South Coast Physiotherapy

With the recent Victorian state lockdown we will only be seeing face to face patients that we deem essential. We apologise for any inconvenience and we will ensure any patients that have had their appointments cancelled are seen at the earliest opportunity post lockdown. 

Telehealth consults are still available through this time. 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

We would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year.

Unfortunately we have had to reinstate our mandatory mask wearing protocol in line with the increased restrictions following the recent positive COVID cases in the State. Otherwise the clinic will be open and running as normal. We will endeavour to pass on information regarding any changes to the running of the clinic through our social media outlines as promptly as possible.

Thank you once again for your understanding and lets hope we are back to normal again as soon as possible.

We are back open to all patients but we do still require everyone in the building to wear a mask. 

Thank you once again for your cooperation.

Stay Safe

South Coast Physiotherapy 

In the 15 years that I have been working as a physiotherapist I have never had a year quite like this one. Both at work and at home the COVID 19 Pandemic completely changed our daily routines from using Telehealth to treat patients to home schooling the kids (and in some cases doing both at the same time!!). Luckily here in Victoria we seem to be coming out of our second wave but, as we slowly move away from isolation and return to the golf course and the gym, we are seeing an increase in injuries related to these activities. 

The combination of lockdown restrictions disrupting our regular exercise and the loss of incidental activity with working from home (or from not working at all) have led to a more sedentary lifestyle for a large number of the population. We know that inactivity will lead to both muscle loss and reduced cardiovascular output which will directly affect your performance be it at the gym, on the golf course or in the garden. This deconditioning can be reversed with a gradual reintroduction of activity and often it does not need to be any more complicated than just returning to your activity at a lower intensity. However, if you do return straight to your previous level of activity then you will increase your risk of injury with the more senior population being most at risk of injury if attempting a direct return.

To try and get an indication of how much condition you may have lost during the lockdown period simple body weight exercises specific to your activity can give you a good picture of where you are. For example, if you are looking at getting back to running but you are unable to perform a single leg heel raise then starting with a walking program while you build up your Gastrocnemius and Soleus muscle strength would be a sensible plan. If you are getting back to the golf course but have lost spinal mobility then you could look at doing a program of mobility drills and using just the pitching clubs before progressing to the bigger clubs. 

When returning to the gym it is again important to do so at a low intensity by reducing the weights, ensuring your warm up is specific to the work out you are going to undertake and giving yourself sufficient recovery in-between sessions. The intensity can be gradually increased as soon as you return depending on how your body tolerates the increasing loads. 

It is very important that we get people returning to their hobbies, their exercise and their past times. As a society, we have taken unprecedented steps to control the virus and protect lives, however we need to ensure that we maintain our general health while doing so. With restrictions being lifted we need to take this opportunity to return to regular exercise, be it gardening, running or playing with Grandchildren, it will have multiple health benefits and ultimately reduce the pressure on the health system. Therefore, please get in touch with the clinic if you are struggling to get back and we will find a way to get you being active again. 

With the easing of restrictions we are delighted to have Bryony Exner back offering a Remedial Massage service. At present Bryony will only be available 1 day a week so please either book your appointment on line or contact reception to ensure you do not miss out. Although restrictions have eased we still have our COVID plan in place which includes a limited capacity in our reception area, compulsory masks and cleaning between clients.

We thank you for your patience and understanding. 

The South Coast Physiotherapy team is hoping everyone is keeping well and staying safe during these difficult times. This is a run down of what our clinic will be offering over this lock down period. 

We will remain open through this 6 week Stage 4 lockdown with alterations in line with the latest DHHS guidelines. 

Face to face appointments will only be available:

• if it is considered essential and where not receiving Physiotherapy intervention is likely to lead to a significant deterioration to health
• to avoid a hospital or Emergency Department admission

Brad, James and Len will all be available for face to face appointments under the criteria listed above and are also available for Telehealth consultations which are recommended at this time. 

Raquel and Sen are continuing to see their neuro patients but utilizing Telehealth where possible.

Further information on our Telehealth service is available on our website here.

We are sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause but know that our patents will understand the importance of complying with the guidelines that we are given through this next 6 weeks.

With the recent return to stage 3 restrictions we have further increased our infection control policy with all clinicians now wearing face masks during consultations. We will also continue to implement our increased sanitization and social distancing policies. These include having hand wash available for patients as they enter the building, staying in your car until your appointment time and encouraging friends or relatives of patients to not enter the waiting room unless assistance is required or the patient is a minor. Patients should not attend the clinic if they have any cold of flu like symptoms

We are remaining open with Brad, James and Len all available for face to face appointments. Raquel and Sen are continuing to treat their neuro clients and are using Telehealth when able. 

Telehealth appointments are available for all patients and we encourage patients to use this if feeling uncomfortable with a face to face consultation or as an alternative if suffering from cold or flu type symptoms.

As Physiotherapy is considered an essential service we feel it is important to continue working and reduce the load on GP and ED services. 

Thank you once again for your understanding during this Pandemic.

Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common joint diseases and is an expensive burden to health care across the globe. As a result there has been a push over the last 2 years to look at how non surgical management strategies can be improved.

As I discussed in my blog ‘Happy Knees’ (click here to read) an area where non surgical management has failed in the past is by addressing knee OA as a purely mechanical and structural entity and not addressing the complexities of osteoarthritis and the associated biopsychosocial factors. 

Programs such as the GLA:D program in Europe and here in Melbourne have shown that incorporating education and general physical activity along side a physiotherapy monitored strengthening program have shown improvements in physical function as well as a reduction in pain medication and sick leave. (1)

At South Coast Physiotherapy we are now able to offer our own knee program specifically for OA knees in line with these findings. It is a 12 week program and is designed to be specific to each individual, incorporating education, strengthening and physical activity. Having the program supervised by a physiotherapist ensures that the intensity and dosage of both strength exercises and physical activity is correct.

The goals of this program are to promote self empowerment to each patient. By the end of the 12 weeks patients will have the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to manage their knee symptoms and pursue an active life. We will explore how their knee pain is a modifiable symptom driven by sensitized structures rather than damaged structures and is influenced by a variety of biopsychosocial factors.

It is not just people who are already experiencing OA related symptoms that would benefit from this program. Research shows a six fold increase in the likelihood of knee OA following knee injuries with the highest risk found after ACL injury, meniscal tear and intra articular fracture (2). Therefore implementing a knee specific program following a knee injury before any OA symptoms occur would be recommended. The earlier you address knee health the greater longevity you achieve.

Although non surgical options are generally recommended as the first line of treatment ultimately interventions, such as knee replacements, are sometimes inevitable and important for patients to maintain activity and a healthy lifestyle.

If you feel that you would benefit from our knee program then an initial appointment can be booked online or through reception.

Reference

1. Skou & Roos GLA:D evidence-based education and supervised neuromuscular exercise delivered by certified physiotherapists nationwide BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders (2017)

2. Snoeker et al Risk of knee osteoarthritis after different types of knee injuries in young adults: a population based cohort study. BJSM 

With the easing of COVID restrictions we have increased our face to face appointments with both Brad and James openings up more sessions. 

We are maintaining all of our increased sanitisation and social distancing policies and encourage patients, where possible, to wait in their car until their appointment time and to attend the appointment alone unless assistance or chaperone is needed.

As yet we are unable to offer any massage or psychology services but will endeavour to do so as soon as we can.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your understanding through these unprecedented times.

It is fair to say that COVID-19 has forced changes to both our local and global society that would have been hard to imagine 3 months ago. Our new ‘normal’ seems to be changing on a daily basis.

For South Coast Physiotherapy we are embracing our role as an essential service while at the same time ensuring that we are not putting patients and staff at risk. Last week our Premier, Daniel Andrews, introduced a stage 3 level of restrictions in an attempt to reduce the number of cases and flatten the curve. This means that although we are an essential service we have decided to alter how the clinic will be run through this period to keep in line with these restrictions. Our main focus is to significantly reduce the number of face to face treatments. To achieve this there will only be 1 physiotherapist practising each day who will be seeing only essential or emergency consultations. Therefore if you have been contacted and had your appointment postponed we do apologise and we will work hard to rearranged your appointment once these restrictions are lifted. If you feel your symptoms have deteriorated please do not hesitate to contact the clinic and your physiotherapist will discuss ongoing management over the phone which may well lead to an in rooms appointment being made.

We will also be continuing to utilise our new Telehealth appointments and working on helping patients to transfer onto this symptom as much as possible

There will be ongoing updates about our Telehelth service through our website but please feel free to contact your physiotherapist or reception staff if you would like further information.