Andries Lodder biokineticist in Fourways
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Pad your body for Padel!

Posted on September 28th, 2022 by Andries Lodder

Padel is the latest up and coming for sport. I’ts great for fitness, co-ordination and overall fun! But jumping into any sport without practice and warming up brings its challenges. This article will share the most common movements, shots and injuries, followed by some exercises to help pad your body.

According to a study in the Journal of Human Sport & Exercise (2013), these are the most common movements throughout a match of Padel:

Conditioning Exercises

A few exercises to help you prepare your body for a game of Padel include:

Side Steps/Crab Walks: Place both feet hips width apart, with your feet facing forwards. Bend your knees, and push your backside out. Slowly step sideways, leading with your outer leg.

Lateral Hops: Place 5-10 small items, like a cone, approximately 30cm apart. Stand on one leg on the side of your cones. Hop sideways, landing gently with a bend in your knee. Once reaching the other side, swap your feet and repeat back to the starting point.

Lunges: Stand with your feet together. Step forward with 1 foot, and bend both your knees. Straighten up completely and repeat the movement.

Common Injuries

The most common injuries occurring in Padel are similar to those of tennis and squash. As one begins playing many hours, we develop injuries such as tendonitis, and muscular strains. Tennis Elbow and Rotator Cuff Strains are the most common injuries resulting from Padel. Despite the low weight of the racquets, we exert force into playing our shots. This can come as shock to one’s body if they are not used to such movements.

Tennis elbow is an irritation of the tissue connecting the forearm muscle to the elbow. It is experienced on the outside of the arm, between the elbow and forearm. An exercise to prevent, and treat tennis elbow is wrist curls. Holding a weight or similar item, bend the wrists upwards and downwards, whilst keeping the rest of your arm still.

Rotator Cuff injuries occur to any, or multiple, rotator cuff muscles. These are the muscles of your shoulder girdle, and are primarily responsible for internal and external rotation of one’s arm, as well as stabilizing one’s shoulder girdle.

Exercises for Rotator Cuff Strain:

Shoulder External Rotation: Stand up-right, with your shoulders back and down. Tuck your elbows into your sides, with your arms bent at 90 degrees. Holding a resistance band, or weight, rotate your arms externally (outwards), whilst keeping your elbows tucked in.

Horizontal Abduction: Stand upright, with your shoulders back and down. Raise your arms to your chest height, in front of your body. Holding a resistance band, or weights, open your arms at your chest level, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Keep your arms straight throughout the movement.

Wall Slides: Place a resistance band around your wrists. Standing close to a wall, place your wrists, forearms and elbows on the wall at your shoulder’s width. Keep your shoulder blades set back and down. Without raising your shoulders, slide your arms up and down the wall. Keep your wrists and elbows against the wall throughout the movement.

For any aches, pains, and overall strength and conditioning, contact us to assist you with your specific exercise programe, catering to your wants and needs!

Kickboxing World Champs

Posted on September 6th, 2022 by Andries Lodder

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/alejandra-aucamp-2022

Hi! Ally, my daughter, absolutely loves kickboxing! Please help us support her dream! My name is Yolandi Aucamp, and I am from Western Cape, Cape Town, Tableview.   

We would like to call on your support!!

The funds raised here will go towards Ally’s participation at the World Kickboxing Championships in Italy! WOW! How amazing is that!!

We are so proud to share that she brought home a gold medal and the National title for her division in Points-fighting and a silver and bronze in her two other divisions!

Her hard work and dedication to her sport is paying off! She now has the opportunity to live out her dream even further – to represent her country on an International level!! She has been selected to represent South Africa as part of the National Team in two events in two of her divisions!

Firstly, Ally was included in the National team taking part at the WAKO Africa Continental Championships held in Benoni from 26-28 August 2022, where she received 2 silver medals in both her divisions. And even more exciting for her was to be selected for the National team taking part at the WAKO World Championships in Italy from 29 September to 9 October 2022. Again, this will be a great stepping stone towards being eligible for both the World Combat Games in 2023 and the Olympic team in 2028!

Now, this is where we would like to call on everyone’s support again! We would love to support her and give her this opportunity to compete internationally!

Unfortunately, the costs are enormous (you can follow the link and see the breakdown) and it feels out of our reach! Since each participant must pay their own way, we will need all the help and support we can get!! But I believe with the help of family, friends and kind sponsors we will be able to achieve this goal and support her Italy dreams! Every R50 donated towards this goal gets us closer to the end!

Funding will cover entry fees, airfares (domestic and international) and airport taxes, accommodation, transportation, meals, team clothing, WAKO approved Equipment (the kit she has at the moment she will not be allowed to compete in), travel Insurance, Schengen VISA and passport costs. We hope to raise enough money so that she and her Dad (as shaperone/her coach at home) can go to Italy! 

Thank you for taking the time to support Ally and her love of kickboxing, whether by giving or sharing! God bless!If you want to read more about Ally’s road to the Worlds Champs, please read on:

She started her kickboxing journey at the start of 2019 at Venters Martial Arts and Kickboxing in Duynefontein. During the past 3,5 years, she has enjoyed her training and has been developing her skills with the help of Shihan Dave. 

Training during Covid was tough, but she and her dad kept up with the training at home during the lockdown. As soon as restrictions allowed, they were back at the club, training with the rest of the students again. 

She truly shows great talent for the sport. In 2019, only months after starting the sport, she achieved Western Province colours through NMA ISKA. Unfortunately, since the pandemic prohibited all sporting events worldwide in 2020, all students were denied the opportunity to fight for their SA colours. 2020 was not the year for sports – anywhere! 

In 2021, Ally could not compete at the Western Cape Championships, due to contracting Covid in July. It was a long road to full recovery, but she started her training again at the end of November.

Luckily, as things returned to normal and she regained her strength, she once again participated in the Cape Town Championships in Ottery during January this year. 

She achieved 3 gold medals and was included in the Cape Town Team to participate at the Western Cape Kickboxing Championships this past March. Here she attained gold and 2 silver medals in the Tatami divisions. 

This led to her selection for the Western Cape Team that took part at the South African Kickboxing Championships in Mossel Bay where she performed so well!

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The Final Stretch of the Year

Posted on August 25th, 2022 by Andries Lodder

By Daniel Sauer

We are in the final quarter of the year, and our bodies may be feeling the effects of every day life. It may seem like there aren’t enough hours in a day to fit in exercise and stretching, or sometimes those meetings run a bit over time. As a result, our bodies experience stiffness and shortened muscles as a result of our every day lives. Have you ever thought about how much time we spend sitting each day? What about the time spent driving, sitting in meetings, dinner, and of course, at work? All those weekend games of Padel, Soccer, Tennis and Golf that we don’t stretch after?

Stretching daily has many physical and mental benefits. Stretching provides your body with an increased range of motion and flexibility, allows you to function and play sport more optimally, and helps release endorphins to promote relaxation. Furthermore, another benefit of stretching is to reduce one’s risks for injury. The best part is that stretching only take a few minutes per day and can be done before bed or as you wake up, So you don’t need to worry about it being too time consuming!

We would like to provide you with a few stretches to ease those tired legs, and help you feel much looser and ready to tackle each days challenges and activities!

Stretches:

  • Hip Flexors and Quadriceps: Hold the stretch for up to 30 seconds per side, and repeat twice. Place your leg on the wall, and knee on the floor. Place your 2nd leg in front of you. Keeping your back upright, push your hips forward.
  • Glute Stretch: Hold the stretch for up to 30 seconds per side, and repeat twice. (You can do either of these). Lie on your back with 1 knee bent. Place the other ankle on the bent knee. Hold your bent thigh and pull your knee towards your chest. Alternatively, Sit on the edge of a chair. Place your ankle on your knee and slowly lean your body forward.
  • Hamstring and Calf Neural dynamics stretch: Do 10 repetitions per side, and repeat twice per leg. Lie on your back. Bend your knee and pull towards your chest. Slowly straighten the leg you’re holding and point your toes down towards you. Relax your foot and bend your knee again. Repeat this movement 10 time per leg.

Chronic Pain Awareness

Posted on August 25th, 2022 by Andries Lodder

By Daniel Sauer

Many chronic pain sufferers live without ongoing chronic pain solutions and, as a result, their quality of life diminishes progressively over time, including their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

The medical definition of chronic pain is any pain lasting longer than 12 consecutive weeks. Unlike acute pain, which comes on suddenly for a clear reason and heals quickly, chronic pain is a long-term condition, often persisting for months. Chronic pain, also known as chronic pain syndrome, can become a “tolerable pain”, whereby the person experiencing the pain can ignore it or live with it long-term.

For people suffering from chronic pain syndrome, identifying the underlying cause can be a frustrating process as the reasons for chronic, non-specific pain isn’t always obvious. But uncovering the underlying cause contributing to your pain can help you implement necessary solutions for managing chronic pain.

Chronic pain conditions can seriously affect daily activities and quality of life. Such as:

Some types of chronic pain conditions include:

When an individual suffers from chronic pain, the natural response is doing anything to reduce it. For many, that instinct is to rest and relax. This response can initiate a vicious cycle of self-limiting activity. Too much rest can be detrimental and result in atrophy (or wasting) of the muscles, leading to further health problems, including poor posture, less joint stability, and other structural problems.

Physical activity is known to reduce pain intensity and disability as well as provide a range of other benefits including improvements in strength, flexibility, and endurance, a decrease in cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome risk, improved bone health, and improved cognition and mood.

Recent research recommends that because physical movement is so important in improving chronic pain, doctors should prescribe it to patients, similar to how they prescribe medications.

The benefits of exercise on Chronic Pain outweigh any cons you may think. Examples are:

So don’t just accept the pain and discomfort, contact us today and see how we can assist you with a personalised exercise programme. This programme caters to your individual needs and activities.

Importance of a Biokineticist

Posted on June 7th, 2022 by Andries Lodder

A Biokineticist is a medical professional that prescribes individualized exercise and physical activity for both rehabilitation and the promotion of health and quality of life.

We as biokineticists, understand how the human body moves and what it needs to stay active and healthy. We can be used for specific injury rehabilitation, strength training as well as maintaining a good quality of life through exercise and movement. But why is this important?

When we don’t use our muscles regularly, they begin to weaken. This means that our bodies are at a higher risk of injury as our muscles aren’t strong enough to do their job properly anymore. With this lack of activity, we also start to lose our flexibility. Tight muscles can increase the amount of tension placed on various joints causing pain and discomfort. The weaker we get and the more pain we start to experience, the urge to exercise decreases even more and the cycle continues.

By exercising, we are moving our muscles through a full range of motion, thus taking pressure off those painful joints. We are also strengthening our muscles each time we train. This means that each group of muscles is doing their intended job and we are decreasing our risk of unnecessary injury. Exercising also increases the production of feel-good hormones. The combination of these feel-good hormones, the decrease in joint pain and the improved strength makes us want to train more and more, thus creating a much more productive and healthy cycle. 

Unfortunately, when we exercise or play sport, we sometimes land up with an injury. Luckily for you, we can help with that too. How do we help?

We start with a full assessment, taking into account the history of any previous injuries, any conditions you may have, how the injury happens and what goals you want out of the rehabilitation process. We then do a full postural assessment as well as looking at your strength and flexibility levels. 

Your personalized rehabilitation process is then based off these findings. We help you with every movement, ensuring that they are done with the correct form. This ensures that the muscles are working optimally and that no other muscles are doing the job of the injured one. Each muscle in your body has a specific role and if it is not fulfilling that role, it increases your chance of re-injury. 

We are also able to help those that are not injured and just want some kind of training that is specific to their sport. We prescribe movements that are most commonly used in your sport. This helps you avoid unnecessary exercises that offer no benefit to your goals. Improving on these specific exercises will greatly improve your performance.

We look at how you progress during each session and work toward the goals set out at the beginning ensuring that you reach them as soon as possible. This can be a fast process but it can also be slow depending on the extent of the condition. The most important aspects for us are to ensure that your body is working optimally and that you are able to return to exercise or sport without any fear of hurting yourself again. 

If you need any assistance with an injury or would like to start your fitness and health journey, feel free to contact us.

Core Training

Posted on June 6th, 2022 by Andries Lodder

By Daniel Sauer

Core training is an essential element of athletic performance. This helps players start a motion in their legs and carry it through to their arms, or vice versa, with the most efficient transfer of energy. In movements such as kicking, throwing, running, jumping or swimming, an athlete’s core is involved in every action. Furthermore, core muscles are responsible for stabilizing one’s spine and pelvis. As well as generating and transferring energy from the centre of the body to your extremities.

Developing core strength and stability enables athletes to maximize their power output and perform complex athletic movements that require coordination, balance, and technical skills. Moreover, focusing on core strength can help athletes stabilize other weak areas to reduce the risk of injury.

What is your ‘core’?

Your core is a complex series of muscles that extend far beyond your abs and is incorporated in every movement of your body. Strong core muscles act as isometric or dynamic stabilizers for movement; transfers force and can initiate movement on its own. The major muscles of your core include your transverse abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, erector spinae, diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, and the rectus abdominis (your abs). Your minor core muscles include your lats, traps, and your glutes.

Why do core training specifically?

  • Improved Posture: A core strengthening programmed causes your trunk to be supported and protected, allowing for better posture. This in turn causes your movements to be more fluid and efficient.

Core training exercises:

  1. Plank

2. Rolling Side Plank

3. Dead Bug

4. Bosu Single Leg Deadlift

5. Kneeling on Exercise Ball

6. Rotation Medicine Ball throws

core training

As biokineticists, we can assist in your strength, flexibility and help improve your performance. Contact us and book your appointments to reach the next level!

Arthritis: A pain in my Joints!

Posted on May 3rd, 2022 by Andries Lodder

By Daniel Sauer

Have you been experiencing joint pain and discomfort as you get older? Are you noticing swelling in your knees, wrists, shoulders or ankle? Maybe you have arthritis…

But what is arthritis? Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis is more common in people over 65 years old, however it can occur at any age.

Osteoarthritis causes cartilage — the hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint — to break down. Additionally, rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the joints, beginning with the lining of joints. There are many types of arthritis, but these are the most common 2 that one may be suffering with.

What are the main risk factors and causes?

The cause of many types of arthritis is unknown. As a result, researchers have been looking into the role of genetics (heredity) and lifestyle in the development of arthritis for many years. They have established several things that may raise your risk for arthritis, including:

How do I know if I have arthritis, or I’m starting to get it?

Joint discomfort might come and go, or it could stay constant. Common symptoms include:

How do I prevent and treat Arthritis?

As biokineticists, we can help you carry out your daily activities by reducing your pain, increasing your Range of Motion (ROM) and strengthening your muscles and bones! Furthermore, Research shows that continued physical activity is an effective way to reduce symptoms long-term, as a result individuals will experience less discomfort. Despite initially feeling a slight increase when starting with exercise.

A couple of the factors we can assist you with:

If you are experiencing any joint pain or discomfort, any muscular problems, and for all injuries and chronic disease management, contact us and we will help you, be the best you!

Exercise and Mental Health

Posted on May 3rd, 2022 by Andries Lodder

May is seen as mental health awareness month, so what better time for us to talk about the impact exercise can have on mental health issues, especially depression and anxiety. 

We all know how exercise keeps us physically healthy, but research has shown that people who exercise regularly heave improved mental wellbeing and decreased rates of mental illness.
Physical activity has been seen to be as effective as antidepressants or other psychological interventions when treating mild-moderate depression.

But why does exercise help us feel better mentally?

Most of the time, people exercise simply because it makes them feel good. Physical activity can boost your mood and concentration.
There is a complicated link between exercise and mental health because inactivity can be both a cause and a consequence of mental health.

Here are some of the ways your mental health can be benefited through exercise: 

  • Changes in chemicals like serotonin and endorphins
  • Exercise can improve sleep which can improve your mood
  • Exercise is a good outlet for frustration as well as a form of distraction for other issues
  • It offers social opportunities with other people
  • Exercise can reduce overall muscle tension and helps you feel more relaxed

The physical health benefits of exercise like increased cardiovascular health and overall physical health are just as important for people suffering with mental illness. This is because people suffering from mental health issues are at a higher risk for chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. 

People often think that exercise must be intense for it to have an effect, but this is not always the case. Research shows that even low or moderate intensity exercise is enough to improve mood and thinking patterns. It is recommended that individuals should do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week to keep fit and healthy. This being said, any exercise is better than none, going for a slow walk, doing yoga or even cleaning your house can count as small workouts. 

If you haven’t exercised in a long time, it can be very intimidating to start. Coming up with a plan before you start can help you get going and help you stick with it. 

  • Do an activity you enjoy
  • Start slowly and progress gradually
  • Revisit your workouts and make sure you are always doing something new
  • Change it if it’s not working for you

Exercising outdoor can add even more positive changes to your mental and physical wellbeing. Studies have shown that people who exercise outside show higher levels of self-esteem and enthusiasm and a lower level of depression, tension, and fatigue. People that exercise outside also tend to exercise for longer and more often than those exercising indoors. 

Making exercise a part of your everyday life is crucial. Try walking or cycling to places when taking a car is not really needed, walk with your kids or your dogs, wash your car, do the gardening, or even just clean the house. As long as your body is moving around every day, you will start seeing amazing effects on your wellbeing. 

If anyone needs help starting an exercise program again or anyone is struggling with their mental health, do not hesitate to contact us or anyone around you. Don’t be silent.

Muscle Tone: High vs Low

Posted on April 5th, 2022 by Andries Lodder

By Daniel Sauer

What is “Muscle Tone”?

A term you may have heard alot is “muscle tone”. But what actually is muscle tone? Why is muscle tone important? These are the most common questions one usually asks around the topic.

Muscle tone is the amount of tension or resistance to movement in muscles. Our muscle tone helps us to hold our bodies upright when we are sitting and standing. Changes in muscle tone are what enable us to move. Muscle tone also contributes to the control, speed and amount of movement we can achieve. This then splits into high muscle tone, which is known as hypertonicity, and low muscle tone, which is called hypotonicity.

Hypotonicity (Low muscle tone) is used to describe muscles that are “floppy” and stretched. People with low muscle tone may need to put in more effort to get their muscles moving properly when they are doing an activity. They may also have difficulty maintaining good posture when sitting or standing. Many children with low muscle tone have delays in their gross motor development. On the other hand, hypertonicity (High muscle tone) describes muscles that are overly tight and require more effort to stretch and lengthen. This also affects one’s movement during regular activities of daily living, one’s posture and can lead to different degrees of spasticity.

Why is Muscle Tone Important?

There are three main functions for muscle tone:

It is important to recognize that muscle groups are all connected. The way we maintain balance and the ways in which we compensate for uneven stress on the body is largely dependent upon muscle tone. By having a basic tension in the muscles, our bodies are able to move and exert without running the risk of injury or undue strain. 

Muscle tone contributes to physiological function over the entire body. Some of the key areas that make muscle tone important are:

Hypertonicity

Hypertonia is a condition in which there is too much muscle tone. This means that one’s arms or legs, for example, are stiff and difficult to move.  Muscle tone is regulated by signals that travel from the brain to the nerves and tell the muscle to contract or relax. The main cause of hypertonia is when the regions of the brain or spinal cord that control these signals are damaged.

This can occur for many reasons:

Hypertonia often limits how easily the joints can move.  Symptoms include:

Hypotonicity

Hypotonia is a medical term used to describe decreased muscle tone.  Normally, even when relaxed, muscles have a very small amount of contraction that gives them a “springy” feel and provides some resistance to passive movement. It is not the same as muscle weakness, although the two conditions can co-exist.

Hypotonia can happen from damage to the brain, spinal cord, nerves, or muscles.  The damage can be the result of:

Hypotonia is more commonly seen in:

The most common symptoms of Hypotonia include:

There are a few differences in the treatment of both, hypertonia and hypotonia. However, many of the treatment protocols do overlap. Your biokineticist will know when to apply each protocol.

Treatment for Hypertonicity:

Treatment for Hypotonicity:

If you, or anyone you may know has either of these conditions. We are here to assist! Call and book an appointment with us for all of your injury rehabilitation and chronic disease management needs!

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