of knee OA (osteoarthritis)?” They looked at extensive research around the world relating to running and osteoarthritis. They were interested to know if running causes knee OA and if

What is hydrotherapy? Hydrotherapy quite literally translates to ‘therapy in the water’. It is used as a form of rehabilitation for a range of injuries and conditions. While a hydrotherapy pool is typically between 33 and 36 degrees and fairly shallow, these exercises can be done in water of any temperature and depth. The warm water is

Hi New Mums My name is Leonie and I am a Maternal Child Health Nurse. Ali has asked me to write a blog  with some general tips and advice for New Mums. The first few months with you baby are exciting, wonderful and also tiring and can be stressful. No matter how well prepared you try to

What is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)? POTS is a condition whereby the heart rate increases dramatically upon standing. “Orthostatic” refers to being in an upright posture and “tachycardia” means to have a fast heart rate. POTS can have a number of common symptoms, including the following: Lightheadedness/dizziness. Fainting. Weakness. Blurred vision. Brain fog. Heart

What is menopause? Menopause is the end of the female menstural period, diagnosed 12 months from one’s last. It is associated with many natural changes. In the lead up to menopause, women go through the peri- menopause phase which includes a period of hot flushes, vaginal and sexual changes, altered mood, sleep and a change

Whether you’re recovering from an injury or preventing an injury, adequate sleep is just as important as your rehabilitation exercises and maintenance strategies. Sounds relatively simple, right? Science says otherwise!! Sleep Cycle – The Basics One sleep cycle is broken up into two phases; Non-REM (three sub-stages N1, N2, N3) and REM. Each cycle takes

It is very common for women to have an overactive pelvic floor but what does this actually mean? Imagine if you held your fist clenched indefinitely. Consider how sore your palm, finger, thumb and wrist muscles would feel. This analogy explains what happens with your pelvic floor muscles if you are not giving them time

May is Myositis awareness month! Hand exercises are an important part of a strength program for Myositis. Myositis is a rare autoimmune condition that has a variety of forms. It is generally characterised by weakness and fatigue of the muscles. Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) is a type of Myositis that affects the muscles of the