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
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Tagged computer use, poor posture, posture, strengthening
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During the last post I looked at some of the problems that develop in association with poor desk ergonomics and unsuitable posture at the computer. http://www.west4thphysio.com/archives/1751 I promised a few exercises that can help alleviate the symptoms of upper back and neck tightness after a long session stuck at the desk. Overall strengthening of the upper back also helps reduce symptoms by allowing you to keep a more upright and open chest position. First up is the Cobra as pictured above. This helps restore spinal length and alignment. If off … Read the rest of this post »
A common reason to see people in our clinic is aches and pains associated with working at the computer. Computer use invites you to sit in the same position for long periods. The problem is compounded too in that now it’s common to go home from a day of work and find recreation…on the computer! A combination of both poor positioning and too much time spent in that position can cause posture to change in ways that eventually become painful. What happens? muscles around the upper back and shoulder blades … Read the rest of this post »
West 4th Physiotherapist Dean Smith will co-teach a yoga course with Tracy Groshak at the end of November. Course details can be found here. Yoga Course
The answer is yes. I had the opportunity to listen to Carolyn Emory PT, PhD of University of Calgary speak at the Canadian Physiotherapy Congress in Whistler. Her area of expertise is paediatric sport injuries, particularly, injury prevention. Since ACL injuries are so common in soccer (an average of 25% of 15 year old female soccer players per season), it is an area that has been extensively studied. Researchers have identified key risk factors and, have been able to demonstrate success in preventing injuries, by giving exercises to address them. … Read the rest of this post »
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 »
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. What exercise can I … Read the rest of this post »
This is a follow on from my last post and my time at the World Congress of Physiotherapy held in Amsterdam earlier this year. Is running bad for knee cartilage? Can it cause knee OA? Ans Van Ginckel, a research physiotherapist from Ghent University in Belgium and her colleagues compared the changes in thickness of knee cartilage in 9 previously sedentary young women (20-40 y) who participated in a 10 week, 5 km beginners running program, with 10 sedentary controls. Thicker cartilage is generally desirable as it is better able … Read the rest of this post »
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 »
Following on from the last post I’ve had some questions regarding whether children who weight train hurt themselves. It’s a good news story, with no greater incidence of injury. In fact, active kids involved in sports such as soccer, hockey, skiing or skateboarding sustain many more injuries than for any children who have been involved in weight training. On the other side are children who get no exercise at all. The decline in physical activity in kids is a real concern to all health professionals. Since 1981, there’s been a tripling … Read the rest of this post »
Only two or three weeks to school summer vacation and how will our children spend the summer? I’m often asked by parents what is a suitable type of exercise for their frequently sedentary child and how much exercise should they be doing? This opens up a few themes for discussion and comment. In January of this year the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology released new guidelines for children ages 5 to 17. The recommendations include getting an hour a day of moderate ( think walking, playing outside) to vigorous (think … Read the rest of this post »
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 »
