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What Is Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave therapy is a non-surgical, non-invasive procedure whereby mechanical pulses of acoustic energy stimulate tissue repair, increase circulation, and help relieve pain where the treatment is applied. Physiotherapists may incorporate shockwave therapy as part of a patient’s injury rehabilitation treatment plan to help provide natural relief for acute or chronic pain and to stimulate the body’s natural healing response. In addition, shockwave therapy can be an excellent treatment for stubborn conditions or old injuries that haven’t responded well to other alternatives.

Conditions That Shockwave Therapy Treats

Shockwave therapy can be beneficial in many different applications but is especially helpful for treating muscle, ligament, tendon, bone and joint-related injuries and pain commonly associated with conditions including but not limited to:

• Rotator cuff injuries
• Stress fractures
• Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
• Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)
• Achilles tendinopathy
• Runner’s knee (patellofemoral pain syndrome)
• Jumper’s knee (patellar tendonitis)
• Calcified tendonitis
• Trigger finger
• Bursitis of the hip, knee, or shoulder
• TMJ disorders
• Shin splints
• Back pain
• Plantar fasciitis
• Shoulder/rotator cuff tendinitis
• Overuse strains and sprains
• Injuries caused by accidents
• Chronic muscle tension and pain

What to Expect From Shockwave Therapy Treatments

After assessing your condition and devising a treatment plan, your physiotherapist will start your treatment by applying a cool conductive gel (similar to ultrasound jelly) to the area being treated so that the handpiece used to deliver the acoustic energy pulses can easily be maneuvered. Treatments usually take around 15 minutes and are typically carried out a week apart.

What does it feel like?

Topical numbing agents, painkillers and anti-inflammatories are not required during shockwave therapy and are discouraged because they can interfere with shockwave therapy’s inflammatory response, which initiates tissue regeneration and healing. Shockwave therapy treatments typically feel like dull pulsing sensations in the tissues being treated. Treatment discomfort depends on the intensity of the treatment and the tenderness of the area being treated but is usually tolerable, and your physiotherapist can adjust the intensity to ensure your comfort. You may feel slight tingly sensations, warmth or tenderness in the treated area for up to a few days following treatment while the tissue’s healing response occurs.

Is there any downtime?

The beauty of undergoing non-invasive shockwave therapy treatments is how you can resume light activity following your treatments. Your physiotherapist will, however, ask you to avoid any rigorous or strenuous activity for two or more days following treatment, depending on your condition. You may also experience slight swelling or tenderness in the area treated for a few days following your procedure. Inflammation following your shockwave treatments is normal and indicative of the healing process taking place.

How many treatments will I need to see results?

Some patients notice pain reduction following their first treatment, with improved healing and pain relief as treatments progress. Shockwave treatment plans typically consist of 3 to 6 sessions spaced one or more weeks apart. Your physiotherapist will tailor a treatment plan ideal for your specific condition and requirements.

Find Out Whether Shockwave Therapy Is Right for You!

Don’t ignore pain. Start the healing process today by booking your appointment with one of our expert physiotherapists. Call Diversified Health Clinic at (250) 382-0018 or book an appointment online.

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What is Piriformis Syndrome and What Causes It?

Piriformis syndrome is a condition that, as the title of this article implies, causes pain in the buttocks. Piriformis syndrome is a term used to describe a condition affecting the piriformis muscle located deep within the middle posterior gluteal region (behind the gluteus maximus). The piriformis muscle is one (and arguably the most important) of the six lateral hip rotators. It is responsible for externally rotating your hip and upper thigh, abducting your hip when flexed, and stabilizing your sacroiliac joint. 

What causes it?

Piriformis syndrome is caused when the piriformis muscle spasms, compressing and irritating surrounding nerves and soft tissues (often including the sciatic nerve), resulting in pain, tingling and/or numbness in the buttock area, which can sometimes also be felt down the back of the upper and lower leg and foot. While the root cause of piriformis syndrome is not yet well understood, the sciatic nerve’s involvement may be due to anatomical anomalies and variations between each individual or, more commonly, due to soft tissue inflammation or muscle spasms/contractions that compress the sciatic nerve as a result of piriformis muscle tightness from muscle or postural imbalances.

A common cause of sciatica pain

The sciatic nerve’s proximity to the piriformis muscle makes it susceptible to compression and irritation caused by the muscle spasms related to piriformis syndrome. Therefore, when lumbar issues such as disk herniation are ruled out as a cause for sciatica pain, and buttock pain isn’t accompanied by lower back pain, piriformis syndrome is most likely the cause. 

Piriformis Syndrome Symptoms

The most common symptom of piriformis syndrome is a deep, dull ache, burning, shooting pain, and tingling and numbness that can be felt in the buttock (typically on one side of the body). The pain may also be felt down the back of the thigh, calf and foot and may be accompanied by a reduced range of motion in the hip flexors. 

Piriformis syndrome pain is typically most noticeable:

• When walking uphill or taking the stairs
• After sitting, driving, standing or cycling for extended periods
• Following activities such as walking, long-distance running or strength training
• After a traumatic injury, including collisions and falls
• When flexing or rotating the hip and thigh inwards and outwards

The Good News

Surgical correction or steroid injections may be required in rare cases of piriformis syndrome (caused by anatomical anomalies or trauma). However, the good news is that most cases of piriformis syndrome can be successfully treated with the following interventions and rest:

Proper assessment and diagnoses 

After ruling out sciatic pain caused by spinal issues, your physiotherapist or health practitioner will use a series of movements to indicate whether or not the piriformis muscle is causing sciatic nerve compression and pain.

Tailored treatment

Treating piriformis syndrome typically requires physiotherapy to help stretch the piriformis muscle and improve hip mobility, posture and muscular conditioning. 

At-home maintenance and prevention

Following the stretches and exercises your physiotherapist gives you can help prevent the recurrence of pain caused by piriformis muscle tightness, spasms and nerve compression.

Treating Piriformis Syndrome and Sciatica Pain in Victoria, BC

Don’t ignore pain. Start the healing process today by booking your appointment with one of our expert physiotherapists. Call Diversified Health Clinic today at (250) 382-0018 or book an appointment online.

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How to Choose the Right Personal Trainer in Victoria for You

There are a lot of personal trainers in Victoria to choose from, and selecting the right one for your specific needs can be a challenge. People often ask their friends for recommendations, but that doesn’t always result in a good match because what works for one person may not lead to a successful outcome for another. Fitness training isn’t one-size-fits-all. You need a trainer with the right experience to understand where you are in your fitness journey now, what tweaks and adjustments may be required to avoid injury, and the specific volume and stimulus required to ensure continual progress. For example, here are just a few of the main reasons people choose Diversified Health Clinic’s personal training services:

• Certified kinesiologist: Angelina Schaff is an experienced personal trainer and a certified kinesiologist. Her in-depth knowledge enables her to identify, correct and ensure optimal lifting techniques, posture and movement patterns that avoid injury and effectively isolate the right muscles. Angelina also knows what each fitness program requires to balance muscle groups for optimal results and performance. 
• Injury Rehabilitation: When embarking on a new fitness routine or exercise, the last thing you want is to compromise an old injury. Personal training at Diversified Health Clinic can be tailored for safe and effective injury rehabilitation and improved strength and mobility. 
• Sports conditioning and training: On-season and off-season, Angelina Schaaf offers bespoke fitness programs that improve speed, strength and performance while correcting suboptimal movement patterns to avoid muscle imbalances or injury. Our programs can be tailored to each sport, including pre and post-season conditioning. 
• Goal Specific: Angelina will design your fitness programs according to your immediate and long-term goals. A client whose goal is to lose weight and build lean muscle will require a program that is vastly different from a client whose goal is to increase power, combustive strength and muscle mass. Personal training at Diversified Health Clinic starts with a thorough health assessment to clarify your goals, followed by a physical evaluation to determine your current conditioning before custom-designing an effective program just for you.

Fitness programming isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach — it has to be tailored.

Ensuring Good Habits Stick

It’s no coincidence that the post-holiday period between January and February brings many people to the gym, full of enthusiasm about improving their fitness. While getting started is half the battle, the real challenge is making new habits stick. Consider how many resolutions you’ve made in the past that fell to the wayside when other things got in the way. Working with a personal trainer gives you an accountability partner and helps motivate you long after your natural enthusiasm has worn off. 

Focus and Privacy

Diversified Health Clinic has a private gym space with everything needed for a comprehensive training program. Clients appreciate the one-on-one focus they receive from our personal trainer, and our safe and uncrowded gym space is ideal for injury rehabilitation programs and sports conditioning. 

Building Optimal Outcomes

Why hire a personal trainer when you can show up to the gym and simply “wing it” as you go? As the old adage goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” While it’s true that you can still benefit from working out without a program, if your goal is to make improvements and other changes, you’ll likely require a plan to see results. Fitness programming is crucial because our body always seeks homeostasis and the path of least resistance. Training without a plan can often result in a lot of time spent exercising with few physiological changes to show for it. It can also result in performance plateaus due to the body becoming accustomed to stimulus. 

An experienced personal trainer such as Angelina will know which exercises are best suited to your current situation and goals and how much volume, intensity and change are required to deliver ongoing and progressive results. And let’s face it, a few things are more motivating than noticing a positive change from the time and effort you put in at the gym. 

Take the First Step Towards a Happier, Healthier and Fitter You This Year!

Call Diversified Health Clinic today at (250) 382-0018 to book with Angelina Schaaf, our kinesiologist and personal trainer in Victoria, BC., or book an appointment online.

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Beating The Winter Blues (Hello, Darkness My Old Friend)

When Simon & Garfunkel sang this lyric in their famous song The Sound of Silence, they weren’t referring to west coast winters marked by dark skies before your 5 o’clock drive home from work, but they could have been. Shorter daylight hours can put a damper on anyone’s mood and energy, leaving little left in the proverbial tank for holiday socials, decorating, baking, shopping and more. To help offset dark weather doldrums, some people find relief from investing in light therapy lamps that replicate daylight. The trick is to sit within 12 to 15 inches of your lamp for at least 20 to 30 minutes per day — ideally in the morning after rising. When shopping for the best light therapy lamp, look for one that:

• Radiates a brightness level of at least 10,000 lux of white light;
• Is 100% UV Free;
• Has a design that will make it easy to place where you’ll remember to use it each day (at least on days when you’re starved of natural sunlight). 

Offsetting Barometric Pressure + Hibernation Mode

Does winter chill and rain make you wish you could just stay home? Obligatory social engagements and ugly sweater parties can add enough pressure and holiday stress when all you want to do is hibernate. In addition, barometric pressure changes and decreased physical activity can trigger headaches, joint pain and fluid retention. If you’re noticing more general achiness than usual, a light walk or warm Epsom salt bath can help. If your joint pain is isolated to one or two areas, you can also try these simple, at-home ways to help reduce winter aches and joint pain. If joint pain becomes persistent or interferes with your favourite activities, booking a consultation and treatment with a trusted physiotherapist can help relieve pain and encourage healing without delay.

Preventing and Treating Holiday Tension and Burnout

The holidays can be an incredibly stressful time, especially if you’re planning on doing some holiday hosting at your home. It can be hard to turn down social invitations and give engagements a miss, but sometimes, bowing out or saying no to that baking swap opportunity is the best gift you can give yourself to prevent burnout. It’s also a great time to practice delegating, which can be especially challenging for traditionalists and perfectionists. Finally, it helps to remember what the holidays are all about — being with the people you love and having fun. If turkey feasts with all the trimmings result in more work than pleasure, it may be time to tweak traditions by dining out or ordering pizza — who doesn’t love pizza?

Even if you’re brimming with the holiday spirit, the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations (and even happy stress) can create muscle tension and tightness that can interfere with relaxation and fun. In this case, booking a massage therapy treatment or two (or more) can be the perfect proactive measure to prevent and treat holiday muscle tension and tightness. Besides, a therapeutic massage can feel incredibly good — it’s the easiest thing to prioritize once you realize how great you feel afterwards.

Get Ahead of Holiday Stress and Tension

Give our team of practitioners a call at Diversified Health Clinic today at (250) 382-0018 or book an appointment online. If you need help deciding who to book your appointment with, ask us when you call. Our diversified approach and initial consultation process ensure you’ll be placed in the best care possible, with a practitioner and plan tailored to your specific situation and needs.

The post Are Winter Blues + Holiday Stress Making You Feel Grinchy?  appeared first on Diversified Health Clinic.

Does Weather Affect Joint Pain?

The short answer is that it’s possible that a sudden or prolonged drop in barometric pressure negatively affects arthritis and joint pain, but at this point, the correlation has yet to be proven. While the jury is out on what exactly causes the notable increase in winter aches and pains, a couple of theories are worth considering as follows:

Blame it on the rain (and barometric pressure):

If you notice sudden or worsening pain or swelling on rainy days, this theory may explain why. Drops in barometric pressure, typical during periods of rain, can cause your muscles, tendons, interstitial fluids and tissues to expand slightly, affecting how much pressure is placed on surrounding nerves. The degree of swelling and pain may depend on contributing factors such as arthritis, edema and past or present injuries.

Drops in activity:

While many islanders are active year-round, it’s natural for some of us to stay inside and reduce our overall physical activity and energy output when it’s cold, wet and generally “blah” outside. Just as too much activity can leave muscles sore, too little activity — especially when your body has become accustomed to being active — can increase the sensation of joint pain and general achiness. Drops in activity coupled with a colder climate can decrease circulation and increase muscle tension and fluid retention around joints, causing muscles and tendons to feel more stiff and sore than usual. 

Simple Ways to Reduce Winter Aches and Joint Pain

Warm Up:

When fall and winter chills aggravate aches and pains, the easiest thing to do is warm up at home with a heating pad, hot water bottle, or warm bath. Take essential precautions when using an electrical heating pad, hot water bottle, microwaveable bean bag or any other compresses: 

• First, the temperature you apply should be comfortably warm and not hot – heat builds up on your skin the longer a warm compress is applied;
• Always use a towel or cloth between the heat source and your skin to prevent burns;
• Never fall asleep while using a heating pad or hot compress (opt for electrical heating pads with built-in timers) or use a warm beanbag or hot water bottle wrapped in a towel;
• Never apply heat if wounds are present or infection is suspected;
• Apply heat in 10-20 minute intervals or shorter;
• Pay attention to how you feel — the heat you apply should never feel hot, and if the pain or swelling increases instead of improving, stop and consult with a physician or trusted health practitioner immediately.

Get and Stay Active:

You may not feel like being active during darker, wetter and colder seasons, but consider that staying active not only helps mitigate aches and pains while keeping you fit year-round, but regular exercise can also help banish the winter blues. Be sure to take a few minutes at the end of your activities to stretch your muscles — paying extra attention to the areas that tend to bother you most. One important word of caution, consult with a health practitioner before starting a new workout routine or increasing your activity — especially if you have preexisting health conditions or old injuries. 

Get Help and Relief From Massage Therapy and Physiotherapy:

When joint pain, old injuries, and muscle tension persist or interfere with the activities you love and your overall well-being, a professional massage therapist or physiotherapist can help. Massage therapy and physiotherapy can help improve circulation, mobility and strength where it’s needed most while helping prevent re-injury and soreness from unaddressed muscle imbalances and suboptimal movement patterns. Booking an appointment and consultation with a massage therapist or physiotherapist is a great place to start, and they will likely give you pain-reducing tips and exercises you can perform between sessions at home.

If Your Pain Persists or You’re Unsure Where to Start

Give our team of practitioners a call at Diversified Health Clinic today at (250) 382-0018 or book an appointment online. If you’re unsure who to book your appointment with, ask us when you call. Our diversified approach and initial consultation process ensure you’ll be placed in the best care possible, with a practitioner and plan tailored to your specific situation and needs.

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When: October 9th, 2022 at 10:00am – 12:00pm

Where: Mothering Touch Centre, (new location) 733 Johnson Street – Suite 112, Victoria, BC.

Meet Diversified Health’s physiotherapist, Jennifer Mildon, at the Mothering Touch Centre for an informative workshop about pelvic health during pregnancy and postpartum. This class is intended for pregnant people (at any stage in their pregnancy) and is designed to provide you with tools and tips to stay active during pregnancy and to optimize your postpartum physical recovery. You will leave this class feeling confident and prepared for the fourth trimester.

Topics Covered

• Anatomy and function of the pelvic floor
• Physical changes to the pregnant and postpartum body
• Exercise during pregnancy and postpartum
• Safe body mechanics

View, download, print and share the event PDF here: Pelvic Health Workshop Poster

The post Pelvic Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum Workshop appeared first on Diversified Health Clinic.