Sports injury and orthopaedic rehab at Balance Performance Physiotherapy

If you’re unfortunate enough to suffer an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture as Lucas Leiva did last week – the Brazil international will miss the rest of the season having injured his left knee during Tuesday’s Carling Cup quarter-final victory at Chelsea – as a professional footballer reconstructive surgery is essential to return to the game.

If you’re not a pro but the injury results in your knee continuing to irregularly give way, an operation to reconstruct the ACL is really your only option, especially if you aspire to have an active lifestyle. At Balance of course we actively encourage you to ask for more and expect more from yourself. However whether pro athlete or not the operation is only effective if followed with quality rehabilitation executed with discipline and patience. Ensure your rehab guides you far enough down the road for you to achieve a complete recovery, give you absolute confidence to return to your sport and has provided you with resilience to future injury (either to the same knee or another structure that becomes vulnerable due to inadequate rehab). Of course there is no such thing as invulnerability in a human but to reiterate – you should be asking more of yourself and more of your physio or sports therapist. Do not pull up short!

Hamstring grafts are the grafts of choice these days but patella tendon grafts can also be used and do well.

Here’s the kind of schedule you’d expect going into rehab post operatively, which is initially quite straightforward:

Weeks 1-4 focussed on range of movement.

Return to sport at 5-6 months and contact sport soon afterwards.

This timeline is dependant on the quality of rehab, the individuals discipline and motivation, their unique circumstances and complications.

Most surgeons would like to see their work relatively protected for 9 months post op.

Balance got world class judo player Winnie Gordon competing in European champs at 5.5 months but that is rare. He went in to surgery on with a good level of preinjury knee strength which gave him a useful functional reserve.

Like every injury ones success is dependent on quality of training, movement, control and motivation.

At Balance we use tools that provide results, consequently we have a vast array of “toys” to work on specific weaknesses identified in our clients. There are some tools that we use over and over again, equipment that makes rehab more effective for a variety of reasons. one such reason is the ability to introduce something as early within the rehab process as possible to familiarise a client with the tool and also because we use equipment that is scalable – it can be used with more or less intensity depending on the stage of development a client has achieved.

For example Trigger Point Performance Therapy (TPT) and Alter-G partial weight bearing treadmill are used at very early stages in ACL rehab, CrossCore180 and kettlebells arent far behind. We make use of all of our available space: in Clapham and Fulham we have 1,000s of square feet of space to utilise and matted areas for essential ground work.

When an individual has focussed on prevention (prehab) prior to their current injury (remember there is no such thing as invulnerable) their subsequent recovery is much faster. Such prehab involves a mindful approach to movement skills, joint mobility, intelligent recovery following practice/training/competition: sports massage, self massage (Trigger Point Performance Therapy), hydration and nutrition, good quality sleep, stress management (mental and emotional).

As for Lucas, he and Liverpool are now considering when last season’s player of the year should undergo surgery.

The team at Balance are exceptionally experienced at treating ski and winter sports injuries. Not only do several members of the team ski but all are experienced in treating Orthopaedic injuries. So if you have hurt your knee and ruptured your ACL or torn your mensicus then we can help. Or you may simply want to know what exercises you do to strengthen you legs before go, book a session with one of our experienced personal trainers.

Ski boot or board shoes not fitting well? Come and see our Sports and Orthopaedic Podiatrist Mick Habgood to get your ski boots perfectly fitted.

Balance Performance has worked alongside Pilates Sanctuary for 5 years now, its been a great relationship as they fully understand our concept of movement, function, performance and recovery. They guide the clients we refer to their equipment and mat studio within our site in Clapham to adopt improved active lifestyles based on a strong foundation of core and movement control. Alice and Agur are teachers of the highest calibre. See their latest news below:

Hello from everyone at Pilates Sanctuary,

As some of you may already know, Pilates Sanctuary is 5 this November and we would like to express our thanks to you for being one of our clients. Whether you are someone who has been with us since day one or if you have recently joined us, we would love you to help us celebrate this occasion.

Please join us on Friday 25 November between 6pm-8pm at the Pilates Sanctuary studio, Balance Physiotherapy, 113-115 Gauden Road, SW4 6LE. So that we have some idea of numbers, please would you email us on info@pilatessanctuary.co.uk by Monday 21 November if you are able to join us for these celebrations. It would be lovely to see you there!

Pilates Assessment

Agur and Alice went to a fantastic workshop led by Warrick McNeill,a physiotherapist and Pilates Foundation teacher, who belongs to an organisation called Performance Stability (www.performance-stability.com). We learnt how to use the Pilates Movement and Performance Screen; a series of tests which provide formal assessment tools and enables pilates teachers to see potential areas of injury. The results of the test are input into the Matrix software which then produces a detailed report highlighting the participant’s areas of strength and weakness . This is going to be very useful for anyone who wants to address any recurring problems, deepen their understanding of their own body and improve their performance in Pilates and other activities.

If you are interested in the assessment please speak to Alice or Agur directly either in class or contact us on alice@pilatessanctuary.co.uk 07881 953843 or on agur@pilatessanctuary.co.uk 07824901063.

Pilates Sanctuary Teachers

In other Pilates Sanctuary news, we said goodbye to Anja who is focusing on her work in North London and we welcome Rosalie who some of you have already met. Rosalie is a fantastic teacher and those of you working with her already, will have enjoyed her knowledge and experience of Pilates.

Rosalie Pastrana suffered from backache while growing up due to Scoliosis. She tried many different exercise programmes. In 1997, after completing a Degree in Advertising and PR in Spain, she moved to London in the hope that she would find a solution to her constant pain. She came across the Pilates Method while practicing Yoga in London. Within a short space of time, her back pain became more manageable. The sense of balance and wellbeing she felt encouraged her to study and develop this body movement discipline in depth.
She completed the British Wheel of Yoga Foundation Course with Barbara Joseph, going on to qualify as a Matwork and Equipment Pilates Foundation Teacher® with Anoushka Boone at Pilates in Motion.

Rosalie is committed to continuous professional development. She regularly attends Pilates and Anatomy workshops so that she can enhance both her teaching and personal practice.

Gift Vouchers

We are pleased to be able to offer Gift Vouchers for Christmas or other occasions. You can choose if you’d like to give someone some private or group sessions in the studio: a single private session is £55, a block of 5 private sessions is £250. A single group class is £24 and a block of 5 group classes is £110. Whether you are introducing someone to pilates or you want to give someone a gift they currently enjoy, we are sure you will agree, a pilates gift voucher will be well received.

The Balance team of Martina, Keith and Scott were at it again at this weekends Virgin London Triathlon working closely with KT Tape Europe to help the athletes with advice and taping any problems that they may have. The Balance team are becoming old hands having helped athletes at the 2011 Virgin London Marathon and 2011 Edinburgh marathon. KT Tape is the best kinesiology tape as far as the Balance team is concerned which is why we are hosting KT Tape education courses at Balance from September the 7th onwards to train other physios, osteopaths, sports therapists and chiropractors on how to use it and share their expertise. The courses will then be appearing throughout the UK.

The in-depth and highly practical courses will be over two days and cost £279. It will consist of an introduction to kinesiology tape before moving deeper into more advanced uses and taping techniques.

To book online follow the link below or to find out more speak to Scott Morris at Balance on: 020 76272308.

http://www.shop.balancephysio.com/collections/services/education-workshops

MOVE is the brainchild of some of London’s most dynamic movers and shakers in the field of Natural Movement.  MOVE is a two hour mixed movement session, born from the desire have a regular Natural Movement group in the heart of the city.

MOVE will not only push you physically but mentally as the highly fertile minds of the coaches continue to find ever more immaginative ways to MOVE,  with the emphasis on play and having fun it is open to all ages (16+) and abilities. The MOVE team are all exceptionally gifted and experienced athletes and coaches in the field of Natural Movement check out some of their backgrounds:

DARRYL EDWARDS: http://www.TheFitnessExplorer.com/
ROLLO MAHON: http://www.corenergy.co.uk/
CEDRIC HENAUX: http://runningengineer.com/runningengineer-testimonial-iron-man-cedric-henaux/
NAEEM AKRAM: http://runningengineer.com/
JONATHAN LEWIS: Strength & Conditioning Director at Balance Performance Physiotherapy

MOVE meets at Balance Performance Physiotherapy on the first Sunday of every month at 10am, next session is on Sunday 3rd of July. You can pre-pay by following the link below or pay £25 cash on the day. 

http://runningengineer.com/services/natural-movement-community-london/

Or add yourself to the event on facebook or request an invite from Naeem at naeem@runningengineer.com:  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=191267770913787

This fascinating course is aimed at anyone who wants to use Trigger Point Therapy in their professional capacity. You might be a Physiotherapist, Osteopath, Chiropractor, Sports Therapist, Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, Sports Coach or even an Athlete. If you work with people who want to perform better, recover faster and prevent injuries from occuring then this course should be on your radar.

It is being taken by Jonathan Lewis (above) who is not only the Uk’s sole Trigger Point Therapy Master Trainer but also a formidable knowledge on rehabilitation and training methods to ensure that individuals develop not only agility, speed or strength but resilience which is key to the concept of Trigger Point Therapy, so you are guaranteed an afternoon of the highest quality teaching

It comprises of 4.5 hours of CPD and runs from 1pm-6pm on Friday the 17th of June. Places are obviously limited so book soon to avoid disappointment, course fees are £145. To book and reserve your place call Balance on 020 76272308

POSE Running workshop on Sunday May 22 at Balance.

Balance Performance Physiotherapy is delighted to announce that Naeem Akram the “Running Engineer” is going to be back at Balance next Sunday to host another of his exceptional POSE running workshops. POSE is the only method in the world scientifically proven to reduce knee impact by 50%, used worldwide by CrossFit. Naeem is not only a well respected authority on this technique but also a great speaker and teacher, we would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone who enjoys running but wants to train in confidence and reduce the stress on their body and reduce injuries.

To book and pay please follow the link directly to Naeem’s website http://runningengineer.com/

Matt Mcdonald and his friend Andy approached us at Balance as they are currently training for a very ambitious cycle expedition to ride from London to Sidney to raise awareness and money for the charity War Child. They are both local and Matt had previously been to Balance as a client and so was very keen to get our input to maximise their preparation. We immediately wanted to get involved and so have sponsored the guys and arranged for them to see several key people at Balance to ensure they are ready to take on the world!

They have just seen our dietician Rees Colling to ensure they stay fuelled up. They are also due to see Dr Stewart Laing our resident sports scientist, Stewart will be carrying out an in-depth hydration assessment, this will be key in staying healthy on their long trip and preventing illness. They are also going to have a session with one of our physios Martina to develop a comprehenve stretching program and also jump into one of our trigger point therapy workshops. Matt and Andy are taking advantage of our team to ensure that they are able to perform at their best and prevent any problems occuring.

http://www.thecyclediaries.com/

They have a great website so check it out and you can sponsor them too its all in a good cause!

The Lissom Technique is the truly innovative creation of two exceptionally gifted specialists in human movment and part of the Balance strength and conditioning team Julien Diaz & Jason Prog.

Lissom is a free flowing movement technique that encompasses a combination of simple but challenging moves and stretches to build core strength, flexibility, balance and endurance.  The movmements used in Lissom stem from movments which have been in use for centuries through dance, martial arts and most importantly play. Lissom takes technicaly difficult moves and breaks them down into managable and enjoyable routines.

The Lissom technique  has been born out of the need to challenge both the physical and mental elements of our bodies.  Our bodies are designed to move in a free flowing and dynamic way, yet in todays society we have become very rigid in our movements as a result of the computer generation.  

Using body resisted exercises is both physically and mentally challenging.   It is this type of movement which really challenges the body’s stability and coordination and strength.  Using precise techniques to achieve good alignment through movement brings fluidity, stability, flexibility and strength.  Overall, there is a feeling of body empowerment, liberating your body and mind. 

There are two Lissom classes at Balance at 7am and at 7pm every monday, please call to book or for more information.

Tight hip flexors and imbalances, weak gluteals – does this sound familiar? It happens to elite ATP pro tennis players as well as the recreational athletes we see from Clapham, Stockwell and Brixton.

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