Acute Ankle Sprains Acute Ankle Sprains How do Acute Ankle Sprains happen? Acute Ankle sprains are common injuries in people of all ages. They can happen in many different circumstances. However, they always involve some type of fall or twisting movement to the ankle. For example: Going downstairs and missing the last step resulting in twisting the ankle Landing on the ankle in a twisted position after coming down from a lay-up in basketball or in a Sports Injury Slipping on an icy street while walking In all of these situations, the ankle gets a sudden movement and/or trauma that causes it to twist more than its normal range of movement allows. Acute Ankle Sprains What structure gets injured with an acute ankle sprain? The structures that are injured with acute ankle sprains are the ligaments around the ankle joint. Ligaments are…

Shoulder Injuries Shoulder Injuries Shoulder injuries are a common problem for many people. It can happen to people of all ages from children to the elderly. The pain from shoulder injuries can be very severe and cause a lot of limitations with work and activity. Shoulder pain is one of the top 5 reasons why people seek out Physiotherapy and Registered Massage Therapy treatments. What Causes Shoulder Pain? There are several reasons why people suffer from shoulder pain. Trauma – any type of direct or indirect trauma can produce shoulder pain if the arm and/or shoulder is involved Motor vehicle accidents Falls Sports injuries Violent incidents Poor workplace ergonomics – For people who work in offices, they may spend the majority of their time sitting in front of a computer. If the desk set up is not properly, then this may start to produce stress and…

            Patellofemoral pain syndrome Patellofemoral pain syndrome happens when your knee cap does not track properly.  The knee joint consist of two joints.  The tibiofemoral joint which is between the two long bones in your leg and the second one is the patellofemoral joint.  This  is between the femoral condyle (end of thigh bone) and the knee cap. The cartilage on the back of the knee cap glides on the cartilage on the front of the condyles of the femur. The knee cap usually sits in a snug groove at the end of the thigh…

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…

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…