Care costs relate to an injured party inability to complete daily living tasks.

The idea is the amount of money received under this head of damage will pay for another person to assist with daily living and maintenance task.

The care can be provided to you by friends, neighbours or relatives, or you may have engaged paid services to undertake the tasks you could not perform yourself due to your injury.

Legislation in Queensland imposes threshold care requirements in cases of motor accident injury or public liability claims, and there are increased restrictions on care claims when claiming for a work injury.

Again, this is dependent on the level of care that is required based on your unique circumstance.

It’s known as gratuitous care.

Confusing title aside, it relates to any voluntary work of third parties (like your friends, family (including your partner), neighbours, and very kind strangers) who assist you in any of the above tasks.

You will need to prove that you completed the tasks before the accident.

For personal care tasks (such as showering, cleaning your teeth), it’s assumed you would have completed tasks those tasks yourself.

For jobs such as cooking, cleaning, garden care and child care, evidence is needed to show that you were responsible for some or all of these tasks within your household.

Equally so, you will need to put a monetary value on the work that you do. 

Some examples of evidence might include:

• Testimony from partner, or someone living with you of the jobs you usually do around the house
• Tax invoices and receipts for commercial care post accident
• Quote for commercial care (such as a gardener, cleaner, nanny etc.)
• Record of help provided by friends and time allocated
• A medical note from a medical professional on your ability to complete daily tasks
• Written testimony from friends and family of the hours worked and tasks that were undertaken.

Keeping a record of the care and assistance provided to you due to your injuries is very important, as it can mean the difference between having a claim for care and assistance, or not having such a claim at all.

Keep a spreadsheet that details the following:

• Type of care (paid or unpaid)
• The service provider (company or person's name if unpaid)
• Kind of service provided (i.e. mowing, laundry, cleaning)
• Date and duration of service
• Cost of service (if paid)
• Will the service be required in the future and how often

• Keep receipts for any services that you have paid for;
• Photocopy or scan those receipts, in case they get lost or destroyed;
• Consistently fill out the table as each service is provided;
• Ask the service provider to give you an "Itemised Account" that details the dates and costs of each service when they are performed

Like the saying – don’t put all your eggs in one basket - don’t forget to read the rest of the articles in this series on the other areas of compensation available to you.

As we learn through this four-part series, there are a number of areas under which you can determine what your quantum is and in turn discover how much your claim is worth.

The first topic we will be covering is a person's future economic loss. This area often makes up the most significant percentage of your quantum.

[RELATED: Calculate your Future Economic Loss using our worksheet here)

Future Economic Loss relates to an injured person’s ability (or inability) to work after an accident.

Simply, it covers a person's reduced income.

For example, this area of compensation might cover a person’s:

• Total inability to return to work
• Fewer hours or a move to part-time work
• Change in duties or job
• Inability to progress career through promotions or job changes

..up until they retire.

The amount awarded for future economic loss varies considerably.

It depends on five major factors including:

• The extent of injuries and their lasting impact on the ability to continue working
• Pre-employment history
• Likely career trajectory
• The ability to prove the above three factors; and
• Age at trial or settlement (how far you are away from retirement).

Someone's future loss is usually calculated by looking at four things.

How future economic loss is calculated sounds complex, but if you follow our worksheet it breaks down the steps into easy to understand (and action) summaries.

When a person’s earning capacity is difficult to determine (such as in children’s cases, or where a person hasn’t taken time off work) a court will award a global sum.

This a blanket award of money determined by the trial judge. Such a case was evidence in example 1 above.

The discount rate relates to the rate of return that may be expected on money awarded in a lump sum settlement and is expressed as a percentage per annum.

A discount rate of 5% implies an expectation that the money, when invested, will achieve a return of 5% per annum.

Discount rates are used when assessing someone's future economic loss.

They are essential in determining how much needs to be paid now to compensate for amounts that would have been received in the future.

[RELATED: Calculate your Future Economic Loss using our worksheet here)

Critical pieces of evidence required to prove your future economic loss include:

• Pay summaries
• Salary estimates or your current and future jobs
• Examples of colleagues who have progressed and their wages
• Average retirement age in your industry
• Medical reports on your likelihood of returning to work
• Pre-injury medical history

Like the saying – don’t put all your eggs in one basket - don’t forget to read the rest of the articles in this series on the other areas of compensation available to you.

We don’t need to explain the phenomenon of near-misses.

They happen far, far too often on our roads.

We often hear stories of people too afraid to get back on the bike after a near miss.  

So much so we decided to ask for some expert advice on the matter.

Brisbane Psychologist Romana Bowd has put together a quick article on the mental impact near misses can have on cyclists.

Discover how to identify psychological trauma and what your next steps should be.

As a driver of a car, bike rider or even pedestrian we can be involved in a significant accident that can leave not only physical injuries but also psychological injuries.

However we can suffer psychological injuries due to a ‘near miss’ or even witnessing an accident. These injuries can leave emotional scars that are as traumatic as physical ones.

We refer to these emotional problems as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) if a person’s emotional state remains unstable many days or months past the original incident.

A person is diagnosed with PTSD if there are any emotional or environmental triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions.

Symptoms may include nightmares or flashbacks, avoidance of situations that bring back the trauma, heightened reactivity to stimuli, anxiety or depressed mood.

It also can include:

Often people do not consider themselves to be suffering from PTSD because it is often associated and most commonly reported in war veterans and just witnessing an accident or being involved in a ‘road accident’ is under-estimated by most of us as not serious enough to seek help.

However, health professionals consider that anyone subjected to severe or sudden stress needs to be treated seriously just as if they had a physical injury.

PTSD can occur in anyone of any age, gender, culture and socioeconomic background.

If you are suffering  from symptoms, then it is recommended that you go and see your GP.

Your GP and you can assess whether it would be helpful to see a psychologist, psychiatrist and/or start medication.

If PTSD is severe it does not just ‘go away’ often our brain cannot erase the memories of the incident and it is very important to seek help.

Romana is a qualified psychologist based in Brisbane. For any questions relating to this blog post, psychological trauma or other related issues, please contact Romana using the details provided below.

Dr Romana Bowd PhD, BSc(AppPsych), BSc(Hons), MAPS, CHP, Assoc. CCounsP

Taringa 7 Day Medical Centre

Phone: 3830 5999

Email: [email protected]

If you need immediate help, please contact emergency services on 000 or LifeLine on 13 11  14

​The key to assisting your rehab after surgery is to have your knee as strong as possible prior to surgery. Some hospitals now provide “get fit for surgery” programs as this greatly assists with achieving the goals in the post-operative protocol.

Your Physiotherapist can help set this up and will usually need information on the type of surgery and your Surgeons post-operative protocol

Follow instructions. 

Usually you will leave hospital with specific instructions and advice on when it is appropriate to commence your rehabilitation and when you will have a follow-up appointment with your Surgeon.

This will depend on the specific surgery and your Surgeon’s protocol. 

The general principles of rehabilitation are to regain range of motion and strength as soon as allowable (depending on the type of surgery).

Your Physiotherapist in conjunction with the Surgeon’s post-operative protocol can guide you on the specific exercises you need to do for your particular surgery.

You should see your Physiotherapist as soon as possible after the Surgeon gives you the green light to commence rehabilitation.

Physiotherapy modalities may include massage, mobilisations, and specific exercises to help regain mobility and strength.

Furthermore, gait re-education is usually required to ensure a normal gait pattern is returned. 

Often an altered gait pattern can place undue load on the hip and back and be difficult to correct if the compensatory pattern is not corrected in the early phases of rehabilitation.

Stay tuned for more articles from Martin and the Brisbane City Physiotherapy team. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions related to this article, surgery or other mobility issues, please contact Brisbane City Physiotherapy on (07) 3301 2345 or click the button below. 

Injury healing involves processes that (1) fill in, (2) seal and (3) shrink the wound or injury. 

These characteristics of healing vary in importance and duration dependent on the different types of injuries. 

Injury healing, following the inflammatory response, involves a process known as the migration or proliferation phase.  This phase begins 3 – 4 days after injury and continues from between 2 – 10 weeks dependent on the type and severity of injury. 

For example, a paper cut or sutured surgical wound will heal within a couple of weeks because the edges of the wound are in close proximity and the injured area has suffered minimal tissue loss. 

A fracture, on the other hand, can take up to 10 weeks in the migration phase as there are more complicated processes involved in an attempt to restore bone tissue and strength.  

Within 48 hours after an injury, a process called angiogenesis takes place in which new blood vessels begin to form from surrounding soft tissue which increases the blood flow to the site of injury.  Any dead red blood cells are cleared away and other cells known as fibroblasts infiltrate the injured area and start laying down collagen.

This is a vital component of this process as collagen is the most abundant protein found in our bodies and acts as the ‘glue’ that holds together the tissues of our:

• joints,
• muscles,
• tendons,
• bones,
• blood vessels,
• hair,
• skin,
• nails, and
• Digestive system...

…the list goes on.  

During the migration phase you will probably find that you are exercising less so your appetite decreases. 

Although your energy requirements during recovery are less than when you are consistently exercising, they are still higher than your day to day energy requirements when sedentary (your basal metabolic rate).  This is due to the work your body is undertaking to repair injured tissue.  Failing to meet these energy requirements by not eating enough coupled with lack of exercise may result in a loss in muscle mass as well an increase in fat stores.  

Proteins are the building blocks for all of the cells in our body so consuming adequate protein is vital during recovery.  The minimum amount of protein that should be consumed in a day is 0.8 gm of protein per kg of body weight. 

So, for a 70 kg person this equates to approximately 56 gm of protein each day. 

The needs of athletes are higher and they should be consuming closer to 1.5 – 2 gm of protein/kg of body weight each day. 

Your protein intake should be broken up over the course of the day and will ideally come from a variety of different sources. 

The main considerations during this period are ensuring you are eating enough each day to meet your energy requirements.

This may mean that you ensure you eat every 3 – 4 hours even though you may not be feeling that hungry. 

Avoiding inflammatory foods such as high amounts of animal protein, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and highly refined or processed foods will also support the recovery process. 

It is also important to include variety in your diet to ensure you are obtaining a wide range of different nutrients to optimize your health and functioning of the body. 

If you missed Kate's first article in this series, be sure to check it out below. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions relating to this article or more general questions around nutrition, don't hesitate to contact Kate on 0423 493 330 or click the button below. 

If you have a neck injury which may have resulted from a motor vehicle accident, a fall or an injury at work you will know how persistent the pain and symptoms are and how encroaching they are on your daily life.

The pain and other symptoms, including headaches, can feel like it's ruining your life.  

If you have these issues you should be seen by a health professional for in depth assessment, treatment options and self-management information (including your own exercise programme).

While you are waiting to see your health professional or if you are searching for some more options to help yourself relieve the pain and symptoms of your neck injury this simple exercise from Sean McCoola of Maximize Health Group can kick start your return to normal life without symptoms.

In sitting or standing position, while stationery or travelling all you need to concentrate on is tucking your chin in.

That’s it! It’s so effective because it addresses the 3 major issues that continue neck pain and symptoms: poor posture, stiff neck joints, spasmed and irritated muscles and nerves.

Watch the video below for a demonstration.

Sit or stand tall to begin. Check out Sean's video on how to perfect your posture and prevent postural pain here.

Concentrate on gliding chin straight back, as if dragging your chin on a flat surface. Use your pointer finger to push chin backwards. Leave pressure on for the whole hold times below if it helps.

Hold for 10 seconds at a time initially, build to 10 x 10 second holds and build this to complete repeatedly throughout the day. Aim to make this position your new “normal” over weeks and months

• Accept there will be symptom changes, this is normal. However, do not let pain increase by more than a further 2 points on the 1 to 10 pain scale (eg if pain is at 4/10 do not go past 6/10). Do not let other symptoms, including headaches continue to increase after the initial positioning.
• Accept that a double or triple chin may also arise. An added benefit of this exercise is that it will reduce the appearance of double chin as it is toning muscles around that problem area. Bonus!!

To help relax into this position, breathe in through your nose for 3 seconds and out through your nose for 6 seconds. Yes, this lasts almost the whole 10 seconds of the hold of position and can be repeated as you are able to hold the position for longer.

To improve the stretch and joint movement tilt head to one side and hold initially for 10 seconds

Stay tuned next month for another article from Maximize Health Group.

Check out Sean's other articles below. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding these tips, whiplash injury recovery or other health issues please do not hesitate to contact Sean on +61 7 3343 5494 or [email protected].

Whether you have rolled your ankle, broken a rib or torn a ligament, your body goes through the same painful and uncomfortable process to repair itself. 

We sat down with Nick Marshall from Surf Life Physio in Miami, QLD earlier this month to get a better understanding of the recovery journey. Nick has over 17 years' experience as a physiotherapist, having practised both privately for his own practice Surf Life Physio and as a senior outpatient physio for Tweed Heads Hospital.

The remodeling phase is when the less mature Collagen fibres become thicker and stronger.

Depending on the physio rehab, these fibres then align themselves in a position so they are ready to absorb load and stress.

The most important component of the remodeling phase is that it cannot begin until the inflammation phase has come to an end and the area damaged no longer has elevated inflammatory markers.

Like building a house the remodeling phase can be slow and take time. In fact in some injuries especially to tendons and ligaments it can take a year.

Generally, because this phase can’t start until the area is free of inflammation, this stage is pain free and the person will be almost back doing things without any discomfort. But that can be the danger. Because despite the absence of pain the structures haven’t been completely fixed and healed.

This is the most important period to get physio. It’s at this stage that you are adding exercises and stretches to the program to allow the structures to heal in the right way so to avoid re-injury and restore pre-injury function.

If you missed the last two blog posts, click the links below. They are worth the read. 

This concludes our injury recovery article series. But be sure to stay tuned for more articles from Nick and the Surf Life Physio team. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding these tips, injury recovery or other health issues please do not hesitate to contact Nick and his team at Surf Life Physio on (07) 5527 7830 or click the button below.

Sure! Watch the video below and find out all that goes on in a knee (and leg) examination. 

Chiropractors look at the knee as part of an overall structure, consisting of your back, pelvis, hips and feet.

Imbalances in the correct joint movement either in your feet or pelvis will change how muscles pull in your knee and could be painful.

So, rather than just managing a sore knee, a chiro will look for underlying causes in related areas…a bit like your mechanic checking your steering, wheel alignment and shock absorbers when you go there with a tyre that is wearing unusually.

Patients need to realise that nearly HALF of the results for knee pain recovery rely on doing your stretches and exercises. 

So how quickly you recover is really driven by commitment to home advice and actively modifying the way you do certain things that may be aggravating your problem.

Thanks Andrew. 

Stay tuned for another article from Andrew soon.  

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this interview, treatment of back pain or other health issues please do not hesitate to contact Andrew and the rest of the team by visiting the Andrew Vincent Chiropractic website.

Andrew Vincent Chiropractic offers massage and nutritional support alongside their chiropractic services to ensure a whole lifestyle change is possible. 

​

2 sets of 1 min

2 sets of 30 secs each

1 set of 10 reps (5 sec hold) for each

Stay tuned for another article from the Queen Street Physiotherapy team soon

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this interview, treatment of cycling injuries or other health issues please do not hesitate to contact Donovan and the rest of the team by visiting the Queen Street Physiotherapy website.

Queen St Physiotherapy offers ergonomic advice, custom made orthotics, running assessment, hydrotherapy, dry needling, remedial massage, exercise and stretching programs.

That being said, cyclists tend to get a fair few injuries, and not just from the bastard neighbourhood magpie/plover. 

Any cyclical activity (cycling, swimming, running) has the potential for things to creep up slowly like compound interest. ​

Little niggles can build and build until merely the thought of your 1kg carbon fibre frame with wheels makes your knee ache. So to keep you on the road longer (much to the annoyance of local territorial birds) here are some tips to staying healthy.

If you or someone you know loves to punch out kilometres like Cadell Evans, be sure to take note of these tips. It could be the difference to being on the road or watching your bike collecting dust in the garage. With any sport it’s essential to stay as healthy and injury free as possible, otherwise what’s the point right? So take care on the road you crazy cyclists.

Stay tuned for another article from the Queen Street Physiotherapy team soon

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this interview, treatment of cycling injuries or other health issues please do not hesitate to contact Donovan and the rest of the team by visiting the Queen Street Physiotherapy website.

Queen St Physiotherapy offers ergonomic advice, custom made orthotics, running assessment, hydrotherapy, dry needling, remedial massage, exercise and stretching programs.