As we near the end of another calendar year, it’s great to look back at the wins we’ve had as a team. I, like most I’m sure, get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, but acknowledging the positive impact we as a team have on our patients lives can make some of the more challenging days more than worth it!

My Team and I became Exercise Physiologists because of our passion for helping people – getting to do this day to day via physical activity and movement prescription still gives me a personal thrill after 13+ years. I consider myself very fortunate to have found an occupation where I can build relationships and guide my patients to make tangible changes to their health and well-being.

At Restart we approach every patient recognising their unique-ness, therefore each person we help must have a personalised approach. Some patients aren’t quite ready to make the changes we advise and request of them, whilst others, perhaps motivated by pain or a desire for a better quality of life, are. Some patients are with us for a short period of time, whilst others love the routine and support that regular appointments provide and stick with us for years. Each situation is different, however we always remain grateful for the trust placed in us to best guide each person we see.

So here are our personal highlights from 2024; a success story we are most proud to share! (to protect the identity of each patient, all names used are fictitious).

Luke’s favourite patient success story

Gary came to me back in August having recently been temporarily suspended from his work duties due to his inability to adequately perform his job (not sure of the legalities of this but I’ll stay in my lane). Aged 48, Gary weighed over 170kg, reported using calipers to pick up objects from the ground due to his diminishing mobility and left knee pain, required daily naps due to consistently low energy levels, and could only walk approximately 400m before his feet gave out. Challenges with mental health were also present. Work tasks such as crouching, manual handling of >10kg, sitting on the floor and performing children’s activities at ground level had become increasingly difficult.

His primary motivators for positive health change were three-fold:

1. To be more physically active to improve energy levels, improve mental health, and improve quality of life;
2. Improve metabolic health to get more done and facilitate a timely return to work;
3. To live a long and healthful life to be there for his family.

It was important to provide a safe (as his blood pressure was exceedingly high) and realistic starting point for Gary. Gary needed improved structure around physical activity, as well as some effective strategies to improve his foot and lower limb function.

We started off by agreeing on a 3-day exercise program to be continuously repeated. Day #1 comprised of home walking (I cued Gary to rest when necessary and steadily build his tolerance); day #2 comprised of pool-based exercise (the buoyancy is beneficial to enable more movement), and day #3 was Gary’s active rest day but with increased incidental activity (goal of 5,000 steps) plus 3x standing to laying to standing (a movement I appraised and timed during our initial appointment). In subsequent appointments, I added a home-exercise program using resistance bands, dumbbells and bodyweight exercises to day #3.

I also cued Gary to commence nasal breathing (to help with blood pressure reduction), ditch his calipers to promote more squatting and bending, improve his hydration levels by purchasing a stainless steel drink bottle, and to finish his morning shower with a 30 second blast of cold water to help activate his body’s brown fat stores and drive an increase in his resting metabolic rate.

Now for the best bit. With the support of our Dietetic partner Emma at Fuel Your Life, Gary has achieved some incredible wellness benefits in a short space of time. These improvements can be summarised as:

• Gary’s regular participation in physical activity means he now achieves the recommended 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise and two resistance training bouts per week;
• Gary’s walking endurance has improved considerably – upon commencement of appointments in August, Chris reported that his feet would begin to hurt after only 400 metres. As of late September, he is now able to walk for 40 minutes prior to fatigue onset;
• Engaging in regular morning exercise has helped to regulate daily energy levels, meaning Gary no longer requires a nap during the day. This enables him to get more done, which was one of his primary goals!
• As of early November, Gary lost a total of 6.7kg (over a span of 8 weeks) via regular exercise, and dietary support from Emma;
• Gary has achieved a significant reduction in resting blood pressure of 22mmHg (SBP) and 15mmHg (DBP);
• Gary achieved a 40% improved time in the supine (laying on back) to standing task (18.9s in early August vs 11.3s in late September) – this indicates improved mobility and will have positive cross-over to his work-based tasks;
• Gary also reports a complimentary improvement in his mental health, as he now spends less time ruminating and catastrophising.

Gary still has further progress to make, and is yet to return to his work duties, however the strides he has made in such a short time is commendable! He’s a great man to help and I look forward to being a part of further success in the new year.

Tom’s favourite patient success story

When reflecting on the year to date, I am pleased to have been a part of all my patient’s health and fitness journeys. With consistent and structured exercise many have made tremendous improvements in fitness, health and wellbeing.

Whilst I am proud of all my patients for taking the initiative to improve their health, one patient journey stands out in my mind.

Justin, aged 55, found himself in the doctors office earlier in the year receiving a diagnosis of T2 diabetes, simply another stress to add to the mounting pressure that life had recently placed on his shoulders. Presenting to Restart, Justin was determined to change the trajectory of his health.

Starting from a position of low capacity, Justin followed our plan to a tee, slowly but surely increasing his strength, aerobic fitness, and flexibility. Justin, who was initially dependent on the direction provided by myself, began to demonstrate autonomy by showing up early to appointments and completing exercise outside of our sessions.

Throughout the course of the year, Justin not only greatly improved his physical fitness and health markers, but developed a positive relationship with exercise and demonstrated the ability to take ownership and control of his health and fitness journey.

Today, Justin continues to complete exercise independently with a monthly review with myself. This story is like many others, with success being attributed to an unwavering dedication to remain consistent throughout the highs and lows, whilst valuing the positive impacts that regular exercise has on their lives.

Seth’s favourite patient success story

Blake, aged 34, booked with myself in January 2024 following years of lower back pain, which he developed during his service in the Australian Defence Force. Consequently, his post-military service career in carpentry had become very difficult on a day to day basis.

After performing Blake’s initial assessment, I was able to gain an understanding of his movement capacity, which highlighted several movement deficits and weaknesses. Blake reported that he had particular difficulty bending over (flexing forward) and working above his head (requiring back extension). Blake found comfort in crouching and hugging his knees, and would often find himself doing this several times a day while he was at work to relieve his lower back pain. He was also taking prescribed pain medication every morning plus additional Panadol and/or Nurofen throughout the day.

My first breakthrough with Blake was during his second appointment with myself, following discussion and education around the movement of the pelvis and why he experiences pain in certain positions or activities. This allowed Blake to understand the importance of making changes to his posture and positioning both when at work and during leisure time. In the months since, I have assisted Blake to develop strength in necessary areas and improve his pain-free range of motion.

Less than twelve months later, Blake has gone from being unable to go a day at work without taking Panadol or Nurofen several times a day, to being able to get through an entire day of work without pain medication or an exacerbation in his lower back pain. Additional to this, Blake can now perform movements, such as a Romanian deadlifts and single leg box squats. He has even returned to running, something that he used to love doing but stopped due to lower back back. Recently, Blake stated that “I never thought I’d be able to move like this again in my life” – this is only a glimpse at the progress Blake has made, and I can comfortably say it’s been a rewarding journey for the both of us.

Nick’s favourite patient success story

Jane came to visit myself earlier this year with a whiplash injury following a motor vehicle accident. Jane had also cracked her 5th rib and injured her left shoulder in the process. Jane worked full-time and being a keen tennis player, was desperate to get back onto the court and not let the injury impact her quality of life. Jane presented with limited shoulder range of motion both in abduction (raising arm to side) and extension (reaching back/behind) and had an aching sensation when moving her neck.

Jane’s primary motivators were to:

• Be able to work with full capabilities – her occupations demands adequate upper limb strength and mobility;
• Play weekly doubles tennis with friends and stay active in the community;
• Reduce stiffness in left shoulder and increase her range of motion in that joint.

From day one Jane was a pleasure to work with, as she committed to the process and engaged in our prescribed program three times per week. We had weekly check-ins to discuss how treatment was progressing and how Jane was finding the exercise regime. With Jane working on the road at times we had to create a plan which ensured Jane was able to still exercise with minimal equipment. Due to Jane having 8 sessions guaranteed with WorkCover I had a finite period of time to help her make as much progress as possible to achieve her goals.

At the end of the 8 sessions we saw fantastic results with Jane being able to play tennis pain free – Jane was able to achieve improved range of motion in both shoulder abduction and extension as well as improved ability to move her neck side to side. These improvements contributed to Jane being able to work with limited neck discomfort.

I am confident that Jane will continue with the exercises we worked on together and make further function and well-being improvements.

Alex’s favourite patient success story

Being relatively new to the Restart team, I’m proud to share the success story of my patient named Betty. Betty, a 35-year-old, busy mother of 4 young children under the age of 10 came to see me back in October this year with right shoulder and lower back pain. One of Betty’s challenges has been to find time for herself – her schedule is currently packed with family commitments, school drop-offs and attending her children’s recreational activities on the weekends.

Upon our initial appointment, Betty weighed 86.6kg and reported increased shoulder pain (7/10 using a Visual Analogue Scale) with restricted movement, being unable to lift her hands above her head, scratch her back and had difficulty putting on clothing. Betty’s right arm strength had also been significantly, with reduced grip strength of 23kg observed.

In light of being a busy mum, Betty made a point of prioritising her own health by joining the Goodlife gym and completing our prescribed rehab program daily. Betty began making healthier lifestyle choices by improving her diet, increasing water intake and being diligent with completing her exercises.

Fast forward to December, Betty has made significant improvements to both her shoulder and lower back pain. Dropping 2.5kg in bodyweight, Betty now reports 0/10 shoulder and lower back pain with improved shoulder mobility to within normal ranges, whilst significantly improving right hand grip strength to a score of 42kg. Betty reports having more energy, feeling more confident with movement, is more independent and able to  engage in all of her desired activities of daily living, including hitting the gym 3-4 times per week.

Betty represents many of the patients that we see who achieve positive outcome measures. Whether someone runs a busy household, or works around the clock, there is always some small positive changes one can make to improve their health, mange pain and feel better. If you need some support, please come and see one of the team members at Restart, we would love to help you.

 

Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2025 to all our existing patients – we genuinely value the trust and confidence that you place in each of us to help you towards your health and fitness goals!

Luke and the Restart Team