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 DiseaseSingle leg heel rises used for Severs DiseaseExercises 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.
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!
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!
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.
