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Recognizing Heat Illnesses in Children

The hottest months of the year, July & August, are finally here upon us! While the kids are having fun in the sun, keep a keen eye out for the signs and symptoms of an oncoming heat illness – heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Click here to check out Canadian Family for an article Drs. Marco & Paolo penned on how to recognize and treat them!

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Feeling Pain, Tingling or Numbness in the Buttocks?

If you’ve been feeling a dull ache in the buttocks, pain down the back of the thigh, calf & foot (sciatica), discomfort going up and down stairs, increased pain after long periods of sitting, or reduced range of motion of the hip joint, chances are you may be suffering from Piriformis syndrome.

The exact causes of Piriformis syndrome are unknown. Suspected causes include:

  • Muscle spasm in the Piriformis muscle, caused by irritation in the Piriformis muscle itself, or irritation of a nearby structure such as the SI joint or hip
  •  Tightening of the muscle, in response to injury or spasm
  • Swelling of the Piriformis muscle, due to injury or spasm
  • Repetitive movement such as driving which causes the muscle to tighten

Treatment options for this condition include:

Massage Therapy
Utilizing the benefits of Massage Therapy a Massage Therapist can loosen up the tight ligaments, muscle, and connective tissue surrounding or attaching to the SI joint, Low Back and Hip helping with increased mobility and decrease in pain. A Massage Therapist can give you corrective exercises that can help strengthen and stretch the muscles surrounding the SI joint that can assist in the Hypermobility or Hypomobility. Lastly, using low-grade mobilizations we can help control pain as well as increase mobility.

Benefits of massage therapy include:

  • Address the cause of the pain and create a successful treatment plan
  • Decrease pain and stress placed on the joint
  • Increased joint mobility
  • Decrease fixation
  • Improve instability
  • Address compensation
  • Decrease tight muscles, connective tissue and ligaments
  • Decrease edema (swelling)

Chiropractic
Utilizing the benefits of Chiropractic a Chiropractor can reduce pain by utilizing electrical equipment such as IFC and TENS, reduce joint fixation (via mobilizations and manipulation), reduce muscle tension via muscle release therapy and via acupuncture. Stretching, strengthening and rehabilitation protocols can also reduce pain and minimize the likelihood and intensity of future possible events.
A thorough assessment must be done by a health care provider to determine the cause of your pain. Come visit us at the clinic so we can diagnose you, determine exactly where your pain is coming from, and develop a treatment plan to fix it.

Contributed by clinic Registered Massage Therapist Bram van Bommel.

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Cocktails and Chiropractics!

Didn’t think that the two could mix, did you? Well, they most certainly do!

This May 8th, after the Mother’s Day festivities are over, bring Mom along and join us at Civil Liberties for Cocktail Kinematics – a free industry event open to bartenders and cocktail making enthusiasts where we’ll dissect the proper biomechanics for making the perfect custom beverages in a way that reduces pain and improves technique.

With repetitive motions may come strains and injuries that cocktail creators can be subject to. We’ll observe technique, reccomend adjustments and also showcase the various wrist and elbow braces that will support you while mixing crowd-pleasing delicious drinks.

We’re so excited to be a part of this Toronto event that’s been HUGE in New Orleans!

See you on May 8th – cheers!

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Pain in the Hip, Back and Down Your Leg?

If you’re suffering from pain getting in and out of the car, when you’re rolling over in bed, getting out of a chair or feel a discomfort in the buttocks or back of the leg, chances are you’re a candidate for suffering from sacroiliac dysfunction.

The Sacroiliac (SI) joint is formed by the last part of the spine L5 vertebrae, Sacrum and the Ilium. The joint consists of a narrow, cartilage-filled space between the sacrum and ilium, which are attached by strong ligaments. There is not much motion in the SI joint (4 degrees of rotational movement is normal) however, it is a major weight bearing joint and therefore is prone to dysfunction and pain.

The exact cause of SI joint dysfunction is not clear. However, it is thought that with a change in normal joint function may be the cause of sacroiliac pain. The source of pain can be caused by either:

Hypermobility (too much movement): The pain is usually felt in the low back and/or hip and may refer into the groin area

Hypomobility (too little movement): The pain is typically felt on one side of the low back or buttocks and can refer down the leg. The pain usually remains above the knee but sometimes can extend to the ankle or foot. The pain is similar to sciatica or pain that radiates down he sciatic nerve.

If you have SIJ pain, or you you have SIJ pain, the best thing is to give us a visit here at the clinic so we can diagnose you, determine exactly where your pain is coming from, and develop a treatment plan to fix it.

In the meantime, to promote proper joint function and prevent pain, work on perfecting your posture stability of both the hip and the core, with an emphasis on hip mobility.

Contributed by clinic Registered Massage Therapist Bram van Bommel.

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Improving the Patient Experience

One of the biggest benefits of operating a clinic with a focus on an integrative approach is having a multi-disciplinary team with a variety of perspectives. Today we share a link to Dr. Evelyn Lock’s blog where she delves into shaping the patient experience. Dr. Lock will be working with  Patients Canada, a patient-led organization that fosters collaboration among patients, family caregivers and the healthcare community to create change with the patient experience. Check out her latest blog post and share your thoughts on the patient experience – your insight could lead to lasting, positive changes.

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Are You Making the Most of Treatment?

Here at Sports Specialist Rehab Centre, we are so proud to provide our patients with a well-rounded treatment plan. The services offered by our team are carefully selected to complement one another so that you can get the full benefits of optimized health. Our integrated, multi-disciplinary approach allows for a unique custom combination of services, so to take the guesswork out of what treatments you can benefit from, we designed this handy chart below to outline what services will complement your current treatment plan:

 

SSRC Services Chart

 

Next time you’re in for a visit, be sure to ask your practitioner about levelling up your treatment with a complementary service for exceptional results!

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Anatomy of a Squat – Part 3: Fixing Hip Restriction

We’re excited to share our first three-part series on the blog! There are so many seemingly simple, yet quite complex, our amazing bodies can do. Our team will dive into repetitive motions that you’re doing on the daily to share the why and the how so you can move in a biomechanically sound manner and strengthen your body.

Our first series, the Anatomy of the Squat, is courtesy of Bram van Bommel, our resident Registered Massage Therapist. Check out his third and final post in this squat series on the blog!

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Anatomy of a Squat – Part 2: The Roll of the Hip in a Squat

We’re excited to share our first three-part series on the blog! There are so many seemingly simple, yet quite complex, our amazing bodies can do. Our team will dive into repetitive motions that you’re doing on the daily to share the why and the how so you can move in a biomechanically sound manner and strengthen your body.

Our first series, the Anatomy of the Squat, is courtesy of Bram van Bommel, our resident Registered Massage Therapist. Check out his second post in the series!

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Anatomy of a Squat – Part 1: Why the Squat is an Important Functional Screening Test

We’re excited to share our first three-part series on the blog! There are so many seemingly simple, yet quite complex, our amazing bodies can do. Our team will dive into repetitive motions that you’re doing on the daily to share the why and the how so you can move in a biomechanically sound manner and strengthen your body.

Our first series, the Anatomy of the Squat, is courtesy of Bram van Bommel, our resident Registered Massage Therapist. Check out his first post on the blog!

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Injury Prevention for Athletic Kids

Soccer, basketball, volleyball, hockey – we’ll bet your family calendar is packed with all the sports and activities the kids will be playing over the next few months. That calendar can get cut short though when injury occurs. To keep kids safely in the game this season, we’ve shared our top tips for injury prevention in the latest newsletter from TAC Sports.

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