A new year has begun!
Dear Clients,
Back on track again! 2022 has begun with a bunch of positive news.
Amongst them, SKBO is really delighted to welcome a new staff member: Olivia, our new Osteopath.
For this year, let’s all stick to some easy and simple fine tunings, such as eating better, doing exercise, drinking water and by just being positive.
Have a wonderful year!
Rohan Armstrong
Booking appointments
For your appointments,
please:
book online here
or give us a call on
(03) 8080 2981
REMINDER: SHOCKWAVE THERAPY
Fast healing & quicker recovery!
Talk to us now to see if SWT can help your injury recovery and get you back on track. FASTER.
ALL OF YOUR PRACTITIONERS ARE TRAINED IN SWT TREATMENT.
Olivia Fontana
Olivia is the newest member of St Kilda Beach Osteopathy and brings with her many years of experience.
Since graduating with a Master of Health Science (Osteopathy) at VU in 2009 Olivia has worked in private practice throughout Melbourne, country Victoria and on the Sunshine Coast.
Growing up as a headache sufferer, Olivia tried multiple healthcare modalities to gain relief and found Osteopathy to be the most helpful. As a result she understands how tough it can be to live with and suffer headaches and enjoys seeing people gain relief through her treatment.
On top of Osteopathy, Olivia has studied Pilates and has a Certificate IV from Breathe Education. She enjoys utilizing the strength that comes from resistance training in conjunction with hands on treatment to provide the best results for her patients. She is also trained in ergonomic assessment and dry needling.
Outside of Osteopathy, Olivia is a very busy mum of 2 gorgeous young children. She loves exploring the city for new parks to tire out the kids, going to the beach and training at the gym.
Olivia will be available at St Kilda Beach Osteopathy on Tuesdays from late January.
For your appointments, please give us a call on (03) 8080 2981
2022 GOALS
Eat better (and drink water)
Exercise
Be positive
WORKING FROM HOME
THE IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE
by Athol Candlish
As we continue to find ourselves working from home at the start of 2022, the importance of at home exercises to combat postural strain remains important. Most commonly, we see patients complaining of upper back pain and stiffness.
As we continue to find ourselves working from home at the start of 2022, the importance of at home exercises to combat postural strain remains important. Most commonly, we see patients complaining of upper back pain and stiffness.
Whilst neck and upper back pain and stiffness has been prevalent across office workers prior to COVID, there has been a significant surge in this complaint since the WFH ergonomic set-ups have been crammed into the home in less than ideal circumstances.
Some issues we commonly see amongst desk bound workers include:
- Stiffness in the upper back
- Muscular aches along the upper back and shoulder blades
- Pressing sensation and sharp pains along the ribs and tightness with breathing
- Shoulder and neck tightness and stiffness
- Chronic neck pain leading to headaches.
- Wrist, elbow pain or numbness or pins & needles into the fingers
Typically, the above is caused by:
- Stiffness from sitting too long
- Poor posture, bad ergonomics
- Lack of movement
Key message: we need to move. Move regularly, and often, and changing your posture with regular breaks will reduce the strain from long bouts of the same sitting posture. Remember, movement does not have to be strenuous! Here are three effective exercises to help combat the onset of upper back strain & stiffness leading to complaints as per above!
1 THREAD THE NEEDLE
2 OPEN CLOSED BOOK
1 & 2 promote rotation of the back and movement through the ribs. This is a movement that is often restricted with upper back complaints. Both exercises should be performed SLOWLY with control to feel the stretch. Add a slow deep inhalation & exhalation at the same time for added effect, as well as relaxation. Let’s aim to do these 10-12 times each side at least twice per day, but more is better.
3 YTW’S
The third exercises involve strengthening the muscles across the upper back whilst working on mobility also. Often these muscles are the source of pain and stiffness. Regular strengthening of these muscles will assist in sustaining a sitting posture pain free as the stronger muscles will be able to greater resist the urge to slouch.
Lie on your stomach and start off by having your shoulders in a Y position. Squeeze the shoulder blades as you are retracting your shoulders. Hold this for 3-5 seconds before changing your arm position to the T position and repeat the same contraction.
Again, repeat this with the W positioning of the arms. If this is too difficult, try it in a sitting position to begin with, or place a cushion under your chest.
Finally, and most importantly, good working posture requires regular movement.
We hope you find these helpful.
And if you experience continuous pain, please come and see your Osteopath for an assessment and treatment to help restore your pain free mobility.
Athol is available on: Mondays, Fridays & Saturdays
Talk to us now to ensure working from home
is working for your body.
Call us on (03) 8080 2981 or make a booking here.