This month we celebrated Humphrey’s 9th Birthday! A few facts about Humphrey:
Breed: Miniature Labradoodle
Official birthday is 28th March 2013
Born and bred in Victoria
Houses lived in = 6 (2 in Victoria, 4 in Queensland)
Loves: swimming
Obsessed: ball retrieving
Hates: putting on his harness
Barracks for: Richmond Tigers
Thanks to our lovely community who always give him a pat and a friendly hello.
This month physiotherapist Connie took a 2 week break to explore beautiful Tasmania. Her top 3 highlights are as follows
If you haven’t been, it’s definitely for the bucket list. The artwork alone is amazing, but the architecture of the buildings and grounds are absolutely stunning. Not only do you get to enjoy art, but relax with an in-house microbrewery, winery, live music and five-star dining
2. Tasman Island Eco Cruise:
Getting to explore the Tasman Peninsula to see the vast cliff faces, under water sea caves, light house, seals, and dolphins is a breath taking experience. Worth the freezing cold and wet ride. Fact: The cliffs of Tasman Island and nearby Cape Pillar are in fact the highest sea-cliffs in the southern hemisphere
3. Wineries – all of them!
Everywhere you drive across the island, there appears to be another winery with eclectic wine makers willing to share their crop with you. Pinot Noir is a Tasmanian speciality!
Last year in December 2021, Josh joined our team as the new senior physiotherapist (in replacement for Matt who left in November 2021). Since then we were not able to formally introduce him due to the busyness of work and Christmas. Therefore, to help you get to know Josh, here are 5 facts about Josh you didn’t know:
1. He had never been to Melbourne prior to moving to Melbourne
Based on what he had seen on TV depicting tram cars and street art, this was all Josh had known about Melbourne prior to moving over from NZ. Enticing way to move country!
2. Favourite food – fried chicken
During special occasions like birthdays, family gatherings or celebrating special awards (not that there were many), Josh’s parents would treat the family to a family feast of KFC. Thus, to Josh KFC is more than just a delicious meal, it’s synonymous with happiness and good times. But now that Josh is a big boy and has money to spend, he is aware that if he is to eat KFC he must first train at the gym several times that week in order to avoid putting on excess weight.
3. Josh was hit by a car when he was 6
As soon as he got off the school bus, Josh looked one way but not the other. The reason for this? He was racing his brother to get to the TV remote before him. Unfortunately, this mistake cost him a 6 week stay in hospital. However, Josh reports this event being one of the best times of his life. At the hospital he experienced first hand physiotherapy rehab treatment in learning to walk again. Plus, he got daily visits from famous rugby players and he got to watch all the Nickelodeon TV all day. (Only to find out he was banned from the TV for a month when he got home).
4. Who is your favourite musician – Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi is a rapper better known for his songs ‘Day N Nite’ and ‘Pursuit of Happiness’. But its his songs that most people do not know about that appeals to Josh as they speak about hope, believing in yourself and staying true to who you are. These were messages that helped Josh through his darkest times during university, living away from home, transitioning into adulthood and learning about responsibility (for self and others).
5. Josh can speak 3 languages
English, Samoan and Italian. Although he is only fluent in English and can hold a conversation in Samoan, his Italian vocab is getting there. Besides the formal statements like hello and how are you, Josh’s Italian now stretches out to statements like ‘I’m very hungry’ or ‘I’m very tired’. Living with his partner’s Nonna he gets daily lessons at the dinner table. One day he hopes to visit Nonna’s village and learn about his partner’s family history.
This December we sadly, but proudly said goodbye to our senior physiotherapist Matt. He has been accepted to study Doctor of Medicine (MD) at the University of Queensland in 2022.
Matt has been an integral part of Northside Physios development in the early opening phase. He started in November 2020 when the clinic had only been open for three months. Over the last year he has networked with local health providers, gyms, community organisations, and helped many patients through their health journey.
Matt was renowned for his epic Pilates playlists, which usually consisted of 80’s bangers and classic rock. He was a timely consultant and was rarely running late. He would surprise us constantly on Saturdays with his impressive array of fun shirts and brightly coloured pants.
Clinically if you ever had the pleasure to experience a consult you would comment on his intelligence, patience, wit, stories, and hands on skills. If he couldn’t help you, he would always help piece the puzzle together by involving the right health professional and guiding you on your journey.
The Northside Team believe he will make an excellent doctor in any field, and the medical world has gained a huge asset for the future of many Australians. We wish him well on his relocation to Queensland and student life!
The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) also known as the jaw, adheres to basic principles like any other structure in the musculoskeletal system. It is vital for normal function – talking, biting, chewing, and yawning. An injury or dysfunction to the TMJ can cause pain, headache and referral into the head and neck.
Patients with Temporomandibular Dysfunction (TMD) will complain of orofacial pain, ear symptoms, toothache, headaches, joint noises (clicking, crackling, popping) and neck or spinal pain. They will also report clenching, bracing, grinding of teeth and limitations to chewing, biting, and yawning. There are many reasons to why TMD might occur including physical, mechanical, and psychosocial.
Physiotherapist Connie has recently undergone extra education regarding assessment and treatment of TMD. Treatment involves education, manual therapy techniques and exercise rehabilitation. If you are suffering or want to know about how physiotherapy can help TMD, feel free to book a consultation or give us call.
This month we celebrate Mental Health Week (Oct 9-16).This year has been full of ups and downs, in lockdowns, then out of lockdowns, and then thrown back into another. We have certainly been feeling the pinch of the ongoing lockdowns here at Northside and we can see the impact that it is having on our local community too. It’s important in these times that we all rally together and look out for one another. High levels of emotional and mental stress can play a significant role on our physical health and wellbeing, therefore it is important that we address all aspects of our health when dealing with injury/pain.
Connie, Matt and Hayley have given their top three tips on managing your mental health in lockdown:
If you are struggling during these tough times, don’t be afraid to seek help, here are some useful links that will help guide you in the right direction:
Dry needling is a technique that we use quite frequently in the clinic, but not many people truly understand what it is and how it works, so we thought this month we’d deliver the facts!
Dry needling is a time efficient and highly effective technique which involves inserting an acupuncture-like needle into trigger points or taut bands within a muscle belly in order to generate twitches in a muscle. We like to think of it as an extension of our fingers.
The needles used are sterile, single use only needles less than 0.3mm thick, the length of the needle varies depending on the muscle being treated.
Majority of people will not feel the needle being tapped into the skin. However, if the muscle is very sensitive, you may feel a slight pin prick. As the needle is advanced into the muscle, you may feel a cramping or twitching sensation which will improve within a short period of time. These twitches created from needling help the muscle to relax and reduce the feeling of tension/tightness, pain and improve function.
If this is something that you may be interested in, feel free to have a chat with one of us and we can discuss if this is a suitable treatment option for you and your needs! All clinicians at Northside have undergone extensive training and are qualified in performing dry needling.
An exciting month on the calendar for Northside Physio as we turned 1 on the 4th of August! It’s hard to believe we have been open for a whole year. Since opening, we’ve made it through five of the six Victorian lockdowns, added two physiotherapists, two receptionists, a dietician and remedial massage therapist to the team. We’ve had to jump through multiple hurdles along the way but there is no way our team could have thrived without the ongoing support from the Northside community.
Our mission statement “Physio and Pilates for your health journey” has really sung true in the last year. We believe health is a journey, and not all the paths are sunshine and rainbows. With the pandemic creating havoc throughout the country, we have been blessed for the ability to remain open to continue your care.
We love seeing your smiling faces through the door, waves from the street whilst walking by, and the sense of community for allowing us to be here. We look forward to continuing our journey and yours together.
Winter is well and truly in full swing and we are feeling the cold here at Northside Physio. The days are darker, the motivation isn’t quite there and the weather makes you want to stay in bed with a blanket and the heater on. Despite it being cool, it is important to continue moving everyday to keep yourself warm. Here’s our top 3 exercises to keep you moving in the cooler months:
Have your arms across your chest or outstretched, stand in front of a sturdy chair/seat and squat back as if you are going to sit on the chair, stand back up, and repeat. Aim for 10-20.
A great exercise to get the blood circulating through your leg! leaning against your kitchen bench, keeping your toes on the floor, lift your heels up and down. Aim for 15-20.
Laying on your side with knees tucked up, arms straight out in front, swing the top arm over to the opposite side of your body and rotating through your ribcage, head and neck. It should feel as though you’re opening like a book. Aim for 10 each side.
Don’t forget about those heat packs too! Not only do they keep you nice and warm, but they help relieve those achy joints – especially in the mornings!
We are excited to announce that we have a new Physio joining us at Northside – Hayley!
She graduated from Bond University with her Doctor of Physiotherapy and is our third physio to join the team. She brings a wealth of musculoskeletal and sporting experience being a sports trainer at her local AFL club and more recently working at North Melbourne AFL and VFL teams.
Hayley prides herself on being a hands on therapist and utilises both her manual skills and exercise prescription skills to treat both the symptoms and the underlying cause. Hayley values patient centred care and achieves this through taking a thorough history and physical assessment. Hayley likes to educate and guide patients through their rehabilitation journey, empowering them to understand their pathology and return them back to doing the things they love.
Hayley has a strong passion for musculoskeletal physiotherapy with a keen interest in lower limb sporting and soft tissue injuries. When she’s not at work Hayley enjoys wakeboarding, waterskiing, going to the gym and walking her dog Chopper.
Hayley will be in the clinic 5 days a week, including Saturdays. You can book online or give us a call!