Month: August 2020

Yvette Porter – Staff Profile

Over the last decade, Yvette has honed her skills in delivering first class Exercise Physiology to a huge number of Whitsunday coast locals.
Yvette has a strong sporting background as a competitor which gives her an insight into both the competitor and allied health professional perspectives of elite management of performance and function. With a focus on maximising optimal movement patterns and strength associated with these required patterns, Yvette is able to have her patients gain the most benefit from a structured and specific program.
As an accredited Level 2 KLT certified coach, Yvette has a vast array of exercise options in her battery allowing her the ability to best allocate exercises to patients of all skill, fitness and functional levels, from chronic conditions to elite athlete management.
Yvette is an enthusiastic and driven health care professional that is fantastically equipped to assist minimising your pain and improving your day to day strength and comfort through individualised direction and guidance.
Book an appointment, face to face or via telehealth, with Yvette today at physioplus.com.au.

Covid Safe Plan

Covid Safe Plan – Physio Plus

In these currently challenging times we are doing our best to continue to provide the optimal care for everyone while at the same time maintain safety for all patients and staff.

With fluctuating restrictions throughout Australia we are doing the following to comply with all current health directives:

Attendance at Physio Plus for staff and patients:

– Masks will be worn by all attending patients and administrative staff. Clinicians will wear both face masks and face shields as directed by the DHHS.

– We are maintaining social distancing by maintaining confined space limits & separating waiting area furniture.

– We are greeting with a smile and a wave rather than shaking hands etc.

– Hand sanitiser is available on entry.

– Email and text reminders to all about symptom and health awareness. Follow up phone calls will be completed to ensure that patients attending are not suffering any symptoms consistent with Covid or awaiting Covid testing results.

– Clinical staff will not attend work should they be suffering any symptoms consistent with Covid or awaiting Covid test results.

– We are constantly cleaning all common surfaces.

– Clinicians will be the only ones touching consultation room door handles to decreased risk of patients touching common surfaces.

– We are asking patients to swipe/tap their own private health/eftpos cards rather than passing their cards to administrative staff.

– No pens will be shared. If you are required to fill out a form, you can keep your pen as a momento.

– Online bookings are still available to patients. Following a booking being made, administrative staff will be in contact with the patient to ensure that they require a face to face consultation and are feeling 100% (apart from their presenting complaint). If deemed appropriate, telehealth appointments will be encouraged.

Distancing measures at Physio Plus:

– Reception furniture has been removed to allow adequate distance between all chairs.
– Patients are asked to only arrive at the time of their appointment and can otherwise wait in their car to be let know when the clinician is ready to take them in.
– One on one consultations only with additional members of the patient’s party currently not allowed into the consultation room except for extenuating circumstances and currently reside or are a family member of the patient.
– All patients attending are required to abide by required distancing rules.
– Where ever possible, telehealth appointments are being utilised to minimise the need for face to face consultations.

Cleanliness and sanitation at Physio Plus:

– All common surfaces will be cleaned between each patient.
– Clinical staff will be the only ones touching their door furniture and they will wipe down anything touched by the previous patient before bringing the next patient in.
– Hand washing protocol print outs take pride of place in the bathrooms with soap and hand towels available for use. Hand sanitiser is available on reception desk for use on entry and exit.
– All payments will be contactless with administrative staff talking each patient through the process of swiping/tapping cards as required on payment.
– There will be no magazines or other common area reading material available.

Working at Physio Plus:

– All staff are required to have completed Department of Health assigned CovidSafe training. Certificates on display at reception.
– All staff will be issued with Permitted Worker Permits that will be available at any time requested by authorities.
– Clinical staff will treat for their entire session/day from the one consultation room. These rooms will then be cleaned thoroughly before use the following session or day.
– Rostering has been arranged to decrease number of clinicians and administrative staff in with the practice at any one time.
– Telehealth will be encouraged for all patients possible to decrease number of patients requiring time in the practice.
– Masks will be worn by all administrative staff. Clinicians will wear both face masks and face shields as directed by the DHHS.

Covid reporting at Physio Plus:

– All patients, as is normal practice, will leave full name and contact details in the event that they need to be contacted should a positive case of Covid occur at Physio Plus.
– In the instance that a staff member or patient reports a positive Covid test result, Physio Plus will immediately notify DHHS and all staff members.
– Physio Plus will then carry out the following staged plan as per DHHS direction.
– Should a staff member test positive for Covid then all members of the team will be required to undertake Covid tests themselves before isolating. DHHS protocols will then be used for return to work.
– Should a patient test positive for Covid, the clinician that treated that patient will be required to undertake Covid testing, isolate and following DHHS protocols before returning to work.
– Permitted Worker Permits will only be valid during periods when staff are not in isolation or awaiting Covid test results. Permits will be reissued once all clear guided by DHHS protocols.
Please let any of us know if there is anything you feel we can do better. We are committed to Covid safe practice in the best interest of everyone.

Cycling Injuries – Matt Delaney

Bike photo

With Metropolitan Melbourne now in Lockdown 2.0 exercise has become one of the essential reasons for leaving home. There has been a huge uptake in riders on the roads and we are loving it! Cycling is a fantastic sport and is a great form of cardiovascular exercise. It is beneficial for those after a hip or knee replace due to the low impact on the joints and with such a wide variety of bike set ups achievable it can be adapted to work around most injuries.

Due to the repetitive nature of cycling where most individuals will pedal somewhere between 60-120 rpm for one to four hours it is inevitable you will develop a niggle here and there. We will run through common areas for cycling injuries to develop and what to look for to minimise your risk of developing them.

Knee

  • Commonly anterior knee pain (patellofemoral pain, patellar tendinopathy)
  • Arises due to increase or abnormal contact pressures at the knee joint. This can be due to a suboptimal bike fit, rapidly increasing training volume, grinding away in heavier gears with a lower cadence.
  • Important to get a bike fit from a qualified professional and undertake regular strengthening exercises for your glutes and quadriceps outside your cycling sessions.

Lumbar spine

  • Normally arises due to prolonged time spent in a flexed position. Can occur when riding in a more aggressive/aero position than an individual can tolerate.
  • This can be affected again by a suboptimal bike fit and mismanaged training volume.
  • Ensuring regular strengthening exercise is complete for your core, glutes, and lower back will help mitigate this problem.
  • Those individuals with foraminal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) or facet arthropathy will likely tolerate cycling well as these structures are offloaded.

Neck

  • Increased time spent in “aero” positions which causes the cervical spine to be forced into extension and protraction.
  • This position tests the endurance of our extensor muscles in our neck. Handlebar position and seat height play a large role this and need to strike a balance between an aerodynamic racing position and rider’s comfort/capacity.
  • Important to remember that for both our neck and lumbar spine if there is any radiating pain into upper and lower limbs, sensation changes or numbness this should be evaluated by a physiotherapist or general practitioner.

 

If you are experiencing cycling related discomfort but don’t want to stop, book an appointment today with Matt either onsite in Footscray or via telehealth from anywhere in Australia (or the world).