Merry Christmas Everyone!
Contact physiotherapy’s last day is Friday 20th December this year and we will re-open on Thursday 8th January 2020.
Thank you for your continued support this year and here’s to a Happy Healthy 2020!
Kind regards Krissy, Amy and Jude
Contact Physiotherapy

I have written about osteoporosis and falls before, but maybe it is a timely reminder as we catch up with relatives we may not have seen for a while. About a third of women and a fifth of men will sustain a fracture due to bone thinning. Improving bone density can also provide a range of Christmas gifts you may never have considered?! Who knew?
First we prevent Osteoporosis while we are young. Make sure your children are taking enough calcium and performing impact and resistance exercise. While this advice remains the same throughout your life, we achieve maximum bone density by our late teens. Maybe a yoghurt making machine and a skipping rope? Thanks Santa!
On the family holiday, get into the hills and carry a pack- thus incorporating load and impact, family fun and maybe a love for the outdoors which will give a lifetime of health benefits. And a love of the outdoors will ensure the wish list for gear will never be filled!
Alcohol reduces balance and inhibits the uptake of calcium and therefor reduces bone density. So if you are looking at a quick gift maybe don’t just grab a bottle- try a healthy hamper with canned salmon, cheese and ice-cream or a punnet of grow your own greens like spinach, kale, rocket and broccoli. Take drinks like orange juice or milk with added calcium or home baking with almonds, sesame seeds and figs served with greek yoghurt.
To optimise bone density the load needs to be progressive to keep the improvement going. Optimally it should be the highest tolerable intensity, regardless of age. A membership and supervised gym programme by a qualified professional would be a great gift for a loved one- weights are beneficial at any age, even if they have sustained falls or an osteoporotic fracture. Lining up a gym buddy can help with attendance- can you talk a neighbour into it aswell?!
Public exercise is not for everyone. Small hand and leg weights will also help with strength and bone density. Gift these with a physio or qualified personal trainer appointment at home and encourage exercise in a loved one’s comfort zone.
Balance is critical for prevention of falls. Generalised strengthening and balance specific exercises are required. Assessing the environment is also important. It can be a sensitive subject though- maybe not one for Christmas Day! If you are visiting family, check for lose carpets or uneven steps. Pop a rail up in the bathroom or by steps. Repeated and sustained bending is a risk- can you help to reduce injury by raising the washing basket or wood pile? Or tidy out the cupboards and shift the soup pot from the back-corner cupboard. Long handled gardening equipment makes an excellent gift. Balance disc’s can be a fun motivating way to challenge balance and are easy to store away.
If you visit a relative and hear they are having falls there are falls prevention programmes available around New Zealand. Check them out at the local community or medical centre. In Methven your nurse, GP or physio can refer seniors to a free Falls Prevention Service in your home. Stay on Your Feet is a community led exercise programme in Methven- contact Age Concern on 308 6817. Tai Chi also helps balance, contact Margaret Lee on 027 516 7549. Research has shown that improving leg and core strength can reduce falls by 30%. Our Pilates classes can assist with that and we have clients 8-80 years old- call Contact Physiotherapy 3028 205.
So think about bone strength and all the members of your family now and give a gift of health for Christmas.
Reference: Expert Consensus Statement on Physical Activity and Exercise for Osteoporosis- Draft (2018) National Osteoporosis Society, UK

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It is with a heavy heart that we will be saying farewell to our lovely winter locum Anna Fenton in a couple of weeks. She has been a breath of fresh air in our clinic over the cold winter months. Her physio skills are awesome but it is her warm heart, good humour, hard work and harder play which have won her a place in Methven’s heart.
I am especially grateful to her and Tania Wright to have inspired me with some new and truly nasty Pilates exercises to torture you lucky people with over summer! After six classes last week I am feeling great- but please don’t make me laugh!!
Anna is off to Nelson for the summer- we hope she really enjoys herself but doesn’t have TOO good a time …???! Much more we hope she will come back next winter- there are still so many slopes to ski and mountains to climb and perhaps the full Peak to Pub next year?! She is, for sure “the stuff we need!” So if you get the opportunity please add to Anna’s list of things still do in Methven for 2020!
If you have another appointment to fit in with Anna before she goes, there is still time! Give us a ring at Contact Physio on 3028 205.

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Communicating well with you and your whanau