Winter

We hope you all had a great Christmas and wish you a happy and healthy 2011.

Welcome to our Winter newsletter which we hope you find  informative as well as keeping you  up to date with our services and news here at the clinic. If there are any topics or questions for either the physiotherapists or sports masseur that you would like included in the next newsletter then we will be most pleased to hear from you.

Ski Fit Sessions

For many of us this time of year is about hitting the slopes. Unfortunately aches , pains and injuries can be an all to common feature of this pastime.

The most likely part of the body to be injured is the knee , which accounts for some 45 % of skiing injuries , while snowboarding injuries tend to occur most frequently in the upper limbs. If you are injured whilst skiing remember to seek immediate attention from an appropriate medical professional.

The best thing you can do to reduce the chance of injury is to give a little thought to getting in shape and addressing any complaints or injuries before hand. Some gyms offer exercise classes with the focus on ski fitness and may be useful .
For example many people who hit the slopes each year do not have appropriate muscle control in their legs or core and can end up extremely sore just a few days in or worse still, with an injury. With a little preparation such events can be avoided by improving your physical performance for what is possibly the most active week in your entire year.

Here at recovery and beyond physiotherapy we can help you prepare your body for the challenges of  a skiing/snowboarding trip with a ski fit assessment.
All of our physiotherapists are chartered and state registered and have worked extensively with elite level athletes and so understand the demands of such sports on the body.

A full one hour ski fit assessment can identify any underlying problems which may decrease the chances of injury and fatigue .
The assessment will cover :

• A full biomechanical assessment
• Muscle imbalance testing
• Joint assessment
• Flexibility
• Dynamic core control
• Personal ski fit exercise program

For further information on ski fit assessments or for any post ski advice on injuries or treatment please contact the clinic  and one of the therapist will be available to advise you. And remember although injuries can occur research has shown that general skiing injury rates reduced by 50% over the last 15 years.

We wish you fun on the slopes!

Kinesiology Taping

We are now offering Kinesiology taping as part of our clinic services with the Physiotherapist.

This popular taping technique has taken the rehabilitation and sports medicine by storm.

We are pleased that our practitioners are qualified to be able to use this as part of their practice. Look out for our March newsletter where we will be focussing on Kinesio taping. In the meantime if you would like more information or to book in for taping please contact us at reception.

Sports Massage

As the new year comes in people everywhere are getting back to their training routines or starting new years resolutions to keep fit and healthy.

January usually brings an increase in training after a quiet Christmas period. This increase in activity can cause muscles to become tired and fatigued .

Sports massage can help to increase circulation and therefore increase levels of oxygen and nutrients delivered to muscles . It can also help to increase flexibility in tissues , improving performance and range of movement.

Sports massage is most effective when used as a preventative or maintenance therapy.
Treating minor soft tissue injuries and working on niggling aches and pains during early onset  can help to reduce the likelihood of major injuries and improve performance .

Sports massage is effective at all stages of training , in the pre event stage for either relaxation or stimulation and in post event for relaxation and recovery.

Sports massage is also very effective at relieving general stresses and strains and you do not need to be involved in sport to appreciate the benefits!!

Techniques used help to work out tense tissues and knots and can have a stress relieving effect on soft tissues. It can also help reduce anxiety by relaxing muscles and nerves and can facilitate a feeling of wellbeing.