News Archives - Page 2 of 6 - MyPhysio MyHealth

January 1, 2023

By myphysioguru News

Year in Review 2022

What a year it has been for us at My Physio My Health!

This year we added two new clinics, Kilkenny in July and Prospect in November. In 2023 we are excited to be taking over from Physio One Woodville, a physiotherapy practice and fitness studio on Port Road. Watch this space in the New Year!

We have continued our community sponsorships with Athelstone Cricket Club and Hope Valley Junior Football Club and partnerships with Multiple Solutions, Resthaven and ProMed.

Most importantly we’ve been able to help thousands of patients achieve their highest possible function and improve their quality of life, whether that be through physiotherapy, nutrition, exercise physiology or remedial massage.

A sincere thank you to our entire staff for all for your hard work, loyalty and dedication in helping our clients reach their health goals.

We look forward to seeing everyone in the New Year for an exciting 2023!

November 14, 2022

By myphysioguru News

Managing Diabetes to Reduce Stigma

National Diabetes Awareness Month

Receiving a diabetes diagnosis can be difficult. Diabetes can affect the entire body and requires daily self-care to avoid complications. There is also a large amount of stigma associated with diabetes. This National Diabetes Awareness Month I want to shed some light on what diabetes is and how to manage it to reduce stigma around the condition.

Types of diabetes

Firstly, there is more than one type of diabetes, in fact there are three.

Type 1 diabetes commonly diagnosed in children but it can be diagnosed in adults too. Occurs when the pancreas (a gland) does not produce enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels stable. Onset is normally abrupt with obvious symptoms.
Type 2 diabetes differs from type to in that the onset is mush slower and use to only be seen in individuals over the age of 45 but this is changing. In type 2 diabetes the pancreas the does not produce enough insulin or the insulin it does produce is less sensitive to help manage blood sugar levels.
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. This type of diabetes normally is no longer an issue once the baby is born but for some women it can persist or be risk factor for later life development of Type 2 diabetes.

What causes diabetes?

Diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system attacks its own cells decreasing them in number therefore reducing the amount insulin or sensitivity of insulin produced. For type 1 diabetes it is unknown what the cause is nor can it be prevented. In type 2 diabetes there is a strong genetic component that plays a role in developing the condition. There are also behavioural factors that may put you as an increased risk such as activity levels, smoking status, alcohol intake, stress levels as well as eating patterns and behaviours. In gestational diabetes, the hormones from the placenta can block the actions of insulin reducing its sensitivity. This doesn’t occur for all women and their pregnancies but for some like those who have had gestational diabetes previously, are over the age of 40 and have a family history of diabetes are at a higher risk. The bottom line here is that it is never anyone’s fault that they have diabetes.

Manageable but not curable

Unfortunately, there has yet to be a cure for diabetes but it is manageable and should be managed appropriately to participate in your best quality of life. Managing diabetes can decrease risk of secondary complications such as blindness, numbness, amputations and kidney disease to name a few. Managing your diabetes can involve managing other health conditions and environmental factors such as hypertension or high cholesterol, smoking status and alcohol intake or stress and physical activity levels. It can also include managing the quality and amount of carbohydrate foods you have within your diet to control and stabilise blood sugar levels. Although we discuss managing other aspects of your health to manage your diabetes, managing your blood sugar levels is one of the most important things to take care when you have diabetes so taking medication as prescribed, participating in physical activity, reduce stress and illness as well as checking in frequently with a dietitian to discuss eating patterns and behaviours can help to maintain blood glucose levels. If you would like to get started on managing your diabetes today call or book online for an appointment with Jess to see how she can help you start your diabetes management.

October 10, 2022

By myphysioguru News

How a Dietitian Helps

Food is the one thing about us that makes all so very unique. No two eating patterns are the same because of our likes, dislikes, choices, affordability, accessibility, and cultural influences. It can bring us joy, bring people together and keep us energised but it can also be very confusing, distressing and painful.

In my time as a dietitian, I have found that food is one of the most personal things about us but also something that everyone has an opinion on. This makes it hard to know what is right, share experiences and sometimes enjoy food in the best possible way.

A dietitian can help enjoying food and eating easier. They help to navigate the pages and pages of nutritional advice out there and use personalised nutrition advice to help you optimise your life and health. Accredited Practising Dietitians are the gold standard of nutritional information in Australia. They know the best and newest ways to help you manage your conditions, foods and behaviours to create and promote positive wellbeing. They understand how nutrition affects the body ad they use this knowledge plus your personalised experience with food to help treat you. Due to this, they are also the only nutrition credential recognised by Medicare, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and many private health funds.

The conditions a dietitian can help with are:

Diabetes – carbohydrate awareness, counting, label reading and switches
Heart disease – high cholesterol, hypertension
Food allergies and intolerances – lactose intolerance, coeliac disease, IBS
Gastrointestinal diseases – Chron’s disease, coeliac disease, IBS
Malnutrition
Fussy eating and feeding difficulties
Eating disorders or disordered eating
General nutrition information
Renal disease
Life stage nutrition – planning pregnancies, pregnancy, paediatric nutrition, menopause and ageing.

The first session with a dietitian is always the scariest because of food being so personal. There is a fear of being judged or ridiculed but what you need to know is that discussing food and your concerns with a dietitian is a safe space where you will not be judged, told off, ridiculed or belittled. You don’t need to be a perfect eater because nothing about nutrition is perfect, there is no magic foods or perfect diets and every day, we are still learning something new. When you have your first session with a dietitian it is all about you, you tell us your back story, why you need our help, what you biggest struggles and fears are and we, the dietitians listen. We ask questions here and there to get more information and not because we are judging you but because the more, we know about you the better we can help you.

Subsequent sessions vary from person to person. They may include nutrition education, nutrition activities, recipe developments, sensory challenges, or shopping and eating out guidance. The number of sessions and how often is also different from person to person. the common theme amongst the sessions though is support. You will always have support from your dietitian, they are you biggest cheerleader. So if this article has resonated with you book an appointment today.

September 7, 2022

By myphysioguru News

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Food

This women’s health week, 5th – 11th of September, I want to shine the light on nutrition in reproductive health as 1 in 10 women of child bearing age, suffer from a condition known as Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Polycystic what?

Polycystic ovary or ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common health problem that affect many women throughout Australia. PCOS is caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones which causes problems to occur with a woman’s ovaries. The main role of the ovaries are to make and produce eggs ready for fertilization. In PCOS, high levels of androgen (commonly a male hormone), can cause issues with the development of these eggs and ovulation.

Symptoms of PCOS

Not every presentation of PCOS is the same just as not every body is the same but here are some common symptoms that may occur. If any of these symptoms related to you, make an appointment to see your doctor for further investigation. It may not be anything but better to be safe and take care of your reproductive health.

Irregular menstrual cycles causing cysts and infertility
Insulin insensitivity causing high blood sugar levels with no history of diabetes
Excess hair in places where men normally have hair (chin or face)
Acne (face, chest, upper back)
Thinning hair or hair loss
Weight gain
Darkening of skin
Skin tags (small excess flaps of skin normally in armpits or around neck)

Nutrition for PCOS

A common misconception when it comes to PCOS is that you should avoid Carbohydrates, WRONG! Here is the theory behind this myth:

In PCOS, the high levels of hormones not only affect the ovaries but can also affects insulin (another hormone) sensitivity.
PCOS decreases insulin sensitivity which can cause high blood sugar levels.
Normally, insulin is a hormone that is released to help your body bring sugars into your blood to give you energy.
When sensitivity of insulin is decrease, it means insulin doesn’t work as well so therefore the sugar in the blood stays there instead of being used by the body causing the high blood sugar levels.
Avoiding carbohydrates was once thought to help this scenario as carbohydrates (breads, pasta, fruit, cereal, rice etc.) when broken down create the sugars in our blood that the insulin is suppose to take up.
So therefore, the thought was, no carbs = no sugar in blood = no high blood sugar levels.

The theory is very black and white thinking though and nutrition is a very grey science. An example is that in this black and white theory, the liver was forgotten. One of the roles of the liver is to store excess sugar and in times when there is no sugar for energy (i.e. cutting out carbs) the liver’s role is to release its stored sugars to help give your body energy. So sugars are released and insulin is also released but in PCOS, the insulin still doesn’t work well so sugar levels in the blood remain high and therefore the problem is still there.

Take home message

Don’t cut out carbs to help your PCOS. Instead include Low GI carb foods such as multigrain breads, brown long grain rice, lentils or legumes and whole grain cereals to name a few. Low GI foods are digested slower therefore giving the insulin time to work better. If you’re looking for more detailed support, talking to an accredited practicing dietitian is always a great place to start. They can help you understand your condition better and individualise nutrition recommendations to suit your lifestyle. Book an appointment to day with Jess to start your journey.

August 11, 2022

By myphysioguru News

Levator Ani Avulsion explained

The pelvic floor muscles are a supportive basin of muscle attached to the pelvic bones by connective tissue to support the vagina, uterus, bladder and bowel. The main group of muscles providing this support is called the ‘levator’ muscles. There are also nerves that relax or squeeze these pelvic muscles as needed.

Between the levator muscles there is an opening that allows the urethra, vagina and back passage to exit the abdomen. This is called the ‘levator hiatus’.

What Happens to the Levator Ani During Childbirth?

During a vaginal birth, the baby needs to pass through the ‘levator hiatus’ in the pelvic floor, and the muscles, connective tissues and nerves can be damaged in the process. The levator muscles are stretched by 1.5 to more than 3 times their normal length as the baby passes through, depending on the size of both baby and pelvic floor muscle opening.In many women, these muscles return to normal but in 10-30% of women the muscles are overstretched or sometimes torn off the bone. This injury is called a ‘levator avulsion’

Risk factors associated with Levator ani avulsion:

Symptoms:

Pelvic heaviness or pressure (Do you feel like your insides are falling out?). This is often worse at the end of the day or during/immediately after exercise.
Decreased sexual desire, arousal, or ability or orgasm
Limited sensory awareness
Vaginal wall laxity
Pelvic floor muscle weakness (may present as one sided weakness if the avulsion tear is unilateral)

Diagnosis :

Doctors and pelvic health / pregnancy physiotherapists who specialise in treating pelvic floor problems can detect injury through physical examination and/or pelvic ultrasound. A 4D pelvic floor ultrasound by a specially trained clinician is the best method for seeing pelvic floor structures.

Physiotherapy Treatment for Levator Ani Avulsion

A thorough pelvic exam to assess remaining muscle strength, length, endurance and motor control.
An assessment of your prolapse.
Real time feedback on the quality of your pelvic floor contraction to help improve function of your pelvic floor muscles, and support to your organs.
Determining if you may benefit from an external supportive device like a pessary.
Personally fit you for a pessary or refer you to a provider who can if they cannot.
Teach you pressure management strategies to reduce any unwanted stress on your tissues with daily activity or exercise.
Provide guidance on how to safely continue your desired exercise without further injury to your tissues.

To book an initial assessment with a Women's Health physio, please contact Reception.

August 9, 2022

By myphysioguru News

Decreasing the Risk of Stroke

Stroke Awareness Week

From the 8-14th of August is National Stroke Awareness Week. Every year it is estimated that there are 38,600 stroke events a year, this is more than 100 every day. Of these stroke events 5.3% will not survive and 2.7& will be left with a permanent disability. So, what is a stroke and can you help to prevent it happening in yourself or a loved one.

What is a stroke?

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain becomes blocked or ruptures. There are two types of strokes an ischaemic stroke, blocked blood vessel, and a haemorrhagic stroke, blood vessel ruptures and begins to bleed on the brain. A stroke can cause limited blood supply to the brain and therefore cause a decreased in essential nutrients reaching the brain, such as oxygen and sugars, as well. The decrease in these nutrients can cause part of the brain to die resulting in sudden impairments such as paralysis, speech problems and swallowing, vision and thinking difficulties.

Decreasing the Risk

Although you may not be able to tell when a stroke is coming on, there are things we can do to minimise the risk of a stroke occurring. One of the ways we can look at decreasing our risk of stroke is through making changes with our nutrition. Here are just some of the ways we can look at prevent strokes from occurring with foods:

Include a variety of foods at a variety of meals.

Making sure we include a variety of foods means we are including a variety if macro- and micronutrients. Fruits and vegetables will provide us with a range of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Grain foods provide us with carbohydrates for energy and fibre. Meat and its alternatives provide protein, iron, and zinc. Lastly dairy provides you with protein, carbohydrates and calcium. Keeping a balance is important to make sure we don’t miss out on something important.

Manage high blood pressure.

Having high blood pressure can be a risk factor for a stroke event occurring. To manage high blood pressure, we monitor salt intake as salt acts like a sponge soaking up water. The increase water in the blood increases the pressure of it on the blood vessel walls which can lead to ruptures or clots forming causing strokes. To reduce salt in the diet, look for salt reduced products when cooking or use herbs, spices or lemon/limes to flavour foods.

Manage high cholesterol.

Like high blood pressure, high cholesterol is a risk factor for a stroke occurring. High cholesterol cause damage to blood vessels that can result in narrowing of them. When blood vessels become narrow blood vessels can become blocked by clots or rupture causing strokes. Managing high cholesterol looks at the types of fat we are having in the diet. Fat is needed in our diet to help us absorb specific vitamins but also to protect our organs. The types of fat we want to include are our unsaturated fats so foods like olive oil, nuts, avocados, oily fish and margarines.

August 6, 2022

By myphysioguru News

Tradie Health Month

August is Tradies health month and our team at My Physio My Health would like to help raise awareness and promote tradie health to ensure good quality of life.

If you’re a tradie and you feel some aches here and there. Fret not as you are not alone, a 2019 Health survey revealed that 60% of tradies experience aches and pains as a result of their job. So if that sounds like you, we encourage you to read on to learn some useful tips from the Australian Physiotherapy Association (2022) and how we can help in reducing and preventing any pain or injury.

Some of the more common tradie injuries that we see are:

Neck and back pain due to these body parts being utilised a lot when performing labour intensive task
Shoulder pain due to repetitive reaching or overhead movements
Knee pain due to repetitive and prolonged bending to the ground , especially during cold weather
Ankle sprains as there is a lot of walking on or stepping over uneven grounds

So here’s the big question, what can tradies do about it and how can physios help when the niggles or aches come?

At my physio my Health, we believe in a multi-modal approach revolving around hands-on manual therapy, exercise therapy, advice and education, which we will run through below:

Hands-on manual therapy- including but not limited to massage, dry needling, joint mobilisation or manipulation, taping, trigger point therapy, Ultrasound, shockwave and many more.
Exercise Therapy with home strengthening or stretching programs, Pilates or hydrotherapy.
Advise and education-Most of the time, its good to identify the cause of the aches and niggles before it worsens. Therefore, your physio will ask you some questions to figure what might be causing the pain, whether it be wrong postures, tight or weak muscles that weren’t ready for the job, excessive loads or incorrect manual handling. Our physios will help you identify and rectify them.

Despite being careful and doing everything correctly, some of the niggles and injuries are hard to avoid sometimes and will unfortunately happen. Therefore, it’s best to see a physiotherapist early before an issue snowballs into something serious.

Reference: Tradies health - Choose physio | Australian Physiotherapy Association

July 20, 2022

By myphysioguru News

My Physio My Health welcomes Kilkenny Physio Clinic

We are excited to announce a 5th My Physio My Health location in Kilkenny!

Kilkenny Physiotherapy Clinic has served Adelaide's Western suburbs for over 25 years and Luke Ryan, Principal clinician continues to work with us. We feel proud to have such an experienced senior person leading the team.

Luke has special interest in vertigo (BPPV) and has treated many patients with this condition in very few visits. Another senior physio at Kilkenny is Doris Buschenings who continues to work with us. Doris has special interest in knee OA and lymphoedema management.

My Physio My Health Kilkenny is a BUPA preferred practice.

July 6, 2022

By myphysioguru News

Recipe Literacy

You may or may not have noticed but every month our newsletter has new recipes to try. The recipes are designed to suit the season in terms of fruit and vegetable available but also the type of weather. For example, July is the middle of winter and this month recipe is a nice potato and chorizo soup, something that wouldn’t normally be served on a 40°C summers day. Its all well and good that we create these recipes but can you or anyone for that matter read and follow them to cook themselves a nice winter warmer? Some of us may take our cooking literacy skills for granted but there are number of people who are not able to cook a meal due to poor food literacy.

Understanding Food Literacy

Food literacy is the use and collection of knowledge, skills and behaviours that allow a person to plan, manage, select, prepare and eat food to meet needs. Poor food literacy indicates that there is a lack of understanding or ability which affects one or more of these areas. How do you know if you have poor food literacy though? Well, that’s not a straight forward answer because you might be able to do a lot of things when it comes to planning, buying and preparing foods but then the act of cooking may be an overwhelming task. For some even able to plan a meal can be a struggle. It is really dependent on person to person which is why in this month blog we are going to discuss recipe literacy or as I like to call it “how to read a recipe”.

Where to Start

Being able to read a recipe and understand what it is asking is a good place to start when improving food literacy. It can help with planning and shopping of meals and food; it can also help you indicate the level of difficulty and effort required. For beginners I also suggest to choose recipes that take no longer than 40 minutes to prepare and cook because anything longer for someone just starting can way too overwhelming. Some recipes won’t separate cook times from prep times which can be a real struggle to gauge how long it will take but remember as a beginner everything is going to take slightly longer anyway which is why choosing a recipe under 40 minutes is again a good start even if they don’t separate prep and cook time.

What’s with the tsp and tbsp?

Ahhh abbreviations, there here to make life easier but for a beginner in the kitchen or someone with poor food literacy they can look like we are speaking another language. Below are some common abbreviations for common measures in recipes. Understanding these can help you understand how much is chilli powder is required that doesn’t burn your mouth.

Tablespoon: Tbsp, tbsp, TB, tb
Teaspoon: Tsp, t, T
Cup: C
Milliliter: mL, ml
Grams: g
Ounce: oz
Liter: L
Kilograms: Kg
Pound: lb

What about things like finely and chopped?

Words like these describe how fruit, vegetables and meat need to be prepared. Below is a visual guide to helping you better understand what the recipes are looking for when they say these descriptors. Finely or rough though can refer to how small or neat it needs to be prepared. For example, if something needs to be finely sliced, the food needs to be cut very thin whereas roughly chopped can refer to thick chunks.

Book a session with a Dietitian

If you are wanting more help understanding recipes, labels on food or how to plan, shop and cook meals then book a session with our dietitian today.

June 8, 2022

By myphysioguru News

Winter Season Foods

Winter season foods

The start of June marks a change in season, winter which means soups, slow cooks and roast are all the rage when it comes to dinner time meals. However, it is not just the menu that changes with the seasons, the produce that makes our meals also changes. Today we’re discussing what is seasonal eating and the benefits of eating seasonally as well as ways we can make it happen.

What is seasonal eating?

Seasonal eating refers to eating fruits and vegetables that are currently “in season” or at the peak of their ripeness and flavour at a specific time of the year. Eating these the foods that are in season and provide a multitude of benefits to you and the environment.

Benefits of eating seasonal foods

There are many benefits of eating seasonally but here are just some of the reasons why eating to the seasons will help you and your family.

The food just tastes better – in season produce is fresher, juicier and overall taster when its perfectly ripe and in season. Fruits and vegetables that have been chilled for long periods will have reduced flavour and possible texture changes which doesn’t make for a pleasurable eating experience.
It won’t break the bank – Did you know that if you eat foods in season, they are likely to be cheaper? With the cost of living currently increasing with what feels like every day paying $14/kg for a capsicum seems ridiculous but if you chose to eat seasonally and instead added Asian greens or carrots to your stir-fry then you won’t feel like you need a loan just to make dinner. Shopping seasonally from farmers markets can also reduce the cost further as it is coming straight from farm to plate without the supermarket middle man.
Riper the fruit the high the nutrition – at the peak of ripeness is when foods have their highest nutritional content. This is why sometimes you may hear frozen foods have more nutritional value because when ripe foods are picked they are then frozen in that state straight away trapping the high nutritional value. When you choose to eat seasonally you chose to eat foods that are currently at their height of ripeness meaning the nutritional value you get from them will be tip top. Eating in season foods also ensure you get variety all year round meaning more access to different vitamins and minerals.
Helps reduce your carbon footprint – buying foods that aren’t in season means they need to be transported in from areas where they are. This could mean they come from interstate or even overseas. The more travelling your food does the bigger the carbon footprint and therefore worse off for the environment.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables calendar

Winter

Fruits: grapefruit, kiwi fruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, tangelo.
Vegetables: Asian greens, bean sprouts, broccoli/broccolini, beans, brussels sprouts, carrot, cauliflower, fennel, kale, mushrooms, peas, potatoes, silverbeet and spinach.

Spring

Fruits: banana, grapefruit, lemon, oranges.
Vegetables: Asian greens, artichokes, asparagus, bean sprouts, beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, leek, fennel, peas, rhubarb, silverbeet, spinach

Summer

Fruits: banana, berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), cherries, grapes, melons (watermelon, honeydew melon, rock melon), stone fruit (nectarines, apricots, peaches), plums, oranges.
Vegetables: Asian greens, asparagus, beans, bean sprouts, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chillies, cucumbers, eggplants, lettuce, mushrooms, pumpkin, rhubarb, snow peas, spinach, spring onions, sweetcorn, tomatoes, turnips, zucchini.

Autumn

Fruits: apples, bananas, figs, grapes, kiwifruit, lemons, nectarines, pears, grapes, quince, persimmons, plums., watermelon.
Vegetables: Asian greens, asparagus, beans, beetroot, bean sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms, potatoes, pumpkin, snow peas, spring onions, sweetcorn, tomatoes, turnips, zucchini

Category: News

National Diabetes Awareness Month

Types of diabetes

What causes diabetes?

Manageable but not curable

Written by Jess Koznedelev

The conditions a dietitian can help with are:

Written by Jess Koznedelev

Polycystic what?

Symptoms of PCOS

Nutrition for PCOS

Take home message

Written by Jess Koznedelev

What Happens to the Levator Ani During Childbirth?

Risk factors associated with Levator ani avulsion:

Symptoms:

Diagnosis :

Physiotherapy Treatment for Levator Ani Avulsion

Stroke Awareness Week

What is a stroke?

Decreasing the Risk

Include a variety of foods at a variety of meals.

Manage high blood pressure.

Manage high cholesterol.

Written by Jess Koznedelev

Understanding Food Literacy

Where to Start

What’s with the tsp and tbsp?

What about things like finely and chopped?

Book a session with a Dietitian

Written by Jess Koznedelev

Winter season foods

What is seasonal eating?

Benefits of eating seasonal foods

Seasonal fruits and vegetables calendar

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Written by Jess Koznedelev

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