Category Archives: Uncategorized

Extension exercise for the spine

This post is prepared by West 4th Physio associate Marj Belot Extension Exercises for Low Back Pain: When, why, how? Are you having low back pain? Have you heard that backward bending (extension) exercises are a good thing to do? Have you been told that backward bending and laying face down are bad for your back? It’s possible that you have read or heard both things and now you’re confused as to what exercises you should be doing? What is the purpose? To start, it’s important to consider the purpose … Read the rest of this post »

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Virtual Consults – inconvenient necessity or helpful tool during COVID-19?

This review of Online consulting services was prepared by West 4th Physiotherapy associate Marj Belot Our Provincial Chief Medical Officer instructed all in BC to maintain physical distance as much as feasible, to minimize spread of COVID-19.  To protect the health of our clients, our staff and our community we closed our physical clinic doors March 18 and moved to online clinical consults. What Are We Doing Now?   Our physiotherapists have been providing virtual online services for the past week using secure connection platforms. With video conferencing the physiotherapist and … Read the rest of this post »

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The Y balance test

This post is prepared by West 4th associate Jen Macpherson …  Past injury is the biggest predictor of getting injured again. Having asymmetry from one side to the other is also a flag for risk of reinjury. Grey Cook who pioneered FMS (Functional Movement System) regards this Y balance test as a sensitive, reliable gauge for dysfunction and has integrated it into the FMS system. The real beauty of the test is taking a test score, analysing the problem, implementing a treatment plan to improve the deficit and seeing a … Read the rest of this post »

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Connect therapy

This post is prepared by West 4th Physio associate Marj Belot. Connect Therapy What is it? It is a whole-body, whole-person approach developed by Dr. Linda-Joy Lee, physical therapist. It involves assessing the interconnections between the person, their environment, relevant regions of body dysfunction and how these areas create symptoms and impact function as well as quality of life. Connect Therapy has it’s roots in The Thoracic Ring ApproachTM, a unique way to assess and treat the trunk. However, as Dr. Lee further developed the Thoracic Ring Approach, it became … Read the rest of this post »

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Stop slouching, stop neck pain…

This post is prepared by West 4th Physiotherapy associate Lauren Macauley Sitting slouched at a computer not only can make you look ten years older but it creates tight and painful neck muscles. Slouching can be the cause of sore trigger points, tension headaches, numbness/tingling in the arms, and early osteoarthritis. But there are steps everyone can take to relax their neck muscles and reduce neck pain. It’s all about aligning the neck bones and understanding our body’s natural reflexes. Our muscles are designed to hold our bones together. In … Read the rest of this post »

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Thoracic Ring approach

This post is prepared by West 4th Physio associate Marj Belot. The Thoracic Ring ApproachTM: What is it and how does it work? In early 2017, I learned The Thoracic Ring ApproachTM. on a four day course. Since then, I’ve had many opportunities to incorporate it in my physiotherapy practice and clients have been reporting some great results. Although courses are taught in many countries, including England, US, Canada and Australia, many people have not heard about this approach, so I’m sharing this brief summary. The Thoracic Ring ApproachTM. is … Read the rest of this post »

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Cycling and bone health

This post is presented by West 4th Physio associate and cyclist/triathlete Jen Macpherson Cycling has really taken hold in Vancouver over the past decade. The health benefits are clearly established by research and include:  improved general fitness decreased risk of cardiovascular disease decreased risk of colon cancer decreased obesity The low impact nature of cycling also makes it an appropriate component of rehabilitation; such as, following surgery for a knee ligament repair or joint replacement. Sounds perfect so could there be a downside? Unfortunately, because cycling is low impact or primarily … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Cycling, Cycling injuries and prevention, Osteoporosis, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Injury Prevention Through Workload Monitoring – Part 1

 This post is prepared by West 4th Physiotherapy associate Peter Francis Injury prevention is something that most people can get on board with and very few (if any) will admit is a bad thing. When designing an “Injury Prevention” Program, however, we must first be able to identify what it is we are trying to prevent. Aimlessly performing “preventative” exercises without a focus or intent is just eyewash. Most injuries can be classified as: Acute (contact) :Has a discernable moment in time where the injury occurred and was a result … Read the rest of this post »

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Welcome back Marj Belot

I am excited to announce my return back to the West 4th Physiotherapy team as of February 15, 2017. I look forward to continuing to serve my clients with passion and a dedication to excellence. My Philosophy All people deserve the best physiotherapy care possible. My thirst for learning, my love of problem solving, my natural curiosity and enthusiasm for sharing my knowledge and skills with my clients all help me to empower them and guide them to success. I believe my greatest strength as a physiotherapist lays in the diversity … Read the rest of this post »

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Core strength for horse riders – 2

This post is prepared by West 4th Physiotherapy associate and keen equestrian Lauren McGuire     Book an appointment with Lauren McGuire at 604 7309478 If you have enjoyed this post help us spread the GoodPhysio word by liking us on Facebook, Yelp and Google  

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Core strength for dressage – 1

This video post is prepared by West 4th Physiotherapy associate and keen equestrian Lauren McGuire     Book an appointment with Lauren McGuire at 604 7309478 If you have enjoyed this post help us spread the GoodPhysio word by liking us on Facebook, Yelp and Google

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Welcome Karen Forsman

We are welcoming sports physiotherapist, Karen Forsman to our growing team.Karen’s expertise is in Sports and Orthopedics. She is an avid cyclist and triathlete and brings special knowledge to that patient population. Karen is also trained in the Stott Pilates method and has a developing practice in Pilates based injury care and prevention, excellent for developing core control and rehabilitation of sports injuries. Remember as a club member you are eligible for a discount on regular fees for both physiotherapy and bike fitting services. To book with Karen phone the clinic … Read the rest of this post »

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