
17 Feb February ’21 Newsletter

Hello February! This month’s newsletter has all you need to know about what’s new at St Leonards Physiotherapy. As it’s the season for love, we would LOVE to tell you all about our newest paediatric physio, a fantastic local sports initiative for children with disabilities and our Osteoporosis workshop. Lastly, read up on how physiotherapists can help alleviate headaches. Enjoy! 😊

Welcome to our newest paediatric physio Kylie!
Last month we mentioned Kylie Fish, our newly appointed paediatric physio would be joining us in February, we’re very pleased now to welcome her to the clinic! It wouldn’t be a proper welcome without a full introduction so here is a bit more about Kylie…
Kylie graduated with a Master of Physiotherapy from the University of Sydney in 2013. Since then she has worked with both adults and children in major hospitals and in the disability sector and has extensive experience in acute care and rehabilitation in all ages.
Kylie has always had a passion for working with children. This began with teaching piano and working as a respite and recreation worker before commencing her career in physiotherapy. She worked at Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick in acute and outpatient settings and has experience with a large variety of paediatric conditions including orthopaedics, neurology and rehabilitation, developmental concerns and genetic conditions.
Kylie loves to make therapy interesting and fun while working with children and their families to achieve their goals.
If you would like to book in with Kylie please call us on 9438 1782 or email enquiries@stleonardsphysio.com.au.
Active Opportunities looking for new members
One of our patients made us aware of this initiative and we wanted to share the great work Active Opportunities are doing, providing sports programs to children with disabilities in the local community.
Their program at Lindfield Sports Centre, in collaboration with Lindfield FC, tallies 10 players each week at the moment but Active Opportunities are looking to extend this and welcome more participants from the community. They provide football, fun and development to all children with disabilities aged 5-16 and would love new members to head along and join in – term one starts 13th Feb, Saturdays 9-9.45am.
Active Opportunities also run a football program at Cromer Park in collaboration with Manly Utd FC, and they are always on the lookout for motivated, passionate and caring individuals to join the coaching and volunteer team at either site.
Please visit www.activeopportunities.org.au for more information.
Osteoporosis and exercise workshop with AngusWe’re delighted to share more information about our upcoming Osteoporosis and Exercise workshop presented by Angus Tadman [B.App.Sc.Phty]. The workshop will take place in the Ken Irvine room at Norths Fitness on Wednesday 24th of February at 6pm. Included will be:
This is a FREE workshop and is open to all! Due to covid restrictions, places are limited and will be on a first come, first served basis. We look forward to seeing you there! If you’re unable to attend the workshop, it will be streamed live on North’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/NorthsFitness. To book: Please visit https://northsfitness.com.au/osteoporosis-ws/ or call (02) 9245 3011. |
The Education Quarter
How physios can help with headaches
Can a physiotherapist help with a headache? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is, quite possibly, yes! It just depends on what type of headache you’re experiencing – and there are a lot more than you might think!
WHAT DIFFERENT TYPES OF HEADACHE ARE THERE?
There are more than 150 types of headache! What type you’re experiencing depends on the cause, the symptoms, the location and how often they occur. Some of the most common headaches include:
- Tension headache: Usually caused by tension in the muscles of the shoulders, neck or face, tension headaches usually give a sensation of pressure all the way around the head, and can cause nausea and light sensitivity.
- Sinus headache: These headaches are usually felt as deep, constant pain in your forehead, as well as your cheekbones and/or the bridge of your nose. Caused by sinus infections, they’re usually accompanied by symptoms like a runny nose, blocked ears, swelling in the face, fever and sinus pain.
- Dehydration: When you become dehydrated, the brain temporarily contracts because of the lack of fluid, causing it to pull away from the skull. Which hurts. The pain can usually be felt all over the head and can be anything from a dull ache to an intense throbbing. So, keep up your water intake.
- Cervicogenic headaches: These are caused by pain referred from tissues in the neck. They usually cause pain on one side of the head, from the base of the skull to the temple of the eye, and are aggravated by neck movements.
- Migraine: If you’ve ever had a migraine, you’ll know it’s way beyond a standard headache. As well as a pounding, throbbing pain in the head, sufferers can experience vision disturbances, sensitivity to light, noise and/or smells, nausea or vomiting, dizziness or stomach pain. Migraines can last for several hours, or even days.
- Cluster headaches: Causing intense burning or piercing pain behind or around one eye, cluster headaches can be so overwhelming that sufferers can’t sit still during one. They may cause swelling, redness or tears in the eye affected, and nasal congestion on that side. They’re called cluster headaches because they occur in groups – one to four times per day (lasting 15 minutes to three hours each time) during a cluster period, which can last from two weeks to three months.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO REDUCE HEADACHES?
Depending on the type of headaches you are prone to, there are a few things you can do to try to reduce the frequency and intensity:
- Drink plenty of water
- Make sure you’re getting enough quality sleep
- Try to reduce your stress levels and make time for relaxation
- Don’t skip meals and make sure to eat regular, healthy snacks to maintain your blood sugar levels
- Notice if there are particular foods, drinks, smells or environmental factors (such as lighting conditions) that trigger headaches so that you can avoid these in future
- If you are sitting at a desk for long periods of time, stretch your neck, shoulder and back muscles regularly
- Warm up and cool down properly after exercise
HOW CAN A PHYSIOTHERAPIST HELP?
The two main headaches that physiotherapists can help you with are tension headaches and cervicogenic headaches.
In the case of tension headaches, a physio will relax and unlock the muscles, releasing the tension that is causing the pain. They will also look at lifestyle factors that might be contributing to the problem, such as stress, and help you to manage these.
For cervicogenic headaches, the goal will be to address the neck issue at the root of the problem. This could involve manipulation, massage or mobilisation. They will likely teach you exercises to perform regularly, which will help to relieve the problem. Poor posture is a common cause of cervicogenic headaches, so your physio will also look at your posture and ask about your living/working space to address that problem.
If you’re not sure what type of headache you’re experiencing, give us a call on 9438 1782 and we can help you figure out what kind of treatment you need.
Happy to help.
If you’d like to book an appointment, or have questions about any pain or injury you may be experiencing, please get in touch.