What is Migraine and how does it feel? Migraine is type of headache which radiates to jaw, eyes, one of face and neck and shoulder sometimes. It can cause throbbing and severe sensations on your one side of face including jaw and eyes and forehead. Sometimes, it is accompanied by other symptoms like pressure in back of head, pulsating sensation on face, sensitive to noise, light, nausea and vomiting. Migraine management is of utmost important from the time you start experiencing it. Symptoms: Migraine attacks are long lasting depending on the patient. It can vary from hours to days. Sometimes, it is severe enough to interfere in your daily life and work life. Sign and symptoms: Pressure/tension in different area of head, usually in back of the head Difficulty in Concentration Nausea and sometimes accompanied by fever Vomiting Sensitive to noise Sensitive to lights Flashes on face Visual disturbance…

PELVIC PAIN AND PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTION What is pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction? There are a number of conditions which cause pain and pelvic floor dysfunction. We have discussed a few of those conditions here today. Fortunately most of the conditions are treated with physiotherapy interventions. Pelvic pain and dysfunction Common conditions related with internal pelvic structures: Provoked vestibulodynia: In this your pelvic area is very sensitive to touch or pressure. You will feel pain with light touch, pressure, inserting tampons, wearing tight pants or intercourse. urinary urgency Vaginismus: You feel difficulty and/or pain with vaginal penetration. This will lead to avoidance of sexual activity or internal pelvic examination. Bladder pain syndrome: You feel pain and pressure with urge to urinate at any time. You will get an increased urge to urinate. Symptoms usually starts with bladder infection. Dysmenorrhea: You will feel painful cramps with…

If you have a fracture, it means you have broken a bone.  Fractures are common injuries and they can happen to people of all ages, from the very young to the very old.  Common areas where fractures happen include shoulder, spinal vertebrae, elbow, wrist, knees and ankle.  Majority of fractures occur with trauma to the bone – either from a fall or a blunt force. How do you know that you have a fracture? Most people can usually feel that they have broken a bone because the signs and symptoms can be very obvious.  These include: Swelling or bruising over a bone Deformity around the injury area, such as arm or leg Pain that gets worse with any movement or added pressure Inability to put any weight through the joint Protruding bone through the skin (in the case of open fractures) Is it always obvious that you have a fracture?…

WHY DO I HAVE SHOULDER PAIN You haven’t done anything to hurt your shoulder. However, you may find yourself unable to move your shoulder and it may cause serious pain if you try. This is a condition known as Frozen Shoulder, and it can greatly affect your daily life. Frozen shoulder, also known as Adhesive Capsulitis is a condition that leads to a painful loss of range of motion in the shoulder joint. frozen shoulder SYMPTOMS  It causes persistent shoulder pain, inflammation and stiffness in the connective tissue of the shoulder. Therefore, the condition is known to gradually worsen over time. These persistent symptoms can make daily tasks extremely painful and challenging. Frozen shoulder causes the capsule surrounding the shoulder joint to contract and form scar tissue, which causes a painful restriction in range of motion. However,  without proper treatment, this shoulder condition can last for…

Elbow Pain Pain at the elbow region is a very common issue.  There are several reasons to why there are so many people suffering with elbow pain.  Most of the time, elbow pain is due to work, sports or accidents. Reasons for Elbow Pain  Fractures An elbow fracture can involve any one of the three bones that make up the elbow joint Fractures occur with direct trauma to the area such as a direct hit or a fall onto the elbow Ligament Sprains Injuries to ligaments can occur with trauma or through over-stretching movements The severity of the sprain is determined by a grading system 1 – mild stretching or tear of the ligament, with little or no instability at the joint 2 – partial tear of the ligament, with some instability in the joint 3 – ligament is completely ruptured and there is no stability in the joint Tendon…

The custom knee braces are useful for many reasons.  The most common reasons are to correct alignment or stability of the knee.  Therefore, the brace allows people to continue to be mobile and active despite their knee injury or pain.  At PhysioNow, we have custom knee braces available from DonJoy, Breg and Ossur.  A Registered Physiotherapist with training in knee braces  will recommend and measure the brace that’s the most appropriate for the needs of the patient. Types of Custom Knee Braces There are different types of braces for different types of knee conditions.  The custom knee brace needs to be specific to the condition for it to be effective.  Some examples of the types of custom knee braces include: Brace for ligament instabilities The main ligaments of the knee that give the knee stability are the ACL, PCL, MCL and LCL.  These injuries occur during sports or recreational activities…

2021 is definitely an interesting year to reflect on.  The Covid-19 pandemic certainly creates a new and different challenge for physiotherapy.  Let’s have a look at the most popular reasons why people came in for treatment at PhysioNow in 2021! Reason #1:  Neck & Back Pain Neck and back pain are definitely the most common symptom that led people to PhysioNow in 2021.  This was due to several different factors.   The most important being that majority of office staff shifted to working from home.  This means that they are working in home offices that are not always ergonomically correct.  Additionally, most people who work from home end up spending more time sitting in front of their screens without getting up and moving around.  As a result, stiffness in the back is produced and continues to progress and become painful. Reason #2: Shoulder Pain Shoulder pain is another popular reason for…

What is a total knee replacement? A total knee replacement is a surgery where the damaged portions for your knee joint are replaced with metal prosthesis.  The damage to the knee joint is usually as a result of arthritis.  These changes to the joint have likely accumulated over several years.   A total knee replacement is considered if pain is no longer manageable or if function is severely restricted. How do I get the best outcome after a knee replacement surgery? There are many factors that can influence the surgery results and make it more likely that you have a successful outcome. Surgery without complications Firstly, the surgery itself has to be successful in replacing the damaged joint without resulting in any surgical complications.  The most common complications that can happen after any surgery include infection and blood clots. Pain management Next, it is important to have good pain management after…

What causes knee pain? Managing knee pain is a common concern for many people.   It can feel too difficult and there is always a fear of making the pain worse. Especially, when knee pain can be caused by several different reasons.  For example: Muscle and tendon strains Ligament sprains Bursitis Osteoarthritis Meniscus tears Patellar-femoral pain Dislocations Post-Surgery What can I do to help manage my knee pain? There are several things that you can try to help reduce or solve your knee pain on your own.  Apply heat or ice An easy home remedy for managing knee pain at home is applying either heat or ice to the area.  However, there is always some confusion about whether heat or ice is the better option.  As a general rule of thumb we say:  If there was a sudden trauma and the area is showing signs of inflammation, such as swelling and…

What is Massage Therapy?   Massage therapy offers many benefits for recovery.  This type of treatment involves the hands-on manipulation of the soft tissues of the body.  These tissues include:  Muscles Tendons Connective tissues Ligaments What is the purpose of massage therapy? The purpose of massage therapy is to help improve the physical condition of the body.  This is achieved through by improving: Tissue flexibility Joint movement Circulation Stress Are there different types of massage therapy? Swedish Massage Most common type of massage therapy It involves soft, long and kneading strokes of the muscles This type of treatment may also include joint movement and stretches The focus of Swedish massage is the relaxation of the muscles Deep tissue Massage This type of massage aims to get into deeper layers of the soft tissues It uses deeper pressure and may be more painful than a Swedish massage but can be helpful…