Luke Bortolussi is a qualified Personal Trainer. Although he is not working in the fitness industry, he works closely with local Personal Trainers offering instruction on appropriate strengthening and stretching techniques to provide his clients with the best opportunity for short term relief and long term management of their foot and lower limb injuries.
During consultation in the clinic Luke can also offer the following services to his sporting clients:
- sports taping
- dynamic range of motion stretching techniques
- post isometric stretching
- trigger point therapy through dry needling
- Theraband strengthening techniques
- F.I.T. (frequency, intensity, time) exercise advice
- sports orthotics
Sports therapy
It is well known that the foot plays a role in many leg, pelvic and lower back sporting injuries. Common examples include:
- patello femoral syndrome (runner knee)
- shin splints
- Achilles tendontitis
- sacro iliac pain
- medial & lateral meniscal degeneration
- tibialis posterior tendonitis and dysfunction
- peroneal tendonitis
The role the legs, pelvis and core play in causing foot pain is less obvious. For successful management of foot pain in active individuals it is important for the podiatrist to take a holistic approach.
Here are some examples:
- plantarfasciitis: based on the Anatomy Train theory the plantarfascia is connected to the calf muscles and hamstrings. Appropriate stretching of calf and hamstring musculature will play an instrumental role in long term management of plantarfaciitis in sportspeople.
- lateral ankle sprain: although therecurrence of ank
le sprains is commonly attributed to a supinated foot type, long
nd weak peroneal muscles of the leg also play a part in what can be a recurrent and debilitating sports injury. Strengthening of the peroneal using Theraband or BOSU can reduce its incidence. - anterior ankle pain: a tight gastrocnemius and soleus muscle results in increased tension of the Achilles tendon which can push the talus forward in the ankle joint. This can e managed through appropriate static stretching of gastrocnemius and soleus muscles after training and sporting events.