Plantar fasciitis The plantar fascia is the band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. The main function of this Fascia is to support the arch of your foot. Any strain to the plantar fascia will make it weak, swollen, and irritated. This results in the bottom of your foot hurting when you stand or walk. Some of the causes of plantar fasciitis are: high arches or flat feet, prolonged walking, standing, or running for long periods of time, especially on hard surfaces. Plantar fasciitis can also be caused by shoes that don’t fit well, tight calf muscles or being overweight. Plantar fasciitis is also common with athletes. Treatment recommended: In order to decrease these symptoms, try to give the feet adequate rest by reducing the activities that cause your foot to hurt. Walking on hard surfaces should be avoided. Talk to your physiotherapist today. They…

Low Back Pain Prevention Low back pain is the most common injury that physiotherapists and massage therapists treat. In fact it is said that up to 80 % of us will have low back pain at some point in our lives; pain severe enough that we will miss time from work and/or taking care of loved ones. As always, the best medicine is to Low back pain prevention. When it comes to low back pain prevention, there are many things that can be done to prevent injury including using the proper lifting techniques, proper posture and ergonomics at work, yoga…

Tennis Elbow Treatment Tennis elbow is most often the result of repetitive activities involving the wrist and/or hand. Excessive use of the wrist/hand can lead to increased stress on the muscles of the forearm. This causes damage to the muscle tendon. Since many muscles of the forearm come from just above the elbow, small tears of the muscle tendon are felt as pain on the outside of the elbow. The resulting pain and discomfort may be felt with everyday activities such as carrying groceries or lifting a jug of milk. The pain may also restrict various work-related tasks and hobbies. Grip strength is often much weaker on the painful side. As the name suggests, tennis elbow can also result from playing racquet sports. As the racquet follows-through after hitting the ball, muscles of the back of the forearm work hard trying to slow the racquet down. Over time this can…

Stretching before a walk or run Ankle Sprains Ankle sprains are very common.They occur in many of our favourite sports like soccer and running. They can also occur from simply stepping on tree root. The most common way that ankle sprains occur is by rolling the foot so the sole faces the opposite leg. This is called an inversion sprain. There are three ligaments, or thick bands of tissues, that join the outer leg bone, the fibula, to the bones of the foot. When you get ankle sprains, you can stretch or tear all three of these ligaments. This results in stiffness, swelling and pain! What should you do? If you are unable to walk on it immediately following the injury, try again 5 minutes later. If you are still unable to walk on it, seek medical attention immediately. It is important that you make sure…

Tendonitis of the ShoulderWhat does it all mean? As a physiotherapist, I spent 4 years learning how to talk using medical words. And sometimes we forget that our clients do not understand these special medical words. In fact, we forget that we often sound like an adult from a Peanuts movie….. Waa Waa Waa. So what do all these medical words mean? First some basic anatomy: a joint is where two bones come together. That is a pretty simple one. But most joints are surrounded by a capsule. This is a leather-like sac that holds fluid that works to lubricate your joint – much like WD40 on a rusty hinge. This fluid is called synovial fluid. This capsule has reinforced and thickened areas called ligaments. The ligaments hold bones together. Finally, joints are controlled by muscles. We have big ones most people know – like the…