The Client Spotlight highlights 'real' people who are shining examples of the Health Associates mission and vision. They value movement and well being in their lives. They strive for continuous improvement and they challenge their personal belief systems to continue to grow and evolve. They are good-hearted, kind-natured and care about their community. Maybe they came to H.A due to injury, maybe for preventative care or maybe because they like to support local business. Either way they came to us and blew us away with an attribute that we feel is worth sharing. This months Client Spotlight is on Barbra. Anyone who knows Barbra has seen her blossom from strength to strength over the pass few years. She has taken significant action to adopt healthier habits. She volunteers for the local football club, plays soccer, goes to the gym, recently completed her first triathlon and is participating in the Health Associates Couch 2 5km program. Barbra is a legend! Having overcome injury she appreciates that if she wants her body to perform all the exercise and activity she demands of it then she needs to listen to those niggles, seek help if and when needed and treat her body with the respect it deserves. It is an absolute honour to part of Barbra's health journey and we hope she inspires you as much as she inspires us. Name: Barbra Sharp Occupation: Practice Executive (Accounting) What does health mean to you? Keeping myself healthy means being around for my kids and family, having a long and fulfilling life, and being able to do anything I decide to do. How do you keep healthy I stay active and involved. I’ve played football with Rovers FC for the past 10years – this has been good for both physical and mental health. I have been a member of Curves Sutherland for 3 years building strength, flexibility and healthy lifestyle habits. Both of these organisations are very community focussed – something that is important to me. I’m also part of a social group from my teens that meet almost monthly to be active – camping, bush walks, riding, kayaking, canyoning and soon indoor skydiving! As well as the physical health benefits the other benefits of connecting with people over a long period of time and supporting each other through all of lifes triumphs and hurdles is immeasurable. How you stay motivated? Being part of a team is very motivating – for a lot of people showing up for yourself is not enough but letting your team down is hard to do. So I stay motivated towards fitness by committing to playing Football with my team. Since becoming a client of Health Associates I have become part of Alana’s Weekend Runners – a group of local people taking on running and swimming challenges. Being part of that group also makes me get up and show up (most of the time!!). Alana and all the members are super supportive and great fun. I also find new challenges motivating. Being able to continue to play football into the future is important to me so I constantly work on my fitness to facilitate that by running, swimming and participating in events and programs that challenge me. Ultimately I work to immerse myself in groups of active like-minded people and draw motivation and inspiration from their achievements and goals. Why do you like coming to Health Associates? So many reasons! I met the lovely Alana at a Rovers FC Committee meeting so was initially drawn by her/their support of our club and their community focus – very close to my heart. Then I first visited Chris due to an ongoing hamstring injury. His diagnosis and prognosis was spot on. He was very honest as to how many football games I would have to miss (shock horror!) but it paid off in the long run. I had high hamstring tendinopathy which you cannot “play through” on. This injury was limiting me in all areas of life, driving was uncomfortable, sitting for work, even bush walking with my kids was painful. Following a no play period of 8 weeks I played the second half of the 2016 season managing the injury with chiropractic treatments and am now completely pain free – cured! I continue to do the strengthening exercises prescribed by Chris in order to prevent injury. I also continue to enjoy remedial massage treatments with Carlie – she is absolutely awesome! Her treatments directly impacted on my recovery and her ability to focus on and relieve areas of injury or over use or just plain fatigue is amazing. I walk on air for a few days after each treatment. I cannot recommend her highly enough. In September 2017 I signed up for HA’s C25K Program which I enjoyed but did not complete to my satisfaction due to a calf injury – which the HA team treated but the timing was off for me to complete the 5k run however, since then I have completed my first ever Triathlon Enticer event! I am now participating in the February 2017 HA C25K Program feeling stronger, more capable, motivated and well supported in my fitness goals. In a nutshell, I continue to benefit from the professional services and support provided by the team at Health Associates. Advice for others wanting to improve their health? Stay active, move every day, look for opportunities that suit your lifestyle and personality. Get involved with your Community – it’s awesome! Favourite Quote: Meet yourself where you are today! We hope Barbra's story has inspired. If you have an injury or niggle that is holding you back then get on top of it today. Come in and see one of our practitioners who will guide you back to full function and help you move well to do the things you love.
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Are you experiencing sore or painful arches? Is it altering the way you walk and perform your everyday activities? It is an affliction that affects many people of different foot types and can come about from a range of activities from everyday walking to strenuous exercise. As a podiatrist, next to heel pain, arch pain is one of the most commonly occurring problems that patients present with to the clinic. Often times patients cannot recall one single incident that triggered off the symptoms but describe it as having a slow and insidious onset. Some complain that the pain is bad enough to become debilitating whilst others report that it is more ‘annoying than anything else’ So in saying that, let's explore exactly what the arches of the feet consist of and why their structures are prone to damage. Having a look at the image to the right, it is easy to appreciate how complex the arch of the foot is. In reality the structure is actually made up of an interplay of bones, ligaments, muscle tendons and tough fibrous structures. All of these pieces fit together in a puzzle that create a structure that works tirelessly to evenly distribute the forces of the body weight during our everyday activities. It is also easy to see how pain can develop from overuse of these structures. The structures most commonly associated with arch pain include the plantar fascia, plantar ligaments and the flexor digitorum/hallucis longus tendons. Whilst many factors may be contributing factors to the development of arch pain, the common culprits include some of the following:
Since most of the structures we are dealing with in the arch region of the foot are ‘soft tissues’ any injury to the area would result in an inflammatory response by the body. What this means is, an injury would often result in pain, warmth and swelling. Thus, for cases of arch pain that present to me, the first line of treatment would focus on reducing and alleviating the discomfort caused.. Apply ice to the affected region daily for 10 minutes. Personally, I prefer the immersing the feet into buckets of cold water. Alternatively, you can place a bottle of water or a can of coke in the freezer and use it as a roller. This one I find to be particularly useful for my patients in not only controlling their pain but providing a soft massage. The combined effect of cold therapy and massage will not only reduce the inflammation caused from the soft tissue injury but will also stretch out tight structures. You can also use anti-inflammatory painkillers to help control the associated pain. Now that the initial pain has been addressed, the thing I stress to patients is the importance of getting to the bottom of what has caused the arch pain. This often involves seeing a podiatrist for a biomechanical assessment which will identify the issue and also help to direct the treatment method that will work best for you. After performing a thorough assessment, a podiatrist may utilise a range of approaches to correcting and alleviating your arch pain. Some methods include:
While arch pain is a very common problem, it doesn't have to be holding you back this summer. A simple visit to the podiatrist can have you on your way back to having happy, healthy and pain free feet. Dr Anel Kapur delievers an outstanding clinical podiatric care to all clients. He has earnt himself an exceptional reputation among his clients for his attention to detail, gentle approach and depth of knowledge. Dr Anel Kapur is available for appointments Monday and Saturday. Bookings are available online or contact reception on 9542 3330 |
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June 2021
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