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5 reasons you might need walking aids

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Why do you need a walking aid?

Quality of life

Elderly man independent in walking

Restricted and reduced ability to walk and perform your daily chores can impact your quality of life. Walking aids are devices designed to help people walk and can be used by individuals of any age. As a result, this improves your quality of life by making you independent and confident. Here are some reasons that will indicate you need walking aids.

  1. difficulties walking whether it’s due to pain.
  2. frequent falls or fear of falling.
  3. tiring quickly.
  4. decreased balance.
  5. difficulty putting weight on a body part, post-surgery, or any other reason.

What types of walking aids are available?

The categories of walking aids include crutches, canes, and walkers, and has their own pros and cons. Below are general overviews of the most common types of walking aids.

  1. crutches, often prescribed to individuals following an injury or surgery to the lower body. They are usually used on both sides of the body but can be used on just one side. The benefits of crutches include complete non-weight bearing on the injured leg, can be used on stairs, and lastly near to normal walking speed can be achieved.  However, it needs good upper body strength, cannot use for longer distances and must have a higher level of balance.

    Walking Aids

    Different types of crutches

  2. Canes are used on a single side. Helpful for individuals with minor balance issues or weakness in the legs or body. You can either get a single-point cane or 4 points which provides additional stability. But, on another side, it gives an unstable base of support.

    Types of Canes

  3. Walkers are the most stable type of walking aid. The most common are 2-wheeled walkers and rollator or 4-wheeled walkers. They are good for longer distances and more stable but cannot be used on stairs or smaller occupancies. 
  4.  

    Types of Walkers 

How to choose a walking aid?

If you think you need a walking aid but are unsure which one is best for you, a physiotherapist can help assess your needs and recommend the right one. An unfitted walking aid or improper use of one can be a safety hazard and increase the risk of a fall.

At PhysioNow, we are a qualified team of Physiotherapists that would love to help you! We do a full assessment which will include your balance, strength, and the way you walk to determine whether need of a gait aid and which one is suitable. Also, provide resources on how to acquire one. Lastly, we will also teach you how to use it in your everyday life including sitting and standing up, walking, and navigating stairs and obstacles with your aid.

Book with us today for an initial assessment and treatment at PhysioNow! Improve your Quality of Life.

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Few things to know about your heel pain

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What is heel pain?

Heel pain

What causes your heel pain?

Heel pain could be from any reason either your inflamed plantar fascia causing plantar fasciitis or any abnormal bony growth causing heel spurs. To get in further details plantar fasciitis is an irritation and inflammation to the tissue that runs at the bottom of the foot extending from the heel to the toes, causing heel pain. It supports the arch of the foot which helps in shock absorption. On other side, heel spur is when a bony outgrowth forms on the heel, which causes heel pain while walking and standing.

What are the causes of heel pain?

Causes are not limited to high and low arches causing irritation to the plantar fascia with running, jogging, playing any sports, prolonged standing and walking. Also, any strain or tear to the fascia. As a result, if this condition is left untreated can lead to bony growth causing heel spurs.

5 Most common risk factors of pain

  • Improper foot wear: The foot wear without proper arch support or worn-out shoes.

    Causes of heel pain

    Improper footwears

  • Weight gain leads to changes in arches and support and affects the weight transmission and shock absorption.
  • Foot mechanics: flat feet or high arches, stiff mid foot and ankle.

    Risk factors for plantar faciitis

    Types of Arches

  • Age: commonly seen between 40 – 60 years old.
  • Occupation: commonly seen in clients with jobs that requires long standing.

What are the symptoms:

With plantar fasciitis it is like a stabbing pain felt at arch of foot and near the inner part of heel whereas pain with spurs is in the center of heel and also feels like a stabbing.

Heel spurs and plantar fascia

Location of pain

Pain is usually worse in the morning taking first few steps with plantar fasciitis. It usually gets better with walking but comes back with long hours of standing and sitting. On other hand pain with spurs gets worse as the day progresses with long hours of standing and walking. Sometimes, there could be swelling present over the heel area.

How will Physiotherapy help you with heel pain?

Your physiotherapist after a detail assessment would be able to identify the cause of the problem and give you advice on how to modify and handle the situation and life style which will help in the road to recovery. Advice would include,

Arch supports

Foot insoles for arch support

  • How to modify activities of daily living.
  • Advice on foot wear.
  • Suggestions on arch supports and custom-made orthotics, night splint.

Apart from this, treatment sessions will include:

  • Hands on techniques to release the tight plantar fascia, calf, mobilization of foot and ankle manually or with a tool.  Stretches for the tight surrounding structures.

    Techniques to release plantar fascia

    Hawk tool to release plantar fascia

  • Strengthening exercise for the supporting structures and muscles that maintain the arches and functional training
  • Kinesiotapping to relieve stress from the affected structures.

Don’t let your pain affect your quality of life and stop you from doing your activities. Book your assessment session now with qualified physiotherapists of PhysioNow. We have various locations to serve the communities in Mississauga, Oakville and Etobicoke. Contact us and get started today!

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What is a chronic low back pain?

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What is a Chronic low back pain?

Although commonly used word for being in pain for a long time is ‘Chronic’, I would like to call it ‘Persistent Pain’. Because, the word Chronic seems to have a very negative connotation to it. Also,  It is a general belief that if you have ‘Chronic Pain’, you will have to live with pain forever! If you wish to get more knowledge about persistent pain, please visit this link. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/Living-with-persistent-pain

Chronic pain, persistent pain, low back

Chronic pain speedometer

Case review of chronic low back pain

Let us take an example here of a person who has had low back pain, for many years. They have had an X-ray and an MRI done which shows some minor degenerative changes. There is no major nerve compression. However, there may be some minor disc bulges which their family doctor mentioned is normal for the age.  As a result, they were advised to go for physiotherapy, which was done for several weeks with minor relief.

Chronic and persistent low back pain

Chronic lower back pain

Also, Chiropractic and Massage therapy was then tried, again with some temporary benefits. Through this Chronic Pain, the family doctor then referred them to see an Orthopedic Surgeon who again advised them to continue physiotherapy and painkillers. This person then went to a pain clinic after hearing about this from a friend, and now goes for Pain injections every 6 weeks.

What is a pain assessment

We see many such patients coming to our clinic – PhysioNow on frequent basis. You might question what different are we going to do from what has been previously done. As a result, what I do know is that appropriate assessment and treatment has not been provided else.

A thorough assessment is first needed to guide any treatment process, and in our clinic we look at the spine segment by segment, to identify the restrictions/ pain generating areas. These restrictions may be in the joint, or even along the pathway of the nerves which as associated with these joints.

Planning the right treatment

Manual therapy is then incorporated to treat the areas of restricted mobility that may be in turn forcing many other areas of your low back (including joints and muscles) to produce compensatory pain. Also, there may be some areas which have more mobility than expected (hypermobile) and need to be stabilized by strengthening the muscles which support these structures.

In conclusion

Overall, manual therapy and exercises (stretch and strengthen as needed) are at the heart of the treatment for our person in question preceded by a meticulous lumbar spine segmental and nerve mobility assessment.

Takeaway Message

If this case study sounds similar to your story, come and speak with us. Let us help you get rid of this Persisting (Not Chronic) Low back Pain. You can book your appointment visiting the link below.

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DIASTASIS RECTI

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Diastasis Recti is a condition where there is a partial or complete separation due to overstretching of the Rectus abdominis muscles.

Rectus abdominis muscle or the six-pack muscle is a long muscle of the abdominal wall running from the lower rib cage to the pelvic bone, it runs vertically on both sides of the Linea alba.

The function of the muscle is to help in trunk flexion, expiration, and compression of abdominal viscera.

It is commonly seen in

  1. Pregnancy and post-delivery.
  2. Multiparous or multiple pregnancy.
  3. Obesity in male and female.
  4. New born mostly premature due to muscle being not fully developed or connected.

How to identify if you have one.

When you notice a bulge in your stomach while straining or contracting your abdominal muscles.

Lying on your back with knees and hip bend / crook lying, keep your fingers just above your belly button area, lift your head and shoulders up,  finger width or more separation between the two muscles does indicate Diastasis recti.

 

Diastasis recti can lead to

  1. low back pain.
  2. Alters your posture and stability of your trunk.
  3. Pelvic pain.
  4. Pelvic floor dysfunction.
  5. Hernia in extreme cases.

 

Activities to avoid:

  1. Strenuous exercises involving strong abdominal muscle contraction or loading like crunches, ab twists, planks, certain yoga stretches like arching backwards
  2. Lifting or carrying heavy loads.
  3. Carrying child on one hip.
  4. Coughing without abdominal bracing or support.
  5. Episodes of severe constipation.

 

A pelvic floor therapist can help you in educating and providing you with service that would help to overcome this situation.

Starting prenatal exercises will help to maintain and control the tone of the abdominal muscles reducing the pressure over the Linea alba.

 

Postnatally or clients with Diastasis recti have to target the deep abdominal muscles. This includes the transverse abdominis and pelvic floor muscles. Superficial abdominal muscles are not part of this.  To get an effective result in helping to tone up the muscle and to reduce the gapping between the muscles to get a better quality of life it is important to get a Physiotherapy Assessment and treatment.

After deep muscle recruitment, the superficial muscle recruitment can be initiated.

Breathing exercises,

postural awareness,

lifting technique, and

abdominal support

are other entities that the therapist can educate on and train you in. This will help to overcome the situation and help in the recovery process

Book with us today PhysioNow

For More information on the topic refer Cleveland Clinic

 

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PELVIC PAIN AND PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTION

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PELVIC PAIN AND PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTION

What is pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction?

There are a number of conditions which cause pain and pelvic floor dysfunction. We have discussed a few of those conditions here today. Fortunately most of the conditions are treated with physiotherapy interventions.

Pelvic area

Pelvic pain and dysfunction

Common conditions related with internal pelvic structures:

Provoked vestibulodynia: In this your pelvic area is very sensitive to touch or pressure. You will feel pain with

  • light touch,
  • pressure,
  • inserting tampons,
  • wearing tight pants or
  • intercourse.
  • urinary urgency

Vaginismus: You feel difficulty and/or pain with vaginal penetration. This will lead to avoidance of sexual activity or internal pelvic examination.

Bladder pain syndrome: You feel pain and pressure with urge to urinate at any time. You will get an increased urge to urinate. Symptoms usually starts with bladder infection.

Dysmenorrhea: You will feel painful cramps with mensuration. It affects about 90% of the women. This could include pelvic adhesions, pelvic inflammatory disease and cervical stenosis.

pelvic pain

Pelvic pain

Conditions related to activities and damage to structures:

Dyspareunia: It is pain with sexual intercourse. Damage to the structures like:

  • episiotomy,
  • tears,
  • reduced mobility of cervix or soft tissues,
  • bladder pain,
  • overactive  muscles and
  • inflammation

Coccyx pain:  It is the pain in tail bone are with sitting, sit to stand, sexual activity, or with bowel movements. Usually caused by any trauma, inflammation or muscle imbalance.

Conditions involving neurological structures:

Pudendal Neuralgia: There is pain and numbness in the area supplied by nerve from anus to penis or clitoris. You will feel pain with sitting, fecal and urinary incontinence.  There are other underlying conditions that can restrict your pelvic mobility. This leads to compression of your pudendal nerve.

Male pelvic pain issues:

Certain conditions such as dysfunction of pelvic muscles, non-bacterial inflammation of prostate, Pudendal neuralgia, anal fissures, Coccydynia, bladder pain causes pelvic pain in male patients.

If you want more information about the conditions which cause pelvic pain visit this link https://www.onhealth.com/content/1/pelvic_pain_causes

Experiencing any of the above symptoms?

Pelvic floor therapist helps you with thorough assessment and  treatment based on the diagnosis. Educating you about the cause of the pain. Managing with home exercise program.

Pelvic health

Treatment techniques done by pelvic floor physiotherapists:

For vestibulodynia:

Physiotherapy is considered as the first line of treatment for you. Your physio will treat with tissue care, manual techniques for painful points, muscle imbalance,  relaxation techniques. You will learn to avoid wearing tight clothes and diet modification.

For Dyspareunia:

Relaxation techniques along with dilator insertion helps to relieve tension in the vaginal area. Pelvic therapist will  releases scar tissue in the vaginal area which reduces pain. Soft tissue techniques improves the mobility of the cervix and scar tissue.

Bladder pain syndrome:  Releasing the tension in pelvic floor muscles and posture correction helps to reduce your symptoms. Incontinence can be treated with pelvic floor muscle training, positioning and certain stretches of the muscles in the pelvic floor area.

Vaginismus: Treatment involves stretching of pelvic floor tissues with external and internal techniques, scar mobilization, muscle overactivity with dilators and relaxation techniques.

Dysmenorrhea: Techniques involve breaking the adhesions in the pelvic floor area and release the narrowing in the cervix.

Techniques to help to reduce your pain:

  • Relaxation techniques,
  • stretches,
  • soft tissue release

Injury with any activity:

Pudendal neuralgia: Your Physio will treat you with nerve release, stretches, and posture correction. Sensory re-education to reduce the numbness in the pudendal nerve supply.

Coccyx pain: Treatment involves pelvic floor relaxation techniques,  mobilization of coccyx. We will mobilize it internally and externally. Proper positioning with cushion, exercises to improve the mobility  helps to reduce the pain the coccyx.

Male pelvic pain: Treatment includes release of pelvic floor muscles to ease up the pain. We will treat you with stretches, positioning, mobilization, relaxation.

DON’T WAIT TO START PHYSIOTHERAPY  TREATMENT

If you notice any of the above symptoms, it’s important to consult your pelvic floor physiotherapist. You can reduce the risk of complications by taking early treatment.. Book a consultation at PhysioNOW with a Registered Physiotherapist today.