by Back To Health Clinic | Jan 22, 2016 | Blog
I often get asked about what Exercise Physiologists do and how they are different from physiotherapists, and given it’s a reasonably new profession, I’m not surprised that people haven’t heard of Exercise Physiologists at all. So this blog will be dedicated to helping you better understand the role of Exercise Physiologists. Exercise Physiology is a reasonably new profession on the Australian health care scene, and the profession received its first big break through in 2006 when Exercise Physiology services were recognised under Medicare, meaning the government would provide rebates for Exercise Physiology services much in the same way as Physiotherapy and Dietetic services. So where do Exercise Physiologists fit in the health care landscape? Exercise Physiologists are university trained allied health professionals and their role in the healthcare system is to provide lifestyle and exercise interventions for the prevention and management of many chronic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity, Heart Disease, Arthritis, Injury rehabilitation and Neurological diseases to name a few. The key difference that separates Exercise Physiologists from Physiotherapists is that Exercise Physiologists exclusively deal with ‘chronic and complex diseases’ whereas Physiotherapists more commonly manage ‘acute and sub-acute’ conditions such as acute low back and neck pain, ankle sprains, sport injuries, acute post-operative rehabilitation etc. Moreover Exercise Physiologists solely rely on exercise prescription and lifestyle change for managing chronic disease, whereas Physiotherapists are also able to apply manual therapy. Therefore the role of Exercise Physiologists is quite unique and I believe they are best positioned to help tackle the current chronic disease epidemic that is ever increasing in Australia. So if you are having trouble in...
by Back To Health Clinic | Jan 13, 2016 | Blog
Low back pain is probably the most common complaint that chiropractors and other health professionals deal with from clients on a day to day basis and when most people with low back pain present to the clinic quite often they self-diagnose their pain as ‘sciatica’ or that they have a ‘pinched nerve’. However following a through clinical examination it is quite clear 95% of the time that patients don’t actually have sciatica, in fact most low back pain is caused by an inflamed muscle, ligament or joint in the lower spine. Sciatica on the other hand is a compression or impingement of the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve when it leaves the spinal column, usually by a protruding or damaged intervertebral disc. So then, how do you spot the difference between simple low back pain compared to low back pain caused by sciatica? There are a few notable signs and symptoms that are only present with sciatica, so we have identified a few tips that provide tell tail signs of ‘true’ sciatica; Constant & Relentless Pain: True sciatica is much more painful than simple low back pain due to the constant prolonged nature of the pain where it seems nothing you try works in relieving the pain. Patients with sciatica are often left very tired and cranky as they are not able to sleep due to the relenting nature of the pain. Usually when the pain reaches this level of intensity, decompressive surgery is quite often the only option. Both Numbness and Weakness of One Leg: When the sciatic nerve is compressed you will experience both numbness...
by Back To Health Clinic | Oct 29, 2015 | Blog
Low back pain is one of the most common health complaints that people have with almost 80% of individuals developing low back pain at some point in their lives. The most alarming statistic though is that 30% of these individuals will go on to develop chronic back pain, therefore the pain will never fully subside! There is a lot of confusion surrounding how to manage low back pain, particularly what to do when you first start to experience pain in your low back. This is the most critically stage, as an improper initial diagnosis or treatment will dramatically increase your chances of the low back pain staying around for good! Since I help manage my patients’ low back pain almost everyday and hear the conflicting advice that they receive, I have outlined below a simple step wise approach on how to tackle the first signs of low back pain. Please keep in mind that this is a general guideline and if you have any questions, you can forward them to our email address at info@backtohealthclinic.com.au or you can speak to your trusted health professional. • Step 1: Diagnosis It’s so important to receive a proper diagnosis for your low back pain. So before you start to search on Dr. Google, you need to see your GP or Allied health professional (physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath) as they will be able to give you a proper diagnosis. However one of the key issues I experience with diagnosis of a patient’s low back pain is how quickly people are referred for MRI’s and x-rays of their low back....
by Back To Health Clinic | Sep 17, 2015 | Blog
It’s a very sobering fact that more than 65% of us are either overweight or obese and unfortunately that comes with a very unwanted side effect in the form of ‘tummy’ fat or increased abdominal adipose tissue which increases our waistline. As the summer months fast approach, many of us will be trying to get rid of excess fat around the waist so we can fit in our summer clothes or just simply stroll down the beach without feeling self-conscious. However there are also important health concerns when dealing with increased abdominal fat, as this fat can begin to accumulate around your internal organs and have devastating consequences for your health. One of the main bodily processes that increased abdominal fat contributes to is ‘inflammation’, and when present over a long term period, inflammation can lead to the development of heart disease in the form of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, the development of Type 2 Diabetes, increasing the risk of stroke and even cancer! So then the question arises; ‘How do I get rid of my tummy fat and reduce my waistline?’ Well the good news is that you can reduce your waistline yourself, however the bad news is that it will take a bit of effort from your part! So to make things easier for you, here are some simple things that you can do to get rid of that unwanted waist line for good; Measure: You need to know where your at when wanting to reduce your waistline. So before you start, measure your waist circumference at the level of your belly button. If your...
by Back To Health Clinic | Sep 9, 2015 | Blog
With Type 2 Diabetes fast becoming one of the most prevalent diseases in the western world today, there has been extensive research to find out the best way of managing this disease and also preventing it from developing in the first place. Type 2 Diabetes results when the hormone ‘Insulin’ is unable to properly store sugar in our muscles and liver, which results in sugar remaining in our bloodstream causing havoc to almost every system in our body. We all know that both a healthy diet and medication use play an important role in the management of Type 2 Diabetes, however little of us know about the role exercise can play. Most doctors and health professionals would advise their Type 2 Diabetic patients to exercise. However from the patient feedback that I receive, most of the exercise advice is quite general, for example; ‘Walk everyday’ or ‘jog a few times a week’. This type of exercise advice doesn’t seem to take into account the patient’s needs and, with what current research states, is not effective in managing Type 2 Diabetes. So what type of exercise is most effective in managing Type 2 Diabetes? Extensive research into this area has shown that in fact ‘resistance exercise’ is most effective in lowering blood sugar levels and improving the function of Insulin. Resistance exercise in this case applies to any exercise where an external weight is lifted, like a dumbbell or barbell. The research goes on to say that if 7-10 resistance exercises are performed 3 times per week, persons with Type 2 Diabetes will see a dramatic decrease of up to...
