Why previous injuries matter!!

Here’s why we ask about other injuries.

Most problems develop due to behaviour or trauma - most of the time though it’s a combination of both - ie. our behaviour changes as a result of the trauma.

We’re not designed to move perfectly or symmetrically, but there needs to be a degree of symmetry.

So if there is history of a significant enough injury in the past, then it’s worth talking about especially if the recovery was sub-par.

Common ones that fly under the radar:

• Concussions that happened during car accidents that we didn’t have diagnosed at the time

• Fractured ribs

• Those good old recurrent ankle sprains

These injuries can have implications on how the rest of the body works and can contribute towards a behavioural adaptation that can lead to asymmetrical overload with movement.

So, when we query about previous injury, please know, we’re not trying to extend the list of the things we want to solve - we are looking for all the possible things that have led you to having your current problem so we can be the last practitioner you’ll ever need!

How should I prepare for an upcoming session?

Most of the time we get a 30min snapshot of you… Making the best use of that time is based on the clarity of our plan and also how clear we are on exactly what you want.

Even the research tells us that success if often dependant on 3 key factors:

1. That we agree on what’s wrong and what we’re going to do about it

2. That we agree on HOW we are going to address the problem

3. That we genuinely get along and we connect

Communication is key here.

To make the most of your sessions:

• Have a list of what’s going well and what’s been challenging

• Come dressed in appropriate clothing or footwear

• Be clear on what you need from us if there is something specific

• Tell us about other injuries or problems you’ve sustained

• Work on one problem at a time unless you’ve booked for an extended session

• If there is something stressful going on, please tell us so we can accommodate for that (one example - if you’re highly stressed it might not be a good idea to have an intense session)

• Have videos ready if you want us to look at your movement

• Send us your scan links or reports before the session

Don’t do these things:

• Take pain killers or anti-inflammatory medication to mask the pain

• Rush to do your rehab just before your session just to tell us that you’ve done it

• Raise a new issue in the last 5 mins of the session - please understand that we will need to address that next session

• Scroll for 5 mins to try and find a video

Our standard 30min session might be longer than other clinics, but we are trying to get a lot done in a session - provide treatment, rehab, communicate and plan… Extra things like finding videos, getting changed out of corporate attire, too much chit chat can eat into the session… We want to help provide exceptional healthcare for you in the most cost effective and efficient manner possible.

How long are your sessions and which appointment length is best for me?

At Balance Health & Performance, we know that every patient’s needs are unique - and so are the types of appointments that will best support your progress. To help you make the right choice, here’s a quick guide to the different appointment lengths we offer:

🔹 30-Minute Appointment (Most Common)
This is the standard session length. It gives us time to review your progress, connect with you, explore what’s changed since your last visit, and deliver focused treatment that keeps you moving towards your goals.

🔹 45-Minute Appointment
Ideal for initial consultations or more complex cases. This extra time allows us to take a deep dive into your history or address multiple areas of concern in a single session. In many cases, it’s also more cost-effective than booking two separate 30min sessions.

🔹 15-Minute Short Consultation
Perfect for quick, targeted care when both you and your practitioner know your case well. These sessions are designed for fast relief, maintenance, or small “bite-sized” progressions — a cost-effective way to stay on track.

🔹 60-Minute Appointment (Deep Analysis)
Reserved for complex or high-stakes situations. This extended time allows for a comprehensive assessment and treatment, whether it’s a challenging condition or a sports-related issue that requires extra attention and detail.

💡 The takeaway: Each appointment length has a purpose. Choosing the right one helps us give you the right balance of connection, assessment, and treatment so you can achieve your health goals effectively.

If you’re unsure which one works best for you, feel free to email us admin@balancehp.com.au or give us a call on (02) 9899 5512.

Will Treatment Hurt?

Here are 2 very important things that happen when we press on and provide intervention involving the area that hurts:

1. It’s diagnostic and therapeutic. This means that it helps us get closer to confirming what is going on and what tissues are involved. Through assessment during the treatment, how the area reacts and behaves is imperative to helping us understand what might be going on… Does it get worse with treatment, better, does it stay the same or does it change? These are crucial to helping us build a success plan and your feedback during the session is a big part of that.
   

2. You know that we know exactly where the problem is. It’s your body, so it’s really important that we can help you feel assured that even though we may not be treating the sore spot the whole time, we definitely know where it is, what it is and why it’s acting up. Sometimes getting treatment on the sore area provides reassurance even if it doesn’t solve the problem.

So yes, sometimes it can hurt, but never without purpose and never beyond your tolerance. So as long as we’re communicating, then treatment is bearable.

Can I still train OR go to work after my appointment?

Generally, yes - but of course, it’s not that straight forward.

It really depends on what we’re going to be doing in the session, and then what type of training or work you are doing.

For example, if you are coming in for running related knee pain, then having a session on the knee, followed by a run, might be a good test to gauge how well the session translated into results with running.

A different scenario might be, that you are dealing with hip impingement, and after the session you are planning on doing heavy deadlifts. The problem we may have here is that the work we do with the hip may have you feeling different on one side compared to the other, leaving your deadlifts feeling “different” to normal, which may not be conducive to heavy lifting.

Another scenario might be that you’re going into meetings which require concentration, and you’re needing treatment on your jaw. Treatment in this area can often leave you feeling a bit tired and drowsy, especially if the intervention is intense. So sometimes it’s better to time these sessions so they are at the end of the day.

So, in a nutshell:

1. Tell you practitioner what you plan on doing after the session in case it changes what we do in the session

2. The decision to train or go back to work is TOTALLY contextual

3. If you’re not sure - ask.

Do I Need An MRI?

“Should I get an MRI?”

Probably a question we get asked every day. There is a lot of certainty that comes with getting a scan and many of our patients experience a sense of relief when we have something definitive and can map our a clear plan based on clear findings..

Here are some reasons we send for an MRI:

• Grading an injury - this helps us manage the time it will take to recover

• Uncertainty - some people just want to know what’s wrong

• It’s not responding as expected - maybe we need to clarify the diagnosis

• Determining the diagnosis - if you can’t tell if it’s one thing or another and the management of the injury depends on the diagnosis

Often though, the answer is not always “yes, let’s get a scan” - and here are 3 strong reasons why…

1. The scan is likely to reveal a lot of information which may not be relevant

2. The pain may be driven by nerve sensitivity rather than a pathology

3. Getting a scan may not help us build a success plan together

When would a scan reveal irrelevant information?

Here’s what we know - normal degenerative changes on scans start to present themselves from the age of 30. So, if you’re 50, and have shoulder pain for example, it’s quite likely for us to see “degenerative tearing” of tendons, “cystic changes in the cartilage” and “osteophytic development”. I’m using the terms in case you’ve got an MRI and those phrases set off alarm bells. They are fairly common and reasonable findings for someone who has used their shoulder for half a decade.

When is something sensitive and when is something pathological?

We have a growing amount of evidence to suggest with certainty, that pain is not structural. Meaning, your pain doesn’t always come from what your scan says. 80% of disc bulges found on MRI are asymptomatic! If your pain follows a pattern that is in line with a pathology then a scan can help diagnose with accuracy - BUT if your pain changes from day to day or follows a pattern that isn’t in line with a particular pathology, then sometimes, the pain can come from something being sensitised. Curious? Watch this post on insta.

When wouldn’t a scan help us plan?

Generally, a scan won’t help us in 2 situations: You’re either already getting better, or we’re just sending for a scan to tell us what we already know. These situations do not indicate sending for a scan.

How do you track progress? Do you reassess regularly?

Something we’ve introduced this year which has helped our patients immensely are our “review sessions”.

What they are is an opportunity for us to debrief what’s gone well and what hasn’t gone quite well - allowing us to adjust accordingly.

This is the process here:

Internally, one of our metrics is how many review sessions we have scheduled. The reason is because it’s absolutely crucial to stay current with our approach in making a difference to your life.

Without these sessions, things can eventually feel a bit directionless…

The reason the sessions can become directionless is simply because we haven’t discovered and agreed on a meaningful enough metric that strongly relates to your problem or to your goal. This can also happen if we have bridged the gap on the metric and did not pivot quick enough to discover the next most important metric - especially if your problem isn’t solved yet.

If your goals have changed, ask us about having a review session. The best relationships are two-way, and we invite you to collaborate with us - we want to do absolutely everything we can to support you in health.

I haven't been doing my exercises, should I cancel my appointment?

We hear it (and feel it) quite frequently - that if you haven’t done your exercises, you can feel guilty. Then what happens is you go into problem solving mode, thinking a good solution to that is to have another week or two up your sleeve so you can get them done… So you call us and say…

”… I haven’t done my exercises so I think I should push back my appointment.”

Here’s 3 reasons why that’s a bad idea:

1. You’re not actually going to do them, if you didn’t do them straight away

2. That doesn’t help you get better faster

3. Part of our role is to help you find the best way forward for you

Here’s why people don’t do their exercises…

• Too time consuming

• Couldn’t remember it properly

• Doesn’t feel right

• Too difficult

• Not the right equipment

• Inappropriate or feels socially awkward

• Didn’t feel effective enough

• Doesn’t seem relevant

• Not clear on sets and reps

Pushing your appointment back a week or two doesn’t remove these barriers. Keep the appointment, tell us what the barrier is, and let us help you find another way forward.

In some cases, it’s also important to know, that part of our role in supporting you is to stop trying to ‘fix it’… Instead, help you maintain things with some periodic treatment to keep things where they are and not letting them slip backwards - essentially kicking the can down the road until you’re ready to take another step forward to solving the problem.