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Author: Nelly Temraz

JointAction Physiotherapy & Wellness CentreArticles by: Nelly Temraz
By Nelly Temraz 0 Comments Acupuncture, Uncategorized

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) & Acupuncture

What is TCM Acupuncture? 

Many people will come across the term “acupuncture” upon visiting their healthcare professional.  TCM stands for “Traditional Chinese Medicine,” and has long been used to treat many diseases. TCM involves many branches of medicine, one major branch is the use of needles to impose change known as acupuncture.

TCM Acupuncture is known to treat many ailments that range from musculoskeletal diseases, dietary issues (ie, bloating and abdominal pain in IBS or Crohns), headaches, allergies, sleep, stress, fertility, and many more.

 

Why visit a Registered Acupuncturist?

Registered Acupuncturists are highly trained in comparison to other healthcare practitioners in the aspect of theory and clinical training.  Your average Registered Acupuncturist will have studied for at least 3 years with over 3500 hours of clinical hands-on training with the public.  Popular terms such as “dry needling” or “medical acupuncture” and other modalities like cupping or gua-sha (similar to Graston) are all performed by Registered Acupuncturists.

 

Find out more on what to expect on your first visit?

Find out more about our Registered Acupuncturist: Jonathan Chang and book your free 15 minute meet & greet today!

 

By Nelly Temraz 0 Comments Exercises, Physio, Sporting, Therapy

Quad weakness can cause knee pain!

Our quads are made up for 4 muscles that are responsible for straightening the knee out. Quad weakness can cause knee pain. Our physiotherapists will do a thorough assessment to determine the cause of knee pain and prescribe the exercises best suited for your injury. The video below provides a few examples of quad strengthening exercises.

Disclaimer: Please note these exercises may not be right for you. Please discuss your concerns with your physio or healthcare provider before starting these or any new exercises.

Book your free 15 min meet & greet with one of our physiotherapists today.

By Nelly Temraz 0 Comments Exercises, Uncategorized

Hip flexors: what they do and exercise ideas!

Our hip flexors are made up of a group of muscles that contribute to hip and pelvic movement and stability. Tightness and weakness of the hip flexors can create muscle imbalances that can cause hip, low back and knee pain. Below is a video of a a few exercise ideas for stretching and strengthening your hip flexors.

Disclaimer: Please note these exercises may not be right for you. Please discuss your concerns with your physio or healthcare provider before starting these or any new exercises.

Contact us today to book your free 15 min meet & greet! 

By Nelly Temraz 0 Comments Massage Therapy, Physiotherapy

Cupping Therapy

Cupping involves the use of a container or vessel that is suctioned onto the skin.  The suction is achieved by creating a vacuum via manual air pump or traditionally by fire (fire cupping).

Uses/Benefits:

    • Improves/speeds up recovery from muscle soreness
    • Mobilizes scar tissue
    • Loosens tight muscles and improves range of motion
    • Decreases pain
    • Improves local circulation

Cautions to cupping:

    • Due to the suction of the cups onto the skin, you may find local bruising where the cups are placed.  These bruises will typically resolve within one to two weeks depending and are harmless.
    • If you are on blood thinners or have any conditions that cause you to bruise easily, please consult your practitioner first.

If you would like to discuss if cupping is right for you, contacts us to book a free 15 minute meet & greet with any of our Registered Massage Therapists or Physiotherapists.

Jonathan Chang, RMT

By Nelly Temraz 0 Comments Physiotherapy

Why strengthening the Gluteus muscles (buttocks muscles) is so important?

The glutes are an incredibly powerful and important muscle. There are three layers to the glute muscles: gluteus minimus, medius, and maximus. Today we are focusing on the gluteus medius.

The gluteus medius muscle is the gluteal muscle that sits just above the prominent bone at the side of the hip. The primary function of this muscle is to abduct the hip (bring the leg out), but perhaps its more important function is to stabilize the hip, laterally (from the outside). This muscle is especially active when standing on a single leg, which is important for movements including walking, running, and changing directions. Weakness in this muscle can result in pain, soreness, and injury to the hip itself, the IT band, and the knee. Try the following exercises to keep the gluteus medius strong and functional.

Gluteus medius strengthening Exercises: (See video below for demo!)

Clamshells: repetitions = 10, sets = 2, both sides

Hip hike: repetitions = 10, sets = 2, both sides

Side straight leg raise: repetitions = 10, sets = 2, both sides

Banded side steps: repetitions = 10, sets = 2

Let us know how these exercises are working for you, and if there are more ideas that are needed, or problem solving around your injuries or pain, do not hesitate to contact us!  Book your Free 15-minute meet & greet today! 

Disclaimer: Please note these exercises may not be right for you. Please discuss your concerns with your physio or healthcare provider before starting these or any new exercises.

By: Chris Dahiroc, Physiotherapist

By Nelly Temraz 0 Comments Chiropractic Care, JointAction Clinic

The Activator Technique (Instrument Adjustment)

What is the Activator Technique?

Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique is a chiropractic treatment method using a Mechanical Force Manual Assisted Instrument to deliver a controlled impulse to particular areas of the spine and extremities in order to restore motion. It is an alternative to the manual form of spinal manipulation in which a High Velocity Low Amplitude thrust is used to adjust the spine.

What is the Activator?

The Activator V is a handheld electronic tool which allows for a specific, gentle and controlled adjustment to be delivered. There are multiple settings depending on which area is being adjusted. They range from 1 to 4. The purpose is to create a force wave that is quick and that is localized without any pulling or twisting. This is an advantage as there is less muscle resistance.

How is the Activator used? (See Video below!)

The Activator method relies on a specific protocol. This protocol is based on any changes that you would see in the patient’s leg lengths or leg length inequality. These changes would be evaluated by having the patient perform certain muscle and spinal tests in order to activate certain muscles which are attached to specific vertebrae. If the leg lengths are found not to be the same then there would be a problem in that corresponding area. We would evaluate using this method from the feet towards the head.

Please note, it is very important that the chiropractor is trained and certified to use this instrument as there are specific ways to use it.

Any thorough evaluation always involves the procedure of taking a health history and assessment which may involve orthopedic, neurological and physical components. There is a focus placed on musculoskeletal elements looking for spinal restrictions, postural limitations and any areas of muscular tightness.

The Activator Technique can be used on people of all ages including babies and the elderly.

Please refer to www.activator.com for more information.

To find out if this is right for you contact us to book in for your free 15 minute meet & greet with our Chiropractor!

Written by: Dr. Teesha Geevarghese D.C.

By Nelly Temraz 0 Comments Physiotherapy

What does the shoulder blade have to do with our shoulder moving?

Scapulohumeral rhythm: What is it?

Refers to the coordination between the shoulder blade (scapula – “scapulo”) and the humerus (the bone that runs between the shoulder and elbow – “humeral”) during shoulder movements. It represents the ratio of movement that is done by the shoulder blade relative to the amount of movement done by the humerus when lifting the arm.

What muscles are involved?

Movement of the scapula is aided by the serratus anterior, and the upper and lower fibres of the trapezius. Whereas, movement of the humerus is initiated by the rotator cuff muscles which includes the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres major, teres minor, and subscapularis.

Image 1: Muscles Rotator Cuff (ref below)

What’s normal?

The action of raising the arm up and to the side (abduction) involves a 2:1 ratio of movement from the humerus relative to the scapula. So on an average abduction of 180 degrees – 120 degrees comes from the movement of the humerus while the remaining 60 degrees is achieved from the scapula.

What happens when the ratio is abnormal?

Abnormalities in this ratio is called scapular dyskinesia – which means an impairment in the scapular movement. When the scapula is moving abnormally it can lead to pinching of various structures within the shoulder causing pain when moving the arm.

What can we do?

When shoulder pain is the result of scapular dyskinesia the goals of treatment may include strengthening, stretching, and ultimately promoting proper scapulohumeral rhythm. Your therapist may test to see which muscles may be weakened or tight, assess for incorrect postures, and create individualized exercise prescriptions that allow for the restoration of proper scapulohumeral rhythm.

Contact us today to discuss if physiotherapy is right for you! Book your Free 15 minute meet & greet today!

By: Calvin Lee, Physiotherapist

References:

Image 1: File: Muscles Rotator Cuff.jpg. (2011, August 29). Physiopedia, . Retrieved 18:18, January 28, 2019 from https://www.physio-pedia.com/index.php?title=File:Muscles_Rotator_Cuff.jpg&oldid=44396.

By Nelly Temraz 0 Comments Physiotherapy

Ankle injury and testing it’s impact on your balance

What to do following an ankle injury? How do you know if your balance has been affected?

Following an ankle or foot injury, proprioception can be negatively impacted and potentially increase the chance for future reoccurrence of injury or falls. Proprioception (or kinesthesia) is the sense though which our body is aware of where are our joints are in space. Common ankle and foot injuries that benefit from physiotherapy focused on strength and proprioception training include ankle sprains, plantar fasciitis, post ankle/foot fractures and tendonitis.

A study (Willems 2002) published by the Journal of Athletic Training looked at the effect of proprioception and muscle strengthening exercises in individuals with chronic instability and suggested that emphasizing on proprioception and strength training in the rehab program can help prevent recurrent ankle sprains.

The video below shows 2 examples of how to test your ankle balance. Make sure to try those with a stable surface close by for you to hold on to if you lose your balance. If you are unsure please do not try them.

Physiotherapist assess your range, balance, strength and your gait. Based on the assessment we provide you with a treatment plan including the appropriate exercises to help manage your symptoms and avoid re-occurrence of injury.

Contact us today to discuss if physiotherapy is right for you! Book your Free 15 minute meet & greet today!

Reference: Willems, T, Witvrouw E, Verstuyft J, Vaes P & Clercq DD, Proprioception and Muscle Strength in Subjects With a History of Ankle Sprains and Chronic Instability, Journal of Athletic Training (2002) Oct-Dec; 37(4): 487–493

By: Jie (Janet) Yang, Physiotherapist

By Nelly Temraz 0 Comments Massage Therapy

Jaw Pain (TMJ): Massage and Acupuncture Effective for Relieving Jaw Pain

Acupuncture points used for jaw pain

Experiencing pain while enjoying your tasty burger?  Waking up with a sore jaw? Can’t open and close your mouth as comfortably as you could?  Does your jaw make clicking noises? You may have temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome/pain.  Do you often get temple headaches? More and more, I see many people walk into the clinic with a history of some sort of TMJ issue.  Let’s look at the anatomy of the jaw and figure out what’s going on.

TMJ Anatomy

Imagine a door that hinges, but is also a sliding door.  That’s the way our jaw moves. Rather than a one dimensional movement of close and open, our jaws move slightly forward then backwards.

There are many muscles of different shapes and sizes that help the jaw move the way it does.  The main muscles we can look at are also part of mastication/chewing. These muscles are:

    • Masseter
    • Temporalis
    • Medial pterygoid
  • Lateral pterygoid

What to expect with massage treatments

If you are looking to avoid any invasive surgery, massage therapy is a great way to treat the signs and symptoms of pain and range of motion along with the secondary symptoms. Treatment options include: external and/or intra-oral massage, cupping, or acupuncture. 

There are two ways that massage therapists will approach the TMJ.  Firstly through external massage (treating the external muscles of the jaw/mastication).  Secondly, through intra-oral massage (treating the internal muscles of the jaw/mastication).  Addressing both the external and internal anatomy is very important when treating the jaw. Intra-oral massage may seem scary, but it is one of the most effective ways to treat TMJ issues.  Don’t worry, therapists will always perform this technique with sterile gloves and with proper pressure and communication with the client.

Other modalities of treatment can include local cupping to the external muscles with local acupuncture needling to the same muscles surrounding the jaw.  With acupuncture some of the local points will help reduce muscle tension and soreness as well as improve circulation to the area. Make sure to stay updated with our feed to get a sneak peak on what acupuncture would look like on your jaw!

There can be many other reasons for why your jaw might be hurting.  If you have any further questions, please feel free to inquire with us today. Contact us to schedule your free 15 min meet & greet. 

By: Jonathan Chang (RMT)

References

Mayo Clinic Staff, TMJ Disorders. Aug 16, 2017, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tmj/symptoms-causes/syc-20350941

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