Sunbury Physiotherapy Centre

A common winter injury we see is the ankle sprain. It is normally caused by rolling of the ankle, commonly in such sports such as netball, basketball and football. However, ankle sprains can also occur as part of everyday life and cause significant pain.

There are many different triggers for headaches, a common cause being the neck.  Neck strain or dysfunction can refer pain into our heads.  This occurs because the nerves that supply the upper neck also supply the skin overlying the head, forehead, jaw, back of the eyes and ears.  Consequently, pain arising from the upper neck may be felt as pain in any of these regions and this is called a cervicogenic headache.

Is a niggling hamstring injury affecting your preseason or return to sport?  Is it possible it is not in fact a hamstring strain, but referral of pain from your lower back?  Let’s find out more about this question to help you decide.  Hamstring injuries are very commonly misdiagnosed.

The hamstring muscles are located at the back of the thigh. This muscle group consists of three muscles which run from the base of the buttock to the back of the knee.

A strain to the hamstring occurs typically when either accelerating or decelerating when running or kicking. The athlete often reports a “tearing or popping” sensation in the back of the thigh and is subsequently unable to fully stride out or kick. Such an injury is most likely to occur if the muscle has not been warmed up/stretched properly or if the muscle is fatigued or lacks the strength it requires to carry out the desired activity.

Begin your gardening session with a few exercises to warm up the muscles and joints you will be using. This helps prevent injury and reduces soreness at the end of the day.

Make sure the area in which you are working is free of obstacles such as gardening tools. This helps prevent slips and falls.

Vary your activities so that you are not in the one position for more than 30 minutes at a time.

When doing tasks at ground level, like weeding or planting, kneel rather than bend from the waist. Where possible, keep one hand on the ground for support as you lean forward.