Hawkes Physiotherapy Blog

Now as you all know, at the elite level athletes have Physiotherapists, massage therapists, sports psychologists, strength and conditioning coaches, technical coaches, dietitians etc. etc. etc. Now in the world of elite sport, money and time are less of a problem, meaning all of the above is more possible. But clearly all of this is a necessity otherwise they wouldn't bother. So why do they bother? It improves training, improves performance, faster recovery times, reduces injury risk and gets them back much quicker. Now I'm not saying that all of this should be done to the letter in non elite sport as it wouldn't be possible but I think that elements are required and this is highlighted by what I see everyday. For example: I see runners who just run, nothing else and believe it or not, they get inured. I see athletes who have no recovery time and believe it or not, they also get injured. When athletes get injured they simply rest for a few days and the...

What is Osteoarthritis (OA): Osteoarthritis: Osteon means bone, Arthro means joints, Itis means inflammation. Now this terminology is technically incorrect and OA is actually not an inflammatory condition by nature and this is why some people now call it Osteoathrosis instead. The Osis part actually means degeneration, which is more accurate. So essentially breaking down the word tells us what it is, which is degeneration of the joint. More specifically it is degeneration of the articular cartilage of the joint. This is essentially damage and loss of cartilage until the joint is “bone on bone”. The bone actually starts to thicken and wear in response to the extra load on it, which causes bony outgrowths to form, called osteophytes. The synovium around the joint also thickens and produces extra fluid making the joint swell up. How common is OA? Osteoarthritis is very common, it affects about 80% of the population beyond the age of 55 years old (Kruger 2000). It was estimated t...