Physio chat: The importance of prehabilitation
Physiotherapist and health and wellness writer for The Global and Mail wrote in 2014: “People undergo medical and dental check-ups routinely to maintain their health. But people have been slower to take the same approach to their orthopaedic health(1).
Most people only think about going to a physio when they are in pain. In fact, people often visit their physio after trying at-home remedies such as taking over the counter pain relief and applying topical treatments and finding that they don’t ‘fix’ the problem.
You’ve heard the adage: prevention is better than a cure. And that’s where prehabilitation comes into play.
Prehabilitation is not just for sportspeople
In our physio practice we see a lot of proactive screening for potential injuries in our sports men and women. For years now the AFL, TAC and AIS footballers have been having Proactive Body Screens.
We know that footballers need to move in a certain way, with a certain degree of flexibility, strength and control, otherwise they are at increased risk of common injuries such as hamstring tears, anterior cruciate ligament ruptures and Osteitis Pubis.
These injuries can end a career before they even begin, so for years now we've been screening fooballers, identifying physical characteristics that make them prone to these injuries and proactively dealing with them before an injury occurs.
But why give the privilege of our knowledge and injury prevention to only professional sportsmen and women? You're just as important as Buddy Franklin!
Having a Proactive Body Screen could save you a shoulder operation, early hip arthritis or a debilitating lower back injury. It will not only help to save you future pain but also has a financial benefit.
What does proactive body screening involve?
Once you book in to a Back In Motion practice, your physio will help determine whether you need immediate injury treatment or a proactive screening during your free initial assessment. This screening usually involves physical testing of the body looking at flexibility, strength, endurance and core/proximal control.
Pass marks for these physical attributes for key joints and muscles in the upper limbs, lower limbs and spine are known and the body is bench marked against them.
Where a test is “failed” because the pass mark is missed, that part of the body is at a higher risk of injury.
What happens if future injury risks are identified?
Doing specific exercises to improve the body part, and hit the pass mark, greatly reduces the chance of that particular injury occurring in the future.
Depending on what we find, we'll be able to tell you that nothing needs to be done, that you need to perform a simple stretch daily, or that you need a more comprehensive approach to exercise.
You can then make an informed decision on how to proceed to best look after your body!
Author
Nathan Rickard, Principal Physiotherapist | Back In Motion Hawthorn
Nathan is a Physiotherapist who believes in physical rehabilitation to optimise the mechanics of the body. This is what gets great results, not just a quick fix. He is also focused on holistic health and fitness, which not only cures injuries, but prevents future injuries and poor health that is a symptom of our modern “sit down” lives. More specifically, he has a special interest in:
•Lower back pain
•Knee and ankle injuries
•Running and exercise related injuries
•Running and Sports-Specific Movement Analysis
Nathan has a young family and enjoys coaching at his son’s Under 9s football team (where he employs his understanding of Sports-Specific Movement Analysis – although crowd control is a more important skill at this age!). He also plays hockey for Old East Malvern, surfs, and tries to snatch the odd game of tennis and golf when able. Skiing with his family is now a priority once a year, and he practices what he preaches with a balanced gym, running and Clinical Exercise program.
1. If you want to spend less time in physio rehab, consider ‘prehabilitation’ Justin Vanderleest, The Global and Mail (2014)