Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common natural occurring degenerative conditions of the body’s joints affecting people of all ages however it is more prevalent as we age. It is characterized primarily by a loss of cartilage around a joint, which helps to provide smooth gliding of a joint, and results in pain and swelling as the joint loses its ability to work in a smooth fluid process. It can any joint in the body however the body’s major weight bearing joints such as the kne...

As a physio, I come across many people who say that they have put up with shoulder pain for a long time and that they have accepted the associated movement adaptations as a fact of life. This doesn’t need to be the case and it’s important to know that the more this situation prolongs, the harder it becomes to restore the shoulder’s normal function. The fact of the matter remains that shoulder pain is often misunderstood as just shoulder stiffness and the concerns are raised whe...

MUSCLE SORENESS AND STRAIN: Overdone it in a training session and feeling the pain the next day? Exercise physiologist and HBF health promotions manager Jenny Carter said warm-ups, cool-downs and stretching were all important in preparing for activity, keeping flexible and looking after muscles and joints. “Good running shoes and socks and running gear are all vital too, especially if it is not a distance you have run before as the extra kilometres can take their toll,” Ms Carter...

Warming up with a few body-weight gluteal exercise can increase the explosive power of your lower body during performance, according to researchers. A La Trobe University study has found that performing low load gluteal muscle exercises before a work-out enhances strength and power in the lower body during exercise. Lead author Justin Crow from La Trobe’s School of Physiotherapy and researchers tested the effect of warm-up exercises on 22 elite AFL players to enhance performance. &lsq...