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Flat Heads... #3 To Helmet or Not?
Flat Heads... #3 To Helmet or Not?

What about Helmets?

One fairly common treatment option for head shape concerns are custom-made ‘remodelling’ helmets. It is not uncommon for parents to be very anxious about the prospect of this treatment and often parents arrive at therapy to report that their main goal is to avoid ‘needing’ a helmet.

Flat Heads... #2 Simple Steps for Improvement!
Flat Heads... #2 Simple Steps for Improvement!

Things a Parent Can Do At Home!

The best approach to managing or avoid a flat spot is to correct the reason it developed in the first place. Changing positioning and a baby’s movement patterns is the most effective early treatment of this condition

Flat Heads... #1. Ask The Right Questions!
Flat Heads... #1. Ask The Right Questions!

Start Here… Basic Definitions and Quesitons to Ask!

Any significant asymmetry in a baby’s head shape (where one side is very different to the other) should be considered a firm reason to look more closely and work out why that shape may have developed.

Last Steps to Walking
Last Steps to Walking

How to help your baby from almost there to walking there!

We have recently talked about ‘cruising’ and its value as an often overlooked infant motor skill.

Not Yet Walking?...Cruise Baby Cruise. 
Not Yet Walking?...Cruise Baby Cruise. 

Roll, sit, stand, walk... that’s the normal sequence right?

Well that’s the basic version yes, but perhaps there is another key skill to include in that list... ‘cruising’!

Is your baby about to 'skip' a milestone? Beware the 'Milestone Trap'!
Is your baby about to 'skip' a milestone? Beware the 'Milestone Trap'!

Is it a problem if your baby learns to walk before they have learnt to crawl? Is there something odd about your baby or is it something odd about ‘milestones’?

Why to refer a child/family to a Physio? (and why not!)
Why to refer a child/family to a Physio? (and why not!)

The Movement Team offer a specific Paediatric Physiotherapy service, it is rarely obvious though when and why a baby or child should see a Physio. Below are some basic and general guidelines. We are also very happy to take questions, jump on the phone or chat in clinic to help you understand when we might be able to help and we we aren't the best people to see!

3 Simple Tips to Help A Baby Learn to Crawl
3 Simple Tips to Help A Baby Learn to Crawl

3 simple tips to help a baby learn to crawl!

 

This week’s blog is a chance to share a few simple but very effective ideas on how to help a baby progress to crawling. 

How to Best Help a ‘Clumsy’ Child!
How to Best Help a ‘Clumsy’ Child!

I actually don’t like the word ‘clumsy’. ‘Clumsy’ is not a definitive thing. As a label ‘clumsy’ only gives us negative information… and not even useful negative information! As a label it doesn’t help us improve; it doesn’t motivate us to be better; all it does is tell us we are not good at something.


W-sitting? Don't stress, read this...
W-sitting? Don't stress, read this...

So if the old wives tales are to be believed, W-sitting might be a sure sign of anything from future arthritic hips to flat feet. The truth though is a little less exact.


Infant Milestones: Worth stressing about?
Infant Milestones: Worth stressing about?

Especially in the first two years, parents are very often on the receiving end of the ‘how are they?’ and ‘are they doing x yet?’ double. Instead of x, insert any key milestone or achievement. Are they rolling yet? Are they sitting yet? Are they talking, crawling, eating, smiling, walking, or drawing yet?

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Getting back to what you love is one a core purpose of what we do at TMT. Particularly when it comes to football of the round ball variety. Our clinic also is lucky enough to have lots of experience working with all levels of football. From 4 years of extensive coverage of Capitals, Women’s and Juniors at Samford Rangers and Yanek’s unique experience working within the English Premier league and now heading up the Brisbane physio coverage Roar women’s squad. In part of her build up to the Roar’s winter program and hopefully some Young Matilda’s time in the coming months we had Kaitlyn Torpey visit our clinic to help work on some ankle stability under Yanek’s guidance. Whilst Torps is a high level athlete our approach at TMT is the same for all of our clients. High quality physio getting you back to what you love. 100% of our time is spent with you and you won’t be put on low value machines that add little value to the end result. Part of this commitment is our rehab and gym space. This is 100% free for all our clients to use at a time which suits them. Meaning you don’t need to go anywhere else to have the space and equipment needed to assist with your recovery.
Physio appointments shouldn't be a drag! Over the weekend Heidi even attended on her Birthday! Happy Birthday Heidi!! Also congratulations need to go to Heidi who performed incredibly well at the recent Queensland State Athletes Championships (4th in both the 800m and 1500m!). She is travelling to Nationals in Sydney in less than 2 weeks and given the hard work she has put in, we know she will do great! The role of Physiotherapy for developing athletes is often one of injury risk identification, load monitoring and management strategies and specific strength skill and capacity building, not just injury response. When young athletes do experience pain or injury, it is important to understand the various contributing factors and to focus just as much on preventing future occurrences as on recovering from this episode!
This photo was taken as proof for Pauline's teenage grandson's that she is strong (and getting stronger!). Strength training (with gradual and consistent progression, clear understanding of the principles and skilled guidance) is becoming more established as the 'best practice' first response to many conditions associated with ageing (including osteoarthritis and osteoporosis). The first step for you is unlikely to be picking up a 40kg barbell, but if you start where you are, and gradually add load over time, you might be surprised where you get to!
'Find a Better Way' is one of our TMT principles. As health professionals, this means seeking out continuous learning opportunities, challenging our intrenched beliefs and contributing to our professions. Over the weekend and last week, Tim attended both the 'Rehab for Kids' and 'Generation Physio' Conferences at Queensland Children's Hospital. As a previous Chair, Tim was honoured to present at and be a panel member in the first ever conference run by the Queensland Paediatric Physiotherapy Clinical Network. Paediatric Physiotherapy is by percentage a small part of the Physiotherapy profession, by potential impact on people's lives though it is huge!
Happy birthday week Jasleigh. As well as possessing top notch physio skills you are a wonderful human being! We also hope that you found many ways to integrate your 30+ balloons into your clinical diary!
A rare moment where our gym space is empty! For our team, our gym space provides opportunity and flexibility. We can make personalized decisions about treatment scope and direction to best suit your current needs without being limited by space or equipment. The best results for you might come from interventions based in the therapy room, the gym, your house or any combination of these!
Do you know you should and can be stronger, but aren’t sure how to best get started? Especially in the presence of pain, chronic conditions or after injury, getting stronger can seem like an intimidating and near impossible feat. Making a start though doesn’t have to be complicated. Learning and understanding how your body responds to exercise involves both practice and education. Do your long term beliefs on what is good and bad for your body, for your joints, for your back or for achieving your goals match up with the current best practice? Amongst our numerous group or one-on-one consult options is our new GLA:D program which is a researched and evidence based first line response to symptoms of osteoarthritis. It lines up perfectly with two of our TMT principles...’Understanding is Key!’ and ‘Get Moving’. Chari is leading this great program which includes individualized programming, education and exercise sessions. Can we help you turn a ‘should be stronger’ thought into a reality? #gladaustralia #physiobrisbane #physio
Why did you last go to a Physio? We have noticed something very similar about what many people tend to say as they arrive at Physio... "I can't" 'I did something and now I can't do this. I can't get better at that. I've gradually noticed I can't do something without pain. I can't understand why this keeps happening. I can't do something without pain....' Sometimes people walk out of a Physio with even more "I can't" statements. 'I can't do that anymore. I can't understand why. I can't remember my exercises!" At TMT we like to flip that narrative on it's head as quickly as we can to... "I can" 'I can do something to help. I can get better. I can understand why this happens. I can achieve that goal. I can do that thing that I'd given up on. I can get stronger. I can get faster. I can get there!'
Saturday Smiles! For a man who doesn’t like having his photo taken, Justin (our Remedial Massage Therapist) was caught striking a good pose between appointments this morning! Saturday and Sunday Remedial Massage appointments (plus weekday evenings) are available via online booking.
When Saturday’s are serious stuff! Jack was spotted today using three computers to provide the very best Saturday front desk service!
Manual therapy 💆‍♂️ 💆‍♀️ It can be a part of physio, but certainly doesn’t define it. Do we use it at TMT? As with every question around health and Physiotherapy- it depends! We make a huge focus around our clients being active in their rehab and recovery process. It’s why 50% of our floor space is dedicated to our gym. Our rooms are places where we talk, asses and apply some manual therapy when needed. It all depends on - The clinical presentation and history - The goals of our client - The beliefs of our client - Clinical reasoning of our therapist based on their assessment. We certainly don’t say that we realign things, put joints back in place or that we optimise neural systems as that’s just a lazy use of language that reinforces passive behaviour and can cause long term poor beliefs and outcomes. Our view is that manual therapy is just part of what we can use to help our clients move away from painful states and back into their lives doing what they love.