The Health Minister, Jillian Skinner, was in Forbes on Tuesday to visit the $40.9 million redevelopment at the Hospital. She toured the refurbished ambulatory care, oral health and renal units. The refurbished building houses outpatient services (including physiotherapy, dietetics, occupational therapy, speech pathology, child and family health and women’s health), counselling services (such as mental health, drug and alcohol), visiting specialists and
pathology services.

The Minister’s visit came on the day when she announced that patients and visitors to the Orange Hospital will have more free parking options with 160 new spaces to be created at the cost of about $1 million. “We understand accessible car parking is vital to ensuring a hospital visit is not made more stressful than it often is,” Jillian said.

A first tranche off 77 spaces will be constructed by the NSW Government in partnership with Orange City Council on the northern boundary of Orange Hospital and at the rear of the Orange Ex-Services Club. These spaces are scheduled to be available for use early in the new year.

Forbes joined the rest of the country on Tuesday to get dressed up with hat or fascinators included, have lunch and watch the Melbourne Cup. Almost 30 Neighborhood Central clients were treated to a lunch at the HACC Centre and a Fashions on the Field Show afterwards.

The ladies are all from the craft group and made their fascinators for the special day.

At the Forbes Services Memorial Club more than 70 women attended a special lunch in support of the Forbes Breast Cancer Support Group. There was a fashion parade and prizes for best hat and best dressed.

The short answer is Yes.
All hamstring injuries have some involvement either directly or indirectly from our back and nerves and how we control movement of the pelvis. Our hamstrings attach to the bottom of our pelvis. They work to not only straighten the hip and bend the knee but to also help stabilise the pelvis. Any change in back position affects our pelvic position which in turn affects our hamstring length.

The nerves supplying our hamstrings originate in the lumbar spine. Any tightness or stiff joints in the lower back can impact on the ability of the nerves to glide and move through the hamstrings. We know muscles protect nerves, so if we have a tight nerve coming from our lower back, the hamstrings will tighten to protect this nerve. This tightness puts the muscle at risk of injury when it is working hard. The load is magnified if the hamstring is working overtime to control the pelvis when the gluteal muscles or the joints in the lumbar spine are not working efficiently.

This is why sometimes you can stretch and stretch your hammies and they just won’t loosen up. They may be protecting a tight nerve. By stretching them you are putting the nerve under strain which actually makes the muscle tighten further. In this case we need to look to the lumbar spine to free up this tight nerve.

If you suffer from hamstring tightness or recurrent hamstring injury it is important to address what is happening in your lumbar spine and pelvic control before your hamstring can completely recover.

“For the fitness of you”
Linda Reilly