Bay City Health - Blog

Clint Cooper 2/24/25 Clint Cooper 2/24/25

Stay Strong. Stay Active: Overcoming Common Gym Injuries & Conditions with Osteopathy

For many gym-goers, consistency is key to achieving their fitness goals. However, injuries can be a frustrating setback, causing pain, limiting mobility, and forcing people to take time off from training. The longer someone is out of the gym, the harder it can be to regain motivation, often leading to a complete drop-off in training. Understanding and managing common gym injuries is essential for staying on track. The aim of this blog is to introduce five of the most common gym-related conditions and how osteopathy can help you recover faster and keep training safely.

One of the most effective ways to prevent this downward spiral is to understand the common injuries that occur in the gym environment and take proactive steps to manage them. By addressing these issues early and seeking the right treatment, individuals can minimize downtime, recover more efficiently, and return to training with confidence. Osteopathy is a highly effective approach to injury management, focusing on improving mobility, reducing pain, and enhancing overall function. Below are five of the most common gym-related injuries and how osteopathic treatment can support a faster, more sustainable recovery while allowing you to continue training safely.

1. Biceps Tendonitis

The Problem: Biceps tendonitis is an inflammation of the tendon connecting the biceps muscle to the shoulder, often caused by repetitive overhead movements, press movements such as bench press and pushups, or excessive lifting. Symptoms include pain or ache in the front of the shoulder and reduced strength.

The Solution: Osteopathic treatment can help by reducing inflammation, improving shoulder mechanics, and providing corrective exercises to prevent overuse. This allows you to continue training while avoiding further irritation.

2. Shoulder Bursitis

The Problem: Shoulder bursitis occurs when the fluid-filled sacs (bursae) in the shoulder become inflamed, often due to repetitive overhead lifting, excessive loads when holding the arm/hand away from the trunk, poor posture leading to altered shoulder mechanics, or faulty movement patterns. This results in pain deep within the shoulder and possibly down the arm, sharp pain in certain movements, and reduced range of motion.

The Solution: Osteopathy focuses on improving joint mobility, reducing inflammation, and addressing muscle imbalances to prevent further irritation. By correcting posture and movement patterns, you can train with better mechanics and avoid long-term discomfort.

3. Low Back Strain

The Problem: A low back strain is caused by an overload to the muscles of the low back often when performed in a compromised position, which can be due to improper lifting techniques and/or sudden movements. This can lead to pain, stiffness, and difficulty performing common exercises like squats, deadlifts, pushups and rows. Unfortunately, many gym-goers have predisposed mechanical issues - often with a lack of awareness around form and technique - which contribute to repetitive faulty loading to the low back resulting in muscle strains and muscle spasms.

The Solution: Osteopathic treatment can ease muscle tension, improve flexibility, and provide movement retraining to help recruit the correct muscles in order to protect the lower back. With guided rehabilitation, you can continue modified workouts while reducing strain on the injured area.

4. Lumbar (low-back) Joint Sprain

The Problem: Unlike a strain, which affects muscles, a sprain involves ligament damage, or, to a lesser extent, a lockup or restriction to the joints of the lower back. This can occur from improper form, heavy lifting, or sudden twisting motions, causing significant pain and mobility restrictions. A sprain will more commonly be a sharper ‘grab’ than a muscle strain, however tightening of the low back muscles following injury (referred to muscle guarding) will occur as well.

The Solution: Osteopathy helps by restoring joint function, reducing inflammation, and strengthening surrounding muscles to provide better spinal support. With proper care, you can gradually return to normal training and avoid long-term instability.

5. Lower Crossed Syndrome

The Problem: Lower Crossed Syndrome is a common postural and muscle imbalance where under-recruited glutes and abdominals combine with tight hip flexors and lower back muscles, leading to an altered posture. This posture presents as an ‘over-arching’ of the low back, and/or a forward tilt of the pelvis giving the appearance of what’s called (sorry for the lingo) a ‘duck-bum’, whereby the backside can stick out more posteriorly and the belly/stomach can push out more anteriorly. This often leads to compression of the lumbar spine which is more pronounced during exercises such as squats, planking/pushups and any loaded exercise in standing.

The Solution: Osteopathy addresses muscle imbalances through hands-on treatment, mobility exercises, and tailored strengthening programs. In particular, the aim is to quite simply reverse the “lower-cross’ pattern by: releasing/lengthen hip flexors and low back muscles; and strengthen glutes and abdominals with a focus on reducing the low-back compression. It’s one thing to just “strengthen the glutes and abs”, but it’s another ball-game entirely to re-train these muscle groups with specific intent and precision form.

The Impact of Injury on Training Motivation

Injuries don’t just affect the body; they take a mental toll as well. Being unable to train at full capacity or having to stop completely can lead to frustration, loss of progress, and decreased motivation. Many gym members who take extended time off due to injury struggle to return, often losing their fitness habits altogether.

How Osteopathy Helps You Stay in the Gym

Osteopathy provides a proactive approach to injury management, ensuring that you recover properly while continuing to train safely. With hands-on techniques, mobility work, and tailored rehabilitation exercises, osteopathy helps:

· Reduce pain and inflammation

· Improve movement and flexibility

· Strengthen weak areas to prevent future injuries

· Correct posture and lifting mechanics

· Maintain training consistency with modified exercises

By addressing the root cause of injuries rather than just treating symptoms, osteopathy enables gym members to stay active, motivated, and on track with their fitness goals. Instead of dropping off due to pain and frustration, you can continue progressing with a structured, injury-smart approach.

Osteopathic Techniques for Injury Recovery and Prevention

Osteopaths use a variety of hands-on manual therapy techniques to treat gym injuries, including soft tissue therapy, joint articulation & mobilisation, muscle energy techniques, joint adjustments and tailored rehabilitation exercises to enhance recovery and prevent recurrence.

Managing gym injuries effectively requires not only hands-on treatment—an osteopath’s specialty—but also a structured plan beyond the treatment room. This may include ergonomic modifications, form and technique corrections, postural guidance, injury prevention strategies, and activity adjustments to support long-term recovery and optimal performance.

Stay Strong and Injury-Free

If you're dealing with any of these common gym injuries or want to prevent them from happening, booking an osteopathy session could be the key to keeping you in the gym and achieving your fitness goals. Don’t let an injury derail your progress—take action and stay strong!

Click the link below to see availabilities and to book online for Initial Osteopathy consultations with one of our expert Osteopaths.

Book Online here

Clint Cooper 10/28/24 Clint Cooper 10/28/24

Osteopathy and Pilates: Complementary Paths to Health and Well-being

Osteopathy and Pilates: Complementary Paths to Health and Well-being

Osteopathy and Pilates are two distinct approaches to health and wellness that share a common philosophy: the belief that the body functions best when its systems are in balance and alignment. Both focus on improving posture, promoting flexibility, and enhancing overall body mechanics. However, they differ in methodology and practice, which makes their combination especially beneficial for physical rehabilitation, injury prevention, and holistic well-being.

This article explores the similarities and unique benefits of osteopathy and Pilates, and how they can work together to promote optimal health.

Osteopathy: A Holistic Approach to Health

Osteopathy is a branch of manual medicine that focuses on diagnosing, treating, and preventing health issues by manipulating and strengthening the musculoskeletal framework. Founded in the late 19th century by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, osteopathy emphasizes the relationship between the body’s structure and its function. It operates on the principle that the body has an inherent ability to heal itself when its systems—musculoskeletal, circulatory, and nervous—are in balance.

Key Concepts of Osteopathy:

Holistic Treatment: Osteopathy treats the body as an integrated whole rather than focusing on specific symptoms. Osteopaths aim to identify and address the root causes of pain or dysfunction, whether they originate from muscular, skeletal, or even organ-related issues.
Manual Therapy: Osteopaths use hands-on techniques to assess and treat the body. These include soft tissue massage, stretching, joint mobilization, and manipulation to promote circulation, reduce tension, and restore normal body mechanics.
Self-Healing Philosophy: Osteopaths believe that the body is naturally capable of healing itself if given the right conditions. Their interventions focus on removing barriers to self-healing, such as poor posture, muscle tightness, or misalignment in the spine or joints.
Prevention and Maintenance: Beyond treating symptoms, osteopathy emphasizes preventive care. It encourages patients to maintain healthy body mechanics and avoid lifestyle habits that could lead to further issues, such as poor posture, prolonged sitting, or repetitive strain.

Pilates: Strength and Control through Movement

Pilates, developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates, is a physical fitness system that focuses on strengthening the body’s core muscles, improving flexibility, and enhancing overall body control. Initially designed for rehabilitation, Pilates has evolved into a mainstream exercise method practiced by individuals of all fitness levels.

Key Concepts of Pilates:

Core Strength: At the heart of Pilates is the concept of building core strength, which includes the muscles of the abdomen, lower back, hips, and pelvis. These muscles, often referred to as the “powerhouse,” are crucial for stabilizing the body during movement and maintaining good posture.
Controlled Movement: Pilates emphasizes slow, controlled movements that require mental focus and precision. It’s less about the number of repetitions and more about performing each exercise with proper alignment and muscle engagement.
Flexibility and Mobility: Pilates incorporates a range of exercises designed to improve joint mobility and flexibility, particularly in the spine. Stretching is integrated with strengthening to maintain a healthy range of motion.
Body Awareness: Pilates encourages mindfulness and an acute awareness of how the body moves. This heightened body awareness helps individuals recognize imbalances, poor movement patterns, or misalignments that could contribute to discomfort or injury.

Similarities Between Osteopathy and Pilates

Though distinct in their approach—osteopathy being a medical treatment and Pilates a fitness method—there are several shared principles between the two:

Focus on Alignment and Posture: Both osteopathy and Pilates emphasize the importance of correct alignment and posture for overall health. In osteopathy, poor posture is often the underlying cause of musculoskeletal pain or dysfunction. Similarly, Pilates trains the body to maintain good posture through core strength and proper movement patterns.
Holistic Approach to the Body: Osteopathy and Pilates view the body as an interconnected system. Osteopathy treats the entire body, understanding that dysfunction in one area can affect other parts. Pilates, too, works on improving coordination and balance across the body, emphasizing that every movement should come from a strong and stable center.
Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention: Osteopathy is widely used in rehabilitation to treat injuries and chronic pain conditions. Pilates was initially developed as a rehabilitative exercise for injured soldiers and dancers. Both focus on restoring normal function to the body, with Pilates providing an ongoing method of strengthening and conditioning after osteopathic treatment.
Mind-Body Connection: Both disciplines encourage a mindful approach to the body. Osteopaths may help patients develop better body awareness to identify problematic movement patterns, while Pilates promotes mindfulness through breathing and concentration, ensuring that each movement is performed with intent and control.

Benefits of Combining Osteopathy and Pilates

The integration of osteopathy and Pilates can provide comprehensive health benefits, particularly for individuals dealing with chronic pain, poor posture, or injury recovery. By working together, these practices offer a well-rounded approach to restoring and maintaining physical health.

1. Enhanced Posture and Alignment

Pilates is an excellent complement to osteopathy’s focus on alignment. While osteopaths can manually correct misalignments and restrictions in the body, Pilates helps individuals maintain these corrections by strengthening the muscles that support the skeletal system. By engaging in regular Pilates exercises, patients can build strength in key areas like the core, shoulders, and back, which helps prevent future misalignments.

2. Improved Mobility and Flexibility

Osteopathic treatment can release restrictions in the joints and soft tissues, restoring movement where it may have been limited. Pilates helps to maintain and further enhance this flexibility through controlled stretching and mobility exercises. This combination is particularly beneficial for those recovering from injuries or suffering from chronic conditions like arthritis or lower back pain.

3. Injury Prevention

One of the goals of osteopathy is to identify and address areas of the body that are prone to injury due to poor movement patterns or imbalances. Pilates, by reinforcing core stability and body awareness, helps individuals move in ways that are safer and more efficient. This reduces the likelihood of re-injury, particularly in individuals who are prone to overuse injuries or those recovering from surgery.

4. Pain Relief and Long-Term Recovery

Osteopathy provides immediate pain relief by addressing the physical causes of discomfort, whether through spinal manipulation, joint mobilization, or soft tissue massage. Pilates helps in the long-term recovery process by encouraging a healthy movement routine that strengthens the body, improves flexibility, and reduces the chance of pain recurring. It is particularly helpful for those with chronic conditions like scoliosis or sciatica, as Pilates can be adapted to their specific needs.

5. Holistic Health and Well-Being

Osteopathy’s holistic approach extends beyond musculoskeletal health, considering the impact of lifestyle factors such as stress, sleep, and diet. Pilates adds to this by promoting mental well-being through mindful movement and breath control. The combination of both practices supports physical, mental, and emotional health.

Conclusion

Osteopathy and Pilates are complementary therapies that, when combined, provide a comprehensive approach to health, rehabilitation, and injury prevention. Osteopathy’s medical foundation in manual therapy, alignment, and holistic care pairs seamlessly with Pilates’ focus on core strength, posture, and mindful movement. Together, they empower individuals to not only recover from injuries but also maintain long-term physical health and well-being. Whether seeking relief from chronic pain, recovering from an injury, or looking to enhance physical fitness, the integration of osteopathy and Pilates offers a well-rounded path to a healthier, more balanced life.

Clint Cooper 3/21/22 Clint Cooper 3/21/22

Understanding and Managing Hip Pain

Hip Pain

Understanding and Managing Hip Pain

Overview:

The name itself is pretty self-explanatory; It is pain that arises at the joint that connects our leg and back together. This region is made up of what we call a ‘ball and socket’ joint, involving the top of our thigh bone (ball) and pelvis (socket). Unfortunately, this region is a common source of pain for Australians of all ages and genders. Fortunately, here in Australia we have many trained professionals who have developed a expertise in treating and managing hip pain; including Surgeons and Doctors to Allied Health professionals such as Osteo’s, Physio’s, Chiro’s and Exercise Physiologists and not to mention those who compliment the above such as Pilates instructors, Personal trainers, strength and conditioning trainers and Massage therapist (there are many more that we haven’t listed).

Hip pain comes in many different forms (all of which are discussed below) and present in many different ways. Some people will have mild pain that doesn’t require treatment, and some will be at the other end of the scale where they can barely walk.

Hip pain requires a broad approach from health professionals beyond the point of just identifying and treating symptoms. This is due to the fact that often Hip Pain is a result of poor function/ movements of structures above and below the hip – therefore by understanding this, health professionals are able to better manage your complaint by treating the cause, as opposed to just treating the symptoms.

Symptoms:

Type of pain: Symptoms of hip pain can present in many different ways, is it a structural? And therefore pain directly in/ around the joint, or is it referred? And therefore pain may be felt elsewhere ie. into the knees. In a consultation, your practitioner will spend time talking to you about your symptoms as it’s very important to understand exactly what you are feeling. By doing so this allows us to narrow down what structures may be affected and therefore helping us form a diagnosis. Below is a list of symptoms commonly used to describe the type of pain occurring to the Hip region:

Limping
Joint pain
Groin pain
Thigh pain / buttock pain
Loss of motion of the hip
Swelling / warmth over the hip / redness
Tenderness of the hip
Pain on side lying or when sleeping on that side
Dull ache
Stabbing pain
Pain shooting down the leg from the hip
Catching / grabbing pain
Numbness and tingling down the leg
Weakness

Aggravating movements / activities: People suffering from Hip Pain are may be unable to complete activities of daily living, and may even feel pain on simple tasks that would normally be pain free. For example, if when you climb up stairs you not only feel pain but also you may occasionally feel weakness or that your hip is “giving way” – this may indicate that there is nerve involvement. Often, as this happens only occasionally patients might think it is not important and omit the fact when discussing the complaint with the practitioner. However, in reality this is quite the opposite – it is very important! Being able to understand what triggers your symptoms will provide another piece of the puzzle’ in creating an accurate diagnosis.

Below is a brief list of common everyday activities that can aggravate hip pain:

Walking
Running
Bike riding
Using stairs (going both up and down)
Standing in one spot for prolonged periods of time
Sitting at a desk for long hours
Driving a car/truck
Rolling over in bed
Bending down
Squats with or without weights
Side lying or sleeping on that side
Household chores – cleaning, doing the dishes, hanging the washing
Sports – specifically with a lot of twisting at the hips or contact sports

Red Flags

Red flags relate to the possibility that something appearing quite simple could in fact be quite serious.

Below are some examples of Red flags for Hip pain:

History of trauma / falls
Sudden onset
Any swelling / deformity
Inability to weight bear
Constipation or vomiting
Lower limb neurological symptoms – weakness, numbness or tingling
Testicular swelling
Night sweats, unintentional weight loss, appetite loss
History of malignancy
Any lumps or bumps felt in the groin
Fever – intraarticular infection
Unexplained weight loss
Burning with urination
Night pain
Prolonged corticosteroid use

Conditions of the Hip

There are many conditions that can lead to hip pain. Some conditions that result in damage or irritation of the soft tissue / structures of the hip include, but are not limited to the following:

Fractures / dislocations
Femoroacetabular impingement
Gluteal tendonopathy
Bursitis
- Trochanteric
- Iliopsoas
- Ischial
Iliotibial band syndrome
Snapping hip syndrome
Hip Osteoarthritis
Adductor strain
Hamstring tendinopathy
Labral tear
Piriformis syndrome
Tendonitis of the quadriceps muscle
Hernia
Osteitis pubis
Dislocation
Perthes’ disease

Who gets Hip Pain?

As mentioned in our intro – many people from different walks of life will/can suffer from hip pain. But who is more likely?

Age – Hip pain is a common condition from young adults onwards, however the older you are the more likely you will be to suffer from it.
Gender – Hip pain does not discriminate between the genders; however various studies suggest it may be slightly more common in females.
OA – due to the wear-and-tear nature of osteoarthritis, you are more likely to receive pain in load bearing joints – hence if you have OA you are more likely to get hip pain.
Occupation – various jobs may lead to the development of hip pain, such as workplaces where you are exposed to walking long distances on rough surfaces, lifting/ moving heavy weights, sitting for prolonged periods or standing for long periods of time.
Previous injuries – A history of previous hip pain or injuries to the joint will predispose it to future complications.
Sports – Depending on the sport, some may predispose you to hip pain. Weather it is through an injury during the game, ie. being tackled during footy; or through physical stress building over time, ie. twisting in netball or golf.
Altered gait – If our stride/ walk is faulty this means that we are constantly placing unnecessary strain though our hip which can lead to micro-traumas.

Assessment & Diagnosis

When you present to a Health professional such as an Osteopath with hip pain, our practitioners will follow an process; starting with an initial patient/ medical history, followed by a physical assessment that helps us narrow down the possibilities to the most likely diagnosis.

Patient / Medical history: This is where the practitioner will discuss with you about various aspects of your hip pain, finding context to the complaint. This will cover aspects such as when the pain occurred, the location of pain, how it happened, what makes it worse, what makes it better, level of pain, associated symptoms, impacted activities of daily living, lifestyle prior to onset of pain and occupation impact. But it will also include your medical history, for example if you have had previous episodes of the same complaint, other injuries and an other health conditions that may also contribute to your pain.

Orthopaedic testing: Orthopaedic tests involve specific movements of the body with or without muscular contraction, that are designed to provoke familiar pain. Therefore allowing us to narrow down the structure involved and may indicate a specific condition.

Palpation: The use of palpation can give the practitioner more information to help form a differential diagnosis. Palpation can help identify tissue texture changes, tightness, stiffness, temperature changes, differences between left and right side of the body, lumps, knots and swelling.

Range of motion (ROM): Again, this assessment leads us closer to a diagnosis by differentiating between the structure that cause potential restrictions/ pain in active ROM (you moving the joint) verses passive ROM (practitioner moving the joint for you). The movements of the Hip can be broken down into 3 basic plains:

Flexion / Extension (Bringing your leg forwards or backwards)
External / Internal Rotation (twisting you leg to the right and left)
Abduction / Adduction (Moving your leg toward or away from the midline of the body)

Diagnostic imaging: This form of assessment allows us to see what’s going on inside the body without the need for surgery or invasive procedures; enabling us to confirm a diagnosis and then treat accordingly. There are multiple imaging modalities that are used to highlight different structures. X-rays are for broken bones, dislocations, alignment and inflammation; Ultrasounds are for superficial soft tissue such as muscles and tendons; and lastly, MRI’s are often seen as the gold standard a more in depth view of all structures including connective tissue such as ligaments/tendons/cartilage /muscle.

Treatment – What we do

Here at Bay City Health Group our approach to Hip pain is holistic, meaning that we do more than just direct treatment. What we offer involves manual therapy, rehabilitation and tailored exercise programs facilitated though our Osteopaths; in addition to Exercise Rehabilitation facilitated by our Pilates team that is preformed in a highly specific clinical setting. These two models help to decrease pain and improve function/ range of motion. The Osteopaths achieve this though using hands on techniques such as massage, stretching, joint manipulation or adjustments, joint articulation and mobilisation, and myofascial release. Then, complimentary to this, Pilates focuses on developing strength to areas of weakness and educating you on correct movement patterns/ form. Both of which are excellent options for managing Hip Pain.

Management and treatment of Hip Pain is highly dependent on the type of symptoms, level of pain, onset of pain, limitations, and assessment findings, and is therefore very specific to the patient on that day. One thing to keep in mind with treatment is there’s no recipe. In other words, the type of treatment will vary from patient to patient depending on what their presentation is. For example, if someone comes into the clinic with acute Hip Pain and barely able to walk or even sit down, our treatment will be completely different to that of a patient who is a bit sore after a round of golf on the weekend.

Management

What things YOU can do to help hip pain

Ice / heat packs – a combination of these two are great for relieving symptoms. Ice is generally used to reduce inflammation, swelling and pain whereas heat is used for tight/ restricted muscles and pain.
Rest – by avoiding movements that place unnecessary stress/ pressure through the hip joints, such as bending forward squatting, side sleeping and sitting for long periods of time. this reduces the continued reaggravation and allows for a more effective recovery.
Stretches – Stretches reduce tension within the surrounding muscles and therefore take pressure off the joint, therefore improving hip function and pain.
Exercises, keeping active is key to management of all forms of pain, however the trick is making sure to not aggravate your existent complaint. For hip pain, going for short walks, bike rides, yoga or even swimming (gently kicking) and walking in a shallow pool are great for your hip pain recovery.

Final Notes:

Nothing replaces the knowledge and experience of Health professionals. This blog is for general educational purposes only and is aimed at the general public. If you have back pain and you think it needs to be looked at then please visit or talk a Health Professional.

To make a booking with one of the Health Professionals here at Bay City Health Group please call our friendly receptionists on 03 5229 3220 or head to our online bookings page to book your appointment online.

Clint Cooper 10/4/20 Clint Cooper 10/4/20