Tips

Low back pain has been identified as one of the leading causes of disability Australia wide. It is estimated that 70–90% of people will suffer from lower back pain in some form at some point in their lives. In clinic, it is described to us anywhere from a low grade annoying ache, to a sharp grab that takes the breath away to debilitating pain that restricts simple movements, reduces or eliminates the patients ability to work and exercise and even affect their sleep quality. 

There’s a high chance that at some point, you or somebody that you know has been affected by lower back pain. 

 

Symptoms of low back pain can include:

• Ache, burning or shooting pain in the lower back
• Pain worsened with particular movements
• General back stiffness or restriction
• Pain may shoot into glutes, thigh, leg or foot
• Numbness, tingling or weakness into legs or foot

 

How You Can Help Yourself

Low back pain can be very debilitating, so we’ve laid out a few strategies that you can employ in order to help manage your symptoms.

1. Keep moving! - This may seem counter-intuitive, but one of the best things you can do for your lower back is to keep it moving. This doesn’t mean trying to do backflips when the pain is so bad that you can barely walk! It means encouraging movement within your pain limits. Try to avoid long periods of being stationary. Stand up and gently move around to stimulate blood flow and get your back muscles working. 
2. Exercises - When your pain levels are manageable, you can start to perform exercises and stretches to continue to heal your back and reduce the chances of future flare ups. Exercises should be aimed at first improve range of motion and activating and then strengthening the muscles that stabilise your spine, including the abdominals, back muscles, pelvic floor, glutes and hamstrings. An osteopath can help to provide you with a targeted exercise plan depending on your pain and strength levels. 
3. Get help - Booking an appointment with an osteopath can help you to manage your lower back. An osteopath can provide you with hands-on treatment to reduce your pain, as well as exercises, education and advice on how to look after your back. They will conduct a thorough health history and examination which can identify possible causative factors. They can then discuss personalised options about how best to manage your pain, lifestyle, exercise etc. to prevent it from happening again.

 

Following these tips can greatly increase your chances of getting back to what you want to be doing, and reduce the chances of recurring back injuries. Book an appointment with the Head 2 Toe Health team today to begin your journey back to full health!

 

Written by Dr Conor Abrey B.Sci(Ost) M.Health.Sc (Osteo), Registered Osteopath, Head 2 Toe Health.

We provide Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Massage, Life Coaching and Counselling in Springwood (Brisbane) and Oxenford (Gold Coast). We aim to get you as well as possible, as fast as possible, permanently. We believe in a thorough approach to restoring and maintaining health and address many aspects of our lifestyles that can contribute to pain, stiffness, dis-ease and disease. For any further information, please contact us on info@head2toehealth.com.au or 07) 3208 8308.

This information is intended as a general guide only and is not specific for any particular condition or situation. This information is for educational purposes only. Please seek specific advice for your individual circumstances.

A whopping 96% of people will suffer from a headache at some point in their lifetime. There are many different types of headache, and each of them presents differently. Patients we see in clinic report varied symptoms that can affect their quality of life significantly.

 

Categories of Headaches

Headaches are divided into two different categories, primary and secondary. 

Primary headaches have no other known cause, meaning that the headache is the main problem. The most common primary headaches are migraines, tension-type headaches and cluster headaches. 

Secondary headaches occur as a result of another underlying cause. Examples of secondary headaches include cervicogenic headaches (headache occurring as a result of neck pain), headaches as a result of trauma (traffic accidents, falls, sports injuries) and withdrawal headaches.

 

Symptoms of a Headache

Common signs and symptoms of headaches include:

 

• Pain in head, face, jaw or neck
• Neck tightness
• Possible shooting pain into shoulder or arm
• General feeling of tiredness, fatigue or heaviness in head
• Possible numbness, pins/needles or weakness in arm

 

What can you do?

Home Management

• Drink 1-2 cups of room temperature water and increase your water intake generally
• Relax in a dark, quiet room and sleep if needed
• Relax your neck and shoulders. You can use some stretches or exercises from our exercise library or breathing exercises, or relaxation techniques
• Apply heat to your neck. Use a heat pack or hot water bottle for 10-15 minutes to relax blood flow improve blood flow
• Take a break from your computer, move around regularly
• Ensure you're getting enough sleep. Check out this sleep video series to improve your sleep
• Get moving! Exercise can reduce headache frequency

 

Headache Diary

Having some of these symptoms can be quite distressing, and can often feel like they come on for no reason. Keeping a headache diary is a good way to identify possible triggers of your headache. When the headache begins, take note of what you were doing at the time, how you’re feeling, and what the headache feels like. This may help you to recognise patterns, which can lead to a better understanding of possible triggers and then inform more individualised and effective management. You can make up your own Headache Diary to start understanding your headaches, or check out apps like 

- Migraine Buddy

- Manage My Pain Pro

- Headache Log

 

Get Help

Seeing an osteopath can help you in the management of your headache. Our osteopaths at Head 2 Toe Health perform a thorough history and assessment to investigate and understand what is causing your symptoms. Your osteopath will help you recognise patterns that you may not have noticed and then support you with strategies to resolve your headaches. They will also provide hands-on treatment as indicated in your physical assessment, plus lifestyle advice and exercises to help manage your symptoms.

 

You don't have to live with headaches. Call us today to take your first steps to freedom from your headaches. 

 

 

Written by Dr Conor Abrey B.Sci(Ost) M.Health.Sc (Osteo), Registered Osteopath, Head 2 Toe Health.

 

We provide Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Massage, Life Coaching and Counselling in Springwood (Brisbane) and Oxenford (Gold Coast). We aim to get you as well as possible, as fast as possible, permanently. We believe in a thorough approach to restoring and maintaining health and address many aspects of our lifestyles that can contribute to pain, stiffness, dis-ease and disease. For any further information, please contact us on info@head2toehealth.com.au or 07) 3208 8308.

This information is intended as a general guide only and is not specific for any particular condition or situation. This information is for educational purposes only. Please seek specific advice for your individual circumstances.

 

Neck pain can be a very painful and debilitating condition. Causes of neck pain can vary from something as major as a car accident, to something as innocuous as a poor sleeping position or poor posture. 

 

Our neck holds our head on our shoulders, but it's so much more than that. It is the pathway that all of the nerves from the brain reach the body. It is the sole avenue for blood supply to the brain and for drainage away from the brain. It's really important that the neck is free from obstruction to allow our body to function at its best, but also for comfortable day to day living. 

 

The way we live these days puts more pressure on the neck than ever. Consider this…The further we bend our head forward, the harder the muscles in our neck need to work to keep our head up. So, when we are looking down on our phone, iPad, laptop keyboard, book or even to the bench chopping vegetables or ironing, our neck is doing a lot of work compared to being upright. The more time we spend in this position the more strain there is on our neck muscles, and eventually this can take its toll. 

 

There are a number of different features that may be present with neck pain. 

Common signs and symptoms of a neck condition include:

 

• Neck pain, one sided or central
• Stiffness or restricted movement of neck
• Shooting pain into shoulder, arm, hand or upper back
• Headache
• Numbness or tingling into arm or hand

 

Some of these symptoms can be quite different to what you would expect with a standard injury to the leg or arm. These symptoms can even be present without neck pain itself, but as a result of an issue in the neck. Features like shooting pain into the arm, headaches, numbness and tingling can feel quite strange as they’re not necessarily close to the site of injury. These features exist due to the wide range of structures that are present in the neck. 

 

Nerves that run through the neck provide sensory supply (feeling) to the arm and hands, which is why you can have pain or altered sensation into these regions. For example, pins and needles in the forearm or hand can sometimes be mistakenly diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome (but more on that in another article), rather than being caused by a neck issue. 

 

Similarly, headaches can arise from the neck due to the close proximity of nervous system structures to the region. For example, the structures over the top of the head and face have a nerve supply coming from the upper neck, therefore we can find that by treating the upper neck and restoring optimal nerve function, that certain types of headache symptoms can resolve. 

 

If you are suffering from neck pain, there are several things you can do to reduce your pain and promote healing. 

• Exercises and stretching are highly effective in the prevention and treatment of neck pain. 
• Assess your posture and ensure that you’re providing the best conditions for your body to heal. If you need help with this, our osteopaths are here to guide you on posture and ergonomics.
• Make changes to your work space to best protect the neck. 
• Taking regular breaks from looking down at a computer screen, keyboard or phone can give your muscles the release they need to prevent injury.
• Use a heat pack on the sore area for 20 minutes every 2 hours to promote blood flow and relax muscles in the region. 
• Book an appointment with an osteopath so you can understand what may be contributing to your pain and get a plan on what to do about it. An osteopath will be able to diagnose what’s happening, provide hands-on treatment, and also give lifestyle advice and an individualised exercise program to get you back to your best.

 

At Head 2 Toe, we are passionate about working with you to optimise your posture to live a more comfortable life, so contact us today, we would love to help.

 

 

Written by Dr Conor Abrey B.Sci(Ost) M.Health.Sc (Osteo), Registered Osteopath, Head 2 Toe Health and Dr. Jess Harvey B.Sc. (Anat, Phys), B.Ap.Sci (Comp. Med.), Ma Osteo., Registered Osteopath and Director of Head 2 Toe Health.

We provide Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Massage, Life Coaching and Counselling in Springwood (Brisbane) and Oxenford (Gold Coast). We aim to get you as well as possible, as fast as possible, permanently. We believe in a thorough approach to restoring and maintaining health and address many aspects of our lifestyles that can contribute to pain, stiffness, dis-ease and disease. For any further information, please contact us on info@head2toehealth.com.au or 07) 3208 8308.

This information is intended as a general guide only and is not specific for any particular condition or situation. This information is for educational purposes only. Please seek specific advice for your individual circumstances.

 

 

If this is a pain in the neck for you, book an appointment at Head 2 Toe Health today to start your journey to better health!   

Approximately one in five Australians over the age of 45 suffer from Osteoarthritis. It is by far the most common arthritic condition, and greatly affects a large amount of the population. Osteoarthritis occurs when there is a breakdown of the cartilage that lines a joint. This breakdown leads to a reduction in the space of the joint. It is most commonly found in the hands, knees, feet or joints of the spine. Common symptoms of osteoarthritis include

 

• Joint pain
• Restricted movement
• Swelling
• Clicking or creaking in the joint

 

At Head 2 Toe Health we regularly see patients with osteoarthritis who think they’re stuck with their current level of pain for life. Fortunately for these people, this isn’t the case. While you can’t reverse the degeneration that has occurred at the joint, you can take steps to minimise pain, maximise your function and reduce the progression of further degeneration.

 

Healthy Lifestyle

Living a healthy lifestyle incorporates a wide range of factors, and can have several positive effects on osteoarthritis. Of particular note is exercise and healthy eating.  

Exercise is a well known pain reliever for people with osteoarthritis. The exercise must be reasonable and slowly progressed to avoid flare ups initially. It will also increase muscular strength that can serve to better protect and support the affected joint and improve balance and fall prevention. 

Healthy eating will also help the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Eating good quality, anti-inflammatory foods can reduce the body’s overall level of inflammation. In addition to the aforementioned benefits, a healthy lifestyle should also lead to weight loss. This can help osteoarthritis by reducing the load in the arthritic joints.

 

Pain Management

As well as a healthy lifestyle, there are other methods that can be effective for the management of osteoarthritis pain. 

Heat - Applying heat to the sore spot increases blood flow to the area. This can reduce pain, warm up the joint and relax tight muscles. 

Products - There are also products that can be useful for pain management. There are a wide range of creams such as Traumeels, Fisiocrem and Doterra’s Ice Blue. There are also massage tools that can help to manage pain and muscle tightness such as different types of balls and rollers. Where there is alot of swelling in an area, we often recommend a Bexter's Crystals overnight poultice to clear fluid, epsom salts or potato poultice.

 

There are many ways to support yourself to improve your quality of life so if you’re suffering from osteoarthritis. Whether that is to get back to sport or work or to feel more comfortable and confident to complete daily tasks like walking stairs or putting your shoes on, we would love to help. So, if you need advice, exercises or hands-on treatment, book in with an osteopath today. 

 

 

Written by Dr Conor Abrey B.Sci(Ost) M.Health.Sc (Osteo), Registered Osteopath, Head 2 Toe Health and Dr. Jess Harvey B.Sc. (Anat, Phys), B.Ap.Sci (Comp. Med.), Ma Osteo., Registered Osteopath and Director of Head 2 Toe Health.

We provide Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Massage, Life Coaching and Counselling in Springwood (Brisbane) and Oxenford (Gold Coast). We aim to get you as well as possible, as fast as possible, permanently. We believe in a thorough approach to restoring and maintaining health and address many aspects of our lifestyles that can contribute to pain, stiffness, dis-ease and disease. For any further information, please contact us on info@head2toehealth.com.au or 07) 3208 8308.

This information is intended as a general guide only and is not specific for any particular condition or situation. This information is for educational purposes only. Please seek specific advice for your individual circumstances.

Most people will suffer from some sort of knee pain during their lifetime. For some people it can be from trauma, others from overuse, and some purely from age related changes. The knee is a very unique joint due to the presence of the patella (kneecap). This creates some challenges, but also some opportunities in the management of knee pain.

Some common causes of knee pain include:

• Muscle and joint imbalances from above (hip, lower back etc.) or below (ankle, calf etc.) the knee
• Osteoarthritis
• Ligament sprains (ACL, PCL, medial & lateral collateral ligaments)
• Quadriceps tendinopathy
• Patellofemoral pain (pain around the kneecap)
• Osgood-Schlatter disease
• Baker’s cyst
• Torn cartilage/meniscus

As well as pain, knee conditions can lead to things like instability, creaking/clicking, weakness, swelling, reduced movement and difficulty walking. The knee is of great importance in transferring load from the ground through the lower limb to allow us to move freely with activities like lifting, getting up and down off the floor and walking up and down stairs. Because of this, knee pain can be very debilitating. If you’re suffering from knee pain, there are a few things you can do to help manage the pain.

At home management of knee pain

1. Relative rest: If a knee is really sore or inflamed, it may benefit from a period of rest to allow the body time to calm the irritation. This isn’t to say that you should stop activity altogether. The knee will usually benefit from a reduction in activity to a point where it is more comfortable. Avoiding aggravating movements (e.g. running, going up stairs) may also be beneficial in the short term, while focusing on movement improves blood flow to reduce swelling.
2. Heat/ice: Applying ice in the first 24 hours after an acute injury can help to ease pain. After 24 hours, the use of heat will be beneficial. Heat will increase blood flow to the area, which can promote healing and reduce further disturbances in knee mechanics.
3. Strengthening: Once the knee is less irritated and painful, the next step is to start strengthening the muscles that support the knee and to re-learn how to perform movements by distributing the activity over many muscles and joints, rather than just on the knee. This will help to restore your knee to its previous level of function, and also potentially prevent more knee pain in the future. 

 

Our osteopaths can provide you with more individualised advice and hands on treatment to improve how your knee and lower body moves and to rehabilitate your knee and integrate its movement to the rest of the body. Our goal is to reduce your pain while taking care to identify and resolve the underlying cause of the knee pain to reduce further issues in the future.  Book an appointment with the Head 2 Toe Health team today to begin your journey back to full health!

 

Written by Dr Conor Abrey B.Sci(Ost) M.Health.Sc (Osteo), Registered Osteopath, Head 2 Toe Health.

We provide Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Massage, Life Coaching and Counselling in Springwood (Brisbane) and Oxenford (Gold Coast). We aim to get you as well as possible, as fast as possible, permanently. We believe in a thorough approach to restoring and maintaining health and address many aspects of our lifestyles that can contribute to pain, stiffness, dis-ease and disease. For any further information, please contact us on info@head2toehealth.com.au or 07) 3208 8308.

 

The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that runs from the bottom of the heel into the base of the toes. It is an extremely important structure in the body as it forms the basis for the arch of the foot. This allows for proper foot movement and is instrumental for our gait (how we walk). When the plantar fascia becomes irritated and inflamed, the condition is called plantar fasciitis. Due to the importance the plantar fascia has on our walking cycle, this condition is often very debilitating.

Common signs and symptoms often present with plantar fasciitis:

 

• Pain in the heel on the bottom of the foot (or occasionally) the arch of the foot
• Pain is worse after taking your first few steps in the morning then settles
• Usually pain comes on after stopping activity, while minimal pain is present during activity

 

Causes

Plantar fasciitis is generally caused by overuse, often in conjunction with altered biomechanics in the foot, leading to irritation of this key supportive structure. Altered biomechanics can happen as a result of tight or weak muscles, tension in the fascia or restrictions in joint movement. Factors like age, weight, recent changes in exercise load or poor footwear choices can all affect the risk of developing heel pain. It is important to identify which factors are possibly contributing to your condition, as these can often be addressed to improve your condition.

 

Our Approach

Our osteopaths can help you to identify any relevant contributing factors and provide strategies to speed up your recovery. Our osteopaths will assess your whole body, with specific focus on other joints in your leg to ascertain why there is more pressure on this particular area. Once we are clear on the cause then we provide hands-on treatment to reduce the pressure on relevant areas to reduce pain, restore optimal movement and strengthen the area to get you back to your best and stay there.

 

Home management

Self-management at home is key to a swift recovery from plantar fasciitis. There are a few simple strategies you can use to aid your recovery. These include:

 

• Rolling over the plantar fascia using a firm ball, can or rolling pin (avoid rolling directly over the heel)
• Foot/plantar fascia strengthening exercises
• Mobilising the foot and ankle
• Stretching of the calf and foot
• Gradual exposure to exercise

 

Seeing an osteopath will allow you to best apply these strategies as they are well trained and experienced in the treatment and management of this particular condition. They can create a personalised plan based on your history and examination, with exercises and stretches best suited to your needs. 

Book an appointment with the Head 2 Toe Health team today to begin your journey back to full health!

 

Written by Dr Conor Abrey B.Sci(Ost) M.Health.Sc (Osteo), Registered Osteopath, Head 2 Toe Health.

We provide Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Massage, Life Coaching and Counselling in Springwood (Brisbane) and Oxenford (Gold Coast). We aim to get you as well as possible, as fast as possible, permanently. We believe in a thorough approach to restoring and maintaining health and address many aspects of our lifestyles that can contribute to pain, stiffness, dis-ease and disease. For any further information, please contact us on info@head2toehealth.com.au or 07) 3208 8308.