Our top tips to stay healthy this Christmas are to:

-Keep moving:  It’s extremely easy to sit in a comfy chair with a cool drink, chatting with family, and find yourself having perched on a chair for hours. Try to stand up every half-hour, walk around and perhaps even schedule some exercise or a gentle walk into your day first thing in the morning, before the heat of the day comes up. If you have a fitness watch, set yourself targets for movement as a gentle reminder to not just ‘sit.’

– Be cautious around alcohol: Christmas for many is a time for indulgence. Whilst it’s great to have a good time, after a few drinks our decision-making and balance aren’t as strong and can lead to falls, poor decisions or further exacerbating any injuries thanks to alcohol’s diuretic effect.

–Lift safely: At a time where we’re lugging boxes of decorations or presents around, we often forget to lift safely, bending the knees to help prevent back injuries. Ask someone to help share the weight if you don’t think you can safely manage.

-Stay safe from sports injuries: As families gather together, the backyard game of cricket or game of Marco Polo in the pool can get a little competitive. Sports injuries are extremely common over these holidays as people strain their shoulders, or pull their hamstring by pushing themselves a little too much. If the break from work is an opportunity to ramp up your exercise program, take it easy, and increase the pressure on your body only in small increments to prevent injury.

COVID has impacted many of our patients in one way or another. Whilst many people speak of the economic or social implications, here at Yarra Ranges Physiotherapy, our chief concern is the impact on our patient’s health.

The journey from pregnancy to birth is an incredible one but for many, is also a time fraught with worry – for both the Mother and baby. We’re lucky to have a solid healthcare system to support women through this exciting period of their lives, but it’s become more noticeable over the past few months that women haven’t always been getting the access to medical professionals that they’d normally have and need. Restricted movement has undoubtedly had an impact on women being able to feel supported, have their concerns heard and assessed and any pain alleviated. Here at our family practice, we’ve seen an increase in women coming into our clinic having misinterpreted their symptoms, which caused unnecessary alarm over the health of the baby.

Pain in the pubic bone, lower back, pelvis and abdomen or altered sensations in arms or hands can be extremely common in pregnancy and more often than not, have a common explanation. Pain in the pelvis can be as a direct result of increased movement of these joints and ligament laxity as the baby grows, where as pain in the abdomen can be referred pain from the back or ribs as a result of body changing shape to accommodate the baby.

Physiotherapy can help provide you with short- and long-term pain relief pre, during or post pregnancy as well as provide you with safe exercises to help you feel stronger and fitter. We can also help with other common issues such as pelvic floor strengthening, post birth bladder and bowel issues and support for mastitis and blocked milk ducts. You don’t need to feel alone, there’s a whole caring family ready to support you in achieving your optimum health, so you can concentrate on your new baby.