Asma Omar Physiotherapy

17/11/2025

🔎 👇 When Rest Becomes Harmful During Recovery

We all hear “Just rest, you’ll feel better soon.” And yes, rest is essential early on, but too much of it can slow recovery, increase pain, and make returning to normal feel harder than it should. Here’s how that happens, and how to keep rest and movement in the right balance.

🌱 The Purpose of Rest, and Where It Goes Wrong

Right after an injury, rest calms inflammation and protects the area. But the body isn’t built for long periods of stillness. After a while:

Muscles weaken
Joints stiffen
Circulation slows
Pain sensitivity increases
Fear of movement grows
Healing slows down

That’s when rest stops helping and starts hurting.

🚫 Signs You May Be “Over-Resting”

You might be resting too much if:

You feel stiff after sitting or lying down
Progress has stalled
Normal movement feels painful or intimidating
Simple tasks feel harder
You avoid moving because you’re scared of worsening the injury

These signs mean your body is craving safe, guided activity.

💡 Why Movement Matters

Movement isn’t something you wait to do once you’re healed - it creates healing.

✔️ Boosts blood flow
✔️ Restores strength + flexibility
✔️ Prevents new compensations
✔️ Reduces pain sensitivity
✔️ Builds confidence
✔️ Speeds overall recovery

Motion really is lotion.

🧘‍♀️ Active Recovery Looks Like:

Gentle mobility
Light stretching
Guided strengthening
Walking or low-impact cardio
Physio-prescribed exercises
Gradual return to daily tasks

Programs adjust as your body responds - every recovery is unique.

⚠️ Pain: When to Move, When to Pause

Mild discomfort = okay
Sharp, intense pain = stop

Some soreness is normal. Strong pain, swelling, or numbness means reassessment is needed.

🧠 The Fear Factor

Avoiding movement often leads to:

More pain
More stiffness
Slower recovery
Higher stress
Lower confidence

This cycle is called kinesiophobia, and physiotherapy helps break it through safe, progressive movement.

🔄 The Balance

Early stage: more rest
Middle: mix of rest + active recovery
Later: more movement
Maintenance: regular activity

Rest matters — but movement drives recovery! Contact us for more info

08/11/2025

💜💙💚🤍 What to Expect in Your First Physio Session:

🔑 You’ve booked your first physio appointment because you be might by experiencing lingering pain, injury or just wanting to move and feel better.

Whatever the reason, you might be wondering: “What actually happens during
my first physiotherapy session?”

👇 Let’s walk you through it step by step so you know exactly what to expect.

🏥 1. A Warm Welcome & Paperwork

On arrival, you’ll be greeted and asked to fill out a short form about your medical history, lifestyle, and reason for visiting. Bring any referral letters, scans, or X-rays, and wear comfortable clothing.

💬 2. Getting to Know You

Your physio will chat with you about what brought you in, how it started, and your daily habits or goals. This helps them understand your story and create a plan that fits your lifestyle.

📊 3. The Physical Assessment

They’ll check your posture, movement, muscle strength, and flexibility, sometimes feeling specific areas or testing balance. Everything is explained, and you can ask questions anytime.

🔍 4. Finding the Root Cause

Physio looks beyond symptoms to uncover why they happen—like knee pain linked to hip or ankle issues. Your physio connects the dots and explains it clearly.

💡 5. Your Diagnosis & Personalized Plan

You’ll learn what’s causing your discomfort, how to recover, and your treatment plan—possibly including manual therapy, exercises, posture work, or dry needling.

🏋️‍♀‍ 6. Starting Your Treatment

Treatment may begin right away with hands-on techniques, guided exercises, or movement advice. You’ll get home exercises to support recovery.

🤝 7. Setting Goals Together

You’ll set short and long-term goals - pain-free work, running again, or sleeping comfortably - and track progress as you improve.

❤️ 8. What You’ll Leave With

You’ll feel understood, empowered, and motivated with a clear plan for progress. Healing takes teamwork and patience—trust the process and give your body the care it deserves. 🤍💚💙💜

05/11/2025

🔑 The first week of November marks the end of stroke awareness week

Recovery doesn’t stop there. Every step, stretch, and smile counts - here’s how physiotherapy helps stroke survivors rebuild their strength and confidence.

How Physiotherapy Helps Prevent Future Strokes

Recovering from a stroke is a victory - but preventing another one is just as important. Did you know physiotherapy doesn’t just help with recovery, but also plays a key role in prevention?

Movement = Medicine:

Regular physical activity improves circulation, strengthens the heart, and helps control blood pressure — the number one risk factor for stroke. Physiotherapists design safe, personalized exercise programs that build endurance and balance while protecting joints and muscles.

Beyond Exercise:

We also have the ability to effectively guide you in:
Posture and breathing techniques to reduce strain
Mobility training for smoother, safer movement
Lifestyle advice on sitting, lifting, and daily habits
Confidence building to keep you active and independent

Why It Matters? After a stroke, fear of falling or “overdoing it” can make people hesitant to move - but inactivity can actually increase risk. Physiotherapy helps break that cycle safely, ensuring your body stays strong, flexible, and capable!

📍272 18th Ave Laudium || 551 W F Nkomo Str Pretoria West || ☎️ 082 727 3656

28/10/2025

🧠 What Causes Spasticity? - Understanding the muscle tightness behind neurological conditions

Spasticity is a common symptom seen in people with neurological conditions - but what exactly causes it, and why does it affect movement the way it does?

💡 What Is Spasticity?

Spasticity is a condition where certain muscles remain continuously contracted, leading to stiffness, tightness, or involuntary spasms. This can make everyday activities - such as walking, dressing, or even speaking - more difficult and sometimes painful.

It’s not a problem of the muscles themselves, but rather of the communication between the brain, spinal cord, and muscles.

⚙️ The Root Cause: Disrupted Nerve Signals

In a healthy nervous system, the brain sends signals down the spinal cord to control when muscles should contract and relax.

When part of this pathway is damaged - whether in the brain or spinal cord - the balance between contraction and relaxation is lost.

As a result, muscles receive constant “contract” messages without enough “relax” signals. This overactivity causes stiffness and resistance to movement - the hallmark of spasticity.

🧩 Common Conditions Linked to Spasticity

Spasticity often develops after or alongside neurological conditions such as:
• Stroke
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Cerebral palsy
• Spinal cord injury
•Traumatic brain injury
• Neurodegenerative diseases (such as ALS)

In these cases, the damage disrupts the normal reflex control that keeps muscle tone in check.

⚡ What Makes It Worse?

Several factors can increase spasticity temporarily or make symptoms flare up:

• Fatigue
• Stress or anxiety
• Pain or infection
• Poor posture or tight clothing
• Sudden changes in temperature

Identifying and managing these triggers is an important part of physiotherapy care.

🏋️‍♀️ The Role of Physiotherapy

While the cause of spasticity lies in the nervous system, its effects show up in the muscles - and that’s where physiotherapy plays a key role.

Through stretching, strengthening, positioning, and movement re-education, physiotherapists help reduce stiffness, maintain flexibility, and improve function. ⚡

28/10/2025

What Trauma Does to Your Body Over Time (Even If You Don’t Talk About It)

There are things we survive — but never speak about.
Things we push down with a smile, a laugh, a “I’m fine.”
But the body keeps a different kind of memory.

It doesn’t forget what the mind tries to bury.

🧠 Trauma is Not Just a Memory. It Becomes Biology.

Trauma isn’t just what happens to you —
It’s what happens inside you as a result.

Whether it’s childhood neglect, emotional abuse, betrayal, loss, or years of living in survival mode — trauma doesn’t just live in your mind.
It rewires your nervous system.
It reshapes your hormones.
It recodes your immune response.

Over time, trauma becomes physical.

🔬 Here’s What Trauma Does to Your Body (Over Months… and Years)

1. It dysregulates your nervous system.

The body gets stuck in fight, flight, freeze or fawn.
You might feel always on edge, or always exhausted.
Your vagus nerve — the one responsible for calming your body down — goes offline.
Suddenly, loud sounds feel threatening.
Touch feels overstimulating.
And rest? Impossible.

📉 Chronic trauma = chronic dysregulation = chronic stress.

2. It hijacks your hormones.

Your adrenal glands don’t know you’re safe.
They just know you’ve been running from lions for too long.

So they keep pumping:
• Cortisol (your stress hormone)
• Adrenaline (your panic hormone)

Eventually, this can lead to:
• Adrenal fatigue
• Burnout
• Thyroid issues
• Hormonal imbalances like estrogen dominance or low progesterone

🌀 The body starts to think that calm is dangerous — and chaos is normal.

3. It weakens your immune system.

When your body is always in crisis mode, it stops prioritizing healing.

Studies show that trauma and PTSD:
• Increase pro-inflammatory cytokines (which age you from the inside)
• Suppress immune function
• Make you more vulnerable to chronic infections and autoimmune conditions

🛡️ The immune system can’t protect you properly when it’s constantly in battle mode.

4. It affects your gut (deeply).

Did you know 80% of your immune system and 95% of your serotonin lives in your gut?

When trauma strikes, your gut gets hit too.

Trauma is linked to:
• IBS
• Leaky gut
• Food sensitivities
• Bloating, constipation, or diarrhea
• Gut-brain axis dysfunction

🍽️ This is why trauma survivors often struggle with digestion — it’s not “just anxiety.” It’s biology.

5. It gets trapped in your fascia, your lymph, your breath.

Trauma isn’t just in the brain — it lives in the body:
• Muscles hold memory.
• Fascia tightens with fear.
• The lymphatic system stagnates under inflammation.
• Breath becomes shallow.
• The diaphragm freezes.

That’s why trauma healing often requires more than just talk therapy.
You need to move it.
Breathe it.
Drain it.
Release it.

🕊️ You can’t think your way out of trauma — you have to feel your way through it.

💥 Silent Signs of Long-Held Trauma

Sometimes trauma doesn’t look like flashbacks.
It looks like:
• Chronic fatigue
• Autoimmune flares
• Hormonal chaos
• Constant people-pleasing
• Panic over small things
• Neck tension that never releases
• Being “too strong” for too long

The body whispers before it screams.

✨ The Good News: Healing is Possible.

But it’s not linear. And it’s not quick.

Healing trauma means:
• Safety first — the body needs to feel safe to let go.
• Nervous system repair — through lymphatic therapy, breathwork, cold therapy, somatic work, and nervous system regulation.
• Restoring trust in your body, slowly.
• Unfreezing the parts of you that went numb to survive.

It might take years.
But you’re not broken.
You’re healing.

🕊️ Final Words for the Silent Warrior

If you’ve carried pain no one saw,
If you’ve survived seasons that nearly broke you,
If your body is tired in ways you can’t explain —

Know this:

✨ You are not crazy.
✨ Your symptoms are valid.
✨ Your body is doing its best to protect you.
✨ And you are so worthy of healing — slow, gentle, whole healing.

You didn’t choose the trauma.
But you can choose to unlearn the fear,
Restore the safety,
And come home to your body — one breath at a time.

21/10/2025

⚡ Spondy (losis • lysis • litis • listhesis)
🔑 Understanding the “Spondy” Terms in Spinal Conditions

💡 Heard of spondylosis, spondylitis, spondylolysis, or spondylolisthesis and thought they sound the same? You’re not alone!

🔑 Each “spondy” word points to a different spine issue - knowing the difference helps you understand your diagnosis and recovery plan.

🔹 1. Spondylosis – Age-Related Wear & Tear

Degenerative spine changes (like osteoarthritis). Discs dry out or thin → stiffness, mild pain, nerve irritation.

💡 Signs: Neck/lower back stiffness, pain when sitting, limb numbness.

✅ Tip: Movement helps! Exercises, posture correction, and spinal strengthening ease pain & improve flexibility.

🔹 2. Spondylolysis – Small Crack or Stress Fracture

Affects lower back (often L5). Tiny fracture in the pars interarticularis. Common in young athletes doing repeated back bends.

💡 Signs: Localized pain, worse with bending backward.

✅ Tip: Rest, core work, avoid hyperextension.

🔹 3. Spondylitis – Inflammation of the Spine

The “-itis” = inflammation, often from autoimmune issues (like Ankylosing Spondylitis).

💡 Signs: Morning stiffness/pain easing with movement.

✅ Tip: Stretching, posture, and breathing exercises keep mobility & limit stiffness.

🔹 4. Spondylolisthesis – Vertebra Slips Forward
One vertebra slides over another from weakness or degeneration.

💡 Signs: Low back pain, tight hamstrings, leg pain.

✅ Tip: Strengthen deep core & stabilizers. Bracing or surgery may sometimes help.

✨ All “Spondy” issues involve the spine - from wear to cracks, inflammation, or slippage.

✨ Understanding your diagnosis helps you take charge of recovery. Your physio’s your best ally on that path.

17/10/2025

📚🧒 Back Safety for School Children: Why It Matters More Than You Think

School bags, long hours of sitting, and screens: they all quietly shape a child’s posture and spinal health.
Back pain isn’t just an adult problem anymore - more kids are reporting it, often linked to daily habits that can be easily adjusted.

1. The Backpack Factor
A backpack that’s too heavy or worn incorrectly is one of the biggest culprits. Ideally, a child’s school bag should weigh no more than 10–15% of their body weight. Look for:
✓ Wide, padded straps and a waist belt for support.
✓ Even loading: heavier books closer to the spine.
✓ Encouraging kids to use both straps - slinging a bag over one shoulder might look cool, but it strains one side of the back.

2. Sitting Smart at School and Home
Children spend hours sitting - in classrooms and then again doing homework or gaming.
Over time, slouching can cause muscle imbalance and back discomfort. We rocemmened:
✓ Feet flat on the floor or a footrest if needed.
✓ Back supported, shoulders relaxed, and screen at eye level.
✓ hort breaks every 30–40 minutes to stretch or walk.

3. Strength Through Movement
Regular physical activity builds strong muscles that support the spine. Sports, swimming, or even playground time all help. Physios often recommend core stability and flexibility exercises for developing children.

⚠️ Spot the Warning Signs

If a child complains of frequent back pain, tiredness after sitting, or visible changes in posture, it’s worth getting an assessment from a physiotherapist. Early intervention can prevent chronic issues later.

🎒 Back safety starts young. By keeping school bags light, sitting smart, and staying active, parents and teachers can help kids build habits that protect their posture for life!

16/10/2025

✨📣 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐖𝐎 is growing and we’re thrilled to open our second practice, a new chapter in our commitment to movement, healing, and growth!

💥 New location in Pretoria West 🤍

📍 Medicross Medical Centre
551 W.F. Nkomo street Pretoria West
☎️ 082 727 3656 • 012 943 8130
✉️ asmaomaracc@gmail.com
🌐 asmaomarphysio.co.za

New Branch, Same Care. 💜

13/10/2025

🤔🔗 Understanding the Link Between 𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂 & 𝙿𝙷𝚈𝚂𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻 𝙿𝙰𝙸𝙽

Most people think of stress as something that lives purely in the mind - worry, tension, pressure.
The truth is, stress leaves fingerprints all over the body too.

🔑 When you’re under stress, your brain signals the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These prepare the body for “fight or flight,” increasing alertness and tightening muscles. If stress becomes a daily state instead of a temporary one, those constantly tense muscles can lead to real, ongoing pain - often in the neck, shoulders, back, or jaw.

⚠️ Chronic stress also changes how the nervous system processes pain. The brain can become more sensitive, amplifying pain signals even from minor triggers. Over time, this can create a cycle: stress causes pain, and pain increases stress.

✨ 𝙷𝙾𝚆 𝚆𝙴 𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚂𝚃 𝚈𝙾𝚄
Physiotherapy helps break that cycle. By combining movement, posture retraining, and relaxation techniques, we teach the body to reset its tension patterns. Gentle exercises improve blood flow, release muscle tightness, and restore normal movement - sending calming feedback to the nervous system.

It’s not about “thinking your pain away.” It’s about understanding that mind and body are partners, not separate worlds.

Managing stress isn’t just a mental exercise, it’s physical too - and often, the first step to easing pain is learning to listen to what your body’s been trying to say all along.

Where the mind and movement work together ✨

10/10/2025

✨🔑 𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐎 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐋𝐘 𝐅𝐘𝐈 🤸‍♀️
Why Muscles Get Tight & How Physio Helps Release Them

We’ve all felt that stubborn stiffness or tension that just won’t let go. Muscle tightness affects everyone - from athletes to desk workers - and it’s not something you have to live with.

🔑 Why Do Muscles Get Tight?

Tightness often stems from habits, stress, or movement patterns:
• Overuse or repetitive movements
• Poor posture or sitting too long
• Lack of movement
• Stress and tension
• Injury or muscle compensation

🔗 How Physio Helps:

Physiotherapy treats the root cause - not just the symptom - through:
• Manual therapy to ease tension
• Stretching & mobility work
• Strengthening weak areas
• Posture & movement correction
• Stress management strategies

🔑 Muscle tightness is your body’s signal that something needs care. Physiotherapy offers long-term relief, restoring comfort, mobility, and balance.

✨ Ease the tension. Move better. Feel stronger.

01/10/2025

🩵🧩 ADHD Awareness Month reminds us that every brain is different, and every person deserves understanding and support. Together, we stand strong.

30/09/2025