Category Archives: Women’s Health

Managing pregnancy related pelvic pain

From West 4th Physiotherapy associate Jennifer MacPherson Jennifer MacPherson attended Cecile Rost’s  and Susannah Britnell’s course this past weekend. Cecile is a physiotherapist in the Netherlands and specialises in the area of pregnancy related pelvic pain This post graduate study course teaches new methods for relieving sacroiliac and pubic pain during and after pregnancy. A frequent problem in pregnancy is pain in and around the pelvic musculature and joints. Clinicians were able to learn and share practical advice for teaching pregnant women how to manage their activities of daily life from turning in … Read the rest of this post »

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Incontinence and the pelvic floor

From West 4th Physiotherapy associate Jennifer Macpherson Jennifer MacPherson attended the Continence and Pelvic Floor Re-education in the Female Patient Course at Women’s Hospital recently. The course was put on by three very experienced pelvic floor physiotherapists named Pat Lieblich, Penny Wilson and Suzanne Thompson. “I found the course had an incredible amount of information. I also now understand  the huge need for pelvic floor physiotherapists to help identify women with pelvic floor issues ranging from stress incontinence to pelvic organ prolapse. I have realized the important role a physiotherapist … Read the rest of this post »

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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 »

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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 »

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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 »

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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

Pregnancy – abdominal muscle split…

Split down the Middle? I recently had the opportunity to attend a lecture put on by the renowned Diane Lee on a relatively common yet often undiagnosed problem called Diastasis Rectus Abdominus (DRA). Diane has vast knowledge and experience in dealing with pelvic girdle or sacroiliac pain and dysfunction and is an excellent speaker, so it was a pleasure to hear her talk on this subject. DRA is a condition that involves a separation of the two long abdominal muscles that run vertically down the middle of our abdomen, the … Read the rest of this post »

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C.O.A.C.H Obesity Network

Something different for the blog this month. West 4th Physio associate Marj Belot brought this to our collective attention. This is an excellent initiative that we hope readers will support. We have included the Health Canada recommended activity guidelines in our online library. Please feel free to download them (or tactfully pass them on to those you think could benefit!). They are available here:  http://www.west4thphysio.com/resources/library Help Canadians find credible weight management resources: Support COACH today! The Canadian Obesity Network (CON) is currently working with its partners, members and the public … Read the rest of this post »

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Exercise : men vs women

An interesting article appeared in the Globe a few months ago which asked the question: Is it harder for women to lose weight as compared to men because of the different composition of their muscle mass? The answer is a general yes. It is more of a challenge for women because they, on average, have a lower percentage of their overall body weight composed of lean skeletal muscle. You can think of your skeletal muscle as the body’s engine. The bigger the engine, the more fuel it can burn and … Read the rest of this post »

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Osteoporosis guidelines

Late in 2010 I came across an interesting article in the Canadian Medical Journal (CMA) in which new guidelines were outlined to help physicians deal with managing and preventing osteoporosis. According to the study’s lead author, Professor Alexandra Papaioannu, the goal is early identification of those most likely to develop full blown osteoporosis later in life. The approach recommended in the guidelines is quite different to that currently taken. Instead of relying on bone mineral density (BMD) testing  -read more about BMD and testing here- http://www.west4thphysio.com/archives/530 , and then using … Read the rest of this post »

Posted in Avoiding Injury, Low back, Osteoporosis, Senior's Health, Women's Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bladder health – Incontinence

  November is Incontinence Awareness Month  Do you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, or laugh?  Do you limit your time away from home, know where all the bathrooms are in the mall, and always go ‘just in case’?  Well you’re not alone.  Over 3.3 million Canadians experience urinary incontinence and ½ of women will experience problems with incontinence at some point in there lives.  Contrary to popular belief, there are many ways to manage, treat, and in many cases cure incontinence.  Due to embarrassment and the myth that incontinence … Read the rest of this post »

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