Although arthritis cannot be cured or reversed, there are measures that can be taken to mitigate further damage and symptoms. This blog will assist you in easing arthritic symptoms whilst still enjoying a game of golf. Warm up and weight loss  Simple range-of-motion exercises before you tee off can help prevent injury and improve the overall performance of your game.  Arm Circles. Gradually increasing the size of the circles. Reverse direction after 30 seconds. Trunk Twists. Be sure to twist from the waist. Aim to go through safe, pain free range of motion.  Side Bends. Repe ..read more

Being located on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, we commonly find ourselves treating hand injuries related to pruning. Unfortunately, pruning often involves working within a cold environment, repetitive forceful movements against resistance, awkward postures and little task variation, often resulting in common injuries listed below. On this page we have provided some tips and tricks that you can implement to help avoid injuries while pruning, whether it be on a vineyard or in your own backyard… Common Injuries related to pruning include: Soft tissue bruising  Simple lacerations  ..read more

For all those ‘50 something ‘ ladies out there, have you been bothered with pain at the base of your thumb when you pinch, open a jar or weed the garden? Have you mentioned this to your GP or physio at the end of a consultation with a dismissive comment about this being a ‘bit of arthritis’ and ‘there is nothing you can do’? If this was your knee it would be given a lot more attention by your treaters. If your thumb is 60% of your hand function it deserves the same priority. Possibly more. These days, prescribed exercise as analgesia and its preventative role in delaying surgery is well reco ..read more

The term sleep hygiene is a bit strange. It doesn’t refer to having a shower or changing your bed sheets (though still important habits!). Sleep hygiene refers to the behaviours and routines relating to your sleep, to ensure that you get the best rest possible, to keep you feeling well. You may be reading this thinking, “Peninsula Hand Therapy? What’s that got to do with sleep?”. Though we primarily deal in hand and upper limb conditions, sleep is a very important aspect of recovery from injury. Sleep is also very important for general health and wellbeing, which can have a significant impact ..read more

Thumb pain is a common problem that we see at Peninsula Hand Therapy. Thumb pain may occur for many reasons, including injury, hypermobility and autoimmune diseases. At PHT, we commonly see thumb pain associated with Osteoarthritis (OA) due to the biomechanical changes that occur in the joint at the base of the thumb resulting from cartilage break down from wear and tear over time. These changes can lead to unstable thumb joints that cause pain especially when completing daily tasks that require pinching and gripping actions *.  For a thumb to have a stable pain-free pinch, we need the ..read more

Netball, being one of the most popular organised sports in Victoria, is unfortunately the culprit for a significant number of finger and wrist injuries seen by us at Peninsula Hand Therapy. Have you ever thought “It’s just a jarred finger, it’ll be okay” and 6 weeks later it is still sore? We very often hear this from our sporty clients after a ball injury. It is important to know that delayed  treatment of a sporting injury often can result in chronic instability & pain, deformity and even early arthritis. What to look for when you have a finger or wrist injury in netball: Can you ..read more

The use of vibrating power tools can lead to health effects known as ‘Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome’ (HAVS). HAVS causes changes in finger sensation which can lead to permanent numbness, muscle weakness and white fingers. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is also associated with exposure to vibration and can coexist with HAVS. The question of whether personal protective equipment (PPE) such as anti-vibration gloves are beneficial in the management of HAVS has been investigated. Anti-vibration gloves are typically made from resilient gel, foam or rubber-like materials, or an array of air bladders ..read more

The Mornington Peninsula is a golfing haven, with approximately 15 courses within 90 minutes drive from Melbourne. Gorgeous scenery, rolling sand dunes and links style layouts are just some of the things to attract golfers to the area. Not to mention that beautiful food and wine are never too far away. Golf can cause its fair share of injuries though. From tweaking your back, sore knee and wrist issues just to name a few. Most wrist injuries occur from “hitting it fat”, hacking out of the rough, hitting off hard practice mats or hitting a submerged tree root. Ulnar sided injuries (your little ..read more

Some interesting facts… With the widespread use of laptops and touch screens in the classroom and at home, students are losing the ability to write neatly and quickly as writing is performed less and less. Writing is a complex sensory-motor activity, that demands more of your brain than typing. This means that writing is taking longer to become automatic for students than it once was. Writing for three hours in an exam is an endurance activity. Just as you would train for a marathon race you also need to train for an exam. Practice writing every day for 20 minutes.  Did you know those wit ..read more

Graded Motor Imagery (GMI) is a ‘Hands Off’ model of treatment used in those who are suffering from various types of chronic neuropathic (nerve) pain.  Chronic pain is different from other types of pain (like a muscle tear or ligament injury) in that the nervous system itself is the source of pain. Often, the nerve injury is related to the original injury but is also a separate injury in itself. This manifests itself in conditions such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) which we commonly see in hand and upper limb injuries here at Peninsula Hand Therapy. Treating chronic pain requir ..read more