Absolute Physiotherapy

20/11/2025

💪 Building Strong Foundations Early.

Strength training isn’t just for adults—it’s essential for young athletes. Watch Max who enjoys playing goalkeeper who wants to work through strength rehab with Physio Helen Wilson. With a history of knee and hip strains it was strength that was missing from his sports increasing his supseptibity to injury.

Why Early Strength Training Matters

Performance Enhancement: Research demonstrates that resistance training significantly improves sprint speed, vertical jump, agility, muscular strength, and motor coordination in young athletes 3 (https://www.mendcolorado.com/physical-therapy-blog/2025/4/21/is-strength-training-safe-for-kids-heres-what-the-research-says/). Studies show that youth athletes who engage in consistent resistance training 2–3 times per week experience measurable gains that directly transfer to sport-specific skills.

Rapid Strength Gains: Children can improve strength by 30% to 50% after just 8 to 12 weeks of a well-designed strength training program 9 (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3445252/). Remarkably, younger athletes show even greater adaptive potential, with children under 13 years old demonstrating significantly larger strength improvements compared to older adolescents 5 (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4861005/). We are certainly seeing this in Max who’s 12.

Injury Prevention & Long-Term Health: When appropriately designed and supervised by qualified professionals, strength training is safe and effective for children and adolescents (https://www.scienceforsport.com/youth-strength-training/). Research shows that resistance training helps reduce both the severity and incidence of injuries. https://www.scienceforsport.com/youth-strength-training/), while also improving bone mineral density—benefits that persist into adulthood (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4861005/).

Psychological Benefits: Beyond physical gains, structured strength training enhances self-confidence, discipline, and emotional well-being …..so important in adolescence.

Starting early builds lifelong habits.

11/11/2025

✨ Join Our Balance & Strength Class for Older Adults! ✨

Every Tuesday at Absolute Physio, we offer a dynamic balance and strength class designed specifically for older adults. 🧓👵

This week’s theme was all about reaching beyond our base of support! Participants engaged in fun, interactive circuits focusing on:
 Upper limb stretches 🖐️
 Lower limb activities 🦵
 Partner workouts 🤝

Each week brings a different theme, ensuring a fresh and exciting experience every time. We’re proud to provide this evidence-based service led by our Chartered Physio, Hayley, who specializes in balance and fall prevention.

✨ Plus, we have another class tailored for adults who use mobility aids! ✨

Interested? Check out our website or email us for more info. One of our friendly physios will be in touch!

15/10/2025

Great to see clubs seeking out ways to inform their players of areas that can particularly affect their performance and well being as women in sport 💪👌🙌

NEWS: Ahead of Saturday's World Menopause Day, physiotherapy lecturer Carolyn Kent, who also leads the knowledge exchange platform Women's Football Hub , has hosted a special event dedicated to women's health in football.

Players from Carlisle United's ladies team and manager Tracy Gannon visited our Fusehill Street campus last night.

Carolyn staged a session on the importance of picking the right boots to help prevent injury and optimise performance. Penrith-based physio Helen Wilson, from Absolute Physiotherapy, hosted a session on women's health that featured a focus on pelvic floor and breast health as well as menstrual cycles and menopause.

Thanks to all involved.


Carlisle United Football Club Carlisle United Community Sports Trust Carlisle United Ladies FC

15/10/2025

🌟 Elevate your health with advanced physiological testing at Absolute Physio:

🔹 Resting Metabolic Rate
🔹 Spirometry
🔹 VO2 Max
🔹 Oxygen & Muscle Testing (using Near Infrared Spectroscopy)

Every test is expertly analyzed and interpreted by Daniel Crumback, an international expert in physiological testing.

Our services aim to:
- Enhance performance
- Improve longevity
- Address respiratory and metabolic conditions

For more information on this specialized service, visit our website! www.absolutephysiotherapy.co.uk

14/10/2025

Absolute Women’s health visiting the Carlisle United Ladies team. 🌐

This evening, Helen delivered a comprehensive talk to the Carlisle United women’s team, focusing on women’s health, particularly in the area of posture fitting.

Helen brings a wealth of experience in treating both women’s and men’s health issues. Her recent service in posture fitting aims to empower individuals to find the right support and to look, move, and feel better. Many young women playing sport are not supported correctly which is not only uncomfortable but can affect performance too.

We’re pleased to showcase the informational leaflet she shared. It really highlights the array of services Helen is leading.

For more information on how we can assist in pelvic and breast health, please visit our website.

We look forward to supporting more individuals on their health journeys.

10/10/2025

Many of you may know I play this wonderful game of squash and help with the ladies squash development. It’s world squash day tomorrow so we are having a day of free squash for all. We are massively encouraging families, adults, children to come down to play! We have coaches to help guide those that need it and rackets and balls for anyone that needs them.

A great opportunity to try it out! Please feel free to share to friends who might be interested 👌🙌

Please share
This is FREE
There are coaches available all day!
Try it out and have fun!

25/09/2025

🌟 Exciting News for Our Older Adults!

Join us for our Older Adult Balance and Strength Class led by the very experienced Hayley Berman, our specialist older adult physiotherapist! This 45-minute class will take place every Tuesday at 3 PM with very small class sizes, ensuring personalized attention for all participants.

👥 This class is perfect for those who may be struggling with balance and are at a higher risk of falls or maybe had repeated falls. Hayley is passionate about helping you improve your strength and stability, and we’ll be offering advanced classes for those ready to take their skills to the next level soon!

📞 Interested? Drop us an email, give us a call, check our website:
www.absolutephysiotherapy.co.uk or message us right here for more information! You can also book your spot directly via the link below.

🗓️ Classes start in just a few weeks!
Tuesday October 14th.

👉 [Link to book: www.bookwhen.com/absolutephysio )

14/09/2025

🌟 Physio Pod Clinic Availability 🌟

Are you struggling with foot or ankle pain? Got issues that are extending up to your knee, hip, or lower back? This Clinic could be for you and it’s at Absolute Physio Friday 19th Sep.

Meet our amazing duo:
👩‍⚕️ Zoe Wilson- A musculoskeletal podiatrist who excels in diagnosing and treating foot and ankle issues.
👩‍⚕️ Jemma Donald - Our specialist physiotherapist focusing on the whole system but particularly from the pelvis down to the ankle. Together, they tackle even the most complex cases in a holistic approach.

To book on or find out more please contact either:
ZW clinics 01524 932 031
Absolute Physio 07851228805

30/08/2025

Great article as always illustrating how strong and robust our knees can be are despite cartilage tears.

Is cartilage stronger than concrete⁉️

Beluzzi et al. (2023) say cartilage strength is approximately 9 to 40 Mpa. The compressive strength of standard concrete is 17 to 35 MPa.

They have comparable strength, but cartilage is a living, viscoelastic tissue which is far more resilient than concrete under repeated dynamic loading and manages millions of load cycles during its lifetime.

This strength and resilience allows it to function even with a tear. This may be why tears are often asymptomatic, even in runners.

As with everything, individual cases will vary and management will be influenced by the type of tear and symptoms such as locking, giving way or persistent loss of range.

The good news is that many meniscal tears can be managed conservatively without need for surgery. Reassuring people about the toughness of the knee and its cartilage can help them see that rehab is well worth a shot!!

09/08/2025

🏃‍♂️🌟 Unlock Your Foot Strength! 🌟🏃‍♀️

At Absolute we believe strong feet are the foundation of a great run! 🦶✨ Check out our young star showing how simple tools and fun games can boost foot and ankle strength! 💪

👣 Intrinsic foot strength
🏋️ Ankle power
🏃‍♂️ Calf complex training

Balance and plyometric exercises are highly effective for building foot and ankle strength in runners and are enjoyable for both children and adults. These exercises not only enhance muscle power, tendon elasticity, and neuromuscular coordination but also improve balance, which is crucial for reduced risk of injury and optimal running performance. Incorporating fun, sport-specific plyometric and balance training engages multiple movement planes often neglected in running alone, promoting resilience and sustainable biomechanics.

Additionally, emphasizing fun and engaging activities around these exercises is important for sustained motivation in both children and adults. Early education using simple equipment and playful drills can foster strong, mobile, and flexible feet, helping prevent pain and injury long-term.

“Balance and plyometric exercises don’t just build foot and ankle strength—they’re fun and effective for runners of all ages! These exercises improve your power, speed, and balance by training muscles and tendons to react more explosively and efficiently.

Reference example:

- Myer et al., 2006; Gebel et al., 2018 (balance adaptations)
- Sports Medicine, 2018; Frontiers in Physiology, 2021

👉 Swipe to see the magic on the treadmill!