Heat and Cold therapy How it works When we apply Heat therapy, it improves circulation and blood flow to  that area due to increased temperature. Heat therapy can relax and soothe muscles and heal damaged tissue. Types Dry Heat therapy includes sources like heating pads, dry heating packs, and even saunas. This heat is easy to apply. Moist Heat therapy includes sources like steamed towels, moist heating packs, Theratherm heating pads that take moisture from the air, or hot baths. Moist heat may be slightly more effective as well as require less application time for the same results. Contraindications diabetes dermatitis vascular diseases deep vein thrombosis multiple sclerosis (MS)  Heat is useful for relieving: osteoarthritis strains and sprains tendonitis, or chronic irritation and stiffness in the tendons warming up stiff muscles or tissue before activity relieving pain or spasms relating to neck or back injury, including the lower back Cold…

Labyrinthitis is an inner ear disorder. The two vestibular nerves in your inner ear send your brain information about your spatial navigation and balance control. When one of these nerves becomes inflamed, it creates a condition known as labyrinthitis. Symptoms: dizziness vertigo loss of balance nausea and vomiting tinnitus, which is characterized by a ringing or buzzing in your ear loss of hearing in the high-frequency range in one ear difficulty focusing your eyes Causes respiratory illnesses, such as bronchitis viral infections of the inner ear stomach viruses herpes viruses bacterial infections, including bacterial middle ear infections infectious organisms, such as the organism that causes Lyme disease If you would like to learn more about Labyrinthitis, please check out this link. Diagnosis Tests to check for the condition may include: hearing tests blood tests a CT or MRI scan of your head to record images of your cranial structures electroencephalogram…

There are many Benefits of massage therapy.  Below you will find some of the injuries that benefit most from massage therapy. Whiplash Injury A common injury from a motor vehicle accident, whiplash is a neck sprain resulting from the sudden forces typical of a car crash. Symptoms Neck stiffness Headache Dizziness Paresthesia Shoulder, back or arm pain Benefits of massage therapy Massage therapy can be used for the treatment of both acute and chronic conditions. RMTs can work with a wide variety of patients, of all ages, in the treatment of illness, injury rehabilitation and disability. Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is associated with widespread chronic pain, fatigue, memory problems and mood changes. It occurs more often in women than in men. It is not a disease, but rather a syndrome that can be managed. Benefits of massage therapy The first will be relaxation to improve sleep. The second benefit is improved muscle…

The topic of concussion has been in the media quite frequently in the last several years. Top athletes, like Sidney Crosby, have definitely put concussion in the spotlight. Crosby was unable to return to his game for almost a whole year because of persistent symptoms related to concussion. Furthermore, research has shown that 96% of deceased ex-NFL players have a form of brain damage called Chronic Traumatic Encephelaphathy (CTE), which may be related to repeated head traumas like concussions. Safety Of Athletes Involved In Contact Sports This calls into question the safety of athletes involved in contact sports. In contact sports, there seems to be a higher incidence of these injuries. However, concussions do not just happen to the famous pro-athlete. They can happen to athletes playing at any level or any age. They can do more than take away playing time. Rowan Stringer, a high school rugby player, sadly…

Signs and Symptoms of ACL tear This blog will talk about signs and symptoms of ACL tear. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament, or ACL, is a very important structure of the knee joint. Its main function is to stop the shin bone from moving too far forward when the knee is straightened. The ACL also prevents the knee from rotating too far inward. As a result, a tear to this ligament can have very negative effects on knee function and stability. A potential injury to the ACL has fairly easily recognizable signs and symptoms. Mechanism of injury of ACL Tear The mechanism of injury is very important in identifying an ACL injury. The ACL ligament is often injured when the leg is pivoted with the foot planted. It can also result from a direct blow to the outside of the knee. It is common to see ACL injuries in soccer and…