Physiotherapy Blog

What is Acupuncture? Acupuncture is a component of traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.  It involves inserting very thin/fine needles into certain points on your body targeting the nerves or energy points in the body.  This treatment helps to reduce pain and improve function.  At PhysioNow, many of our physiotherapists perform acupuncture treatment for many orthopedic conditions.  One of the most common reasons, patients seek out acupuncture is for the treatment of headaches. Types of Acupuncture and its benefits for headaches There are 2 types of acupuncture: Chinese Acupuncture This approach stimulates specific pressure points, which restores the flow of positive energy throughout your body and removes the negative energy that is causing pain. Western/medical Acupuncture This type stimulates various systems of your body (for example, the nervous system and vascular system) to promote a healing response. The points where needles are inserted stimulate the nerves to release hormones such as…

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…

What is arthritis? The medical and rehabilitation world uses the term ‘arthritis’ all the time.  However, what exactly does it mean to have this condition?  Simply put, arthritis refers to painful joints or joint disease.  However, this is a very simplistic definition of the term.  More specifically, there are over 100 different types of this condition.  Arthritis affects millions of people around the world, including men and women and people of all ages and ethnicities.  Additionally, because it affects the joints of the body, it is a leading cause of disability and affects a lot of the most basic day to day tasks.  Individuals who have severe forms of the disease have a significant loss in their quality of life. What are some important statistics? A good resource for information on arthritis is the Arthritis Society website.  According to their website, about 6 million people across Canada have arthritis.  That…

What is a Total Hip Replacement?   A Total Hip Replacement (THR) is a type of surgery where a damaged hip joint is replaced with an artificial hip joint.  Doctors can use metal, ceramic or plastic replacement parts for the surgery. When is a Total Hip Replacement necessary? A Total Hip Replacement surgery is done when there is so much damage in the hip joint.  These joint changes cause severe pain and interference with daily living.  The damage in the hip may be as a result of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or post-traumatic arthritis.  Total hip replacement is recommended when: Walking, going up stairs, and bending to get in and out of chairs is difficult Pain is moderate to severe even while resting and disrupts sleep Joint degeneration has caused stiffness that severely affects the range of motion and function of the hip Conservative treatments such as medication, physiotherapy or using…

Accident rehabilitation refers to the treatment that is provided to treat the injuries from a car accident.  A motor vehicle accident (MVA) can be a scary experience.  There is so much stress that happens during the whole process, including dealing with the insurance company and damages to the car.  However, the most important aspect of getting into a motor vehicle accident is your health.  More specifically, a car accident can result in a whole host of different injuries.  Ensuring that you are safe and getting the care that you need to recover is so important. What are the common factors that influence a motor vehicle accident? A motor vehicle accident can result in a whole host of different injuries depending on the nature of the accident.  There are a number of different factors that can influence the impact of an accident on your body.  For example: Speed of the vehicles…

What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the bones of the body.  It involves processes where the body is losing too much bone or is making too little bone.  Additionally, it can also be a combination of both.  As a result, the affected bones become weakened.  Physiotherapy for osteoporosis is an important treatment tool to prevent fractures and improve a person’s quality of life. How can osteoporosis impact a person’s life? Normal and healthy bones can withstand a lot of stressors.  However, osteoporotic bones, on the other hand, may break with just minor incidents.  For example, a person with osteoporosis may fracture a bone from a simple fall or a minor bump.  Furthermore, in very severe cases, just a sneeze may be enough to cause fractures to a bone. The term osteoporosis means “porous bone”, which refers to the look of the bone under a microscope.  Normal or…

What is sciatica? Sciatica is a term that gets used quite frequently in the physiotherapy world.  It refers to pain, tingling and/or numbness that goes down the back, hip or entire leg.  It can happen to both younger and older adults for many reasons.  For some, it starts after a traumatic event like a slip and fall or after a motor vehicle accident.  For others, however, it starts gradually then suddenly increases in intensity over time.  Despite the exact cause, sciatica can be a very difficult condition to go through. Where does the term sciatica come from? The term sciatica refers to irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in our body.  This nerve has its roots at the lower levels of the lumbar spine and runs through the gluteal area down the back of the thigh.  Around the the knee, the sciatic nerve splits up into…

Vestibular Rehabilitation – What is it? Vestibular rehabilitation involves the treatment of disorders related to the vestibular system of the body.  However, to understand these types of conditions and the treatment that is involved, it is helpful to know a little about the vestibular system. What is the vestibular system? The vestibular system is a complex system that deals with controlling balance and eye movements. It includes structures that are found in the inner ear and the brain The vestibular system picks up information about movement and spatial orientation from your surroundings and sends this information to the brain This system allows us to do all our daily activities from reading, driving, walking, running and playing sports to name just a few. The brain combines this information with other sensory information from your body to coordinate smooth and well-timed movements As a result, if there is a disease or injury…

Golf is a great sport that usually many are looking forward to in the summer.  However, if you have played golf, you know that you need very good flexibility in your body for the sport.  Playing golf with reduced flexibility leads to a lot of injuries.  Some of them include golfer’s elbow, back strain, shoulder or knee injuries and so on.  Therefore, golf stretches are an important part of the golf routine. First, let’s go through the benefits of stretching. Benefits of stretching Improves flexibility and range of motion A sedentary lifestyle or less physical activity may lead to reduced mobility in the joints. If you start playing golf without stretching, it may increase chances of getting a muscle strain/injury as it may be in a shortened state and may also reduce the ease of playing golf. Improves blood circulation Stretching improves the blood flow to the muscles which has…

Cancer Rehabilitation What is Cancer? Cancer rehabilitation is an important part of a patient’s cancer recovery journey.  But it is important to understand what it mean to have cancer. Firstly, the normal, healthy cells of our body go through stages of development, maturity, and death.  Importantly, cell death is part of the normal life cycle of tissues.  In short, this process allows for the removal of older and damaged or abnormal cells from the body and the addition of new healthy cells.  However, with cancer, the old, damaged, or abnormal cells do not go through the process of death.  That is to say, they continue to accumulate and grow, spreading into surrounding normal tissues.  Moreover, these abnormal cells are capable of surviving and can do a lot of damage to the body.  Consequently, cancer cells can: Invade surrounding healthy tissues Develop their own blood supply Eat away at bone Add…