BSEMS February Blog

Well January certainly was a trying time for Queenslanders. Many of the staff and specialists at BSEMS were themselves directly affected by the Brisbane floods, or have close friends or family who were. The destruction caused by Cyclone Yasi was equally troubling to see, but we know the Far North Queenslanders are made of stern stuff. We hope everyone is finding their feet again after such a troubling start to the year.

Football Season

It is that time of year again (already!) where the football season gets up and running again. Trial games have already begun for the Reds, and Dr Matt Hislop will be busy covering games for the Reds Academy team, and soon after that the Broncos. After seeing the damage caused to Suncorp Stadium, it will be truly awesome to see it up and running again so quickly. Dr Daelyn Vivers will busy herself with club Rugby games, and hopes to step up to being the Reds full time doctor in the not too distant future. Our new Registrar Dr Tom Gan will be involved in game coverage for the new Gold Coast Suns AFL development team.

Welcome to Beth Sheehan

We are pleased to welcome our newest practitioner Beth Sheehan. Beth is an Exercise Physiologist who adds her wealth of experience to the BSEMS clinic. She has recently returned from overseas work and has re-settled back in Brisbane. Beth specializes in exercise programs for individuals who suffer from chronic pain as well as rehabilitation programs for sporting and work related injuries.

Our resident Podiatrist, Mr Craig Page has provided the latest timely fact sheet. Craig now undertakes sessions at BSEMS every Friday afternoon. Craig will assess your foot type, gait pattern and foot function, as well as offer advice on appropriate footwear for your particular foot type and chosen sport.  Please contact our staff for more details.

Choosing the Right Football Boots

The start of the football season often means new boots. Finding the right boot is important for both comfort and injury prevention.  The following information will help you decide on the boot that is best for you.

Features to look for:

Upper – In recent times much research has gone into developing the optimal combination of materials for use in the upper. For instance there are uppers which are designed to enable the player to add spin to the ball and there are uppers that incorporate chemical coatings to provide additional grip. The upper needs to be strong enough to support your foot during rapid changes in direction and when kicking.  Combination leather and synthetic uppers are the strongest particularly when reinforced with ample stitching. Kangaroo leather is becoming particularly popular due to its strength and ability to mould well to the foot, whilst remaining very light.

Heel counter – The heel counter or heel cup needs to be very rigid to support your rear foot during swerving & stepping. A sturdy deep heel cup can prevent injuries especially in young footballers.

Midsole – More and more boots today have midsoles or wedges under the heel and even the forefoot much like a touch football boot (hybrid between joggers and a conventional boot). A boot with a midsole provides cushioning and support which is desirable for injury prevention. These are particularly good for young footballers that suffer from heel pain or ‘severs’(growth plate inflammation) or any player that suffers from lower limb injuries such as shin splints, Achilles tendonopathy and chronic knee pain. The extra bulk in this type of boot is the only downside and serious players often prefer to use them for training only whilst staying with the traditional style boot for game day.

Outsole – The outsole must be rigid and match the width of the foot. A narrow outsole will cause the foot to hang over the edge of the sole and place more pressure on the upper, which decreases the stability of the boot. The outsole should only flex at the forefoot in the position that the toes bend, all other movement in the outsole should be minimal.

Moulded Vs Screw-in studs – Football and rugby in Queensland is generally played on very hard surfaces, therefore, a moulded boot is far more suitable and a lot safer. It is important to make sure there are no studs positioned directly under the big toe joint and that the studs do not stop the boot flexing where it is suppose to – under the ball of the foot. Many footwear companies are using cleats/blades rather than the traditional circular stud shape. The advantage of a cleat system is the ability to provide greater grip without increasing the weight of the boot. Anyone who has had a knee reconstruction or suffers from instability in the knee joint should be careful not to use an aggressive cleat design as the increased grip may cause the foot to remain stuck in the turf whilst the upper leg rotates, potentially leading to excessive twisting through the knee.

Fit – a correctly fitted boot is an important factor in prevention and treatment of foot injuries. There should always be a thumb nail width from the longest toe to the end of the boot. There should also be adequate depth to ensure your foot sits securely in the boot.

At Brisbane Sports and Exercise Medicine Specialists, our Podiatrist Craig will assess your foot type, gait pattern and foot function, as well as offer advice on appropriate footwear for your particular foot type and chosen sport.

Welcome to the BSEMS September Blog

Platelet-rich Plasma and Autologous Blood Injections

The Sports Physicians at BSEMS are pleased to offer Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) and Autologous Blood Injections (ABI) to our patients. Please refer to our fact sheet for more information. This intervention should be considered an adjunct to a detailed strengthening programme, and is typically used for recalcitrant tendinopathies.

Welcome to Dr Peter Myers

BSEMS would like to welcome Dr Peter Myers, world renowned Orthopaedic Surgeon to the clinic. Dr Myers has long been the preferred knee surgeon for The Brisbane Broncos and Queensland Reds, and is a world leader in meniscal repair, and transplantation. Dr Myers expertise only adds to the wealth of Specialists consulting at BSEMS, and we are happy to have him on board.

Delhi Commonwealth Games

BSEMS would like to wish all the Australian Athletes all the best for the Commonwealth Games competition in New Delhi! After a bit of a rough start, we are sure now the competition has started that India will have its chance to shine as host. A few of the athletes experienced some last minute hiccups before departing andDr Hislop and Dr Vivers were happy to do their part for Queensland based competitors.

Team Coverage

The long NRL and AFL seasons have finally come to an end for 2010, and not without much drama. The Brisbane Broncos are enjoying a well earned break, but the Reds and Academy players will start their preseason over the next few weeks. Dr Hislop was also privileged to help out with some game coverage for the Brisbane Roar football team in September.

Feedback

Please let us know how we are doing. BSEMS strive to offer a world class service to Queenslanders and if you think of ways we can do better please let us know.

Until next time, stay fit, healthy and active.

The BSEMS team.

Welcome to the first blog from BSEMS.  We hope to make this a regular occurrence, and a chance to pass on information on what is happening behind the scenes at BSEMS, as well as to provide information on topics provided by our specialists.

Since opening on the 7th April 2010, we have seen hundreds of patients from southeast Queensland with Sports and Exercise medicine issues. The first 5 months have been great, and we look forward to growing and providing a one-stop-shop for Sports Medicine. We have a multidisciplinary team waiting to help wherever we can. Every 1-2 months, we will endeavour to provide a topic of interest on the blog from one of our specialists.

Team coverage

Dr Matt Hislop is joint team physician for the Brisbane Broncos, and looks after the Reds Rugby Academy. The past few months have been a busy time with team cover.

Rugby League:

Dr Hislop was also happy to help with the screening and coverage of the two Queensland teams that played the curtain raisers for State of Origin game 2 held at Suncorp. Of course the real achievement of the night was when Queensland won the series for an historic fifth time.

The last few months have been interesting with the Broncos unfortunately falling short and out of finals contention for the first time in 17 years. Darren Lockyer's rib injury was quite significant, and it is a testament to him that he came close to returning to play. The timing of his injury was incredibly bad for the Broncos, but that is the nature of any sport. The Broncos no doubt are looking forward to some time off, before starting up again for the preseason.

Rugby Union:

The club rugby finals are on at the moment. It has been good to see many past Reds Rugby Academy members progressing to play Super 14 for the Reds- Poutasi Luafutu, Quade Cooper, Scott Higginbotham, Luke Morahan, and Ben Lucas to name a few. Dr Hislop is proud to be part of the team that helps young and upcoming rugby players in the best Academy programme in the country. His Academy role helps with screening, injury prevention, and management of injuries when they do occur.

Soccer:

Dr Hislop was privileged to be invited to help with medical cover for Everton FC when they completed their successful tour of Down Under in July. Thankfully the game was completed injury free, as the team had to board a flight back to the UK later that evening!

Dr Daelyn Vivers

BSEMS have been happy to welcome Dr Daelyn Vivers who has arrived from Perth recently.

She is settling in well and developing a dedicated patient following.

Dr Vivers is the newly appointed QAS Swimming doctor, and also looks after Water Polo.

She was involved in the coverage of National Short Course Championships at the Sleeman Centre, Chandler in July. Many of the well known Queensland swimmers have gone on to do well at the Pan Pacs Championship recently held in the USA, including Jessica Schipper, Sophie Eddington and Emily Seebohm.

Dr Vivers has recently undertaken a thorough review of exercise induced asthma and its management and is happy to manage any musculoskeletal problem.

Feedback

At BSEMS we are proud of our world class new rooms, great website, and our multidisciplinary team of specialists. We want to make life easy for our patients, by offering a one-stop shop for Sports and Exercise Medicine. (We do not have physiotherapy on site, but work closely with many of the excellent sports physiotherapists in our area.) Please peruse our website for more information on what each practitioner does. We welcome and value your feedback, both positive and negative.

Best regards until next blog!

Dr Matt Hislop

Practice Principal