Home exercising can be just as effective as going to the gym by using household items such as a medium-sized towel. Check out the exercises below for a full body work-out: 1) Plank Walks: In a plank position with a towel under both feet and maintaining a neutral spine, walk forwards by placing one hand…
Overuse injuries are commonly found in dancers due to their intense training regimes. Nearly 60 to 90% of dancers experience an injury or multiple injuries during their careers (Steinberg, Siev-Ner, Peleg, et al., 2013). These injuries include chrondromalacia patella (“runner’s knee”), Achilles tendinopathy, and metatarsal (foot) fractures. Some major causes of injury may be due…
Flexibility is the ability to move a joint through its complete range of motion and is important in carrying out daily activities and in athletic performance. Maintaining flexibility of all joints produce efficient movement and reduces risk of injury. It can be improved in all age groups by regularly engaging in exercises targeting different joints….
Persistent pain between the shoulder pains, or interscapular pain, may arise from a number of varying causes. The scapula is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone) on either side of the body. The intrinsic muscles of the scapula include the subscapularis, teres minor, supraspinatus, and infraspinatus, all…
Ever wondered whether to use ice or heat for your sore muscles, your healing fracture, or any injury? Both ice and heat have been commonly used to treat an array of injuries, but when to use either one is critical in preventing further damage and promoting faster recovery. Acute irritation or inflammation of a muscle,…
Insync Physiotherapy’s Jenn Lam, RMT, recently returned from amazing trip to Thailand! Check out the photos below: Pictured above: Here is Jenn feeding an elephant at the Elephant Sanctuary where she also got to walk and bathe the rescued animals from the riding facilities in Bangkok Pictured above: Temple Wat Arun along the Chaopraya River…
Recent research has shown that nearly 40% of 7 to 18 year old baseball players endure elbow and shoulder pain during their baseball season. Nearly half of these injured players report their ongoing participation despite having pain. A recent epidemiological study of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries in athletes 17 to 20 years old reported…
Shoulder pain can be caused by many things going on with the shoulder complex. One of the things that can cause shoulder pain is an impingement problem of the rotator cuff due to a tight posterior deltoid muscle or posterior shoulder capsule. To stretch this out find the angle that it is most tight in…
Insync Physiotherapy’s Michelle Robichaud, RMT, recently returned from her amazing trip to Northern Europe and back in time for the 2018 BMO Vancouver Marathon where she completed an 8-km run! Congrats Michelle! Check out the photos below of Michelle in Iceland, Scotland, and Denmark: InSync Physiotherapy is a multi-award winning health clinic helping you in…
Up to 80% of individuals will experience some lower back pain at least once in their lifetime. Lower back pain (LBP) results in high costs and places a burden on society. These costs include diagnostic, treatment, and indirect costs associated with work disability. A number of conditions can lead to low back pain such as…
The Achilles tendon is the thickest tendon in the human body. It attaches the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (together known as the triceps surae) as well as the plantaris muscle to the calcaneus bone (heel) of the ankle. These muscles combined allow for plantar flexion at the ankle and flexion of the knee. Tendinopathy of…
Acute sprains and strains may impede performance and delay return to a sport. Proper management, treatment, and prevention is essential to recovering effectively. An athlete must first understand the definition and recognize the differences between a “sprain” and a “strain.” A sprain is defined as a violent overstretching of one or more ligaments in a…
A catastrophic cervical spinal cord injury occurs with structural distortion of the cervical spinal column due to actual or potential damage to the spinal cord. Damage above the C5 vertebrae in the spinal column results in the greatest risk of immediate sudden death for an athlete. Above this level, damage may impair the spinal cord’s…
Catastrophic traumatic brain injuries, including hematomas and cerebral edema, are the second most common cause of fatalities in football players and can occur in many other contact sports. When there is severe contact with the head, the brain swells and blood pools to increase the intracranial pressure. If treatment is delayed, displacement of the brainstem,…
As the temperature beings to rise, athletes must be aware of the effects of exercising in the heat on the body and on performance. Heat loss during exercise can occur through four different processes: evaporation, radiation, conduction, and convection. As the body’s core temperature rises, blood is transported to the periphery for cooling. This leads to…
Rock climbing is a fun, but challenging activity that requires strength, endurance, and skill. It is important to strengthen your arms and legs to move up near-vertical or overhanging rock. Having a strong core and torso will help keep the body balanced and up against the wall during the climb. Check out the following exercises…
What is the “Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) Syndrome?” The RED-S syndrome refers to impaired physiological functioning caused by relative energy deficiency and may result in impairments in menstrual function, metabolic rate, bone health, immunity, immunity, or cardiovascular health. Energy availability (EA) is calculated as energy intake (EI) minus the energy cost of exercise…
What should I eat or drink when exercising? Many gastrointestinal (GI) problems can occur even if one trys to avoid eating before or during exercise. Studies suggest that approximately 30-50% of athletes experience some type of gastrointestinal issue that can impair performance and delay recovery. The three main causes of GI problems: 1) Physiological 2) Mechanical…
With the temperature getting closer to 0°C, many factors including the environment, clothing, body composition, nutrition, age, and exercise intensity in the cold may elicit additional physiologic strain or injury risk beyond that associated with regular conditions. An individual’s core temperature may drop and contribute to hypothermia, frostbite, or diminished exercise capability. Care must be…
Why is it important to include balance training in your regular exercise program? Balance is needed for just about everything you do on a daily basis from carrying groceries to putting on your shoes. Balance training involves strengthening exercises that target your entire body, especially the core. This not only reduces the risk of injury,…
Pain is a distressing experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage with sensory, emotional, cognitive, and social components (Williams & Craig, 2016). Positive pain refers to non-injury pain that is exertional and related to reappraisal, whereas, negative pain is injury and damage-causing pain that is associated with catastrophizing. Catastrophisizing include feelings of hopelessness, inability…
