Why would I see a physio?

Name your least favourite exercise.

Now think for 10 seconds – why do you hate it?

Often when you ask someone this, the answer is ‘it hurts’ or ‘it’s so difficult I just can’t do it.’ Burpees or Bulgarian split squats, anyone??

I’m a guest on Matt’s blog today (thanks Matty!) to let you know it really doesn’t have to be that way.

Most people, particularly really active people, at the suggestion of physio, start to panic.

‘The physio is going to stop me from working out.’

‘They’ll tell me I’m not allowed to squat.’

‘I don’t want to hear that I’m broken, I already KNOW that.’

SO, is that what I’ll tell you?

Absolutely not!

While physiotherapists can really vary in their approach, the field of physiotherapy has changed a lot in the past 10 years, even in the past 3 years.

We have a lot of good research and evidence that exercise, particularly strength training, is amazing for reducing amount of injuries and for recovering from injuries.

And with so many people not getting enough exercise on a daily basis, the LAST thing I want to do is stop you from exercising.

A good physio shouldn’t make you stop, they should help you work AROUND your injuries until you’re back to 100%, or even BETTER than you were before.

It’s meant to be a positive experience.

Yes, there are a small number of cases where you need to ‘de-load’ a body part (a broken ankle, for example, will need to be in a cast). But even in this case, there is no reason that with close supervision, you can’t train your upper body.

So, if during your training:

• You’ve been getting a strange niggle in the front of your shoulder when you bench press, and it’s getting worse.
• You’re feeling an ache over your kneecap when you squat.
• Your back really strains when you deadlift.
• Your ankle pinches when you’re doing a lunge

It might be worth touching base with a physiotherapist who appreciates the gym just as much as you do!

How it works: we watch how you move in and out of the gym, we diagnosis the issue, provide you with a clear plan to resolve it, use some manual therapy to move things along, and get you back to hitting PB’s in no time.

And finally, if your physiotherapist is leaving you feeling deflated or less capable of getting healthy and pain-free, then it might be time to find a new one.

Yana is a physiotherapist at Melbourne Centre for Athletic Performance – our neighbouring sports medicine clinic. Due to our great relationship, Max Results clients receive 10% off all physiotherapy appointments. Visit www.m-cap.com.au or stop by front reception to make an appointment.