Written by Ryan Harris – Consulting Physiotherapist at BodyMotion Physiotherapy
Over the past two years, the seemingly never-ending lock-downs, gym closures and social sport cancellations meant that many of us found it difficult to maintain regular, progressive physical activity. Not only did some of us exercise less than usual, anecdotally from those I talk to in the clinic, at least 80% reported that they gained weight, 15% stayed the same and a meager 5% lost weight, indicating an overall loss of physical condition.
Now with everything opening back up and returning to some level of ‘normal’ the impact of these last two years is becoming an issue. The decrease in physical activity and increase in sedentary behavior has resulted in many of us becoming de-conditioned. As we now try to return to work, gym and sport, the impact of this de-conditioning is becoming evident.
So, what is de-conditioning?
De-conditioning is the natural process of decline in our strength, fitness and overall physical health. Put simply, our bodies can be lazy. They do not like to waste energy unnecessarily, so after even short amounts of time moving less, our bodies slowly start to lose their condition.
Why should we care?
Whether your goal is to get to back playing sport, run around the block or even just being able to walk comfortably as we age, it is important to ease slowly back into exercise.
Let’s look at running for example. Did you know that approximately 70% of running injuries are caused by overuse? Put simply, this is doing too much, too quickly. Often after a period of de-conditioning we are likely to try and go back to the same level of exercise that we were previously completing.
This may not result in an injury initially, however the risk of an injury occurring greatly increases. The best way to counter this is through an appropriately and individually tailored exercise program.
This is especially true for those of us who have been injured prior to the lock-downs as the base fitness/strength for the injured area had already begun the de-conditioning process.
How can physiotherapy help?
Physiotherapy can help in many different ways and will assist you to get back to exercise safely.
They include:
- Appropriate programming of exercise to help you safely achieve your desired fitness goals.
- Address any weaknesses that are present at this point in time to reduce the likelihood of injury
- Manage any little niggles before they become an ongoing issue.
- Assist you to manage pre-existing injuries with the aim to prevent them from becoming aggravated.
Get In Touch with Our Team of Therapists Today
Call (03) 9873 3333 to arrange to speak with one of our physiotherapists about our various treatments and to book an appointment specific to your needs.
