Do you spend a lot of time at work sitting or stuck in one position? During lunch or a break, take the time to move and stretch and change your position to keep your spine healthy. Prop your legs up against the wall with your back on the floor. Take a few deep breaths while ‘sitting on the wall’ to help the back, improve circulation, rest weary legs, or relax in general.
Dr. Jon Leung
Ingrown toenails are toenails that have a tendency to curl into the surrounding skin on our toes.
If left unattended, they are can get infected and/or irritated. Make sure to wear wider-fitting shoes. This will prevent your shoes from putting pressure onto your toenails. Wearing high heels will have just the opposite effect! Avoiding any type of trauma to the toenails will also be beneficial. Avoid people from stepping on your toes and avoid hitting your toenails against hard surfaces.
Jennifer Lam, Chiropodist
Warm up
Before you begin any physical activity, warming up is a key factor in preventing injury. Take a walk, even on the
spot. Ten to 15 minutes should do it. Don’t forget to lift your knees and gently swing your arms.
Stretch before you start
To plant and rake without the ache, do each of these stretches five times. Don’t bounce, jerk or strain.
Stretches should be gentle and should not cause pain.
Upper Body
YOUR SIDES
1. Extend your right arm over your head.
2. Bend to the left from the waist.
3. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat on the other side.
YOUR ARMS AND SHOULDERS
1. Hug yourself snugly.
2. Slowly rotate at the waist as far as is comfortable to the left, then to the right.
YOUR BACK
1. In a seated position, bend forward from the hips, keeping your head down.
2. Reach for the ground.
Lower Body
YOUR THIGHS
1. Face a wall or tree and support yourself against it with one arm.
2. Bend your right knee and grasp your ankle or pant leg with your left hand.
3. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat on the other side.
YOUR HAMSTRINGS
1. Stand.
2. Reach your hands to the sky.
3. Then bend at the waist and reach toward your toes.
Dr. Roger Singh
Keyboard Height
Sit with relaxed shoulders in an upright posture. Adjust your seat height until your elbows and knees are bent at 90-degrees, and your feet rest on the floor. You may also move your keyboard, the height of your desk, and/or use a footrest to achieve this position. When possible, you may try using an exercise ball (stability or Swiss ball) as an ergonomically-sound replacement for your chair.
Footrest
Adjustable footrests are ideal. An adjustable height Wobble Board is a good alternation, because the dynamic movement means that your legs and feet will not get tired of being in the same position for hours. You can also stand on a Wobble Board when talking on the phone. This is a great opportunity to enhance your balance and proprioception.
John Li, Massage Therapist
Dr. Roger Singh
Having pain on the sole of the feet is a common condition that can be confused as being plantar fasciitis. It is possible to have pain as result of degeneration or irritation of the fat pad on the heel of the foot. Here is a summary of the similarities and differences between the two conditions based on a recent study.
Patients with plantar fasciitis commonly experienced first-step pain in the morning and relief of pain after walking. Unilateral pain was more common than bilateral, and patients with plantar fasciitis had pain duration of less than 6 months. Patients with plantar fasciitis also had decreased ankle dorsiflexion (bringing the foot upward). As such, their pain could be aggravated with dorsiflexion.
Patients with fat pad atrophy suffered from not only aching pain but also tingling, cold and burning sensations. They complained of pain after a long walk, pain at night and resting pain. Bilateral pain was more common than unilateral pain. In 61.1% of patients with fat pad atrophy, pain duration was over 6 months, and 22% of these patients had pain duration of over 2 years.
It was also noted that both conditions can occur simultaneously, presenting with symptoms that fit both conditions.
Both of these conditions are responsive to treatment, including orthotics. In the case of plantar fasciitis, it can be treated with Myofascial Release Technique and Graston Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Technique, which has proven to be very effective methods of treatment with patients showing very positive results.
Speak with a health professional at Form and Function today to get your feet healthy and happy!
What is a warm-up?
Warming up is a session which takes place prior to being physically active. Typically warming up will consist of cardiovascular exercises combined with dynamic stretching.
What happens in a warm-up?
Lets take a look at the example already given in terms of cardiovascular exercise as well as stretching. The cardiovascular exercises are designed to increase circulation, increase body temperature and bring the heart rate up, while stretching warms the muscles and prepare them for the movements they will be with exercise.
Effects of the warm-up
Warming up should prepare the body for exercises by increasing the heart rate and circulation. This will loosen the joints and increase blood flow to the muscles. Stretching the muscles prepares them for physical activity and prevents injuries.
Preventing injury
The most important reason for warming up is to prevent injury during exercise. Keeping the muscles warm will prevent acute injuries.
Paul Henein
As the price of fresh produce continue to rise, money often becomes a limiting factor to eating healthy. Organic vegetables and fruits are preferred to reduce your exposure to pesticides, which may disrupt hormone levels in the body. However, the high cost of organic foods is often a deterrent.
Fortunately, the Environmental Working Group helps you make better decisions for your body and your wallet, by providing a list of foods which are safer to eat non-organic, and which foods are better eaten organic.
The “Dirty Dozen”
These foods were found to have the highest pesticide exposure. When possible, purchase the organic options for these foods:
http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty_dozen_list.php
The “Clean 15”
These foods were found to have the lowest pesticide exposure. Save your money and choose the non-organic options for these foods:
http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean_fifteen_list.php
One final thought: my patients often ask me whether it is safe to eat vegetables and fruits even if they are not organic, due to the risk of pesticide exposure. My answer is always the same: Remember that the levels of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in produce outweigh the potential risks of pesticides. So Yes! You still have to eat your fruits & vegetables.
Wishing you good health,
Dr. Odette Bulaong ND
A common question that many people have is about proper running form. If you are a beginner or advanced runner, form is everything!
To avoid unnecessary muscle strains, make sure that you are landing on your midfoot and leaning slightly forward from the ankles.
Avoid overriding, heel-striking and bad posture!
Furthermore, always make sure get a good warm up before a long run and cool down and stretch afterwards to increase recovery time.
If you need help or advice regarding running tips and tricks, come by Form and Function Clinic. Our physiotherapist and chiropractors would love to show you how.
Dr. Luvraj Sandhar
As technology is getting more advanced, we spend more and more time looking down at screens from laptops to tablets to phones. Looking down, especially for a prolonged period of time, is horrible for your neck. In fact, for every 15 degrees we look down, our neck/spine bears an EXTRA 10-15lbs. That’s a whopping 60lbs of weight at 60 deg neck flexion. So next time you are looking down, I suggest you spend an equal amount of time looking up (or just put the technology away for a while). Your neck will thank you for it.
Manni Wong, Physiotherapist
