Category Archives: Senior’s Health

Stretching. Are there any real benefits?

From West 4th Physiotherapy associate Dee Malinsky Stretching (The Truth) In a recent course my colleagues and I attended, entitled “New Trends in the Prevention of Running Injuries,” Jean Francois Esculier discussed an ongoing and pertinent topic in the field of running, and one which directly relates to a question I am asked frequently in the clinic: Is stretching a good thing? Are there any real benefits? Jean eased into the discussion by reviewing the current best evidence: 1. Stretching does NOT increase muscle temperature. 2. Stretching does NOT prevent … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Running injuries and Prevention, Senior's Health, Sports | Leave a comment

Choosing running shoes…minimalist or traditional?

From West 4th Physiotherapy associate Dee Malinsky… RUNNING into difficulty: choosing running shoes. With running shoe companies pushing for simple racing flats (with the dawn of the running boom) in the 70s, to increased cushioning (air, gel & torsion control) with associated variation and marketability in the 1980s-2000, followed by a push toward minimalism in the early 2010s…we often find ourselves in a whirlwind of information, in limbo between fashion/market trends and straight forward scientific evidence. Ask yourself the following series of questions to help you with choosing running shoes and … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Running injuries and Prevention, Senior's Health, Sports | Leave a comment

Why do seniors fall?

I have written in previous posts about the life changing consequences a fall can have for a senior. http://www.west4thphysio.com/archives/1240 Falling remains by far the number one cause of injury among seniors and accounts for almost all (90%) of hip fractures and more than half the head injuries. A recent study done at Simon Fraser University here in Vancouver and recently published in the Lancet has looked at how and why seniors tend to fall. Cameras in long term care facilities provided the data. Analysis showed that 30% were due to … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Men's Health, Osteoporosis, Senior's Health, Women's Health | Leave a comment

Running and life expectancy

A couple of posts ago we looked at the relationship between activity levels and health, the message being that when looking at health and lifespan it is more important to consider how much people do rather than how much they weigh. http://www.west4thphysio.com/archives/1803 This was nicely confirmed by Dr Peter Schnohr, a researcher at the University Hospital in Cpenhagen. At a recent medical conference in Dublin he presented the findings based on data from the  Copenhagen City Heart Study. This study has been underway since 1976 and is ongoing, successfully providing … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Men's Health, Senior's Health, Sports, Women's Health | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Up hills and down

April/May here on the Left coast means the approach of Spring. Time for the keen hikers to get (even more) outside and start hitting their stride. With that in mind I was asked last week by a client who loves to hike how her aging knees were going to manage this year? And what is harder, going up hills or coming down? As usual, the devil is in the details. Going up hills you are doing more work so the aerobic system of the heart and lungs (cardiorespiratory system) get … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Knee, Senior's Health, Sports | Leave a comment

Exercise and your brain

In previous posts I have looked at the growing body of research that supports the premise that exercise is not just good for your body but good for your mind as well. http://www.west4thphysio.com/archives/807 The research just keeps on coming. This study was published last year in the Archives of Neurology and is specific to a segment of the population that carries a particular gene variant which has been shown to dramatically increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease by a factor of 15. The gene is Apolipoprotein E (APOE) which … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Men's Health, Senior's Health, Women's Health | Leave a comment

Move to stay healthy

I came across an interesting article recently which reviewed the findings of exercise researcher Dr Steven Blair. Dr Blair hails from the University of South Carolina and has spent years looking at the links between levels of physical activity and the effects those levels have on life long health. His research has been widely reviewed and helps shape both public policy and perceptions as to the importance of physical activity in the individual health equation. What struck me in particular was the need to talk more about getting people off … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Children's Health, Men's Health, Senior's Health, Women's Health | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Computer posture – part 3

Ok, so you have done your stretches through the day and maybe a bit at the end of the day. No doubt you feel that they help for a while but that nagging ache around the shoulders and neck keeps coming back. You want more! These exercises will help build your shoulder blade and upper back strength so that you can keep decent posture throughout the day without feeling tired from the effort. They are three of my favourite tension busters and work very well when combined with the stretch … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Children's Health, Head and Neck, Low back, Men's Health, Posture, Senior's Health, Women's Health | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Keeping your balance

With autumn upon us light is fading and the leaves are coming down. A good sense of balance and recovery abilities can help make sure you don’t hit the ground like the leaves. This season is called fall for a reason. Balance is a crucial ability, that tends to decline with age. Every year, thousands of seniors are admitted to the hospital for broken hips, most often due to falling. Frequently a hip fracture will lead to disability and a loss of independence. To avoid becoming part of these statistics, … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Osteoporosis, Senior's Health | Leave a comment

Osteoarthritis of the knee and physiotherapy – Part 1

Osteoarthritis of the knee What does recent physiotherapy research tell us? I just returned from Amsterdam where I attended the World Physiotherapy Congress. I was fortunate to be able to present a poster of my Master’s research to a large international audience.  I previously summarized and posted my whiplash related master’s research on the West 4th Physiotherapy blog, http://www.west4thphysio.com/archives/645 so in this post I decided to focus on summarizing some of the most interesting research presentations I attended which focused on osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Can osteoarthritis be prevented … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Knee, Senior's Health, Sports, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Bike fitting in the clinic

I had a trip up to Kelowna this past weekend to participate in a professional seminar on bike fitting. The sport of road cycling continues to grow for various reasons. Always popular in the past, it is now attracting a large group of people who don’t feel inclined to do a lot of running anymore but want to continue to be physically active. Plus, you get to go really fast! With the success of  events such as the Grand Fondo, The Ride to Conquer Cancer and increasing membership in cycling clubs throughout … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Knee, Low back, Ride to Conquer Cancer 2010, Senior's Health, Sports | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Does your bike fit?

In early March my colleague Jen Mcpherson and I rolled on down to Seattle to attend an intensive 2 day workshop on bike fitting. Jen is an avid multisport athlete who has completed multiple Ironman competitions and marathons and I’m a keen recreational road cyclist so our interest  in learning the process of getting a rider to the best possible position for comfort and power comes from the heart. This was an excellent course with both days full of hands on fitting experience. Thanks to the volunteers who attended and … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Head and Neck, Knee, Low back, Senior's Health, Sports | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment