Orthopedic rehabilitation is a form of physical therapy that treats a large variety of conditions that affect the skeletal system and the muscular system.  Therapy can be pre-operative or post-operative.  Injuries are also treated to prevent surgical intervention or further damage to the specific joint or muscle.

Biokinetic intervention can significantly increase muscle strength and stability around a joint, thus aiding in stabilization of the joint.

Examples:

• Back and neck injuries / operations: Brachial plexus injuries, Scheuerman’s disease, sciatica, spondylolisthesis, Sacroiliac joint instability, lumbar fusions, laminectomies, general muscular low back pain.
• Shoulder injuries: Shoulder impingement, bursitis, rotator cuff syndrome, dislocations / subluxations, labrum tears, ligament strains and sprains.
• Elbow, wrist and hand injuries: Lateral and medial epicondylitis, ligament injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Hip: Total hip replacement, Labrum tears, Trochanteric bursitis, dislocations, contusions.
• Knee: Total knee replacement, chondromalacia patella, Patellar tendinitis, ITB friction syndrome, Osgood-.‐Schlatter disease, meniscal lesions, ligament injuries.
• Lower limb/ankle injuries: ligament sprains, Achilles tendinopathy, medial tibial stress syndrome, compartment syndrome, stress fractures of tibia and fibula.
• Foot injuries: stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, morton’s neuroma.

Cardiac rehab doesn’t change your past, but it can help you improve your heart’s future. It’s a medically supervised program designed to help improve your cardiovascular health if you have experienced heart attack, heart failure, angioplasty, heart surgery or have risk factors for a cardiac event.

Cardiac Rehab programs include exercise training, education on heart healthy living, and counselling to reduce stress and help you return to an active life.

Cardiac rehabilitation addresses risk factors that lead to coronary heart disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, smoking, lack of physical activity, depression and other emotional health concerns.

Benefits of Exercise in Cardiac Rehabilitation

Physical activity has many physical, psychological and spiritual benefits. In terms of cardiac rehabilitation, exercise is associated with the following benefits:

• Strengthening the heart muscle
• Increasing hemoglobin concentration in the blood
• Increasing stroke volume, thus making the heart pump more efficiently.
• Enlarging and increasing the number of arteries supplying the heart with blood, thus increasing oxygen supply and reducing the tendency for blood clots.
• Elevating the body’s metabolism, thus assisting with weight loss. This is beneficial for overweight and obese individuals suffering from heart disease.
• Reducing and assisting with the control of cardiac risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes
• Improving muscle strength, flexibility and endurance.
• Reducing psychological stress

It is advised that patients with heart disease or associated conditions exercise under the supervision of a qualified therapist and that their blood pressure and heart rate is monitored before, during and after exercise training.

Before commencing with an exercise regime, it is important that a cardiac patient is screened and evaluated by a registered Biokineticist. This will assist the biokineticist to safely design an individualized exercise program for the patient.

Anyone can come for cardiac rehabilitation at our practice.

Our cardiac program includes:  Initial evaluation (Physical work capacity test with stress ECG)

                                                   20 x 1:1 sessions with 2 x Re-evaluation with stress ECG

Sasolmed members can be registered on this specific intervention program for cardiac rehabilitation. Contact [email protected]

Some of the other medical aids also cover for a Cardiac program. Contact the practice for more information.

Neurological disorders are diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system.  In other words, the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, nerve roots, autonomic nervous system, neuromuscular junction, and muscles.

These disorders include epilepsy, Alzheimer disease and other dementias, cerebrovascular diseases including stroke, migraine and other headache disorders, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, neuro-infections, brain tumours, traumatic disorders of the nervous system due to head trauma, and neurological disorders as a result of malnutrition.

Why see a Biokineticist

• Almost all neurological conditions have common signs and symptoms, of these include differences in speech patterns, loss of balance and coordination, numbness in a single extremity, tremors and rigid muscles.
• As Biokineticists our main purpose is to foster independency and prevent/decrease further progression of these disorders.
• Our role is to utilise exercise as a movement tool to promote the release of the hormone endorphins. This hormone aids in decreasing one of the most common symptoms, depression.
• A multidisciplinary program will benefit these patients the most, with focus on a combination of balance, aerobic, large muscle group activities and condition specific treatments.
• Another role of Biokinetics is to increase awareness of these conditions whereby preventing disease progression and improving patient’s quality of life through exercise.

Health is a dynamic process because it is always changing. As our lifestyles change, so does our level of health.

Those of us who participate in regular physical activity do so partly to improve the current and future level of our health. We strive toward an optimal state of well-being. As our lifestyle improves, our health also improves and we experience less diseases and sickness.

A fitness assessment is a great way to evaluate your current fitness level. It includes a series of measurements that help determine physical fitness and are a great way to gauge your current fitness level

We perform various “fitness/health” assessments:

Vitality Fitness assessments – Discovery Vitality members can earn Vitality points for the Vitality Fitness Assessment twice a year if their assessments are at least five months apart.

Momentum Fitness Assessments – Momentum multiply members can earn points for HealthReturns by completing the assessment at an accredited biokineticist. Fitness assessments should be performed no less than five months apart to count towards earning HealthReturns.

Physical work capacity fitness assessments (PWC) – Full person specific evaluation of fitness, body composition and muscle strength. Where after we can give you a program that meets your specific needs.

What does most of the assessments entail?

During these fitness assessments the following is tested:

Body weight & height

Blood pressure

Hip and waist circumference

Flexibility

Fitness (by means of a 12 min step test/ 3 min step test / PWC)

Push ups and sit ups to test your strength

Group exercise offers a variety of benefits you might miss out on if you choose to work out on your own.

Some of the benefits include:

• Exposure to a social and fun environment,
• A safe and effectively designed workout,
• An accountability factor for participating in exercise,
• A consistent exercise schedule,
• A workout that requires no prior exercise knowledge or experience.
• More cost-effective

We offer the following group classes at the practice:

Rehabilitation classes: Patients with a valid ICD10 code receive rehabilitation in a group setting. (Refer to orthopaedic rehabilitation and neurological diseases for more information)

Pilates: Especially for healthy individuals who want to improve posture, stability and flexibility. (See Pilates)

Pre-natal classes: Pregnant women can join during any stage of their pregnancy to safely enjoy the benefits of exercising during their pregnancy. (Refer to Pre-natal pilates)

Pilates for kids: Children of all ages can join these pilates classes which is specially tailored to meet their needs. Flexibility, stability and posture will all be addressed in a fun and unique way. (For more information refer to Kids Pilates)

Conditioning-pilates classes: A combination of cardiovascular exercises and pilates. Patients who are interested in losing weight, addressing cardiovascular fitness or general wellbeing will benefit from these classes.

Hydrotherapy: An indoor, heated swimming pool provides the perfect environment for improving stability, muscle strength, flexibility and of course balance. (More information under hydrotherapy)

Weight-management: Cardiovascular exercises and resistance training form the base of these classes. (Classes are covered by the medical aid for all Sasolmed members) (Refer to weight management for more information.

Exercising during pregnancy lifts your spirits and prepares you for labor and childbirth, but it’s important to be extra cautious during your workouts. Whether you’re a reformed couch potato or a conditioned athlete, going to a Biokineticist will help you to be healthy and keep your baby safe.

Always check with your healthcare provider before starting, continuing, or changing an exercise routine. If you exercised regularly before getting pregnant and your pregnancy is uncomplicated, you can probably continue working out as before, with a few modifications. However, in some cases it’s not okay to exercise during pregnancy, so talk to your health care provider about your fitness routine to make sure your activities don’t put you or your baby at risk.

Pregnant women can start at any time during pregnancy (providing they have their Gynaecologist/GP/midwife’s consent) and can continue right up to the end of their pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a time when good posture can deteriorate. This becomes even more so as the pregnancy advances and the weight of the baby moves the centre of gravity forward. This can result in an extreme lordosis which can lead to lower back pain common in pregnancy. The increased weight gain in the breasts can also lead to rounding of the shoulders with a resultant distortion in the cervical spine and how the head is held

When you come and see a Biokineticist at our practice we will do a thorough evaluation before starting a exercise programme or class.

Benefits of exercising during Pregnancy:

• Decreased maternal weight gain
• Easier, shorter and less complicated labour
• Better than average placental growth improving supply of glucose and oxygen to the baby
• Improved neuro-development at birth and through first 5 years of life
• Improved rate of recovery post birth
• Improve posture control and awareness
• Pelvic floor conditioning
• Promotes spinal & pelvic stability
• Improves circulation