27 Jul July ’21 Newsletter

BEAT IT Diabetes Program
 
For those with diabetes, our BEAT IT program is a free, NDSS funded, eight-week physical activity and lifestyle program to help you manage your condition.
 
The combination of moderate intensity aerobic, strength and balance-based exercises plus education sessions on healthier living will help you on your journey to a healthier and more active life.
 
As well as expert physiotherapist support, you will be exercising in a motivating group setting with others with diabetes. Classes start slowly and build up as fitness, strength and confidence improves.
 
For more information, call us on (02) 9438 1782.

Growing Pains
In our latest blog, you can learn all about Sever’s Disease – a condition caused by the rapid growth of a child’s bones. Despite the name, it isn’t an illness and is usually something that will go away once your child is fully grown. But in the meantime, it can cause serious pain and distress.
 
Luckily, there are several ways that physiotherapy can help, from stretching exercises to equipment. Our paediatric physio team – Jan, Kylie and Requel – are widely experienced in the treatment of children and adolescents and use their wealth of knowledge to support a wide range of childhood issues.
 
If your child is experiencing any pain, movement issues or coordination problems, give us a call on (02) 9438 1782.

The Education Quarter

COMMON KIDS’ INJURIES

Let’s face it, they’re into everything, all the time, and you will never have enough eyes in your head to keep them out of mischief.

Since your child getting injured is an inevitability, we’ve put together a list of the most common ways they might manage it, and what you can do about it.

Ankle Sprains

Rolling, twisting or turning an ankle in an awkward way can stretch or tear the ligaments. This can be extremely painful, and can cause tenderness, swelling and bruising. Since ligaments are responsible for stabilising the joints, a sprain can also inhibit their range of motion and cause them to be unsteady on their foot.

Painkillers and rest might be enough to allow the ankle to recover on its own, but they might need a proper evaluation to check how badly it has been sprained and whether further treatment is necessary. Your child might also benefit from a brace or supportive footwear while the ankle is recovering.

To lessen the chances of a sprained ankle occurring, make sure your child is wearing well-fitting shoes and the appropriate footwear for the activity. Encourage them to warm up before playing sport and caution them to be careful if running or jumping on uneven surfaces (if they’ll listen – good luck!).

Patello-Femoral Joint Syndrome

Sometimes known as “jumper’s knee” or “runner’s knee”, patello-femoral joint syndrome is pain in the front of the knee and around the kneecap usually caused by overuse of the knee joint or a blow or fall on the kneecap. Since kids spend a lot of time running, jumping, falling over and bashing into things, this can be a common occurrence.

If your child has patello-femoral joint syndrome, it’s likely their knee will hurt when they bend it to jump, climb stairs or squat down. If they’re sitting with their knee bent for a long time, like at the cinema, this may also cause pain. Some children might also report cracking or popping sounds in their knee.

The RICER treatment method (rest, ice, compression, elevation, referral) and anti-inflammatory painkillers should relieve the worst of the discomfort. We can also advise you on shoe inserts to stabilise their foot, and sports massage will help to relieve some of the strain on the muscles. There are also several exercises we can show them to reduce the likelihood of the problem happening again.

Osgood Schlatter Disease

At the top of the shinbone is a growth plate – a soft area of cartilage that allows the bone to grow. During a growth spurt, when the muscles, bones and tendons are growing at different rates, the tendon that connects the shinbone to the kneecap can pull on the growth plate at the top of the shinbone. Sport and repetitive movements further stretch this tendon. This causes swelling and irritation, known as Osgood Schlatter Disease (OSD).

OSD can happen in one or both knees, and causes severe pain – particularly when running, jumping, going upstairs or walking up hills.

Thankfully, OSD will go away when your child stops growing. Until then, they can continue to do all their normal activities as long as they rest if the pain becomes severe and the pain subsides after a day of rest. If it doesn’t subside after 24 hours of rest, they’ll need to be checked out. We can help provide some protective equipment and footwear to minimise the strain on their knees, and a stretching and warm-up/cool-down routine for sports activities.

ACL Sprain

You know how kids are always darting about all over the place? Well sudden changes of direction, abrupt stops, pivots and landing awkwardly after a jump can all cause damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which helps to connect the thigh bone to the shin bone.

The pain of an ACL sprain is severe, and even the hardiest kid won’t be able to carry on running around. ACL damage causes rapid swelling and a loss of range of motion. It often causes the knee to feel unstable, like it is giving way when they walk, and your child might hear a loud “pop” when the ligament tears.

If you think your child might have an ACL sprain, get it checked out as soon as possible. It’s important to figure out how severe the damage is to determine what treatment is needed. If you have a particularly sporty child, we can also teach them some important exercises to strengthen their muscles and make sure their technique is correct to avoid ACL sprains occurring in the first place.

If you have any concerns about your little whirlwind, give us a call on (02) 9438 1782 or email enquiries@stleonardsphysio.com.au and we can help reduce some of the damage!

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.