Image by Freepik Physiotherapy for children, also known as pediatric physiotherapy, diagnoses and treats a wide variety of conditions and disorders, just like in adults. For example, the usual pulled muscles, sprained ligaments, and broken bones are treated in children very similarly to adults and physiotherapists treat these with expertise. Additionally, some conditions are exclusive to, or more likely to be seen in infants, children, and adolescents. Thus, some physiotherapists specialize in pediatric physiotherapy, to treat these more chronic conditions. In this blog, we discuss the most common conditions seen in physiotherapy, and how a session may be structured differently in adults versus children. Most Common Conditions and Disorders 1. Osgoode Schlatter’s Disease: Firstly, pain is caused by inflammation of the patellar (knee cap) tendon at the bone below the knee. It most commonly affects adolescent, athletic males. 2. Orthopedic conditions: Includes conditions affecting bones, muscles,…

Pelvic floor muscle training, when done in a structured way, helps to prevent certain complications during pregnancy and labour. These changes occur due to hormonal and anatomical changes. The complications that usually occur are incontinence, perineal tears, pelvic organ prolapse, less active pushing required during second stage of labour. Why is pelvic muscle training important? Pelvic Floor Muscles The pelvic floor is a set of muscles attached to the spine at the back and to the pubic bone at the front.  Importantly, these muscles are the key supporter for the uterus, bladder and bowel. Some activities of daily living help women maintain their pelvic floor strength to functional level. Unfortunately, pregnancy and childbirth lead to the potential injury and weakening of these muscles. As a result, pelvic floor dysfunction is common after childbirth. This includes urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapses, dyspareunia and perineal tears. Significantly, this…

Herniated discs may also be referred to as slipped discs, or disc bulges. They can be a source of pain and fear for many people.  To understand a herniated disc, a quick anatomy lesson is needed, we have included a picture below to help. Between each of our vertebrae in our spine, there is a disc with a soft inner core (nucleus pulposus, and tougher outside (annulus fibrosus). The herniation refers to the soft layer protruding out, and may vary in size. In larger protrusions, it may put pressure against other structures in the area like the nerves, causing a variety of symptoms in the areas the nerve root gives sensation and motor function to. Herniated discs can occur anywhere along the spine but are are most common in the lower back (lumbar) region. What are the causes of a herniated disc? Firstly, age-related degeneration. With age, the intervertebral discs get…

What is Parkinson’s Disease? Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurological condition resulting in difficulty starting and maintaining movements in the body. Importantly, there is a loss of some neurons (brain cells) that contribute to coordinating muscles and creating smooth movements. As a result, individuals with this condition experience a range of symptoms that impair their strength, mobility,  flexibility, and posture. 4 hallmark features Tremors: Firstly, tremors are usually the initial symptom. The tremor is mostly when the body is resting, such as sitting, but may worsen over time to affect the individual while they’re performing other tasks like writing, eating, or shaving. Rigidity: Secondly, rigidity refers to stiffness of the muscles and joints. In Parkinson’s, it can affect the arms, legs, trunk, and even the face. Bradykinesia: Next, bradykinesia means slowness of movement which may include stopping or hesitating during movements. Postural Instability: Finally, difficulty balancing and correcting postural faults…

Osgood-Schlatter’s disease (OSD) is a fairly common condition in adolescents that results in knee pain and loss of function. Typically, it is characterized by pain and inflammation just below the knee, especially in individuals that are active and engage in sports and other physical activities.  As a result, this condition can be quite disruptive to a young athlete, who suddenly finds themselves unable to participate fully in practices or games due to pain. Specifically, in this blog, we will discuss causes, symptoms, and effective physiotherapy treatment of OSD.   What causes Osgood-Schlatter’s Disease? OSD is primarily an overuse injury causing the tendon under the knee, the patellar tendon, and the part of the bone it attaches to, the tibial tuberosity to become painful and inflamed. Eventually,  the tendon and bone experience repetitive traction and strain through high intensity movements such as running and jumping, and the tendon pulls on the…

Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex (TFCC) Injury The TFCC is a combination of ligament, tendon and cartilage and therefore name as Triangular Fibrocartilage complex. This ligament has a major function of stabilizing and supporting the wrist. It is an important structure connecting the forearm bones to the small bones in wrist, thereby giving you the mobility when you grip object tightly or rotate the wrist. The TFCC provides these movement more support and range while behaving as cushion in the area. What causes TFCC strain or tear? There are two ways your TFCC can give up – either due to injury or any degeneration of these ligament. Injury – most often when you fall on outstretched hand is a common precursor of the TFCC injury or tear. The mechanism could be a sudden impact or a twisting injury. Older adults are more vulnerable as there can be thinning of these ligaments with…

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joint affecting the articular cartilage and bony structures and tissues involved. It starts with changes to the surrounding tissues of the joint and in advanced stages it affects the articular cartilage thereby reducing and narrowing the joint space causing structural bony changes. Osteoarthritis Signs and symptoms of Osteoarthritis in hand and wrist: Swelling of the joints or knuckles. Morning stiffness in fingers and wrist. Pain with movements. Difficulty with gripping and handling objects. Decreased strength. Enlarged joints or deformed joints in more than one or more area. Heberden’s nodes,…

Orthotics Orthotics are specially designed equipment that provide support to the feet and ankles to improve your lower body’s alignment. Since the body is all interconnected, misalignment at the feet can lead to compensation at the knees, hips, and lower back and contribute to pain and dysfunction in those areas. Thus, orthotics are a great tool to help correct this and alleviate pain and discomfort in the body. In this blog, we will go over how they work and how they can improve your quality of life. 1. Relieving Pain with Orthotics [caption id=”attachment_6107″ align=”alignnone”…

Aquafit: Dive Into a Fun Workout! Aquafit Trying to get in shape but joint pain is holding you back? Are you looking for a new and exciting way to start exercising? Look no further than aquafit! Aquafit, also known as hydrotherapy, or aqua therapy is a workout done in the water to increase fitness and strength. In this article, we will talk about the top 4 benefits of aquafit and how it can be used by our physiotherapy patients. 1. Low-impact, big results The biggest benefit of that it is very gentle on the joints, minimizing…

Motor Vehicle Accidents / MVA and physiotherapy. Motor Vehicle Accident Injuries sustained from a motor vehicle accident affect your normal function in life differently. It depends on the extent of the impact. Thus, it is very important to address any pertaining issues from the accident to your doctor. Additionally, to start rehabilitation at the earliest to decrease the impact of injury and its effects. MVA injuries can be as minor as  sprains or strains or it can be extensive that might include concussion, fractures, neurological involvement, other musculoskeletal involvements, etc. Once you are involved in an accident…