Category Archives: Mobility

Preventing and Treating Back Strain

As winter rolls in with its cold temperatures and slippery sidewalks, many of us find ourselves facing a familiar challenge: back strain. The combination of cold weather, less outdoor activity, and the demands of shoveling snow can put an enormous amount of stress on our backs. Fortunately, physiotherapy can play a key role in both preventing and treating back strain during these months.

Common Causes of Winter Back Strain

  1. Shoveling Snow
    • One of the most common causes of back pain in the winter is shoveling snow. This activity often requires bending, twisting, and lifting heavy, wet snow, all of which can place a strain on your lower back. Poor posture while shoveling or lifting snow in an improper manner can lead to muscle strains, ligament sprains, and even more severe injuries, like herniated discs.
  2. Slipping on Ice
    • Winter conditions increase the risk of falls, and when you slip on ice, your body often contorts in unnatural ways to prevent the fall or brace for impact. This can lead to muscle strain, particularly in the back, as your body twists or jolts in reaction to the fall. Even minor falls can lead to a sore back.
  3. Cold Weather Tightening Muscles
    • When the temperature drops, our muscles naturally tighten up in an attempt to preserve heat. This is especially true for the back muscles, which are large and play a significant role in supporting our posture and movements. Tight muscles are less flexible and more prone to injury, especially if you engage in physical activity without properly warming up.
  4. Less Physical Activity
    • During the winter months, many people tend to stay indoors more often and engage in less physical activity. This sedentary lifestyle can lead to weakened back muscles and poor posture, making you more vulnerable to strain and injury when you do engage in physical activity, like lifting snow or even sitting for prolonged periods while commuting or relaxing at home.

How Physiotherapy Can Help with Back Strain

Physiotherapy is an effective treatment option for preventing and recovering from back strain, especially in the winter months. Here’s how physiotherapists can assist in both prevention and rehabilitation:

  1. Posture Correction and Education
    • A key element in preventing back strain is proper posture. Physiotherapists can teach you how to maintain good posture during everyday activities, such as sitting, standing, and lifting. They will show you proper body mechanics to avoid unnecessary strain on your back, such as lifting with your legs rather than your back when shoveling snow or picking up heavy objects.
  2. Strengthening Exercises
    • A strong back is less prone to injury. Physiotherapists can create a personalized exercise program to help you strengthen the muscles that support your spine. This includes strengthening exercises for the core, which play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy and stable back. A strong core reduces the load on your back and helps prevent strain.
  3. Stretching and Mobility Work
    • Flexibility is just as important as strength when it comes to back health. Physiotherapists often incorporate stretching and mobility exercises into treatment plans to help improve the range of motion of the spine and surrounding muscles. Stretching helps to relieve muscle tightness caused by cold weather and can prevent injuries from occurring.
  4. Manual Therapy
    • Physiotherapists can use hands-on techniques, such as joint mobilizations and soft tissue manipulation, to relieve pain, improve mobility, and reduce muscle tightness. Manual therapy is particularly beneficial for those suffering from acute back pain after a fall or shoveling snow, as it can help reduce inflammation and promote healing.
  5. Heat and Ice Therapy
    • Ice and heat applications are commonly used in physiotherapy to treat back pain. Ice can help reduce inflammation and numb acute pain, while heat can increase blood flow to the muscles, promoting healing and easing tightness. Your physiotherapist will help you determine which therapy is most suitable for your specific condition.
  6. Ergonomic Advice
    • If you spend a lot of time sitting, working at a desk, or commuting during the winter, physiotherapists can provide ergonomic advice to help set up your workstation and daily activities in a way that minimizes strain on your back. Proper desk ergonomics, such as adjusting your chair height and screen position, can go a long way in preventing back discomfort.

Preventing Winter Back Pain

  1. Warm Up Before Physical Activity: Always take the time to stretch and warm up your muscles before engaging in physical activities, such as shoveling snow or exercising outdoors. A warm-up routine can help prepare your muscles for the demands of the activity and reduce the risk of strain.
  2. Use Proper Lifting Techniques: When lifting snow or other heavy objects, bend at the knees, not the back. Keep the load close to your body and avoid twisting while lifting.
  3. Invest in Supportive Footwear: Wear shoes with good traction to prevent slipping on icy surfaces. If you’re walking on snow or ice, take smaller steps and walk slowly to reduce the risk of falls.
  4. Stay Active Indoors: Keep your back muscles strong and flexible by staying active indoors. Try low-impact activities, such as yoga or Pilates, to maintain flexibility and strength during the winter months.
  5. Take Breaks: If you’re shoveling snow or engaging in other physical activities, take regular breaks to rest and avoid overexertion.

Contact Us!

Take the first step towards recovery by contacting us today or using our online booking system to schedule your initial physiotherapy assessment and treatment

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Growing Pains in Children – Should You See a Physiotherapist?

School has officially begun for the year and with that comes an increase in activity levels for many children. As the fall and winter season approaches, many kids will participate in school sports as well as extra-curricular organized sports and activities. This ramp-up in exercise levels can sometimes lead to aches and pains, particularly in young children who are still growing at fast rates.

The term “growing pains” refers to this sort of injury. This pain is muscular in nature and occurs because bones are growing and changing at a faster rate than the muscles can keep up, which puts added stress and tension on the muscles. This can be more prevalent in children who participate in sports all year long, or children who play multiple sports at the same time.

Common Growing Pains

  • Sever’s Disease: pain in the back of the heel where the Achilles tendon attaches.
  • Shin Splints: pain in and around the shins.
  • Osgood Schlatter’s Disease: pain below the knee from the quadriceps muscle pulling on the shin bone.

Symptoms of Growing Pains

  • Pain in the thighs, knees, shins, or ankles.
  • Pain after playing sports or engaging in activity.
  • Pain at night when sleeping.
  • Pain is described as an “ache” or “burning.”

Physiotherapy and Growing Pains

Physiotherapist Nada demonstrating stretches that can be relieving for Severs Disease

Physiotherapy treatment is a very effective way to treat and manage activity-related pains in growing children. The aim is to reduce inflammation and improve muscle flexibility and strength. This includes techniques like mobilizations, manual stretching, and soft tissue work. The physiotherapist can also instruct you on how to manage your symptoms at home and what exercises to do to effectively target the area.

Single leg step ups for Osgood Schlatter Disease
Single leg heel rises used for Severs Disease
Exercises that are beneficial in strengthening relevant muscles in individuals with Severs or Osgood Schlatter Disease

If your child is experiencing pain and discomfort with exercise, book an initial assessment here with one of our physiotherapists. They will design a treatment program individually tailored to your child’s needs, age, and activity level.

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What Happens When You Have A Body Part That Is Immobilized?

Maybe you are healing from a fractured wrist and have it in a cast.

Maybe you are recovering from knee surgery and have a brace on.

Maybe you have a torn Achilles and have a boot on.

Maybe you dislocated your shoulder and have it in a sling.

Or maybe you had to be on bedrest for a significant length of time due to other health issues.

The point is… you as a whole, or a certain body part, were immobilized.

Interestingly, when you get referred to physio after the brace or cast or sling come off, we are not really treating the original injury at that point. We are treating the secondary effects of it, along with the effects from the immobilization!

So What Are Those Secondary Effects?

When you’ve had a fracture, or a dislocation, or a ligament / tendon / muscle tear, what you can expect is:

  • Decreased range of motion
  • Decreased strength
  • Pain with use
  • Swelling
  • Overall lack of function i.e. you’re not able to do all the things you were doing before the injury
Physiotherapist Kristina working on range of motion with a patient post knee surgery

Similarly, when a body part is immobilized, these issues get compounded.

Let’s take a fractured ankle for example. Maybe it didn’t need surgery but you were still put in a cast or a splint for 4-8 weeks:

  • When the muscles of that ankle and foot aren’t been used for that length of time, they begin to atrophy – you lose muscle mass and therefore, muscle strength. Your body has a strict “use it or lose it” policy and it’s not going to put in energy into maintaining something that’s not being used. Not to mention, it now has to redirect energy and resources into healing the fracture.
  • Without movement in the ankle joint, the joint gets stiffer and the muscles around it get tighter. Not to mention the swelling that’s been pooling will also block additional movement. Which means, the range of motion and flexibility of your ankle once the cast or splint come off, will be very minimal and likely have some pain.
  • Along with trying to move it, putting weight on it will likely also cause the ankle some pain. Part of that is due to the muscle weakness, swelling, and decreased range of motion. The presence of these adds to the pain of an area that’s already recovering from injury and is still sensitive.
  • And as you can imagine… if you have limited range of motion, muscle weakness, and pain… your walking, standing, and balance will be affected. Not to mention your ability to do things that require more exertion such as climbing stairs, squatting, lifting heavy objects, running, jumping, dancing, etc.
  • Lastly, let’s not forget about the rest of you! If you’ve had a fractured ankle, you aren’t using the whole leg very much either, so all of those muscles will be a bit weaker. On the contrary, the other leg might be tired from overcompensating, and maybe even getting a bit sore. Plus, you’re less active than you were before the injury, so you might also lose some cardiovascular fitness.

Cue Physiotherapy! We are here to gradually get you back on track with all of the above and as much as possible back to normal!

Depending on the injury, we follow protocols for restoring range of motion and strength, as well as reintroducing day-to-day, work, or recreational activities back into your routine.

Oh, and what about when you’ve had to be on bedrest?

Although no specific body part was immobilized, depending on how long bedrest was necessary for, there will likely be some general muscle atrophy.

Physiotherapist Kristina explaining how the patient can work on secondary effects from recent knee surgery

It’s due to the same “use it or lose it” principle.

And it’s not just your muscles… Other impacts of prolonged bedrest include:

  • Backache from the atrophy of core and postural muscles
  • An overall decrease of cardiovascular fitness and respiratory system efficiency
  • This leads to less energy and more fatigue once you start moving and trying to be more active
  • Increased risk of falls due to weakness and decreased balance
  • Increased risk for fracture because bones also get weaker without weight-bearing activities (i.e. walking). Just like muscle mass is maintained with use, bone strength is maintained with use.
  • Tendons and ligaments also lose some of their natural properties that allow them to do their jobs effectively. As a result, when you start being more active following bedrest or immobilization, they are now more prone to injury.

You may experience some of these effects in as little as 3-5 days of bedrest.

The good news is, bedrest is not prescribed as often as it used to be. That’s because research has shown that in most cases, there are minimal to no benefits. We are now also much more aware of the detriments it can cause.

However, when it is necessary, depending how long you were on bedrest for, it might be worth doing a few physio sessions to get you back into activity safely. Book here for an assessment today!

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Dynamic Warm Up Magic

You’ve probably been told to “warm up” before working out or participating in an activity many times in your life. But what really is the importance of a warm-up and what does it look like?

Physiotherapist Nada leading Through A Dynamic Warm Up

What are the benefits of dynamic warm-ups?

In the past, warming up meant stretching out your muscles. However, evidence has since shown that a dynamic warm up is much more beneficial in preventing injuries and improving athletic performance as compared to static stretching. Static stretching focuses on loosening up muscles. Benefits of dynamic warm-ups include:

  • Increasing heart rate
  • Increasing blood flow – which helps deliver nutrients to muscles
  • Improving elasticity of muscles and tendons – which improves the range of motion through the joints
  • Activating the central nervous system 

This prepares your body, particularly your cardiovascular system, for the exertion of the sport or activity. 

Who should do dynamic warm-ups?

Dynamic warm-ups should be implemented by athletes of all levels. In fact, if your lifestyle is mainly sedentary, you would probably benefit more from a dynamic warm-up routine. Whether you are participating in your routine work out at the gym, playing recreational soccer on the weekends or competing at higher levels in sports, dynamic warm-ups will positively impact your performance. 

What does a dynamic warm-up look like?

Physiotherapist Nada Demonstrating A ladder Exercise As A Dynamic Warmup

While static stretching involves putting a muscle in a lengthened position and holding, dynamic warm-ups involve moving through a joint’s range without holding in one area. In general, dynamic warm-ups should include movements of the joints and muscles that are going to be used during your specific sport or activity. For example, if you are playing in an adult league soccer game on the weekend, your dynamic warm-up might include a light jog around the field, leg swings forwards/back and side to side, and side stepping or shuffling. The warm-up should be at least 10-15 minutes in duration to be effective. 

Though it may seem tedious, investing a little bit of time at the beginning of your workout or activity can significantly impact your body and your athletic performance.

If you have any questions about whether this is something you would benefit from, call us at (905) 582-9700!

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Muscle Contusions-Can Physiotherapy Help?

Are you familiar with the term contusion? A contusion is the medical term for a bruise. Muscle contusions are a result of direct impact or trauma to the area. The most common sites for this to occur are the thighs, knees, arms, or calves. This direct impact leads to muscle bleeding and fiber damage which is what causes the swollen and reddish-purple bruise appearance. Contusions can occur from any form of contact sport, rough play, falls, or accidents where the body bangs into a hard object. Muscle contusions are different from muscle strains, which usually occur from sudden fast movements or overworking a muscle more than it’s used to.

Contusions are graded by their severity as Grade 1, 2 or 3.

Grade 1 contusions produce minimal pain and swelling. You may feel some soreness and stiffness with movement, but your range of motion is likely unaffected.

Grade 2 contusions will likely have more consistent pain and swelling may be present. You may not be able to walk or move normally without experiencing pain. Your range of motion may be decreased.

Grade 3 contusions are the most severe. Pain with any small movement will be present and significant swelling will occur. You may need to use crutches to help you walk. Strength and range of motion are significantly impacted.

Physiotherapist Kristina working on range of motion after an arm contusion

After a contusion, a physiotherapist can provide you with education on how to properly care for your injury and promote healing at home. Physiotherapy can also help restore your range of motion and strength to the affected area through movement and exercises. For more severe contusions, manual therapy can gently mobilize the muscle and surrounding tissue to promote blood flow and good alignment of the healing muscle fibers. 

If you have experienced a muscle contusion, schedule an assessment here and one of our physiotherapists will be happy to assist you.

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