What is an ankle sprain?

04/20/202103/26/2021 by Sami Karam

An ankle sprain, or ligament injury, causes a stretch or tear of one or more ligaments in the ankle joint. Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that connect bones at the joint.

What is an ankle ligament injury?

There are many ligaments in the ankle. The most common type of sprain involves the ligaments on the outside part of the ankle (lateral ankle sprain). Ligaments on the inside of the ankle may also be injured (medial ankle sprain) as well as ligaments that are high and in the middle of the ankle (high ankle sprains).

Ankle sprain grades

Sprains may be graded I, II, or III depending on their severity:

Grade I sprain: pain with minimal damage to the ligaments
Grade II sprain: more ligament damage and mild looseness of the joint
Grade III sprain: complete tearing of the ligament and the joint is very loose or unstable

Sometimes sprains are just classified as mild or severe, depending on the amount of ligament damage.

How do ankle sprains happen

A sprain is caused by twisting your ankle. Your foot usually turns in or under but may turn to the outside. This causes you to roll over your ankle and damaged ligaments.

What are the symptoms of a sprained ankle?

Symptoms of a sprained ankle include:

mild aching to sudden pain
swelling
discolouration
inability to move the ankle properly
pain in the ankle even when you are not putting any weight on it

How do are ankle sprains diagnosed?

To diagnose a sprained ankle, a practitioner will review how the injury occurred and consider your symptoms. He will examine your ankle carefully. X-rays may be taken of your ankle but are not always necessary to make a diagnosis.

How are ankle sprains treated?

Treatment may include:

Applying ice packs to your ankle for the first 2 to 3 days to begin to reduce swelling. Taking anti-inflammatory and tissue repair support.
Treatment can begin on the ankle to help improve blood flow and range of motion. You will be encouraged to begin putting weight on the ankle as soon as it’s tolerable.
Doing ankle exercises to improve your ankle strength and range of motion. The exercises will help you return to your normal activity or sports.
Rarely, severe ankle sprains with complete tearing of the ligaments need surgery. After surgery, your ankle will be in a cast for 4 to 8 weeks.

How long will the ankle sprain effects last?

The length of recovery depends on many factors such as your age, health, and if you have had a previous ankle injury. Recovery time also depends on the severity of the sprain. A mild ankle sprain may recover within a few weeks, whereas a severe ankle sprain may take 6 weeks or longer to recover. Recovery also depends on which ligaments were torn. A lateral sprain (outside ligaments) takes less time to recover than a medial sprain (inside ligaments) or a high ankle sprain (high, middle ligaments).

When can I return to my sport or activity?

The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury, which could lead to permanent damage. Everyone recovers from an injury at a different rate. Return to your sport or activity will be determined by how soon your ankle recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better. Practitioners at the clinic are well trained and suited to guide you in the return to sport process.

How can I help prevent an ankle sprain?

To help prevent an ankle sprain, follow these guidelines:

Wear proper, well-fitting shoes when you exercise
Practice proper warm-up techniques pre-performance
Strength training will help in maintaining strong ligaments and also rehabilitating weak ones

Work hard, Exercise Harder!

06/18/202303/16/2021 by Sami Karam

With the holiday season just passing, we are all a bit less in shape than normal so it’s important to bounce back! These days, it seems like everyone is working more hours and having less ‘me’ time to keep healthy and fit. But what if you could actually work out at work?

You’re at work to produce productive results for your workplace, so why not produce good results for your own health?! After all, productiveness is increased when you’re fit and healthy! 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week is recommended and while you won’t get to the Olympics this way; you can do stretching, muscle-strengthening, and even short stints of aerobic exercises right at your desk.

Physical exercises for the office

Do a football-like drill of running in place for 60 seconds. Get those knees up! (Beginners, march in place.)
While seated, pump both arms over your head for 30 seconds, and then rapidly tap your feet on the floor for 30 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times.

No puffs exercise for the workplace

Afraid the phone will ring and you’ll sound like a lion is chasing you? Less breathless exercises may include

Sitting in your chair, lift one leg off the seat, extend it out straight, hold for 2 seconds; then lower your foot (stop short of the floor) and hold for several seconds. Switch; do each leg 15 times.
To work your chest and shoulders, place both hands on your chair arms, whilst being conscious of your wrists, and slowly lift your bottom off the chair. Lower yourself back down but stop short of the seat, hold for a few seconds. Do 15 times.

Stretching exercise you can do near your desk

Stretching exercises are a natural for the desk-bound, to ease stress and keep your muscles from clenching up. Here are a few suggestions:

Sitting tall in your chair, stretch both arms over your head and reach for the sky. After 10 seconds, extend the right hand higher, then the left.
Try this yoga posture to relieve tension: Sit facing forward, then turn your head to the left and your torso to the right, and hold a few seconds. Repeat 15 times, alternating sides.
Sitting up straight, try to touch your shoulder blades together. Hold, and then relax.

Discreet exercises for the shy in the workplace

Butt clenches: Tighten your buttocks, hold, hold, hold, and then relax. Repeat 15 times. The same goes for ab squeezes — just tighten your tummy muscles instead.

Last word: Use every minute actively- Whenever possible, stand rather than sit, walk rather than stand.

Healthy hint of the month:

Exercise helps lessen pain, increase range of movement to prevent injury, and reduces fatigue, producing energy and productiveness! So tune in to your favourite music and do some exercise!

For more information about staying in shape and having great wellbeing, click here to book in a consultation with one of our friendly physicians!

A bit about the Author

Dr. Sami Karam
Osteopath

A little extra about me. I’ve been a qualified Osteopath since 2004. I’ve been playing football ever since I could remember and I have a passion for it. I’ve played at the highest level in the NSW State League at both Youth and Senior levels, and have also been Head Physician at numerous State League Clubs. I’ve travelled internationally and consulted with Sports academies in Barcelona and Italy. I have a special interest in Strength and Conditioning for footballers, as I believe it gives them an edge in their physical competition. My passion involves bringing all of this knowledge into every single treatment that I provide for all athletes. If you feel that I can help you and want to reach out to me, just click here.

Why Your Kid Sucks At Football

04/23/202303/15/2021 by Sami Karam

Walking home from primary school, most days I had a football in hand (we called it soccer back then, a step forward from WogBall). I was deep in thought about whether the last goal we scored at lunchtime counted for the win… because it happened as the bell rang for the end of lunch. Steve and I were adamant that our team had won, but Khaled and Sunjay were insisting that it was a draw because the bell meant the end of the match, and the ball hadn’t crossed the line yet. It made little difference that the line they were talking about happened the be a line between two trees. This happened most lunchtimes, on most school days.

When I got home, I ate, watched an episode of the Ninja Turtles as my brother and I kicked around a small ball (made out of socks wrapped in sticky tape) around the house. I did my homework and then got ready to be picked up by our football coach for football training. By day, our coach was a butcher, so he would drive up the front of my driveway, beep the horn, I’d come out. He’d open his butcher delivery van that had two front seats and nothing in the back except for a team full of 10 year olds rolling around the back of the van until we got to the park…no seatbelts…no seats…just a hard clean metal floor. We’d go train for a couple of hours, then he’d throw us back in the van and drop us off at home. When I got home, we’d kick the sticky tape ball around some more, until our parents got home from work and screamed at us for breaking something. This happened for most part of the year, on most nights of the week. They were very happy memories.

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“In recent times, football in this country has been catering to the lambs instead of the lions.”

Fast forward 27 years and I’m in the treatment room with a 10 year old kid on the table with growing pains. Treating this particular condition isn’t difficult. What is difficult is having to sit there and listen to the parent telling me how their kid is the next best thing in football, and it’s imperative that I “fix him, because he just has to play.”

In my 15 years in this industry I’ve had the pleasure of treating many a young football player. It’s my special area of interest. I like the kids, and I always get a kick out of helping them. Out of 1000’s of kids, usually 20% are involved at a high level for their age. A handful of about 10 have been extremely gifted, of which to this day maybe 5 kids have grown up to be professional footballers playing either overseas or domestically in the A-League. So based on the numbers, it’s highly likely that your kid won’t make it. It’s a low probability that your kid is even talented. And the likelihood is actually that when it comes to football, your kid sucks! Now that may sound harsh to you, but after all the participation and “most improved” trophies that your child has collected, harsh reality is really what’s needed here. Participation has it’s own rewards, you don’t need a trophy for it. It’s silly horseshit, and it needs to stop. The kids who are getting the MVP trophies aren’t even making it, what in the hell do you think your precious little pumpkin is going to do?!

But why? Why does my kid, our kids… why are our kids sucking so badly these days at football?

Well, there are 4 main reasons. Mark Bosnich touched on these in his article, but they deserve a deeper comment.

Your kid’s sporting development is too specific, too soon
Your kid doesn’t spend enough time with the football doing what they want
Your kid does not know how to win or lose
Your kid is weak and would rather be on the PlayStation

Not my kid! My kid has been at the best academies since he was a fetus.

Well let’s examine that for a minute. Your kid pretty much has been involved in football the whole of autumn, winter and spring, then they go play futsal, then they go to summer football camp, with maybe two weeks off at Christmas. Well when do you expect them to 1) rest, recover and reset their motor learning patterns and 2) Learn new motor patterns? Recovery is a finite resource. In humans we need time and the right hormonal milieu to make optimum recovery. For God’s sake, give your kids a small break from competitive, serious training. Get them doing some other things that require different motor patterns. Martial Arts, Rock Climbing, Swimming, send them to a farm and let them chase chickens, climb trees and throw rocks. They will come back with a fresh nervous system and actually learn the football techniques that are being taught.
Not my kid! My kid gets plenty of good rest and eats well, and he’s got the best coaches looking after him.

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Why Your Kid Sucks At Football

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Now whilst I do agree that we have quality football people in this country, I also agree with Bozza that those quality people don’t dominate the football landscape. Out of all the coaches I’ve come across (and there are about 30 that I know of) who have opened their own academies, I would only trust my son with definitely one…maybe two. That being said, this is still not the main issue here. The main issue is overcoaching. Your kid must play into a system. They must pass the ball when the coach says to pass the ball (which is always). Dribbling is not allowed. We have placed too many rules on how kids play, so they are not able to express their talent…if they have any. That’s why poor kids playing on the street, end up being Pele, Maradona, Messi and Neymar. They get to dribble enough to finally learn how to do it so that you can’t get the ball off them. They also get their legs kicked hard enough so that they learn when they have dribbled too much. And they have a hell of a lot of fun doing it. The cones and sticks the coaches use cannot replace the reaction that 10 kids chasing you requires. It builds instinct. Listen up here. This is an important concept. The best coaches create an environment that allows a player to naturally express THEIR talent. Not the coach’s talent, or the system… but the natural talent of the player.

Not my kid! He’s well-rested, has played all different sports and does really well at football.

Seems like a nice kid. What a sweet little fella he must be.

I never met a gifted footballer who didn’t have a burning desire to win that was almost pathological. Which means they may come across as sore losers at first. But they shouldn’t like losing or be comfortable with it. In recent times, football in this country has been catering to the lambs instead of the lions. At young levels, we don’t keep score anymore, we make sure everyone gets to kick the ball, and we hand out participation trophies to all the kids. Then we wonder why our Joeys can’t win anymore, and why our Young Socceroos go from the top 3 in the world to not qualifying for major tournaments. But we don’t care about them just yet, we care about your kid. Let them experience winning and losing and learning from both. And if your kid is playing at a high level, call out the parents encouraging mediocrity. Even better, don’t be that parent!

Not my kid! He’s really gifted. He’s 13 and we’ve done all the right things. All the clubs want him. He’s going to make it.

Well I hope so, but if I had to bet, I don’t think so. My football at school lunchtimes, at home and then at training was about 15hrs per week. Of which 10hrs were spent playing around with my friends dribbling and doing what I wanted. Your kid would be lucky to get 8hrs per week of which maybe 2 hrs they’re actually doing stuff they like. I had 15hrs, I was mildly talented with little athletic ability. I was nowhere near making it. Do you seriously think your child is going to go pro because you’ve signed him up to an academy twice per week. Keep dreaming! Your kid at 13, would rather be playing FIFA on the PlayStation than be playing outside with his friends. Why? because you need the friends that want to do that, and all of them need to like it more than the PlayStation… or the Ipad… or Youtube..and as Ned Zelic recently pointed out, you need the HUNGER. Does he have friends that would rather play in the park? Do his friend’s parents want them playing in the park? There are so many variables here outside of your control. Poor kids do a better job of being talented than well-off kids, because a ball is cheap and trees make good goal posts. (FYI: If you can afford a PlayStation, your kids are well-off). During your childhood, it’s likely that your parents worked long hours and you spent time being a kid doing shit with your friends. Now you’re somewhat successful and you’ll be damned if your kids are hanging around at the park with their friends. Do you see the pattern here?

And if your kid gets to his teenage years and is still performing at a high level in the highest competitions, it’s also highly likely that he is weak. Yes I said it, your kid is WEAK! All your boy is doing by now is playing football and the only strength adaptation he has is to barely make it through a 90min game. If the intensity goes up for any sustained period of time, the likelihood of injury is very high. We avoid this as much as we can by getting STRONG. We get strong by lifting weights, not by playing more football or “running” or training our “core.” While this maybe a controversial topic to you, it need not be. Let’s break it down real quick. Speed and balance require strength. Strength is the application of force against an external resistance. If you want to get strong you need to move heavy shit. It’s as simple as that, and as factual as that. It is a concept that you cannot argue with. One of the effects of being strong is that your tendons and joints also get strong. And guess what happens then, your risk of injury reduces.

Not my kid! He’s got the skill, a killer instinct, playing at a high level and he strength trains in the offseason. It’s like he sleeps with the ball.

Ok, now you may have a chance. But seriously, how many kids do you know that do this. The probability is very low, and the likelihood that your kid is doing these things is extremely low too. Look, this phenomena is not restricted to football. We’re getting our asses handed to us in cricket by the Indians. The Kiwis don’t even break a sweat against the Wallabies in the Rugby. All the best athletes in Rugby League are Polynesian. Our Olympic performances are generally getting worse, not better. Our tennis stars are entitled brats that don’t actually win Grand Slams…forget even thinking about No1 in the world. The funny thing is that I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. Football, or excellence in anything really, starts at home. It starts with personal responsibility, a rare commodity these days.

You may have noticed that I have referred to boys in this article and not girls. Girls haven’t largely experienced this problem where the sport has a larger female participation. Sports like swimming, gymnastics, and dancing require by default huge amounts of time spent practicing. And girls aren’t as attracted to PlayStations nearly as much as boys are. They are still better social creatures who prefer hanging out with their friends playing netball to playing a PlayStation. Phones on the other hand can be a problem, but a post, tweet, a picture doesn’t take the whole afternoon. And funny enough, I wonder why our football females are doing much better than our males by comparison, with less money and resources?!

So what all of this means to you is, the next time you come into my treatment room telling me to “fix” your next big thing, maybe chill out a little bit about fixing him real quick. Let the kid heal so he can play with his friends, doing stuff he likes. When he’s ready, emphasise the importance of general strength as a human quality. I guarantee you he’ll be a better footballer for it, and more importantly, a better person.

Dr. Sami Karam, Osteopath

I’ve been a qualified Osteopath since 2004. I’ve been playing football ever since I could remember and I have a passion for it. I’ve played at the highest level in the NSW State League at both Youth and Senior levels, and have also been Head Physician at numerous State League Clubs. I’ve travelled internationally and consulted with Sports academies in Barcelona and Italy. I have a special interest in Strength and Conditioning for footballers, as I believe it gives them an edge in their physical competition. My passion involves bringing all of this knowledge into every single treatment that I provide for all athletes. If you feel that I can help you and want to reach out to me, contact me.

More about Osteopath Dr. Sami Karam

Treatment When You’re Feeling Good

07/10/202103/12/2021 by Sami Karam

Most people assume that they only need treatment when they have an injury, but what about treatment when you’re feeling good? Is there any use to this or is it just a waste of time? Let’s take a look at some of the criticisms and the advantages of this approach to treatment.

Most people will take the car to a mechanic and ask for a service when the car is generally in good condition, you wouldn’t take your car to a mechanic and ask for a service if the car’s broken down. The mechanic would first have to fix the problem, get your car back out of the road, and then resume your servicing schedule. You can see where this analogy is going.

Disclaimer: This is for Educational Purposes Only

Let me take a quick intercession to inform you as to the nature of our advice. We are experienced, healthcare clinicians. We wish to share our experience with you on topics to do with your health. We may be a little colourful in doing so, but at the heart of what we do is in-the-trenches experience. Whilst we have achieved academic success and understand the evidence, we are not solely evidence-based. We are, however, EVIDENCE INFORMED.

We find that the evidence is usually 10-15years (at minimum) behind what we are seeing in the clinic. We see real people, with real problems, and we’ve made a great living out of offering real solutions.

If all you’re after is the researched evidence, you can find some on Google Scholar, or you can very easily look for more on Google. We want to give you real-life advice, most of which you may not find in the research.

There is no way that this document can replicate or replace expert assessment and guidance given by a qualified registered healthcare practitioner who has seen you personally. I am sure you’re aware that I have no knowledge of your personal medical history or how you take care of your body. If you require care from a qualified practitioner, you would be best served by seeing someone who can empathise with your situation and treat you accordingly.

I’m sure you understand that I disclaim any and all responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading this document. And by reading this article, you accept 100% responsibility for the actions of you or anyone under your care.

But let’s take a step back here. The argument against this analogy is that the body has a self-healing capability, whereas a car doesn’t. Yes, the body can heal itself, and actually, it can do a whole lot more. It can also regulate and adapt itself so that any constant stress has less effect on the system. These stresses are not just physical, but mental and emotional also, but for our purposes today, our services are mainly concerned with the alleviation of physical stress.

The body’s self-regulation we discussed reduces the performance of the body because it has to account for consistent external stress. We don’t prefer this reduction in performance because well, it’s not optimal, and it can lead to injury when the stress is too high for regulation to occur.

But there are a couple of more criticisms to this approach. One, that it’s unnecessary. And two, that it’s unethical. Why would you take someone’s money and treat them when they aren’t in pain and they really don’t need it?

Let’s look at the first criticism of it being unnecessary. Whilst unnecessary can mean different things to different people, let’s try and be as objective as we can about the topic. To make the matter less complicated, the most up-to-date information we have about pain science is that the perception of pain by the brain can be looked at as a set of scales. On one side you have safety signals and on the other, you have danger signals. When the danger signals outweigh the safety signals, pain is perceived in the brain and quite simply, you feel pain.

The danger signals can be anything from trauma, constant mechanical loading, mental stress, and even poor habits and perceptions you’ve built over time. The question now becomes, how qualified is the therapist at identifying the physical danger signals and do they have a track record of actually doing what they claim to do? There’s no evidence other than our own anecdotal evidence to rely on to be able to answer this question, and if hardcore evidence is your measuring stick, you will probably feel that the treatment is unnecessary.

But here’s the funny thing…we never question if the laws of gravity and the mechanical laws governing the universe exist. We assume they do. We quantify them. And we also have to assume that they act on the human body since we are a part of that universe. So movement can be identified and quantified. But can it be rectified or improved? Well, to the extent that mechanical laws can act equally on the relevant parts of the body, yes they can. Unequal distribution of force can be understood as asymmetry, and that is what we are specifically trained to identify and help correct. Pain science is telling us that these things affect danger signals and lead to pain. So by identifying and preventing them, there is a very valid argument that preventative treatment is necessary and in-fact desirable.

So in summary, you can hide behind a lack of existing evidence for preventative treatment and claim it’s unnecessary. But you would also have to disregard the laws of the universe governing movement. You can’t have it both ways!

What about the claim that it’s unethical to charge people money for treatment that can’t be substantiated to be necessary? Well, if you still feel that the treatment is not required or beneficial then you will continue to be convinced that treatment is unethical. But if you’ve come to the conclusion that preventative treatment is beneficial, then not only does treatment become ethical, it’s actually a disservice to the patient not to advise them of this strategy.

Without even considering the health benefits (of which we will get to) the time and cost savings alone are worth the investment. For treatment when pain sets in, a condition could take between 4-6 sessions to alleviate the pain. It might cost you anywhere between four to six hundred dollars over the space of about two to three weeks. Now if you spread that out over the year and you have say four to six treatments over the space of a year, well that time and money are now spread out and it becomes more time and cost-effective.

From a health perspective, preventative treatment is win-win for everybody. The patient benefits from improving mobility and symmetry of movement, and not having to put up with debilitating pain. We are able to keep those danger signals at bay. At least the ones we can control. Good practitioners are able to do this because they have built up a skill set over time in identifying and correcting poor movement patterns. We appreciate doing this because, well for us, it’s easier on our bodies and brains. And like any profession, some are able to do it more effectively than others.

One of the other benefits from a health perspective is it allows you to shift your mindset from just managing and helping yourself with injuries to actually optimizing your health. We can start to help you with your diet, we can start to help you with your training so that you improve your strength and stop these mechanical strains from coming on in the first place.

Treatment, when you’re feeling good, is, in an ideal world, what we would like for all our patients. But that’s just going to happen. In reality, what really teaches a person most effectively to have preventative treatment is – unfortunately – pain and suffering. Most people are stubborn, and won’t buy-into preventative treatment until they’ve been floored by debilitating pain at least a few times. That’s the unfortunate truth.

We encourage you not to let pain smack you around for a few years before you have preventative treatment. We can never guarantee a pain-free life. But one thing we’re sure about is it’ll take a lot more to hurt you. If you understand how treatment can help you when you’re feeling good you can utilize this to your benefit. Stay Strong!

If you feel that any of the information we’ve given you here resonates with you and you feel we are in a position to help, please BOOK ONLINE as we would welcome the opportunity. If you feel that we can help you in any other way, please reach out to us via our CONTACT PAGE.

Dr. Sami Karam, Osteopath

More about Osteopath Dr. Sami Karam

Can Exercise Cause Injury?

09/18/202103/03/2021 by Sami Karam

Many things affect motivation. Some people seem to have it all the time, for others, there are more ups and downs than a rollercoaster ride. What we dislike is when injury contributes to either the lack of motivation or the deterioration of health even when motivation is there. We want to squash any chance that your exercise can lead to injury.

Two kinds of exercisers

I’m often discussing exercise and Injury with two types of people. The first kind of person goes up and down with their motivation and is going back to exercise after a lay-off from injury. The second person is the person who’s continuously exercising, is motivated, but can’t overcome nagging injuries. If you’re one of these people and want to find out more about the connection between exercise and injury, read on!

Disclaimer: This is for Educational Purposes Only

What is exercise?

In past articles, we defined exercise as a workout that’s done specially for the results of that day’s workout. You’re burning some calories, you’re getting your heart rate up, you’re getting your sweat on, but that’s generally where the results end! You’re not moving closer to any pre-defined goal you’ve set for yourself. When we see exercise in this light, we can start to understand a couple of problems that can emerge. The first problem is the problem of randomisation.

Randomisation is you doing random exercises each and every time you go and do a workout. This means that your body doesn’t get adapted to anything specific and each and every time you perform a workout, you get sore. F45, CrossFit and Bootcamps are prime examples of this type of workout.

This soreness is from the muscular damage you’ve created during your workout and because your muscles haven’t been adapted to anything specifically, they keep feeling sore! Now, if you accumulate too much muscular damage over time this leads to systemic inflammation and injury.

Another issue with randomisation is that you don’t get to practice anything specifically. Your technique doesn’t improve and if you’re doing things that are reliant on good technique, under load, and under fatigue that is a precursor for injury.

How exercise can hurt you

Another problem that we can see with exercise is the problem of intensity modification or how hard you train. Most people want to train as hard as they can each time to maximise their results. And if you’re participating in a group type session, the trainer will push you as hard as you can, so that they can maximise your results!

Whilst this might seem like a good idea on the surface it can lead to injury. The reason for this is if you go as hard as you can each time you train, you’re going to accumulate inflammation and that accumulation of inflammation over time will lead to injury!

The common occurrence in the clinic is that we see many examples of participants in these group type classes performing movements like squats, deadlifts, and Olympic lifts that are technique dependant, under fatigue. These movements aren’t inherently bad, but when you push someone to do them when they’re already fatigued from 100 burpees, you’re pretty much forcing injury upon them.

A common joke between allied health practitioners is that every time a CrossFit or a Bootcamp opens in your area, you can upgrade your car. Because the business will pick up! Most people can last about four to six weeks exercising in this fashion before they end up here in the clinic!

Exercise with minimised risk

So now we can start to see how these two different types of people emerge. The first person with waving motivation because they’re doing random sets of exercises and the second person who’s motivated but keeps getting nagging injuries due to the increase of inflammation in their body.

Now, this means you can continue exercising but understand the risks and the benefits, there are benefits to good exercise but there are also risks. You can mitigate those risks! If your exercise is technique dependant, practice that technique so that you become good at it! If you’re going hard each time, understand how to modify your intensity so that you don’t accumulate too much fatigue. Maybe have a week off every seven or eight weeks.

How to reduce your chance of injury

A great strategy is to spend 12 weeks per year getting yourself strong through good strength training. Some CrossFit boxes will actually support you in this endeavour and this can reduce your chance of injury because you get to practice good movement and you get stronger at the movements that are technique dependant. If you spend some energy on mitigating these risks you can continue exercising and enjoying your exercise, and if you do this, You’ll Stay Strong!

Dr. Sami Karam, Osteopath

More about Osteopath Dr. Sami Karam

What is an ankle sprain?

What is an ankle ligament injury?

Ankle sprain grades

How do ankle sprains happen

What are the symptoms of a sprained ankle?

How do are ankle sprains diagnosed?

How are ankle sprains treated?

How long will the ankle sprain effects last?

When can I return to my sport or activity?

How can I help prevent an ankle sprain?

Work hard, Exercise Harder!

Physical exercises for the office

No puffs exercise for the workplace

Stretching exercise you can do near your desk

Discreet exercises for the shy in the workplace

A bit about the Author

Why Your Kid Sucks At Football

Do Corns Go Away On Their Own?

What Causes Heel Pain?

How To Get Rid of Corns?

Partial Nail Avulsion (PNA)

How Custom Orthotics Can Help You Walk Better

Work Hard, Keep Moving, Save your spine!

Work hard, Exercise Harder!

Why Your Kid Sucks At Football

Whiplash pain – prevention, diagnosis and treatment

What You Must Know About Bulging Discs

Dr. Sami Karam, Osteopath

Treatment When You’re Feeling Good

Dr. Sami Karam, Osteopath

Can Exercise Cause Injury?

Two kinds of exercisers

What is exercise?

How exercise can hurt you

Exercise with minimised risk

How to reduce your chance of injury

Dr. Sami Karam, Osteopath

Parramatta Clinic

Peakhurst Clinic