The Spinal Column by SOS Physiotherapy
The Spinal Column The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
ISSUE NUMBER 15
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
energy was up and the staff encouraged cheering all the way through! You definitely need a throat lozenge afterwards if you choose to go! Even though we didn’t get “called on down” to be a contestant, it was still a wonderful experience and is definitely one of our highlights. We were seated in the second row from the front, so if you happen to be watching on Monday, May 6 at 11 am, you may see us on TV! Another highlight of our trip was being able to go see two NHL games. My husband is a HUGE Montreal Canadians fan, so obviously we had to book our trip around the time when they’d be in California playing! The first game was in LA, and the experience was made even better since the Habs won! The second game was in Anaheim, and even though the outcome wasn’t as bright, we still had a great time. Justin was happy either way since now he can check two more NHL arenas off of his bucket-list.
Our final highlight was going to Disneyland! Ever since I was little I have been a huge Disney fan (thanks mom)! My dad and I even did our father- daughter dance at my wedding to a Disney song. Even though it was rainy for a couple days there and I was dealing with a little foot injury, we still had a magical time. We got
My husband Justin and I went to Los Angeles, California for a weeklong getaway this winter. We were hoping for a week of sunshine and Hollywood glam, but instead it was full of rain and blisters from wet shoes (at least for me). However, even with the rain, we still loved exploring someplace new, and ended up having a great time!
In Hollywood, we walked down the Walk of Fame looking at the stars of celebrities young and old. We also enjoyed comparing our hand and foot sizes to those actors that pressed their prints into the cement at the Chinese Theatre. It was great seeing the hand/ footprints of actors that we grew up watching! On one of our few sunny
to meet a lot of the main Disney characters, went on tons of fun rides, and just enjoyed being a kid again! It is definitely still the “happiest place on earth” to me! Overall we had a great time in LA, and can’t wait to go back to California to explore more of what it offers! Melissa Norris
days we decided to go for a hike at Runyon Canyon Park, and at the top of the hike we had a wonderful view of the “Hollywood” sign. It’s an iconic landmark to the area, and definitely made for a great photo-op! Since we were in the land where “dreams come true”, we decided to hope for a little luck of our own on a TV show called The Price Is Right. I did not know what to expect, but from start to finish there was so much energy! This show has been around for years and has fans of all ages. It was great getting to know other attendees, and seeing the ‘behind the scenes’ of how this show is made. During the entire filming everyone’s
INSIDE:
• Helping Your Aches and Pains • Why Physiotherapy? • In The Community
• Exercise Essentials • My Patient Story • Dos and Don'ts: Sleeping postures
www.sosphysiotherapy.ca
FUN & GAMES: SUDOKU HELPING YOUR ACHES AND PAINS
Pain medications can reduce the severity of aches and pains for a little while, but they don’t do anything to resolve the issue. There are things that you can do at home that can alleviate your aches and pains, helping to reduce the severity of your discomfort while also reducing the likelihood that the pain will return. Don’t just complain about those aches and pains. Start doing something about them. Here is a quick rundown of things that you can do at home that can reduce your daily pain: 1. Use hot and cold therapy appropriately to reduce inflammation. After a good workout or a day of doing chores out in the yard, your muscles will likely feel sore. Apply ice directly to the area that hurts on and off for 20 minutes at a time during the first 24-72 hours after the pain develops. After that, consider soaking in hot water, such as taking a warm bath, to further soothe your muscles. 2. Don’t underestimate the power of resting! Your body relies on sleep just as much as your brain. You need to get plenty of sleep to keep your stress level at a minimum—and that includes your physical stress level. Aim to sleep between 7-9 hours every night. The more activity you engage in, the more sleep you need.
3. Keep your body in good shape with regular exercise. It may seem counterintuitive to cut down on pain by moving more, but exercise is a really good way to reduce aches and pains. When you exercise every day, you are able to train your muscles for more movement, and thereby reduce aches and pains. Keeping active, staying rested, and being smart with hot and cold therapy create a trifecta for healthy management of aches and pains, but they aren’t going to solve the bigger problems. When aches and pains start to grow severe, or chronic, then it is time to reach out to a professional for support. Physiotherapy is the best way to reduce aches and pains because it takes into account a combination of active and passive strategies to help tackle the cause of your pain.
Look inside to learn more about our programs and say goodbye to aches and pain!
www.sosphysiotherapy.ca
Please Take A Moment To Look Through All That We Offer:
• Physiotherapy
• Osteopathy
• Custom Foot Orthotics
• Registered Massage Therapy
• Personalized Exercise Programs
• FITforeGOLF
• Acupuncture
• KW Pelvic Health Physiotherapy
• Custom Bracing & Orthopedic Supply
WHY PHYSIOTHERAPY?
There are a lot of different reasons as to why you may start feeling aches and pains. Muscle pain will occur whenever your muscles start to grow. To build more muscle mass, your muscles have to stretch, and lactic acid can pour into the lining of your muscles to cause a burning sensation. More movement will push that acid out, helping you to experience relief, and in time your muscles will develop increased elasticity, and the burning won’t be so severe. Built-up of tension from stress or overuse, and muscle pain from poor posture can also contribute to regular pain. A
physiotherapist can take a comprehensive assessment to help determine what may be the primary cause behind your aches and pains.
Exercise Essentials Try this movement if you are experiencing hip pain. Working with a physiotherapist can help you develop a new approach to managing your aches and pains. Your physiotherapy program will likely take into account strategies like hydrotherapy, deep tissue massage, guided stretching and targeted movements to help you experience ongoing relief from regular discomfort. Give us a call so we can help you say goodbye to your aches and pains.
Berry-Almond Smoothie Bowl
• ⅔ cup frozen raspberries • ½ cup frozen sliced banana • ½ cup plain unsweetened almond milk • 5 tbsp sliced almonds, divided • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon • ⅛ tsp ground cardamom • ⅛ tsp vanilla extract • ¼ cup blueberries • 1 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
PIRIFORMIS STRETCH The piriformis is a muscle deep in your buttock that can lead to both hip pain and referral of pain down the leg, since it crosses over top of the sciatic nerve. A stretch of the piriformis can be helpful to relieve these symptoms when done properly. Make sure not to push into hip
or back pain when doing this stretch. To perform the Piriformis Stretch:
Sit on a chair and place one foot over the opposite knee. Place a light pressure on your knee to open the hip and straighten your back. You should feel a comfortable stretch in the buttock of the leg you have crossed. If no stretch is felt yet, then lean forward slightly keeping your back straight. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds, repeat 3x.
Blend raspberries, banana, almond milk, 3 tablespoons almonds, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla in a blender until very smooth. Pour the smoothie into a bowl and top with blueberries, the remaining 2 tablespoons almonds and coconut.
CALL ONE OF OUR 3 LOCATIONS TODAY!
Student Life At SOS!
Out And About
As part of the Masters of Physical Therapy program at Western University, we have the opportunity to complete five 6-week clinical placements. I was lucky enough to be matched with SOS Physiotherapy for my third! I’m Carmen, a second-year student who was at the Elmira clinic in March and April. You might not recognize me without my boot - the Aircast boot I had to wear for 10 weeks post-achilles tear. If you’ve been at the Elmira location in the last few weeks, you might have seen me hobbling around, possibly mistaking me for a fellow patient. Not only did I receive a couple tips for my own recovery, I also learned plenty of new assessment and treatment techniques for various conditions from the neck down to the toes (literally). Getting to work with Elmira Physiotherapists, Melissa and Coco, has been one of the greatest learning experiences I’ve had in this program. I am very grateful to everyone at SOS Physiotherapy Elmira and especially to my patients, who have played an integral role by welcoming a student with patience and encouragement. I can’t wait to apply my new skills and knowledge to assist my patients in the future.
Back to my second home at Sauble Beach, located in beautiful Bruce County. Spring is here and the ice is finally melting out on Lake Huron. Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather and is getting outside for some activity! If aching or stiff joints are preventing you from enjoying all spring has to offer, just give our clinic a call!
In The Community
Celebrating Over 25 Years of Healthcare Services! Belmont Clinic Belmont Centre for Physical Medicine 564 Belmont Avenue West, Suite 301 Kitchener, Ontario N2M 5N6 TEL: (519) 743-4355
Campus Clinic University of Waterloo Student Life Centre
200 University Avenue West Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 TEL: (519) 884-0767
Elmira Clinic Behind Wellness Centre (Clock Tower) 3 Wyatt Street East, Suite 2 Elmira, Ontario N3B 2H4 TEL: (519) 669-1212
We had another great year at the Elmira Maple Syrup festival! The Flippin Physios were back in action at the pancake flipping event. You may recognize our “special guest,” fellow Physiotherapist Amy DeCorte! Amy recently moved back to London, but she is still part of our SOS family and we were happy to have her as part of our team this year. Even though we might not have made it to the finals, we still had a flippin’ good time! Got to start training for next year!
www.sosphysiotherapy.ca
MAY IS PHYSIOTHERAPY MONTH!
Physiotherapy is...
MY PATIENT STORY “My journey began back in August of 2018 with Coco. I had a full knee replacement after a 7-year journey wearing an offloading brace I was bone on bone. There is a 1-2% chance that things don’t go perfect and I was one of them. After a couple of months of physio 3x/week, I needed to return to London for a manipulation as scar tissue had formed and making all efforts in physio obsolete. After the manipulation in November 2018 I returned to physio 3x/week and with the excellent help of Coco and sometimes Melissa, I am happy to say that my life is somewhat back to normal. I get to return to my job May 6th and I honestly could not have done it without the excellent care and motivation I received from Coco and the staff at SOS.” - K.B.
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Making a difference. To learnmore visit:physiocanhelp.ca
There is so much more to Physiotherapy than you might have thought! From rehabilitation to individualized exercises and from healthy aging to woman’s health, physiotherapy can help you! Call today to see how Physiotherapy can make a difference with your health.
SPRING BACK INTO ACTION!
Is your back holding you back ?
JOIN US AT 10 AM ON SATURDAY, MAY 11 TH FOR OUR FREE LOW BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA WORKSHOP!
Don’t delay as space is limited
Belmont Location Only
Belmont Clinic Belmont Centre for Physical Medicine 564 Belmont Avenue West, Suite 301 Kitchener, Ontario N2M 5N6 TEL: (519) 743-4355
Campus Clinic University of Waterloo Student Life Centre
Elmira Clinic Behind Wellness Centre (Clock Tower) 3 Wyatt Street East, Suite 2 Elmira, Ontario N3B 2H4 TEL: (519) 669-1212
200 University Avenue West Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 TEL: (519) 884-0767
www.sosphysiotherapy.ca
DOS AND DON’ TS SLEEPING POSTURES
Side Lying
Supine Lying
line with or above your hip, to help decrease both pelvic rotation and hip internal rotation. You’ll know if your pillow is big enough when it feels your top leg is completely off- weighted. • Supine lying: If you are on your back, try not to let your legs lay flat on the bed. This position pulls the pelvis into a forward tilt which further causes extension of the low back. Try placing a thicker pillow or couch cushion under your thighs to offload pressure on your back. This helps with hip pain too, since the hips prefer to be resting in 30 degrees of hip flexion. Hopefully these tips help with decreasing your hip or back pain at night. Once you find your comfortable position all you have to worry about is trying to keep the pillow in place!
How do I support my back when I’m sleeping? This is a common question when we see patients with back or hip pain. It is important to lay in an offloaded and comfortable position when sleeping so that we are not putting extra tension or force on areas of irritability. When we are resting at night our tissues are trying to heal themselves, therefore making sure you’re in a supported posture is key.
Here are a couple ways to help offload your back and hips, whether you sleep on your side or on your back.
• Side lying: Place a pillow, doubled, in between your legs to help offload the top leg. You want to make sure your knee is either in-
Belmont Clinic Belmont Centre for Physical Medicine 564 Belmont Avenue West, Suite 301 Kitchener, Ontario N2M 5N6 TEL: (519) 743-4355
Campus Clinic University of Waterloo Student Life Centre
Elmira Clinic Behind Wellness Centre (Clock Tower) 3 Wyatt Street East, Suite 2 Elmira, Ontario N3B 2H4 TEL: (519) 669-1212
200 University Avenue West Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 TEL: (519) 884-0767
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