What goes up…
As the saying goes, must come down. In other words, at the top of every hill you will find an effortless stretch of running, or will you?
The lay man will tell you that running down a hill is easier and less work than running up the same hill but I will tell you otherwise. Without getting too scientific and physiological, downhill running is far more work than any hill you will run up ...
Finding your form
What does form really tell us and how can it help us get to where we going faster and more efficiently?
When assessing an athlete’s running style, we typically look at toe-knee-hip-hand-shoulder alignment. Do not underestimate the power of the mind though as head position will determine where and what the rest of the body will be doing during a run.
Head carriage should be neutral. The ...
The most used four-letter word in any sport, CORE.
Your core and your abdominals are two closely related but very different muscle groups. The abdominals contribute to stability, control and endurance but your core will ensure you maintain all this and the correct posture, avoiding the injury and inefficiency that are often created by instability.
I could throw out a few scientific names now to really define core. Instead I will tell you that your core is made ...
Holistic Wellness
Whether you are a veteran athlete or a newbie on the block, you will have heard your fair share of opinions on the role of massage, ice baths and other recovery tricks of the trade. But how far do you go to optimise your recovery and is there any value to working as hard at rest as you do in performance.
Physiologically, all methods are thought to assist muscle repair and the promotion of nutrient delivery ...
Nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps during exercise can be largely attributed to gastric emptying syndrome. During periods of physical performance, the heart, lungs and muscular system demand up to 80% of the blood flow to ensure optimal oxygen delivery to working tissues. This results in limited effort being made available to the digestion of the food or fluid from the stomach.
Most of the time, anything that is consumed will be emptied from the stomach largely undigested ...
What Causes Sports Injuries?
No pain, no gain
We are all for pushing yourself in training and competition at Mike Varney Physiotherapy. However, there’s a huge difference between pushing yourself, and pushing through physical pain. Athletes who try and push past the physical pain usually end up with an injury. Muscle soreness for 24-48 ...
What’s the difference between massage and Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy treats pain, impairments and disability by using a wide number of treatment techniques. The treatment is precise and tailored to you based on an in-depth assessment. Massage is a generic term for hands on techniques employed to relieve muscle tension and improve wellbeing.
Which do I need?
As a rule, if you have pain then you need to know what’s causing it, which means you need a Physiotherapist. The reason for ...
What is a lateral ankle sprain?
The outside of the ankle is comprised of three ligaments which are strong connective tissue that stabilises the ankle joint. Lateral ankle sprain is one of the most common sporting injuries and is frequently re-injured. Lateral ankle sprains commonly occur when the ankle rolls ...
What is a groin strain?
A groin strain refers to injury to one or more of the muscles in the inner thigh. This group of muscles are known as the Adductors due to their role in providing hip adduction (movement of bringing the hip back in to ...
The spine is a crucial structure in the body. It has three major functions important for everyday life:
The spine can be broken down into five sections – cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum and coccyx. The spine has ...