Congrats on getting into physio school Mike Phoon, and keeping up the Form & Function intern streak. Since 2009 all of our interns who have applied to post grad programs, have successfully received entrance. Congrats guys. For more info on our six month internship, please visit https://www.formfunctionclinic.com/Internship.html
Naturopath Dr. Odette Bulaong will be lecturing on the latest in fertility. Please email info@formfunctionclinic.com to confirm your attendance. Seats are limited.
What is it?
Proprioception is the sense of relative position between joints and body parts. This sense allows us to know where our limbs are in space subconsciously. It is very important in all every day movements but it is especially important in sports where often complicated, precise and coordinated movements are required.
How does it work?
Proprioception system is made up of sensory receptors in our muscles, tendons and joints. These sensory receptors pick up information regarding tension and stretch of tissues and send this information to your brain. The brain processes this information and automatically sense motor signals to adjust your muscles contraction or relaxation to achieve your desired movement.
Why is it important in rehab?
After an injury, especially if you have been immobilized, these sensory receptors can be impaired leading to a deficit in your proprioception system. Just like a muscle can shrink or atrophy from disuse, these sensory receptors can lose function if they are not being used. With an impaired proprioceptive system, your coordination is decreased leading to hindered athletic performance and a greater change of reinjury. It is the second injury following the initial injury that often causes more severe consequences.
There are ways of redeveloping your proprioception safely and it is a must if you sustained any lower limb athletic injury. Please feel free to contact the health care professionals at Form and Function to find out more about proprioceptive training following injury.
Manni Wong
Registered Physiotherapist
Summer is here which means there will be plenty of heat and humidity outside. Here are some tips to stay on top of the summer weather during your outdoor activities/exercise:
– Stay hydrated. Drink water regularly and do so before you get thirsty. Drinking water when you are thirsty is often too late if you want to have peak performance outdoors in the heat. Also, sweating is essential for cooling off but it also causes loss of fluids. Replenishing these fluids help you stay cool.
– Stay cool. Wear lighter colours and breathable clothing. Lighter colours reflect the sun and cause less heat absorption. Breathable clothing allow for more evaporation and thus cooling. Also, take breaks to find shade from the sun. Too much direct sunlight can cause your body to overheat which can lead to severe problems.
– Stay aware. Be conscious of how you are feeling. If you feel fatigued, dizzy, nauseated, weak and/or experience muscle cramps, TAKE a BREAK from the sun. If you don’t, you may risk developing heat stroke which can be life-threatening. If these symptoms are prolonged or severe, you may need to go to the ER.
– Plan ahead. Be sure to look at the weather forecast and prepare for it. Know that increase humidity means less possible evaporation so you do not cool off as fast through sweating. Know the peak heat times are usually in the afternoon so plan vigorous exercises for morning or evening times.
– Stay fit. Having a base level of fitness is important if you plan to do activities outdoors in the heat. Your body tends to adapt quicker to the environment if you are more fit. If you plan on starting or returning to exercise, especially outdoors in the heat, come in to Form & Function for a fitness screen and an individualized exercise plan. Doing exercises correctly and with the right parameters is important in getting the most out of your exercise plan.
Take care and enjoy the summer weather!
Manni Wong
Registered Physiotherapist
I would argue that how baby squats is how we were meant to. Through our childhood development we squat this way and we are not told how to. It is part of our DNA and we all do it. As we learn to sit on chairs and couches, I would say that we slowly lose this natural ablility.
Many of us would have trouble getting down in this position due to stiff hips, knees and ankles. However, many of us should be able to. Try lying on your back, can you bring your knees to your hip level? If yes, you should be able to squat that deep as well. In this case it is not because of your joint stiffness, it is because you can’t control your body segments to allow you to get into this position.
One simple observation is that many people squat with their knees and not their hips. When I test people I will see their knees dive forward, when their hips should go back. Many people have bad knees because they use their knees way too much and should use their hips.
Watch how a baby will shift weight into his/her heels and drop down into the hips, not forward into the knees. Also, most babies will keep a great spine position and not round their back. Why can a baby do this and we can’t? Part of the reason is that we tend to lose automatic control of our deep spine stabilizers that control our spine position. However you can get it back!
The squat is such a fundamental movement of everyday life. It is how we sit on chair, get off the toilet and how we get to the floor. Many times the problem is how people squat and not because of their knees and back. The trick is to use other muscles (i.e. core) and joints (i.e. hip) to help. This movement is a pattern and you can retrain it. I have helped many patients get their squat back.
Dr. Paul
As the weather (finally) warms up, here are some pointers on warming up for that upcoming season of softball, tennis, golf or whatever activity you like to do.
I don’t know about you, but I grew up in a time where “warming up” meant sitting around in a circle, statically stretching various muscles (remember gym class?) However, this view has changed. The current view on warming up is to do it dynamically, that is through movement and not through static holding of stretches. It has been theorized that static stretching actually reduces muscle activity and force. Why would you want that before doing an activity?
Also, warming up is important in priming your body for activity. It is meant to initiate muscle activation, lubricate joints and gradually prepare your cardiovascular system for the upcoming task at hand. All of these things help minimize injury. Physiologically, you know this is achieved when you start feeling warm (hence the name) and start sweating. Light perspiration is a sign that your body is getting ready to go!
So how do you dynamically warm up? Here is a good routine to follow. It should take roughly 5-10 minutes. Use a line to do the warm up (ie baseline of tennis court, 1st to 2nd base on softball diamond, etc). Go back and forth on this line (real or imaginary) twice for each exercise.
If you do not know what some of these exercises are, I will be posting a video with this routine soon. So get warm and enjoy your sporting endeavors! Happy Spring!
Manni Wong
Registered Physiotherapist
Breathing with our diaphragm has been shown to reduce activation in some of the bad posture muscles such as the scalenes and upper trapezius
. Those muscles are typically the overactive muscles seen in people with chronic neck pain and bad posture. A great way to relax those muscles is by simply working on utilizing your diaphragm when breathing. You will want to make sure that you are expanding your stomach, as well as your ribs laterally when taking in a deep breath, instead of lifting your chest. Try putting one hand on your belly, and the other hand on your chest, and take 10 deep breaths without lifting your chest. This is a great way to relax those bad posture muscles, activating your diaphragm, while reducing stress.
Hopefully Spring will actually arrive soon!
In the meantime, it is time to get ready for the shorts and bathing suits!
Have you gained a few extra pounds over the winter and in need of a Spring Slim Down? Here are a few tips to shed a few unwanted pounds:
Start your day with a healthy serving of protein such as a smoothie or egg whites. Protein for breakfast will help to manage blood sugar levels and curb sugar cravings throughout the day.
Try to eat smaller balanced meals every 4 hours. This will also help with blood sugar and will also help to boost your metabolic rate.
Eat your carbohydrates (breads and grains) earlier in the day, lunch is best. This will give the body time to convert the sugar from carbs into energy and you store less fat than if you ate the carbs later in the day. Try to make your carb cut off time 4pm!
Avoid eating in the evening. Try a nice herbal tea in place of the night time snacks.
Increase diurectic foods such as asparagus, spinach, berries and artichokes. These foods will keep your cells hydrated and naturally detox your liver.
Form and Function offers specific Weight Loss Programs to help to achieve your optimal weight. Log on our website today for information!
In good health!
Mary
Spring is arriving soon! As the weather gets warmer, a lot of people want to start a new exercise routine or get back to an activity they have done before. Be careful! Injuries are extremely common during this time of year. Here are some tips to start/return to spring activities and minimize injury.
Starting a new activity
If you are trying something new, make sure you do it within reason! For example, if you are starting running, doing it 5 days a week is definitely too much. Try giving at least a day or two in between to rest your body and allow healing. That translates to roughly 3 times a week at most. Do this for at least 2-3 weeks before increasing your activity level. By easing yourself into the activity, you have a lower chance of sustaining an injury.
Returning to an activity
“I was only doing ____insert activity here_____ the same amount of times per week as last spring. Why am I injured?” If you have not been doing an activity all winter, do not judge your activity level based on your performance last year. It only takes muscles 2 weeks to start shrinking and to get weaker so you must ease yourself back into activity. Conversely, it takes roughly 2 weeks to start building muscle again so start gently and let your body build up the necessary muscles to do your activity. Start off with 2-3 times a week at most for 2-3 weeks. You can then increase your activity level.
Injury prevention
Unfortunately, even if you ease yourself into activity, not all injuries can be prevented. However, you can take further steps to minimize injury. No matter what physical activity you are interested in (ie running, gardening, tennis, etc.) there are physical demands needed on your body. You can talk to a Physiotherapist or Chiropractor to develop a personalized resistance training program that will strengthen the muscles needed for your activity. Doing these exercises as prescribed can help minimized potential acute traumatic or repetitive stress injuries.
Furthermore, listen to your body! I cannot stress this enough. It is normal to be sore after exercising but you should not be in pain. Let the soreness subside before doing the activity again. If you are in pain, see a Physiotherapist or Chiropractor.
I will use running for one last example but you can substitute any activity into this phrase. Remember:
“If you are planning to run to get fit, you should be fit to run first!”
Manni Wong, Registered Physiotherapist
