Plantar fasciitis The plantar fascia is the band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. The main function of this Fascia is to support the arch of your foot. Any strain to the plantar fascia will make it weak, swollen, and irritated. This results in the bottom of your foot hurting when you stand or walk. Some of the causes of plantar fasciitis are: high arches or flat feet, prolonged walking, standing, or running for long periods of time, especially on hard surfaces. Plantar fasciitis can also be caused by shoes that don’t fit well, tight calf muscles or being overweight. Plantar fasciitis is also common with athletes. Treatment recommended: In order to decrease these symptoms, try to give the feet adequate rest by reducing the activities that cause your foot to hurt. Walking on hard surfaces should be avoided. Talk to your physiotherapist today. They…

Acupuncture Pain is an alarm signal of the human body. When dealing with pain it is important that underlying causes are understood and dealt with. However it is desirable to relieve pain in the shortest amount of time. An acupuncture practitioner can deal with these underlying causes thru acupuncture. Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of therapy in traditional Chinese medicine. This states that any sign of disease is an imbalance between ying and yang forces in the body. Acupuncture promotes the flow of life force energy and therefore brings balance to the human body. Acupuncture commonly includes manual…

Low Back Pain Prevention Low back pain is the most common injury that physiotherapists and massage therapists treat. In fact it is said that up to 80 % of us will have low back pain at some point in our lives; pain severe enough that we will miss time from work and/or taking care of loved ones. As always, the best medicine is to Low back pain prevention. When it comes to low back pain prevention, there are many things that can be done to prevent injury including using the proper lifting techniques, proper posture and ergonomics at work, yoga…

Tennis Elbow Treatment Tennis elbow is most often the result of repetitive activities involving the wrist and/or hand. Excessive use of the wrist/hand can lead to increased stress on the muscles of the forearm. This causes damage to the muscle tendon. Since many muscles of the forearm come from just above the elbow, small tears of the muscle tendon are felt as pain on the outside of the elbow. The resulting pain and discomfort may be felt with everyday activities such as carrying groceries or lifting a jug of milk. The pain may also restrict various work-related tasks and hobbies. Grip strength is often much weaker on the painful side. As the name suggests, tennis elbow can also result from playing racquet sports. As the racquet follows-through after hitting the ball, muscles of the back of the forearm work hard trying to slow the racquet down. Over time this can…

Registered Physiotherapists Mississauga Registered Physiotherapists Mississauga are health professionals who specialize in recovery of the body from an illness or injury to the highest level of function possible. Registered Physiotherapists Mississauga can also be called physical therapists. This means the same thing. Registered Physiotherapists Mississauga To become a registered physiotherapist you must attend a university and graduate with a physiotherapy degree. The degree has changed over the years. You may meet some therapists who have an occupational and physiotherapy degree. These therapists are called POTS. Registered Physiotherapists Mississauga that graduated before the late nineties have a bachelor of science (physical therapy). After the late nineties and more recently, physiotherapist graduates are awarded with a Masters of Science. Regardless of the degree they earned, all Registered physiotherapists in Canada must pass a licensing exam. This allows them to use the term Registered Physiotherapist (RPT). Make sure when…

Neck Pain It is hard for me to remember the last day that I did not use a computer. Whether for home banking, doing reports or surfing the net, computer use is becoming more and more vital to everyday life and interaction. However, with all of this increased computer time, you must be aware of posture and positioning to avoid neck pain and shoulder pain. Ergonomics The study of proper positioning when working is called ergonomics. It is common that someone who works a lot on a computer will have an ergonomist come and do an individualized assessment of their work station. This will leave them with suggestions on how to improve their area to minimize stress on their bodies and avoid the most common neck pain and injuries seen with constant computer use. However there are common suggestions that everyone can follow for home and work. The first rule…

Tendonitis of the ShoulderWhat does it all mean? As a physiotherapist, I spent 4 years learning how to talk using medical words. And sometimes we forget that our clients do not understand these special medical words. In fact, we forget that we often sound like an adult from a Peanuts movie….. Waa Waa Waa. So what do all these medical words mean? First some basic anatomy: a joint is where two bones come together. That is a pretty simple one. But most joints are surrounded by a capsule. This is a leather-like sac that holds fluid that works to lubricate your joint – much like WD40 on a rusty hinge. This fluid is called synovial fluid. This capsule has reinforced and thickened areas called ligaments. The ligaments hold bones together. Finally, joints are controlled by muscles. We have big ones most people know – like the…

Cancer Recovery Cancer is devastating. The Canadian Cancer Society, Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada released a report showing that up to 45% of males, and 42% of women will suffer from cancer at some point in their lifetime. However, this report also states that our success at treating it is getting better and better (www.cancer.ca). Cancer recovery is more likely than ever. The treatments however can be tough on our bodies, causing fatigue. The exhaustion from cancer recovery can be so severe that it prevents us from returning to our normal lives. This includes work and social activities. Exercise can help. But that idea can be very scary for someone who has just faced a lot of treatment. Often the fatigue is so severe that the idea of getting started on an exercise program is overwhelming. And those that are determined to begin anyway do not know…

Foot pain and how to treat it. This time of year we walk the malls, wear our fancy shoes and stand for hours as we catch up with friends at holiday seasons. “Oh my aching feet!” rings out in our physiotherapy clinic almost as much as “Happy Holidays” But what can you do to ease, or better yet prevent the foot pain? Shopping for hours in the mall can be very tiresome and painful for not only our feet, but knees, hips and backs as well. The first thing that can be done to prevent foot pain is to avoid it. Online shopping has progressed in ease and popularity over the last few years. Spend a few minutes looking online to eliminate at least a few of the presents. If a visit to the mall is still required, follow this simple advice. First, pick good shoes – even if it…

Autumn is my favourite time of year – Warm woolly sweaters, frosty morning spent in front of a fire and hiking in the beautiful autumn leaves. Of course, with these leaves comes raking. (Not a Canadian favourite.) How can we do this safely without causing shoulder and back pain? There are a few simple guidelines that you can follow. 1. Warm up: Most of us know to warm up before we do sports, but raking can be just as hard on the body. A brisk 10 minute walk can do the trick. 2. Watch your technique: Step forward and back to collect the leaves. Stooping and reaching with your spine can trigger low back pain. Also, use your feet to turn. Bending and twisting at the same time can be very risky and can cause back pain. 3. Use your knees to lift: Although leaves are not usually heavy, the…