Words by Emma, Bathurst Principal Physiotherapist
Yvonne was always incredibly active before coming to the Wellness Centre, she was walking up to 5km per day and attending her local gym 3 days per week! After suffering a fall last year causing a hairline fracture to her hip, Yvonne was encouraged by her specialist to manage this conservatively with Physiotherapy and exercise. Yvonne has maintained her mobility through daily walks around the beautiful Opal Bathurst gardens. Although Yvonne was missing her strength and endurance training, she is very independent and you will often see Yvonne wandering the beautiful grounds of Opal Bathurst, socialising with residents, and attending all the activities on offer.
During our initial assessment, Yvonne said she noticed a decline in her mobility, endurance, and balance. Rather than waiting for it to decline further, Yvonne was proactive and sought the knowledge of a physiotherapist to guide her back to functional independence.
Yvonne was shocked by her decline in balance, she had noticed losing balance at times while walking in her room or outside, Yvonne didn’t realise how much this had declined until assessed in the Wellness Centre.
Yvonne was quite concerned and was more motivated to address this to maintain her independence.
Her goals were to improve her balance and therefore decrease her risk of falls, maintain lower limb strength and endurance, maintain/improve cardiovascular health – all whilst managing her hip pain.
“Since commencing on the program, I have enjoyed the variety of exercises and being able to complete under safe supervision with Emma’s prompts that would otherwise go unnoticed in a gym setting. This was particularly important for me, as I would not want to cause any pain to my right hip. This way I am safe and preventing injury. I love the reformer machine! There is so much I can do on this machine that I couldn’t do otherwise in standing due to my hip pain. My strength has doubled since starting. I also really enjoy the balance-specific exercises Emma and I complete in the safety of the parallel bars. She challenges me every week with something new and different. I have noticed improvements in my balance since starting which is very rewarding, I am also decreasing my risk of falling again.” – Yvonne
Yvonne’s lower limb strength and right hip injury have significantly improved since commencing physiotherapy at the Wellness Centre.
Initially, Yvonne could complete 10 seconds with her feet together, now she can complete 30 seconds with her eyes closed on a foam mat. This has dramatically reduced her risk of falling!!
Yvonne’s walking has improved since correcting her right hip biomechanics and strength. She is now safer walking and is effectively ensuring she is using the right muscles and not adopting a harmful gait.
Yvonne is super motivated to achieve her goals. It has been a pleasure working with her and will be well into the future.
