Patient Newsletter - North Shore Physiotherapy

1–7 West St
Lewisham NSW 2049
Phone: (02) 9569 8011
Issue 1, 2008
Patient Newsletter
Understanding Osteoporosis
The benefits of
exercise include:
• Reduction of bone loss
• Conservation of remaining
bone tissue
• Improved physical fitness
• Improved muscle strength
• Improved reaction time
• Increased mobility
• Better sense of balance
and coordination
• Reduced risk of falls
• Reduced risk of bone
fractures caused by falls
• Reduced pain.
It is however important to
consult your doctor before
commencing any exercise
program and ensure that you
consult your physiotherapist
on what exercises are
appropriate for you.
Osteoporosis is a condition where calcium is lost
from the bones faster than it can be replaced. This
results in thin and brittle bones which makes them
susceptible to fractures. The picture below compares
healthy bone structure with osteoporotic bone.
Normal
Risk Factors
Osteoporotic
There are many factors which contribute to the
development of osteoporosis. These include:
• Age. The longer we live the more likely we are to
develop osteoporosis.
• Gender. Women are more likely to suffer with
osteoporosis but men do get it.
• Medical conditions (eating disorders, rheumatoid
arthritis, thyroid disease, chronic liver and kidney
disorders and mal-absorbtive illnesses eg Coeliac
disease, Chrohn’s disease, IBS etc)
• Lifestyle choices (smoking, inactivity, excessive
caffeine and alcohol intake and low long term
calcium intake)
• Hormone deficiency states (testosterone
deficiencies in males, late first menstrual period
(>15-16yrs), pre-mature menopause (

Hydrotherapy
Independent
hydrotherapy is
now available
Monday to Friday at
the following times:
7.30 am – 8.30am
1.00 pm – 2.30 pm
6.00pm – 7.00pm
(except Friday)
New Staff
It is with great pleasure that we
finally welcome the staff of Stanmore
Physiotherapy to our new shared
premises at Lewisham Physiotherapy
and Sports Medicine. The successful
merger of our two practices has
been a long time in the making and
will enable us to utilise the spacious
facilities we have onsite at Lewisham
more efficiently.
The practice now has 7 registered
physiotherapists working from
Monday to Saturday providing a
wide range of specialities to cater
for all our patient’s needs. Our new
Learn to Swim School
Our new swim school is up and
running and places are filling up
fast! The recent media coverage
of a spate of infant drownings has
highlighted the need for teaching
youngsters how to swim from an early
age. Rackley Family Swim Schools
are an established company that
have been running swim schools in
Queensland for many years. Our
qualified instructors Sarah Stephen
and Shadi Bina and manager
Heidi Wenden can help you with
any enquiries.
Reminder Service
physiotherapists Cath Emmerson,
Adrian Winkworth, Liz Joyce
and Nick Stewart bring with them
a wealth of experience in spinal and
sports physiotherapy which will
greatly enhance our practice.
We also welcome Glenys Stabback
as our new practice administrator.
Glenys has been running Stanmore
Physiotherapy for many years and has
been a tireless worker over the past
few months ensuring the transition
has been as smooth as possible. Ella
Davis also joins us from Stanmore
helping out on the front desk.
Pilates
We have recently acquired some
new Pilates equipment and are
planning to open a new and
improved Pilates studio upstairs
within the next two months.
Watch this space!
The practice can SMS you
a reminder about your next
appointment. Please check we
have your mobile phone number
if you would like this service.
Cheers,
Benjamin Power
Practice Principal
Lewisham physiotherapy & sports Medicine
1–7 West St, Lewisham NSW 2049 • Phone: (02) 9569 8011 • Fax: (02) 9550 9489
Email: lewishamphysio@hna.com.au • Website: www.lewishamphysio.com.au