clinic@cavershamphysio.co.nz; 4877323
CAVERSHAM PHYSIO NEWSLETTER No.33, June 2017
Hello again everyone,
June already and finally some good crisp frosts to keep us on our toes – if you have not tried Yak Tracks yet, do have a look out for them – they are very easy to get used to on the bottom of your shoes, and keep you stable despite white and black frost, so are well worth the $25 approximately for a pair, to avoid falling and doing any damage.
We are all getting excited about the upcoming Seminar we organise as the annual information evening for everyone hoping to do the Dunedin half, full or quarter marathon event. The seminar is on Wed 21 June at 6.30pm at the Sargood Centre, so do come along if you want to get some great tips. This year we have Blair and his wife Heather as our keynote speakers – both are amazing athletes – Heather earned 4th place at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 for Triathlon, and has been both an Oceania and National Triathlon Champ, and Blair held the NZ Junior 10km national record for decades, won the Australian Half Marathon champs in 2003 and is our current Otago Senior Men’s Cross Country champion. Both Blair and Heather are going to discuss preparation for events, their sporting journey to date, and also give us their perspective on training around children and the family lifestyle adjustments that they have found useful, so you will definitely get lots of great tips from them both. Geoffrey will then give some useful injury prevention strategies, Dr Megan Gibbons will discuss the importance of careful nutrition optimisation for your training and the event, and Dave Stinson, the Caversham Harriers coach will run through his training programmes and preparation tips for the event (10 September), so you have plenty of time to build up carefully using these pearls of information. Everyone there on the night goes in the draw to win a pair of beautiful Mizuno shoes from the Frontrunner, and all we ask is a gold coin donation for the Heart Foundation on entry. We will start our weekly clinic running and walking training groups to build up for the event from the following Tuesday (27 June), so do come at 5.30pm each week and join us as we build up until the race, bringing all your friends – the more the merrier, and there is no cost to attend them! We just need to know a little of your background health before your first run or walk with us, and therefore ask a few minutes that first Tuesday evening to complete a screening form so we are all safe. We start off very gently on the flat, and go at a pace that suits everyone, so don’t be concerned that you will not manage it – we work around everyone and where their fitness is at. You don’t have to have been to the seminar, just plan to join these fun Tuesday evening groups and build your fitness over winter.
Talking of start lines, Geoffrey had a wonderful time up at the World Masters Games in Auckland in April, and as many of you saw in The Star, he earned some gold and silver in his age group! He actually added to his total after that article, finishing with 2 Gold medals (1500m on the track and the 8km cross country), and a Silver in the 5km on the track. All were wonderful to watch and it was nice to have some fun times celebrating with the other great Otago athletes competing, and also Dunedin’s own Charlotte Meiklejohn who was one of the key organisers of the whole event. It was a real thrill to have the 1500m awarded by John Walker himself too (see above) – very special!
Sadly as many of you know though, the week before the event was a very tragic one for us, as Barbara’s 61year old brother died unexpectedly whilst running in Christchurch from a heart attack. Thanks to you all for your many kind words and support over this time. It really has been so sad, and still unbelievable, as there was virtually no warning. It just underlines the fact that if you have even the slightest inkling of something different happening with your health, don’t hesitate and do get it checked. He had one episode of shortness of breath whilst walking on a steep hill as his only warning and did see his GP, but with a normal cholesterol, and a normal blood pressure, sadly nothing rang urgent alarm bells. Our family history of coronary disease however does, so just make sure that you do follow up anything amiss, as it can be checked further, and it is worth it.
On a happier note, I am sure you are all as excited as we are about the visit in 2018 of Ed Sheeran! I think the IT systems nationally did rather well coping with the most extraordinary volumes during May…. and twice! We were so thrilled to get tickets the second time round (thanks to a lovely friend working hard for us!), and it was nice to be able to celebrate that evening at another very special occasion. Barbara was asked to speak to Rotary at The Dunedin Club, and so chose to talk about our wonderful Physio Pool, and how vital it is that it is retained regardless of where the new hospital is sited. It could so easily be incorporated into the design next to the new building, as it is sited in the far corner, and with over 40,000 visits by our community every year, we just cannot let it be lost. We just need a designer with vision, as was achieved by the University when working around a building adjacent to the Main Library during its build. There is NO facility that empowers people with injuries to maximise their potential to quite the same extent, as our very special and historically significant Physio Pool, so let’s all get busy and ensure the politicians know how vital this is for us all. We are part of an aging population who need to keep ourselves well, and what better way than the gentle, therapeutic 35 degree water in this wonderful facility. Barbara described to Rotary her own journey with two broken legs, relying on wheelchair and crutches mobility (following her ski binding disaster in August 2016) and just how much being able to get into the pool from Week 1 facilitated her recovery. Having the buoyancy initially to help mobility without the weight of her injured legs was crucial, it helped reduce the enormous swelling at both knees, and it enabled her to progress to walking and then resisted exercises. Being back at work after only 3 months with her cardiac surgery patients up at Mercy Hospital was a fantastic result after such a significant injury, and I can assure you it would have been MUCH more difficult without the many exercise options that this pool allows. Being able to progress from floating, then straight leg aquajogging with a noodle, to then a belt, to active leg bending with walking and when seated in the immersed chair, to active swimming full lengths was so valuable, and made the difference. My lovely Taxi driver Saimone kindly pushed me in my wheelchair up the ramp to the pool office each time, from where I was able to hop on my crutches the few metres to get into the pool. Many people with much more significant long term injuries use this facility, so PLEASE let the people you know around you who can make this decision the right one for Otago and ensure it is kept! Barbara met most of the regulars during her time at the Pool, and knows just how invaluable it is for them all. Anyway, the lovely culmination of the evening talk to Rotary was when Barbara was given a Paul Harris Fellow award. It was such an honour and so much appreciated. I was not aware of this significant award prior to the evening, so feel even more humbled to be awarded it from outside Rotary. Many many thanks to those of you who nominated me. It is extremely special, and will be framed and on the wall at work soon.
Since then, I have been in Australia updating my skills in Continence care. Having incontinence is such a barrier to lifestyle for so many. Approximately 75% of Australian women develop some degree of prolapse during their lifetime, and one in five women have surgery. Most at risk are those with weakness or damaged pelvic floors, generally injured during birth, where one of the muscles for example has to reach an additional 259% of its length to enable delivery (generally skeletal muscle is designed to rupture at 150% of its resting length!). Other than birth, people with chronic respiratory conditions, chronic constipation, a lifetime of heavy lifting as well as many of our high impact, elite young sportswomen are at risk. It’s certainly not just women who suffer in silence either, many men before and after prostate surgery have problems too, and I also attended earlier in the year another wonderful course to update me on what is now available to help men with these issues too. The nice thing is that you can make such a difference, and the sooner you acknowledge that you have a problem and seek help the better – leaving it until it is more significant is not so clever. I have enjoyed assisting people since early on in my career, but more latterly have focussed more on my cardiac patients, so it is nice to hear the latest research and the advances being seen with various treatments across in Australia. The pelvic floor is muscle that undergoes aging and damage, just like any other muscle in our body, so improving its strength and function is vital for us all.
Geoffrey and Barbara are heading off in July via Myanmar to London to enjoy the World Athletics Champs in August with Ben. Blair, Nicki, Vanessa and Leah will be holding the fort, with Kate also taking more of the Pilates classes during our absence. We plan a wee canal boat weekend first, and other than that will be glued to all the action together in the Olympic Stadium. Very exciting!
Blair will be looking after the Royal NZ Ballet again when they are in Dunedin this week – they are such awesome athletes and it will be wonderful to see their latest production. Geoffrey enjoyed looking after them during their last trip, whilst Blair was away competing on his road bike, as part of his team riding in The Calder Stewart Elite Series. Some other awesome athletes in action this week will be the Highlanders, and I know many of you will be looking forward to that as much as our patient who was a member of the winning team of Otago players who defeated the Lions here in 1959. Exciting times in Dunedin!
Best wishes to you all for the rest of the winter, and let’s hope it doesn’t get too much colder! If we can help you with anything, don’t hesitate to contact us at 4877323, or clinic@cavershamphysio.co.nz. Geoff and Barbara, Blair, Nicki, Vanessa, Leah and Kate.
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