Squats are an excellent way to target the full body and to build significant strength. It heavily relies on your thighs, calves, lower back, arms, and abs. Some key benefits include building muscle, burning fat, increasing endurance, and improving proprioception. However, proper form is needed to avoid back or knee pain. HOW TO SQUAT WITH…
Foam rollers have become a widely used tool for muscle recovery. In response to working out hard during training, the collagen and elastin fibers in the connective tissues surrounding the muscles become more dense and rigid forming strong adhesions commonly known as knots. Building knots can prevent normal muscle contraction and cause pain. The role…
Caitlyn Dunphy, Physiotherapist at InSync Physiotherapy Burnaby Clinic on her trip to Honduras, “I recently returned from volunteering with Global Brigades in Matasanos, Honduras. They are an amazing organization that creates sustainable change in communities by training local health staff, creating health systems, community owned banks, clean water systems, sanitation infrastructure and business development. I…
Your core muscles help strengthen and stabilize your spine and pelvis, which is why developing a powerful core is the first step to making your whole body stronger. Start firming up your core with these gentle Pilates-based exercises, which will give you a solid foundation for all other movements. Perform 15 repetitions of each exercise,…
We absolutely love using foam roller exercises to work out those nagging aches and pains, but sometimes they can’t get into a tight area quite as well as a pair of human hands. The next best option after a massage? This series of mini self-massage techniques using nothing more than a few tennis balls. These…
A bunion is an enlargement of the joint at the base of the big toe and it is a frequent cause of foot pain. The tissues around the joint cause the big toe to rotate toward the smaller toes and result in pain, redness, or swelling. Bunions may arise from a number of factors such…
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that arises from pressure against the median nerve that passes through the carpal tunnel in the wrist. Conditions that cause this syndrome may include pain or inflammation of the joints and soft tissues in the arm from obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, diabetes, lupus or dislocated bones. Work or exercise…
Most runners have one big general goal: to race faster. So why do so few distance runners do speed workouts? You might be familiar with classic workouts that many runners use in their training such as tempo runs, track intervals, hill workouts, progression runs, marathon-specific long runs. But you might be surprised to hear that…
Strength and aerobic capacity decline with age. We can’t deny it but we know that if we continue to exercise we can slow the decline. Perhaps less talked about, but equally important to us swimmers, is that our flexibility also decreases as we age. This is due to an increase in something called a cross…
If you run, bike, are desk-bound all day, or have been sitting in a car or plane traveling, your hamstrings could use some extra love and length. It not only feels good to stretch this commonly tight area, but hamstring flexibility is also important for the health of your back, hips, and knees. Here are…
Dragon boating season is beginning in the lower Mainland as teams get out and train on the water for upcoming races. However, one of the key components integral to a team’s success in competition is building individual strength. A typical dragon boat stroke consists of a “catch” phase which targets the shoulders and arms and…
If you suffer from sacroiliac (SI) joint pain, you know it’s a problem that can’t be ignored. Walking, sitting and even slight movements can amplify the discomfort. While certain motions may exasperate the feeling, did you know exercise can be among the best ways to alleviate your sacroiliac joint pain symptoms? Specific exercises and stretches…
Running is most the natural and widely loved form of exercise, and there are numerous benefits associated with it. Some take it up as a part of their fitness regimen, some for psychological reasons, and some as a sport. Knee, foot, ankle, and calf injuries are the most common form of injuries affecting runners. Among…
New research shows that stronger necks may lead to safer heads. For years, biomechanics researchers have suspected that girls had higher concussion rates than boys in sports like soccer and lacrosse because of gender differences in neck strength. The weaker your neck, the more likely your head will bob around on impact. And concussions are…
When you think of pain in the back, the thoracolumbar fascia is not likely the first guess as to what is causing the discomfort and pain you are experiencing. The thoracolumbar fascia is a very important tissue of the body as it is needed for coordinated movement, plus it is an attachment site and a…
Have you ever been just into your first set of lateral raises and felt a pinching feeling? What about being halfway through your run and your knee starts to hurt? What do you do? Do you press through or stop? There are very few of us that don’t deal with injuries or niggles of some…
6 Stretches for Sciatica Pain Relief Sciatic nerve pain can be so excruciating and debilitating that you don’t even want to get off the couch. Common causes of sciatica can include a ruptured disk, a narrowing of the spine canal called spinal stenosis, and injury. The sciatic nerve runs down the spine and branches off,…
1. Climb More The best thing you can do to get better at rock climbing is to climb more. A lot of newbies often feel they need to build up more strength before they can start rock climbing in earnest, but this is a mistake. If you’re really serious about giving rock climbing a go,…
When you have a tight (or short) psoas muscle, you may experience pain in your lower back or in your hips, especially when lifting your legs. This is caused by the muscle compressing the discs in the lumbar region of your back. Stretching your muscles and releasing the tension on the psoas is the best…
Ever find yourself getting an odd pinchy feeling in the front of your hip at the bottom of a squat? That ‘can’ be caused by the tensor fascia latae (TFL). This muscle runs from the top of your ASIS hipbone, across the hip joint via the iliotibial band. The TFL is primarily a trunk stabilizer;…
As the temperatures continue to drop outside, winter sports begin to heat up! Activities, such as skiing and snowboarding, are very popular at all age levels and draw thousands of people to the slopes each year. Although, as health care professionals, we advocate for an active, healthy lifestyle for all, we want to ensure that…