13/345 Southport-Nerang Rd, Ashmore Q 4214
12/110 Kortum Drive, Burleigh Heads Q 4220
With triathlon season now in full swing it is perfect time to take care of your body to optimise your training and performance. Check out our website BLOG for a full list of upper and lower body stretches specific for triathlon. Reach out if you need help this tri season!
Our experienced Physios will help you, book online www.mygcphysio.com.au or call us on 07 5500 6470
By Gold Coast Running Physio & talented Runner, Kyle Weise
It’s that dreaded time of year for us Queensland runners. With temperatures and humidity rising, running can feel like a real battle at this time of year, and it can really affect your recovery and performance.
But, don’t despair! Did you know completing some training in hot and humid weather has positive effects on your physiology for endurance sports- Our Qld humidity somewhat helps drive similar changes to training at altitude with blood volume changes and improved oxygen-carrying capacity from our red blood cells. Great for long-term improved performance IF you can be smart about it!
So rather than avoid training outside in Summer in Qld- just be selective about how much, when, how you are going to train, and be more organised around your recovery to make sure you are not wiped out by training through Summer.
Here are some tips to help every runner navigate our hotter months:
1. Expectations
First of all, we need to accept the fact that it’s hot & humid- and this makes things uncomfortable! Unfortunately, that means we aren’t going to be able to perform at our best and we need to make sure we’re reminding ourselves of this. As nice as it would be to be smashing your Parkrun PB, it’s unlikely to happen at this time of year. Summer can be a great time to train but the goals of Summer might be a little different to those cold dark months of Winter.
2. Intensity
Given the increase in temperature, your perceived effort (Rate of Perceived Exertion, RPE) for a given speed will be higher. Although it’s a bit of a hit to your ego, it’s important to listen to your body and reduce the pace of your runs to reflect the conditions – in fact, it is more useful to be guided by RPE during your run training than purely worrying about training to pace. And don’t worry, no one is going to think you’ve lost fitness because you slow down a bit in Summer!
3. Hydration
We all know the feeling of finishing a run and wringing out our shirts to find what seems to be endless amounts of water. This should be a fairly obvious indication that you need to be replacing this extra lost fluid. It’s important to make sure you’re not only taking on fluids while
you’re running but ensuring you are getting in enough fluid throughout the day by drinking regularly throughout the day (and it can’t be all alcohol!).
There are many effects of dehydration- studies have shown that fluid losses equal to 2% of body mass are sufficient to cause a decrease in performance, both physical and mental.
A useful tip can be to plan your longer runs somewhere that has a water supply, or if you’re out on the trails, take some extra water in a hydration pack or bottle, or take an extra return trip to the car.
And don’t forget electrolytes! Consider dropping some Koda Electrolyte tablets in to your water when you run- these are sugar free / no calories and are third party batch tested by HASTA to ensure they are batch tested f0r athletes for banned substances. Koda are also great to put in your water bottle for rehydrating throughout the day- research has shown with some flavour added to water, plus having your drink slightly cold, you are more likely to consume greater amounts. And for longer runs, consider using an electrolyte that contains carbohydrate to refuel you as you go, like Trailbrew.
Other Tips for staying hydrated include:
Read More from Eatsmart Accredited Sports Dietitians, or if you want an individual Hydration Plan and Sweat Test, book an appointment with our Eatsmart Dietitians in clinic by phoning us on 07 55006470. We have both Koda and Trailbew available to buy to Clinic.
Try a run somewhere like Binna Burra & cool down on the way in the waterfall!
4. Variety
The summer months are a great chance to focus on being ok to try new things and address other areas of your running – strength training, mobility, run technique (join us for our monthly Run Technique Clinic to improve your running). Try running at cooler times of the day, or even treadmill running with fans &/or air-conditioning. Or, try running in different locations that are more shaded, or perhaps more exposed to some breeze to help cool you down – or even try some of our accessible National Parks, like Coomera Circuit at Binna Burra that crosses the creeks & waterfalls! At this time of year, think of what personal aspects you have been neglecting and use these months as an opportunity to improve your overall running self.
So, in summary, don’t think of summer as a burden, think of it as an opportunity to improve yourself as a runner! We can help provide advice and direction to you, so Book anytime with Our Team online via www.mygcphysio.com.au
Happy Summer running!
By Sports Physio Liam Ryan
With COVID running rampant in the Gold Coast community at the moment we are seeing a lot of people being stuck at home for seven days completing their mandatory quarantine. For those who develop symptoms, or those with no symptoms (hello close contacts) you might find yourself looking for things to do.
Part of being stuck at home is that we are likely to be more inactive. Below are a few ideas that you can do at home during your isolation period to keep you going, both physically and mentally.
– This can be a stressful time for many of us, so it can be worthwhile to take some time each day to practice mindfulness or meditate. There are plenty of resources out there to help with this, from guides to apps for your phone. Even just spending time sitting in a quiet place and focusing on your breathing can help.
For more information on mindfulness you can click HERE, and for more information on a useful application for your phone then click HERE.
– Pending your energy levels you may feel like a stretch if you have been sitting all day. Yoga can be a great option for this, and there are many great YouTube channels out there that you can follow along with (I persaonlly like Yoga with Adriene). Or you might like a few general stretches such as those seen HERE and HERE. Once you are out of isolation you may feel like trying Sarah’s Physio stretch & caht class, held at Burleigh on Monday nights.
– Spend your time working on improving that niggle or injury you have been working through. Get stuck into the rehabilitation you have been provided by your physio or contact Our team for a Telehealth session for some guidance.
– Again if your energy levels are high enough, you might find yourself wanting to get the heart rate elevated. You don’t need access to a fully equipped gym to get a good workout in as there are plenty of creative ways to exercise at home. Our team can easily help create a program for you to do at home, again via telehealth.
– It can be easy to slip out of routine when isolating. You may find simply sticking with a set time to go to bed and to wake up a great way to keep some routine in your day and make the transition out of isolation easier. You can go one step further and keep your meals at similar times!
– After the previous one it is important to not take this time to over-indulge in unhealthy foods or alcohol. This isn’t going to make you feel any better! You may also take this as a chance to try a new recipe, why not be adventurous? HERE are some isolation tips from our friends at EatSmart Nutrition, and Steff the dietitian can help provide further guidance.
Our team is always here to help, and if you need assistance with any of these areas during then get in contact on 07 5500 6470.
How many times have you been told your knee, hip, back or even shoulder pain is due to your leg length difference? This statement is commonly followed closely by a recommendation of numerous expensive therapy options to “correct the discrepancy”. Sound familiar? But does a leg length discrepancy really matter and how big does the difference need to be before it causes pain or dysfunction?
As experienced Physio’s, we regularly see clients presenting to clinic worried that their leg length discrepancy has caused their injury further up the body. It is commonly a “diagnosis” from a health practitioner who either observed a difference (eye-ball estimation) or maybe even measured it with a tape measure. This can lead a person to believe this is the root cause to their injury or may lead to injury further up the body sometime in the future.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that clinical measurement (eg: tape measure or functional leg length tests) are grossly unreliable and not accurate. These methods can support a suspicion of leg length difference only and help guide decision making regarding further testing/measurement. The only method of accurately measuring true leg length discrepancy is by X-ray (EOS scan).
A large 2005 medical review estimates 90% of people have a measurable leg length discrepancy and more than half of those have a difference greater than 5mm. It might be more accurate to state that it is NORMAL TO HAVE A LEG LENGTH DIFFERENCE.
This is the million-dollar question that a lot of clever researchers have investigated over the years. The same 2005 review article examined all the previous research into leg length discrepancies and concluded that up to 2cm is likely to be normal (eg: not clinically significant). Importantly, it is estimated only 1 in 1000 demonstrate a discrepancy larger than 2cm. It is well accepted that the human body is naturally robust enough to accommodate <2cm discrepancy in leg length by changes to alignments up the body, such as changes in muscle length. The body is beautifully adaptable to compensate for this.
Having a leg length discrepancy of greater than 2cm does not guarantee you will have associated pain or injury as a result. However, people with leg length discrepancy greater than 2cm certainly do start to report a higher incidence of pain and injury compared to those who have less than 2cm difference.
As physiotherapists it is our role to determine if the leg length difference is related to your presenting pain or injury before attempting to address it. If a TRUE (measured via Xray EOS) leg length difference is considered relevant to your presenting complaint, then the mainstay of management is centred around orthotic devices or shoe modification to help address the difference. In the rare instances this is required, your physio or podiatrist can help find the best solution for you.
If you need further advice or a discussion around your presenting symptoms, our Physio’s or Sports Physician can help you. Call us for an appointment on 07 55006470 or Book Online.
Cheers from the Team
Our usual 1st-Saturday-of-the-month Run Technique Clinic for this month of November is heading for some off-road fun!
Join us this Saturday for a trail run and unique Trail Run Technique Clinic where we will give you tips & tricks for improving your trail hill skills- learn how to get yourself up and down those steeper trail hills with more confidence & faster!
Join Sports, Exercise & Olympic Physio Britt Caling and Physio & Ultra runner Kyle Weise
Saturday 6th November at Nerang State Forest (meeting at the Nerang Velodrome) 3:15pm meet for a 3.30pm start.
The session will involve a group trail, hill run and trail running technique drills with the group split into more beginners (with Britt), and those who want an advanced challenged (with Kyle) – around 60min or a bit longer total session.
EVERYONE! Suited for runners of all abilities and everyone is welcome,
Only $25 per person and bring a friend 
or it is complimentary as part of our Run@mygcphysio Run Crew Membership 
Please bring cash on the day as we won’t have eftpos facilities on the day, or pre-pay in clinic or by credit card by phoning the clinic 07 55006470.
Our Vision is to create an awesome trail running community who respect & support each others love of all things running. AND we want to provide HEAPS OF OTHER BENEFITS because we can!
Find out about all the benefits of being a financial member, or how to come and run with us in Nerang National Park for FREE.
Indicate your attendance on Facebook Event: here
Or phone the Clinic 07 55006470
(or you can turn-up on the day but we would prefer to know numbers coming so we can make sure you get personalised attention).
