Bones & Balance Classes at Agility
Aged Care Royal Commission identifies need for falls prevention programs for older people.
With the recent press surrounding aged care in Australia, and the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, Agility Physiotherapy is proud to be delivering Bones and Balance classes. Our Bones and Balance classes are run by our highly experienced Physiotherapists and are designed to improve strength, stability and balance, reduce falls risk and improve bone density.
If you would like more information about our classes, or would like to book in, please call or email either our Ascot or Bulimba practice.
The article below is from the Australian Physiotherapy Association and highlights the essential nature of promoting and maintaining strength and mobility as we age.
The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) has welcomed the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which identified promoting and maintaining mobility to reduce the risk of life-threatening falls in older people. It has called on the federal government to roll out a comprehensive plan for implementation of its recommendations that has person centred care, not cost centred, as its basis.
The APA made a total of six submissions to the Royal Commission and presented expert evidence on falls prevention programs for both physical and mental wellbeing.
Promoting and maintaining mobility and reducing the risk of life-threatening falls in older people was noted as critical in the final report, which found that access to physiotherapists, who are highly trained and skilled in strength, balance and mobility training, was often lacking in aged care.
The report recognised that “mobility was closely linked with people’s health and their quality of life [and that] poor mobility increased the risk of falls and fall-related injuries due to deconditioning and reduced muscle strength.”
APA National President Scott Willis said, “Falls are the number one cause of preventable death in residential aged care. The lack of investment in falls prevention programs over a long period of time, particularly when there is such strong evidence for their value, is an oversight that has had tragic consequences for too many families.”
“The Royal Commission has rightly identified the critical role that physiotherapists play in aged care. These are highly skilled mobility experts who are literally helping to save and improve lives by ensuring residents are active, mobile and ultimately confident in their movement.”
“We know that mobility programs led by physiotherapists can reduce the number of falls in residential aged care by 55 per cent – the government simply has no excuse not to fund this critical care for older Australians.”
The report also found that those living with incontinence and dementia often received substandard care, which the APA has called out many times.
Mr. Willis said, “Appropriately qualified and experienced health professionals must be employed to provide the complex care and support that these extremely vulnerable people need. We have talked about team-based, holistic care in all health settings for a long time. There’s no more critical place for this to start than in aged care.”
Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave Therapy is a non-surgical and non-invasive method of pain relief and mobility improvement. Also called Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy or ESWT, Shockwave Therapy is used around the world in physiotherapy, sports medicine, orthopaedics, podiatry and urology.
Here at Agility we use shockwave therapy to treat chronic painful tendon conditions such as: Achilles tendonopathy, patellar tendonopathy, plantar fasciitis, gluteal tendonopathy (hip bursitis), rotator cuff pain, tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.
Shockwave Therapy offers several key benefits:
- Fast, effective treatment
- Minimal side effects
- Speedy recovery
How Exactly Does Shockwave Therapy Work?
Shockwave therapy sends high-energy radial pressure waves to the site of chronic pain. These acoustic waves increase blood flow, stimulate muscle repair and regeneration, and increase metabolization at the cellular level.
Shockwave therapy is a safe, effective, treatment recommended for people suffering chronic pain – even at the highest level of sport. Clinical studies and literature reviews continue to prove the effectiveness of ESWT as a treatment method for tendon complaints and a raft of musculoskeletal issues.
What does Shockwave Therapy involve?
During shockwave treatment you may experience a small amount of discomfort, but your response is measured by our experienced physiotherapists to ensure you are not in pain. Because shockwave therapy creates an analgesic effect, you should experience immediate acute pain relief. The treatments also stimulate collagen production so you will benefit from increased mobility after 1 or 2 sessions.
Fast treatment
Generally we need to see you 4-6 times, about a week apart, for effective long-term pain reduction. Each session lasts around 20 minutes and most patients report a drastic pain reduction after the first treatment. Shockwave therapy is used as part of a tailored therapy pathway designed to address underlying issues in your body.
Limited side effects
Shockwave therapy carries a much lower risk of side-effects than surgery. Depending on your level of pain and overall health there may – in very rare cases – be side effects to ESWT:
- Tolerable pain 2-4 hours after initial treatments
- Mild discomfort during treatment
- Mild bruising, swelling and/or numbness
- No response to treatment (extremely rare)
Fast recovery
Shockwave therapy starts to alleviate pain and restore mobility after the first session. At most you will be restricted from high-impact activity for 48 hours following each session. Your physiotherapist will give more tailored advice, but in general the recovery periods following shockwave treatment are substantially shorter than surgery.
What to expect after Shockwave Therapy?
After 1-2 days you should experience reduced pain and improved mobility. Here at Agility, we design shockwave therapy plans that specifically address your pain points, to provide safe and effective pain treatment without surgery.
Contact us to learn more about Shockwave Therapy, book a shockwave therapy treatment, or speak with our team about treatment options tailored for you.
Men’s Health
How healthy are you? Did you know that most men have a functional view of their health?
e.g. “If I can still do the things that are important to me, then I’m healthy”.
We tend to view our health in terms of:
- Work
- Sport
- Play
- Sex
Did you know that men tend to live an average of 5 years less than women and that men lead in adverse health
statistics globally? So… what does men’s health cover? How can a physio help me?
Men’s health is a broad area and consists of:
- Physical health
- Medical health
- Mental health
- Social health
These areas do not exist independently. They are linked.
Neglecting one area can lead to reduced health in another.
Most of us are familiar with physiotherapy. If we have aches and pains, we see a physio. But did you know that
physiotherapists can help with:
- Incontinence
- Prostate symptoms
- Sexual dysfunction
- Pelvic Pain
The common reasons that men don’t go for regular check-ups are:
- Fear
- Denial
- Embarrassment
- Threatened masculinity
By the time we decide to seek professional help things are really getting out of hand. Guys, these statistics are
terrible! We are at least 30 years behind women’s health!
If you have any men’s health concerns, please don’t leave it too late and become a statistic. We are here to
help you. We will work with you and become part of the larger multidisciplinary team to help you achieve your
health care goals.
Adolescent Growth Spurts
Adolescence can be both a fun and challenging time for the individual and those around them. Changes which occur are not only physical but emotional, psychological and social. It is also around this time that many teenagers and pre-teens are participating or increasing their participation in their chosen sporting pursuits and more time may be being demanded from coaches and teachers.
Every individual will develop differently. Some will grow in a slow steady fashion over a couple of years where as other will experience rapid growth spurts over a period of months. IT is often these individuals who will suffer more from growth-related problems.
As we grow during adolescence the long bones of our arms and legs grow first, followed by our trunk and then the muscles, tendons, and nerves catch up. It is this latency of the muscles and nerves that can give rise to the lanky, uncoordinated teenager who now has difficulty not falling over!
During these periods of growth, it is important to remain active but the activity level may need to change to allow for pain-free sporting involvement. It is also important to remember that if an individual has had a sudden growth spurt and has lost some of their natural coordination, training may need to be adapted while their body catches up to avoid putting them at risk of injury.
Stretching can be helpful during growth spurts although this needs to be done carefully as the muscles and tendons are already on stretch trying to catch up with the bony growth which has taken place. Controlled stretches and strength work can really help during this time to regain strength in the muscles new elongated range. This, in turn, provides protection to the joints and can assist in improving balance and coordination. Your physiotherapist can help advise on which stretches or exercises may be best and can also assist in load modification. During growth spurts, an individual’s training load may need to be adjusted to allow time for their body to catch up and let them perform pain-free. The physiotherapist can assist with advising on appropriate loads and also the reintroduction of activity to allow a full return to sport/performance. Controlled exercises such as Pilates can also be a great way to work on stretching and strength in a safe environment for growing bodies.
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