Spring on the Gold Coast brings warmer mornings, longer days and plenty of reasons to get moving. Perhaps you’re returning to the gym, preparing for beach walks, getting back into swimming or hoping to spend more time in the surf.
It’s a great time to work towards feeling stronger and fitter. But if a stiff back, sore neck or lingering winter sports injury is making you hesitate, some individual advice may be a useful place to start.
At Spine Sport Feet in Helensvale, our chiropractors and podiatrists can assess musculoskeletal concerns and help you plan your next steps towards an active summer.
Has winter left you feeling a little stiff?
For some people, winter means busy sporting weekends. For others, it means more evenings on the couch and fewer opportunities to exercise.
You might jokingly call it a “couch injury”: that stiff feeling when you stand up, or the neck discomfort you notice after an evening in front of the television. This isn’t a diagnosis, and feeling stiff doesn’t automatically mean something is damaged. However, persistent discomfort or difficulty with everyday movement deserves attention.
If symptoms are affecting your plans, we can discuss when they occur, assess the movements that trouble you and consider whether treatment, exercises or changes to your routine are appropriate.
Before you increase the weights, consider your starting point
Returning to exercise doesn’t require everyone to have a chiropractic check. If you’re feeling well and have no relevant health concerns, starting gradually is generally a sensible approach.
However, if your back hurts when you squat, your shoulder limits overhead exercises or an old ankle injury still affects your balance, an assessment can help guide how you approach those activities.
Bring your gym program along. We can review it in the context of your symptoms, injury history and goals, and discuss:
- Exercises that are currently uncomfortable or difficult.
- Adjustments to weights, repetitions or range of movement.
- Strength, mobility or balance exercises relevant to your needs.
- How to progress your activity at a manageable pace.
Where appropriate, we can also work with your trainer, exercise physiologist or other treating practitioner.
Thinking about standing a little taller this summer?
Feeling more comfortable and confident in your posture is a common goal. You may notice that your upper back feels tired at your desk, your neck becomes uncomfortable after sitting or you struggle to maintain certain positions during exercise.
A posture assessment can explore these concerns alongside your movement, strength and daily habits. Depending on your needs, advice may include postural awareness, movement breaks and exercises to practise control and build endurance.
There is no single perfect posture that everyone needs to achieve. Our focus is on comfortable movement and practical strategies suited to your activities, rather than promising a particular appearance or permanent change in spinal alignment.
Still carrying a winter sports niggle?
The season may be over, but perhaps your ankle remains sore, your knee hasn’t settled or your shoulder still complains when you reach overhead.
If symptoms persist or repeatedly return with activity, it is worth understanding what is happening before substantially increasing your training. An assessment can help clarify the problem and guide an appropriate plan, including rehabilitation or referral when needed.
For some soft-tissue conditions, we can also consider high-intensity laser or shockwave therapy alongside hands-on treatment and exercise rehabilitation. These give us additional treatment options where clinically appropriate. We’ll discuss whether either is suitable for your particular condition, including the expected benefits and limitations.
Tell us what you want to return to. Preparing for swimming, running, surfing and strength training can involve different demands, and your goals should help shape the advice you receive.
Support from the Spine Sport Feet team
Our clinic brings several professions together, with care recommended according to your individual needs:
- Chiropractic: assessment of back, neck and other musculoskeletal symptoms, with advice about movement, rehabilitation and treatment options where appropriate.
- Podiatry: assessment of foot, ankle and lower-limb concerns, including symptoms affecting walking or running, footwear questions and rehabilitation needs.
- Remedial massage: assessment of muscular discomfort and discussion of whether soft-tissue treatment is appropriate as part of your care.
We’ll explain our findings and discuss the likely benefits, limitations and alternatives of any recommended treatment. Your plan may also include exercises and strategies to use at home.
Let spring be the start of something sustainable
Choose activities you enjoy, begin at a manageable level and build gradually. A routine you can maintain gives you something to carry into summer and beyond.
If pain, stiffness or an unresolved injury is getting in the way, the team at Spine Sport Feet is here to discuss your concerns and whether an assessment would be useful.
Getting ready for summer? Let’s help you take the next step.
Call (07) 5580 5655 or visit https://spinesportfeet.com.au/booking/ to book an appointment online.
Spine Sport Feet — Homeworld Helensvale, 49/ 502 Hope Island Road
