QEII Advanced Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist Adrian Cush is passionate about empowering patients through education. This Men’s Health Week (9-15 June), Adrian shares how his own health journey fostered his passion for healthy habits and inspired him to lead by example, both at home and at work.
“I played rugby as a schoolboy and had various injuries along the way. I was impressed with my interactions with Physios at that time, and that inspired me to pursue it, too,” he said.
Adrian answered the call to physiotherapy straight out of high school, and soon earned his Master's in both Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy (2015) and Sports Physiotherapy (2017), while building an impressive athletic roster.
“I'm heavily involved in Touch Rugby League in Australia. I played for South Brisbane and then captained New South Wales men's 30s in the State of Origin. I've captained Queensland City in the Queensland City vs Country competition, and I played for the Australia men's 30s last year. We’ve got the World Cup coming up this year in July, again in the Australian men's 30s. I am also busy on Saturdays with being a sports trainer for my wife’s women’s rugby union team at UQ,” he explained.
Between seasons, Adrian stays fit by balancing a rigorous training regimen, cycling to work, and conquering the local park or exploring new hiking trails with his eight-month-old daughter.
“It’s massively important to me that I pass on that education to my daughter. She’s doing really well with all her milestones, and we involve her in activities as much as possible. She makes for an excellent weights vest when I carry her in the baby carrier so hopefully she’s absorbing that enjoyment of exercise osmotically.”
When it comes to forming sustainable healthy habits, Adrian says a balanced, consistent approach is key.
“We know eat, sleep, and exercise are the three pillars of good health. The key to doing these well is building good habits into your daily routine,” he explained.
“That means committing to regular exercise that you can't get out of, meal prepping so you're saving time and you can exercise during the week, and being as consistent with sleep as you can by going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day. It's also important to make sure you are getting enough hours, because that's when your tendons, muscles and cartilage recover.”
With 50 Australian men dying each day from preventable causes, this year’s MHW theme, Know Your Man Facts, is more pertinent than ever.
“We know men are more reluctant to deal with chronic health issues, or let conditions go for longer before they get seen. We’ve seen that here at QEII,” said Adrian.
“I'm a big believer that education is one of the most important parts—if not the most important part—of delivering physio treatment to any patient. One of the best things about public health physiotherapy, is that the focus is on ensuring the patient leaves that appointment with the knowledge that they need to self-manage their condition,” he explained.
“Having my physio knowledge has certainly improved my own health because I can nip any niggles in the bud before they progress to a more significant injury. Sometimes it’s just about giving simple advice to patients in an understandable way that makes the biggest difference, rather than giving them a complicated therapy technique they can’t replicate at home. It sounds simple, but sometimes it’s what they need the most.”
Special thanks to Adrian and all our incredible men’s health advocates for empowering QEII patients every day.
Read more about Men’s Health Week.