The tournament attracts some of Australia’s top players as well as some internationals. The number 1 seeded man and woman were Australia’s 22nd ranked male, Dane Kelly from Victoria and the WTA 358th ranked female Abigail Tere-Apisah, who both had to fight off some tough competition to take out the Championships this year.

As mentioned, this is our 7th year working this tournament, and I personally have been working on tennis players from all levels and ages for over a decade. One of the most alarming observations that I see is the number of serious injuries that are occurring in young tennis players. When I say serious injury, I’m talking about stress fractures, tendon injuries, low back pain and when I say young, I’m not talking about 20 year olds, I’m talking about 13 and 14 year olds!

Unfortunately this is not just my observation. The United States Tennis Association has identified that overuse injury and burnout is one of the major reasons non-participation in the sport.

Why is this happening?

I believe there are several reasons. Here are my thoughts.

The early specialization and professionalisation of the sport.

Tennis is an early initialisation sport but a late specialisation sport. Meaning players start playing at a young age, but should specialize in it once physical maturity has been developed.

Unfortunately this is not the trend that we are seeing. Due to the investment of stakeholders in the sport, and the incentives for competitive success we are seeing that kids are specialising in tennis earlier than ever.

This is happening in all sports, not just tennis. But in tennis, there appears to be so many options for school aged kids now more than ever. Tennis academies, full time players, schooling via correspondence, college scholarships and sponsorships. These are just some of the few options that are within reach of most players in this day and age. It also means that more players are taking tennis much more seriously, perhaps starting and focusing on competitive tennis at a much earlier age than before.

I’m sure you have heard of ‘the 10,000 hour rule’ which hypothesizes that after 10,000 hours of deliberate practice, you will master your chosen skill. So if we apply this rule to tennis; if I practice or play 5 hours a day, 5 days of the week, for 50 weeks a year, that equals 1250 hours a year. That would take me 8 years to master the craft of tennis. So if the average player starts at 10 years old, then by 18, they will have mastered the game of tennis.

However, the recent trend  in the ATP and WTA show us that that 10,000 hour rule maybe more like the 20,000 hour rule. In 2015 the ATP released some new statistics that showed the average age of the top 100 WTA/ATP player was 28 years old. (Most people suggest the top 100 is the benchmark for success as a player as it pretty much guarantees automatic entry to the Grand Slam events, which means you are guaranteed a meal ticket at four events a year!) This year’s Australian Open hosted a whole bunch of mature aged (30+ year olds) players reaching the 2nd week. Not to mention Roger Federer’s recent run of success at almost 36 years old. If he keeps going, he’ll give our very own Ken Rosewell a run for his money!

So the trend in tennis is that older players are having more success, however if we are starting competitive tennis from a younger age, there is a longer period of time that an individual has to stay healthy, stay competitive, stay motivated, stay financially viable and endure lack of success at high level tournaments.

The asymmetrical, physical and repetitive nature of the sport.

No doubt tennis breeds asymmetries and imbalanced bodies. Just look at any player’s dominant arm to see evidence of this, Rafael Nadal most notably. Tennis is a also a highly physical sport. It engages all muscles of the body. It pushes you to the extreme ranges of movement. You can be on court for hours at a time maintaining the same level of intensity that you did in the first game of the match. Power, speed, strength, endurance, flexibility, concentration and much more are pushed to the limits during tournament play.  There are not too many sports that can replicate this.

Add the repetitive nature of sport and here is a good way to break down healthy bodies. The definition of an overuse injury is any injury to your body’s tissue that is a result of repetitive stress without allowing appropriate time to heal. If you have ever attended any tennis tournament recently, they are the perfect way of creating overuse injuries. Multiple matches a day, inappropriate scheduling of matches, not enough courts. These are just a few reasons why players just can’t perform at their optimal level.

Now add immature, undeveloped bodies into the mix and it is a recipe for a potentially a career changing problem.

Lack of awareness and knowledge on Injury Prevention.

Injury prevention research is a relatively new part of sports science and it seems right now most of the focus is going into finding new and faster recovery techniques. That is, finding ways of speeding up a player’s recovery time so that they can perform at their best sooner and more often. Most sports organisations now use GPS tracking to monitor the workload of players, so when they have been training or performing at higher than normal levels, they can predict and stop injuries from occuring simply by monitoring fatigue and workload.  Although this is where the money is being spent by larger sporting clubs like FC Barcelona or Real Madrid, this is not quite the convention yet at lower levels of sports.

Players, coaches and parents need to be informed and educated on these matters. Having the right support team (coach, trainer, physical therapist, medical doctor, psychologist, dietician, friends and family) around players to ensure they are getting the right advice. Everyone involved in the support team need to be working on common goals of the player, to stay healthy, to develop the athlete and perform at optimal levels at all times.

Working at these low level tournaments, it is quite evident that this is not what is happening. Without pointing fingers or shifting blame, there is so much information for a tennis player/parent to know, it is impossible for young athletes and parents to stay current on the latest science and medicine of tennis. At tournaments, I’m always getting asked questions such as ‘What do I eat during the match? What stretches or exercises do I do? What do I do before and after each match?’.  This should be common knowledge for tennis players, hence why having the right support team around is key.

With all that being said, what now?

We believe the first and important step in Injury Prevention is a screening. A screening is an objective assessment that simply flags normal or abnormal findings. Anything that is abnormal is followed up and examined closely, with the intention to correct it. Like a routine blood test with your GP.

With our years of experience working with tennis players, we have developed a procedure that screens tennis specific movements. We call it the Tennis Movement Screen (TMS). The TMS is made up of 11 movement based tests, which are supported by the latest clinical research and used as a reliable predictor to injury. We have worked closely with our friends at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to put together the TMS. We have screened a number of juniors from the age of 10-18 years of age, with surprising results.

Once you see abnormal findings (often not painful) only then can you put in the measures (physical therapy, exercises etc) to address these often hidden issues. Unfortunately, unless you look you will never find.

If you would like to hear more info on the TMS, please contact us at info@sportsandchiro.com.au.

About the Author

Andrew Lim

Andrew has a Masters in Chiropractic and his interest in Sports and Injury PRevention has led him to treat many athletes from junior to elite levels in many sports including tennis, golf, athletics, cycling, pole dancing, body building, power lifting and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA. In 2009, Andrew was invited to work with a group of ATP Top 50 tennis players at the Australian Open. Other sporting events include World Masters Games, Oxfam Trailwalker, Port Macquarie Ironman, North Shore Open Tennis Tournament and Manly Seaside Tennis Tournament.

He provides corrective exercise rehabilitation as well as injury management and biomechanical correction as part of the performance based chiropractic care. Andrew has undergone training in optimizing running biomechanics with video analysis, with the specific aim at reducing and preventing injuries.

Recently, Andrew has completed his certification from the International Tennis Performance Association as a Certified Tennis Performance Specialist (CTPS). This certification allows him to work closely with competitive tennis players from junior to ATP/WTA Level (and everything in between), with the confidence that they are in good hands.

Andrew has lectured and tutored Human Anatomy at Macquarie University. Part of his role at the university involved dissecting and preparing specimens for study. The specialisation in this area allows a greater understanding of the human body and so leads to a better understanding of his patient’s problem and how to manage them. Previously, Andrew has been a Clinic Supervisor at Macquarie University Student Clinic where he was involved in the training of future Chiropractors.

In his spare time, Andrew loves to watch all sports particularly tennis, soccer and rugby league. Andrew is a competitive tennis player who still loves to get out on the court for a regular bash, when his 2 beautiful kids allow him to.

Read on as Scott Bessant our new chiropractor and breathing expert will answer all these questions.

Why is correct breathing so important?

1. Oxygen
It might seem obvious, but the primary benefit of breathing is of course, oxygen. Oxygen has the very inviting side effect of keeping us alive but it also plays a vital role in keeping the chemistry of our body balanced. When we have a full and correct expansion of our lungs, there is a maximal uptake of oxygen into our blood and our optimal chemical balance is maintained, however when we stop utilizing the full potential of our lung fields, there is a reduction in the amount of oxygen uptake that occurs and this results in a state called metabolic acidosis, where the PH balance of our body chemistry drops and in mild cases can present with anxiety, headaches, nausea, muscle weakness and joint pain.

2. Stability and Mobility
The proper use of the diaphragm during breathing creates a cylinder of stability around the lower back and provides the capability for proper core muscle function and like anything, starting with strong foundations is the best way to ensure everything works the way it should. The best way to prevent pain and stiffness throughout the body is by optimizing stability and mobility and that starts with breathing.

3. Posture
When we breath correctly, our shoulder muscles stay relaxed, our core stays strong and our neck stays stable and what can result is an improved posture without you even being aware of the change and this means less stress and less load on our neck, shoulders and back.

What does a poor breathing pattern lead to?

• The most common breathing habit we see is the dominant use of our muscles of the upper chest (pectorals) and muscles of the neck (SCM and Scalenes). Unfortunately these muscles are not designed for 17, 000+ contractions each day and they become tense and create biomechanical changes that cause a painful cascade of events.

This pattern of breathing only allows for shorts, shallow breaths which in turn reduces the amount of oxygen uptake that occurs in our lungs. This can have a variety of effects on our body including anxiety, headaches and muscle pains. A tension within our muscles develops as a response to the lack of oxygen, which can be a reason for the complaints of stiffness and muscle aches.

• The overactivity of the muscles that are forced to work harder during poor respiration leads to a slouched posture where there is an increased load placed upon certain areas causing low back pain, neck pain and headaches amongst other problems.

What does correct breathing look like? Before we tell you, let’s take a test.

1. Sit up right on a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
2. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
3. Close your eyes and take 3 deeps breathes in.
4. Take note of where most of the expansion is coming from. If you can’t tell where it is happening, open your eyes and then do this in front of a mirror or get someone to film you from the side.

If you found most of the expansion is from your hand on your chest or upper body (i.e. chest, neck and shoulders) then unfortunately you have poor breathing pattern that may cause you some underlying problems as mentioned above.

When breathing correctly,

We should only use 1 muscle when breathing, the Diaphragm.

•When taking a breath in, the following occurs;
1. the diaphragm contracts and lowers
2. the lungs expand downwards and pushes the abdominal contents down and the ‘belly’ out.
3. Then a smaller expansion of the chest follows, with no elevation of the shoulders.
• When breathing out the reverse occurs, however exhalation is initiated by the relaxation of the Diaphragm.

Why do I have a poor breathing pattern?

This is not a simple question to answer as you may have had a poor breathing pattern for a long time but not have known about it until now!
For some people it may have started simply as;
• A result of an injury or pain
• Being in a stressful environment i.e. work
• Being taught to breathe incorrectly from the chest for cosmetic reasons i.e. ballet dancers, army or police recruits.
• Respiratory conditions i.e. asthma, blocked sinuses, sleep apnoea etc.

What can I do if I have a poor breathing pattern?

It’s good to know that if you have a poor breathing pattern, then there is something you can do about it.
Firstly, through a thorough assessment, we can identify your breathing pattern and even show how it may be linked to your symptoms. Often manual treatment may be required to get the process started. Then breathing exercises will re-train you on how to breathe properly again.

If you think you have a poor breathing pattern, please get in touch with us so we can help you correct this problem.

Scott is at the practice on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.
If you would like to make an appointment, click here and make an ‘Initial Consultation’ with Scott.

Scott has a Masters in Chiropractic and his passion for function and performance developed during his time at University where he began developing his interests through attending a variety of seminars including the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic Sports symposium and completing a Functional Sports Chiropractic course that allowed for the development of a deep understanding of movement dysfunction, mobility, stability and rehabilitation. He has also completed his sports trainer level 1 course and musculoskeletal dry needling.
His treatment approach has a focus on correcting movement dysfunctions with thorough assessment and a wide range of modalities including muscle release techniques, dry needling, manual mobilisations and stability exercises. Scott has, through external learning, gained an understanding of functional stability through the application of rehabilitation and breathing corrections that aid in the optimisation of correct body function.
Health and fitness has always been a high priority for Scott, who has actively involved himself in sports including Rugby league, Rugby Union and Surfing and he has consistently maintained a functional approach to resistance training that has furthered his ability to apply an understanding to improving performance.

Injuries suck. There is never a good time to get injured. Not being able to sit, bend, twist, work or exercise on a day to day basis can be quite inconvenient. Not to mention the pain of it all.

The truth is the average person can’t predict when an injury is going to happen. For most people, pain is often the first sign that something is injured, which is often too late. This being the case, we suggest not waiting for an injury to happen to do something about it.
This is what is called PREHAB- exercise used as a preventative measure, as opposed to REHAB- exercise designed to rehabilitate an injury. Another way to look at it is PREHAB is designed to keep you functioning at or as close to your optimal levels all the time. REHAB is designed to regain your normal function you have lost through injury.
So now that you understand what PREHAB is, it is not surprising that some of the world class sports teams and athletes around the world are utilising PREHAB techniques for years as they can’t afford to be sidelined with injuries for any part of the season. These athletes have medical teams, physios, trainers etc. to look after them on a daily basis. Their prehab sessions have been programmed into their daily schedules to ensure their optimal performance on the field.

Not a world class athlete? Don’t worry, less than 1% of the population are considered world class. However, even if you are a Division 9 Weekend Hacker, you can benefit for doing some prehab.

Here are 5 of our PREHAB tips that you can start doing today.

1. Fix imbalances. Not many people are completely symmetrical, but the more asymmetrical you are, the more likely you will get injured. If you have no idea where to start, get functional movement assessment done and let a professional guide you through the process.
2. Work those Glutes. Not many people know how to switch on their glutes. Literally. Even when told how to do it, they can’t! This is the use it or lose it principle in effect. Most likely due to the repetitive and habitual sitting performed on a daily basis. Learn to switch on your glutes with out all the other surrounding muscle i.e. hamstrings and lower back.
3. Single vs Double. When you look at the conventional exercises most people perform at the gym (squat, dead lift, bench press, pull down etc) they involve activating both sides at the same time. Remember we are not symmetrical, and rarely in life do we need to use both sides of the body simultaneously. Try doing single arm/leg exercises which challenge your balance and control, forcing you to be more stable.
4. Quality vs Quantity. This is one of my mantras in practice. The goal of prehab is to teach you to be a better quality mover. Quality refers to having stable, controlled and efficient movement. Prehab has nothing to do with strength, speed, power, weight loss, bulking up etc. Slow down all your movements, drop the weights down (sometimes the best prehab exercises use no equipment just your body weight) and make sure you are using the right muscles.
5. Work in different planes. Most conventional exercises require you to move though a single plane i.e. bicep curl, lateral raise, chest press etc. Prehab exercises often incorporate movements that move through multiple plane, the woodchop for example. If we just look at the motion of the trunk during this exercise, it moves through multiple planes of flexion/extension, right and left rotation, right and left side bend. Therefore using many more muscle groups and stabilizers to achieve this.

We hope you can see the value in adding some prehab into your exercise program. No one likes or can really afford to get injured.
If you would like to know more about staying injury free this season or more information about our prehab classes run each week by Cameron our Physiotherapist, click on the this link.

The resurgence of the single hand backhand, seeing some promising young Aussies do well on both women’s and men’s draws (notably Ash Barty, Daria Gavrilova and Sydney-sider and Davis Cup debutant Jordan Thompson just to name a few). For me the standout of the tournament was seeing the great Roger Federer taking this year’s crown (at the ripe old age of 35 years old) from a 32 year old and much favoured Nadal. Likewise on the women’s side, Serena and Venus playing in a grand slam final at 35 and 36 years of age respectively. Let’s not forget to mention a 34 year old Lucic-Baroni making a long awaited semi finals appearance.

Its not often you hear of the finalists in a grand slam event being in their early to mid 30’s. It was almost unheard of 20 years ago, where teenagers and players in their 20’s seemed to have dominated the sport.
It really hits home the point that the game of tennis is not what it used to be. Are older players benefitting from these changes? These are my thoughts.

The changes in racket and string technology are the noticeably obvious changes to the game. Lighter rackets mean that players can generate much higher racket head speeds. Combined with the poly strings which can generate much more spin than the natural or synthetic gut strings of yesteryear, results in faster and more powerful strokes, longer points, games and matches.

How does this benefit older players?
Physical conditioning. Younger, less developed players will struggle to maintain the same level of consistency and physicality that some of the fully physically developed players have achieved through years of training and competing on the tour. They may get an occasional win over more experienced players in smaller events which are typically best of 3 sets and have smaller (64 player) draws. But at the grand slam level, matches are best of 5 sets in the men’s draw and men’s and women’s events have 128 player draws, not to mention any of the qualifying matches played before getting into the maindraw. For this reason it will be harder for younger players to do well in a grand slam event, opening the doors to more experienced and physically developed players to go deeper into the tournament.

We know that currently, the average age of the top 100 WTA/ATP player is approx. 28 years old. Considering young players these days are starting to specialise in the sport in their early teens, this can potentially mean that a player needs to maintain a relatively high level of physical health over 10 to 15 years before even reaching the top end of the rankings. This is a very long time to remain injury free and healthy whilst not losing faith in one’s ability. Not to mention the expenses and emotional energy expended over this time.
There are some notable exceptions, 3 young Australian players to crack the top 100 as teenagers (Tomic, Kyrios and Kokkinakis). However, their rise to the top 100 have not been with out their share of injury, surgery and health issues. Tomic in 2014 underwent bilateral hip surgery. Kygrios has suffered from a range of different injuries back, knee, elbow etc. each year something different. Not to mention some mental health issues he is currently seeking help for. And the tragic case of Kokkinakis who after a break out year in 2015 has not been able to return to the game at a competitive level.

Just last year the ATP announced the Next Gen ATP Finals, where the top players under the age of 21 will be showcased. Lets hope that these players are still around in their 30’s.

So are we pushing our young promising players too hard too soon? What are your thoughts? Please leave your comments below.

Written by Andrew Lim (Certified Tennis Performance Specialist)

The concept of training for an endurance race has always been to progressively overload your training, such that you start with short distances and gradually progress as you feel more comfortable. From a training perspective, this approach still holds true. This is assuming that one’s biomechanics are sound.

Deficits in the stability of the hip, knee or ankle will place load elsewhere along the biomechanical chain. Take the two images below from our video analysis of a runner as an example.

In the first image we can see the pelvis is level horizontally, the relationship of the hip, knee and ankle are quite balanced and you can see how the 3 joints almost stack up on top of each other. The individual seems to stand up more upright. This is a stable landing position.

Now compare with the second image, the pelvis is tilted down on the left side and the relationship of the hip, knee and ankle appear to be less balanced and the 3 joints no longer stack up on top of each other. Rather you can see that the hip appears off to the right. Also note that the individual looks to be falling to the left. This is a much less stable position.

This individual at the time the photo was taken, had just started training for a marathon and was complaining of right sided knee pain. Clearly the right leg is not absorbing the ground reaction forces as well as the left, hence the pain. In other words, inefficient loading of the right leg. Whilst running, the number of repetitions experienced on the inefficient right side is a high risk of injury. Interestingly, the pain someone experiences with such a presentation can vary from hip, knee, ankle, feet and/or lower back. Where the pain occurs doesn’t really give us much information as to why the pain is happening to start with. So although this runner is experiencing knee pain the cause of it is a dysfunctional/unstable pelvis.

When is running less, more?

Based on the above pictures, I would thus recommend the following:

• Decrease the number of repetitions and loading on the hips until pain has subsided. Initially, this means less kilometres over the week.
• Start retraining your hip and pelvic control. Try daily exercises like glute bridges, clams, hip hinges, kettle bell swings to name a few. Remember, QUALITY over QUANTITY.
• Substitute your running sessions for a gym, yoga or a pilates session. Strength, flexibility and stability will compliment your running.
• Gradually increase your kilometres. If you are unsure how much to increase by, use the 10% rule. That is gradually increase your distance by 10% each week. This way you are allowing your body to adapt slowly to the loads.
• Once back to running with no pain, consider using different styles of running. Don’t just get back into long, slow, repetitive runs. Shortening your runs means less repetitions your body undergoes. Try adding some variety into your runs i.e. sprints, hills, steps or HIIT.

As much as you enjoy running, like most things in life, sometimes too much of a good thing is not good at all. Such is the case with running. If you have any running injuries that you need help with, or would like to have your running mechanics assessed with video analysis please get in contact with us.

So the Tour De France is in full gear and you’ve noticed you haven’t been able to shake that uncomfortable knee ache when you’re out on the bike. Chances are, you’ve got Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome (ITBFS) and probably haven’t been managing it appropriately! Our resident Physio (Cameron) and Exercise Physiologist (Josh) have joined forces to explain the nature of ITBFS and how to manage it in the short and long term.

So what is ITBFS?

Anatomically speaking, the Iliotibial Band (ITB) is a long piece of connective tissue that runs from the hip to a bony point just below the level of the knee on the Tibia. When the knee is bent between 15-30 degrees, the ITB slides over the bony prominence on the outside of the knee and can become inflamed and irritable with repeated bending/straightening. When you consider the repetitive bending/straightening movement in cycling, it’s easy to see how the ITB can become irritated.

FUN FACT #1- Although seen in Cyclists, ITBFS is most commonly seen in runners and hence another name for ITBFS is Runner’s Knee.

As you may find out following a gruelling session on the bike, there’s a large emphasis on the thigh muscles. So yes, we may build some killer quads (like Dr. Andrew Lim), but research has shown that due to this, 50% of the mechanical force produced when cycling is at the knee. With such emphasis on the knee its essential that we ensure the knee and surrounding structures are in good nick. The load seen on the knee whilst cycling is not necessarily a bad thing, but without adequate preparation and support, risk of injury can dramatically increase.

FUN FACT #2- 80% of the fibres that make up the ITB originate from the Gluteus maximus muscle. The rest come from Gluteus medius and Tensor Fascia Lata (TFL) muscles.

What can cause ITBFS?

Essentially, altered hip/pelvic biomechanics will be the primary cause of ITBFS. Often you will find that certain muscles are being used in a greater or lesser capacity than they should be which will in turn create greater stress elsewhere down the biomechanical chain. In this case, the ITB is overloaded as it attempts to stabilise the hip and knee. Common de-stabilising patterns may include:

• Weak Hip & Gluteal (buttock) muscles (all you office workers!)
• Reduced arch height in your feet
• Poor cycling technique
• Cycling up & down hilly areas
• Previous low back or pelvic injury
• Previous history of injuries suggesting overuse tendencies

FUN FACT #3- Although in pictures the ITB looks like separate from all surrounding muscles, it actually attaches to the surrounding quad and hamstrings and so when these structures become dysfunctional, you are more prone to ITBFS.

What can you do about ITBFS?

For long term management and prevention of cycling based knee injuries, the key factors to implement are as follows:

• Correct progression of total cycling load: This includes a gradual build up of distance cycled, difficulty of course, and resistance on the knee. In other words don’t go too hard too soon.
• Adequate joint strength and stability: This includes activation and maintenance of key joint stabilizers and training basic movement patterns. This may also mean doing other exercises outside of cycling.
• Maintaining flexibility: Mobilising those muscles that the cycling posture tightens up.
• See a health professional: If you have done all you can and the pain persists, then you may need to seek help from a health professional.

So whether you are notching up the Km’s on the road (running or cycling) or just smashing out a spin class, ITBFS can really slow down your training goals. If you feel that you have ITBFS that is lingering and you need help getting rid of your knee pain, give our office a call 9955-5110 or book in online to see one of our team, so that we can help you get back on your bike pain free.

I let the mother continue to explain why she thought kids don’t need to see a chiropractor.  She came up with “they don’t have any pain, they’re too young to have problems!”

As this is something I hear on a regular basis, I’d thought I’d share with you some of the insight I offered the mother.

Before I continue, you may have even seen some reports in the media recently regarding chiropractors treating children. To be completely clear about this, I would never treat a child for anything other than a musculo-skeletal condition, as that is what our university training has prepared us for. Although there is a glimmer of evidence that chiropractic can help with other conditions such as colic, asthma or even bedwetting, it is something that I do not even attempt to manage as a practitioner due to the low level of research evidence supporting the treatment of these conditions.

So the above considered….

Why would you take your kids to a chiropractor?      

• Injury Prevention

Some painful conditions like neck and low back pain do not always arise from a single event (i.e. accident). Rather they are a result of an accumulative process that you or your child may experience on a daily basis, such as using mobile phones. We suggest prevention through early intervention.

• No Pain = No Problem?

The absence of pain does not always indicate an absence of a problem. The problem is the change of function, which eventually leads to pain. For example, years of slouching that results in poor posture then eventually to headaches.

• To instil a ‘prevention is better than cure’ mentality

This is most important for young aspiring athletes, as injuries that become chronic can put a halt to any aspirations of being a successful sportsperson. This is a good attitude for any young person to practice.

• Education about their body

A good place to learn about how their body functions and how to look after painful conditions i.e. stretching and exercises.

• Support your child’s physical and functional development

As a child develops, their ability to move well will determine how their musculo-skeletal system and the rest of their body functions.

So as you can see, taking your child to see a chiropractor is more than just about treating pain. In fact, having your child seen while they are not in pain gives the practitioner more insight into their true function, rather than seeing them in an altered state of pain. More so, taking your child to see a chiropractor is a step towards teaching them about healthy practices that they can utilise for the rest of their life.

Do your children need to see a Chiropractor? Until 18^th of July, we are offering all children a GAP FREE Chiropractic Consultation.  Spots are limited during school holidays so we kindly ask that you call our office via (02) 9955-5110 to secure your consultation. 

Sports Chiropractic is a style of Chiropractic that looks at more than just the alignment of your spine. Sports Chiropractors are trained at optimising your performance on and off the field by ensuring that your musculo-skeletal system is functioning at its best. And NO – you do not have to be a sportsman or an athlete to reap the rewards from sports chiropractic. Anyone and everyone will benefit from moving and functioning better.

More than just pain relief.

Most people come to us because they are in pain. We are very good at getting you out of pain. However, our work is not finished at this point. It is important to understand why you are in pain to begin with. Our comprehensive functional assessment SFMA will give you a better understanding of WHY your pain has come about. Quite often a limitation in your movement has resulted another muscle or joint over compensating, resulting in pain. So to correct the limitation in your movement, is to treat the cause of the pain.

Once you get over the aches and pains that are stopping you from doing what you do best, consider working on your fitness and mobility of your tissues to ensure that you are functioning at your optimal levels.

What now?

Your first step is to have one of our team perform a movement assessment on you to work out how functional you are. We use the FMS Functional Movement Screen to assess how well you move.

Next, have a plan created for you as to how to address any movement dysfunctions you may have. This may involve some manual therapy i.e. soft tissue release/ART, massage, joint manipulations and mobilisation, and more often than not specific corrective exercises.

Over the next few weeks to months, we monitor your progress to make sure you are on track to correcting your movement dysfunctions. It is important to maintain on the course of the plan if you want optimal results as the changes in your movements will occur when you can repeat the corrective movements over and over again over a period of a few months.

Move Better. Feel Better. Perform Better.

If you would like us to help you achieve optimal performance on and off the field, make an appointment today with one of our qualified movement specialists or if you like to talk to one of our team at North Sydney Sports and Chiropractic, give our office a call 9955-5110.

NSSC is running the next yoga course starting the week of 20th April 2015. The course will be run over 10 weeks, with classes taking place on Monday and Thursday mornings. We are lucky enough to have found Maddy, who will be teaching the course.

The Details

Classes run Monday and Thursday mornings from 7:15am to approx. 8:15am.

Classes will be held in our exercise room in our practice.

Starting on the week of 20th April and finishing on the week 22nd June.

Cost is $17 for individual classes, $150 for 10 classes over 10 weeks (1 class per week) or $300 for 20 classes over 10 weeks (2 classes a week).

Spots are limited, bookings essential.

Please call our office 9955-5110 or send us an email info@sportsandchiro.com.au to reserve a spot in the course.

A little more about Maddy

Maddy has been practicing yoga for the last 10 years, in both Australia and London. After attending classes in gyms as a way to continue staying fit when she was injured, she felt the need to delve deeper into her own practice. She has studied a number of yoga styles, which has allowed her to find her own yoga-groove, with a particular focus on Vinyasa-Flow and its many associated variations.

She recently undertook Teacher Training with Vinyasa Yoga Australia and is a Registered Teacher with Yoga Alliance. She is now sharing her love of yoga with others, and has a strong focus on alignment and making yoga accessible to all; regardless of injury, age or general fitness level. She facilitates a safe and welcoming environment, encouraging students to work within their own capabilities whilst also challenging themselves. She believes that yoga is not just about stretching, but is a total workout for the body and mind.  

North Sydney Sports and Chiropractic

We all know exercise is good for us and have been told that it can help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. However more and more research is emerging suggesting that exercise is beneficial in a variety of areas that may come as a surprise.

Pain Relief

I must admit a certain amount of bias in this topic as my research centres around exercise and pain sensitivity but there is a growing amount of research suggesting that exercise can help with a wide variety of chronic pain issues. The problem with chronic pain is that the pain pathways to the brain become sensitised due to constant input from various conditions, for example arthritis. The result of this is that people become more sensitive to pain and things that didn’t use to cause pain suddenly do. However it would be appear that regular exercise may have be able to slow or even reverse this sensitisation. Therefore it is even more important for people with chronic pain issues to remain as physically active as possible.

Some new research has also shown that an individual’s pain tolerance can increase with regular aerobic training.

Live Longer and Stronger

New Research out of UCLA suggests that the more muscle mass you have the less likely you will die prematurely. The study also add to the growing amount of evidence that an individual’s body composition (i.e. Lean muscle mass to body fat ratio) is a much better predictor of health than the more commonly and widely used Body mass index (BMI). In other words your body weight alone does not give us enough information about your health.

Stop Brain Shrinking

While it may sound like a strange heading, it has been documented that areas in the brain shrink with age, in particular the pre-fontal cortex and hippocampus and this had been linked aged-related cognitive complaints and possibly the onset of dementia. However a recent study by the Universtiy of Pittsburgh over 100 sedentary adults and assigned them to either 30-45 minutes of walking three times a week or gentle stretching exercises. Medical scans showed small increases in brain size for both groups, but the walking group increased the most.

Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease is a non-contagious inflammatory bowel syndrome that can cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea and a broad range of other symptoms. As is the case with many chronic conditions, its causes are unknown but it affects around 75 000 Australians. Recent research from the US has revealed that the risk of developing Crohn’s disease is reduced in people who perform regular physical activity.

You Decide

While the evidence presented is preliminary, it is becoming increasingly clear that exercise is beneficial for the prevention and treatment of the above and also many more medical conditions than was previously known. Coupled with the fact that it can improve overall health and if done correctly carries very little risk of side effects exercise should become a staple component of everybody’s daily routine.

If you would like to begin an exercise program or would like some advice and adjustment of your current exercises, why not come into North Sydney Sports and Chiropractic for a fitness assessment. We can perform baseline fitness assessments to give you an idea of where you are at and allow you to track your progress. Further we can provide exercise prescription or some helpful advice to allow you to reach your fitness goals.

Sources

• http://www.essa.org.au/for-media/essa-in-the-media/
• Aerobic training increases Pain tolerance in healthy individuals. Jones MD, Booth J, Taylor JL Barry BK. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2014 Feb 5.
• Build Muscle and Live Longer: UCLA Research
• Brain Shrinking: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3622473/
• Crohn’s Disease: http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6633.pdf%2Bhtml