If you’re someone who leads a fairly active lifestyle, you’ll understand the battle of experiencing muscular discomfort often.
A great way to keep on top of your muscular aches and pains and to prevent further injury is to complete some home stretches and movements. It’s especially important to pay particular attention to those areas where you a prone more so to pain than others.
Some of the most common parts of the body that need a particular focus on localised stretching are:
– ITB (Iliotibial band)
– Hamstrings
– Calf
– Quads
– Back
– Buttocks
– Shoulder muscles
There are many take-home products and tools that can help you keep on top of your stretches and prescribed exercises given by your physiotherapist. They come in many shapes and sizes and all have different purposes. We thought we would take you through some of the easiest ways to help you look after those muscles after each workout or just on a daily basis to prevent injury and to keep limber.
Foam Rollers
Foam rollers are an effective and easy way to essentially give yourself a deep tissue massage. You may have heard the term, Self-Myofascial Release, this is exactly what foam rolling those larger muscle groups does. Slowly rolling over your muscles can help to break up adhesions and scar tissues. This can speed up the healing and recovery after each workout!
Spikey Massage Balls
These little balls are fantastic way to reduce muscle tension, improve blood flow and to aid injury prevention. They are also an effective way to reduce pain levels. You can pick them up for as little as $10.00!
Resistance Bands
You may have seen people using colourful pieces of stretchy tape, these are what we call resistance bands. They are lightweight, portable and able to be used anywhere. They can add a varying level of resistance to your movements and are especially good as you gradually increase resistance progressively during your injury rehabilitation. Essentially, they add muscle-building tension. Great for the arms & legs.
Wheat Packs
For many years, heat has been used to effectively manage and treat pain due to muscle or joint stiffness. Great for relieving temporary discomfort and can be reused over and over again. You can heat them up for about 2 minutes and they will stay warm for around 30-45 minutes to give your sore muscles relief they need.
All of the above-mentioned take home physio products are perfect for pain or conditions affecting the major focus areas listed above. These products are great for DIY injury prevention or just to help you keep on top of your muscular soreness and stiffness at home in between workouts.
However, if you find that you have ongoing pain in any of these major muscle groups, it is definitely worth getting it checked over by your trusted physiotherapists in case there may be underlying damage to the area. You can also easily pick these products up at our practice.
If you have any questions or would like to chat about any pain or concerns, you can speak with our experienced physiotherapists this week by phoning (02) 4721 7798 or by emailing info@progressiverehab.com.au Alternatively, you can book an initial consultation by clicking here.
At Progressive Sports and Spinal Physiotherapy Penrith, we are able to assess, treat, educate and manage all musculoskeletal injuries. We focus on hands-on treatment, exercise prescription and self management techniques tailored to your specific needs. We utilise evidence based treatments to maximise your outcomes.
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Elin, is an alumni of St. Edward’s University and holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, furthered her academic journey by attaining a Doctor of Physiotherapy from Macquarie University in 2022.
Her passion for sports, particularly football (soccer), is evident in both her academic pursuits and personal endeavors. Specialising in the comprehensive well-being of athletes, Elin focuses on restoring them to peak performance while actively preventing future injuries.
Elin’s professional expertise is centered on musculoskeletal rehabilitation, with a specific emphasis on addressing and preventing knee injuries. Her approach integrates expert treatment with a commitment to educating and empowering patients, fostering their active involvement in enhancing their health and overall quality of life.
As an active participant in NPL football with SD Raiders, Elin brings firsthand experience and a profound understanding of the sport’s demands. Beyond the field, she extends her influence by contributing sports coverage over the weekends.
Christopher (Chris) Han graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy, and then completed the Doctor of Physiotherapy program at Macquarie University in 2018. Chris is currently undertaking his PhD at the University of Sydney and Institute for Musculoskeletal Health in the field of low back pain and is due to complete this in early 2024.
Chris is currently an assistant Physiotherapist for the NRL Referees. Chris has previous experience as the head Physiotherapist at Panthers Premier League Netball and a number of elite sporting athletes in the private setting.
Through Chris’ experiences, he has a particular interest in all areas of the body and musculoskeletal physiotherapy, sports, vestibular rehabilitation, and Men’s Health (pre and post prostate surgery).
Suzanne graduated from Western Sydney University with a Bachelor of Health Science (Sports and Exercise Science) in 2015. She then went on to continue her studies at Macquarie University graduating from the Doctor of Physiotherapy post-graduate degree in June 2019.
Since graduating, Suzanne has worked in the local Penrith area in both private practice and Sports Physiotherapy. Suzanne has worked with sporting teams including Penrith District Netball Association, Mt Druitt Rangers (NPL), Penrith Valley Figure Skating Club, and local dance and cheer schools.
Suzanne has a particular interest in working with artistic athletes including cheerleaders and dancers. She has a professional background in both cheer and dance and has previously worked as both a cheer coach and dance teacher. Suzanne’s previous experiences are an invaluable resource to her as a physiotherapist, as she has a thorough understanding of the level of physical fitness and skill acquisition that these athletes must have in order to be successful on stage and in competition.
Suzanne’s other areas of clinical interest reside in lower limb musculoskeletal injuries, spinal pathologies and women’s health.
Nathanial graduated as a physiotherapist in 2012 which saw him work in private practice and hospital settings gaining experience in all areas of physiotherapy including hand therapy, splinting/casting, pre/post-operative care, Men’s Health and general musculoskeletal, occupational and sports physiotherapy. Since then he has gone on to complete further studies in physiotherapy enabling him to be the only dual titled Musculoskeletal, Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist in Penrith.
Nathanial has a strong background in sports physiotherapy achieving accreditation with NSWIS as a service provider and working with many elite sports teams.
Nathanial has a particular interest in working with elite athletes, complex cases and in particular assessment and management of knee, hip and shoulder pain.
Andrea graduated from the Australian Catholic University completing her Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science in 2018 and Master’s of Clinical Exercise Physiology in 2020. After graduating she attained accreditation with ESSA as an Exercise Physiologist.
During her studies she gained clinical experience in both hospital and private practice settings, in cardiac rehabilitation, neurological conditions, cancer and chronic musculoskeletal injuries.
Since working at Progressive, Andrea has a specialist interest in treating musculoskeletal injuries, helping people in the mid-late stage of rehab to get them to return to sport or work. As well as helping people manage chronic conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis and diabetes.