Category: physiotherapist winnipeg

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How people choose a Physio, a Doctor, a Chiro, in Winnipeg…for back pain, for health advice, for whiplash

Thanks again to my fellow members at the Winnipeg Executives Association, for the positive feedback and referrals following my 2012 Business Profile presentation; How do you choose your Healthcare Providers? Based on the US pre-election survey by INC magazine…

In reverse order of importance, the top five were:

#5 a great Receptionist.

Oooops, if you have been to my clinical location in the formerly TD Centre, at Portage & Main, you would know that I have been a ‘sole proprietor’ since 1991. Clients know that when they call for an appointment or have any kind of question, that they are going to speak directly with me, the Physiotherapist. Whether it be by phone, text, email or video-chat; I do not hesitate to educate you on the spot and answer the greatest concern in real-time!

#4 your Insurance Coverage.

In Manitoba, you do not need a doctor’s referral to see a Physiotherapist. But, you may need one to be covered by your particular insurance coverage. Manitoba Health only covers physiotherapy treatment if obtained in hospital, and WCB, and MPI, only cover a specific number of treatment sessions. So, beware of your coverage and be proactive in your rehab!

I DO direct bill to most insurance plans, if they do allow this to occur as some plans prefer that the client do it by mail or online, such as Sun Life or ManuLife. Healthcare Spending Accounts are becoming more of the norm with ‘flex’ benefit plans. These accounts are excellent ways to be proactive in your health plan by applying these funds to ergonomic assessment or exercise programs.

Like some other providers, I typically do NOT charge for ‘tray fees’, ‘chart maintenance’, exercise tubing or even for Doctor’s notes.

#3 convenient Parking.

Well…again, we are located in Downtown Winnipeg’s most secure parking complex; the Exchange District Parkade, off Albert Street at #35…my entry is at ground level, directly across from Winnipeg’s best kept secret, parking meters inside a parkade entrance.

#2 convenient Office Hours.

For the approximate 60,000 people working within a 5 minute walk of Portage & Main, the most requested appointment time is between 10am and 2pm, with a normal treatment day from 845am to 530pm in the clinical location.

My research begins at the home office, and ergonomic assessments take me onsite to clients’ work places; from garbage trucks to police cruisers, from bus depots to gold mines, from military helicopters to postal distribution centres, from bank tellers to executive offices, from lumber plants to product warehouses, from grocery clerks to sports professionals, from grain elevators to your cottage kitchen…I’ve worked the day and night shifts, and experienced a huge variety of task conditions.

#1 my Location.

Do you know anyone that works within walking distance of Portage & Main?

Do you know anyone who works in an office connected through the Winnipeg ‘W’ walkway system?

Do you know anyone with a schedule that demands a guaranteed appointment time? …there is no waiting room

I invite you to refer them to our services, for healthcare that may not always be what they expected or even be the best in town, but I will always move them in a direction to make it right for them. Thanks.

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Active Release, Myofascial Release, Trigger Point release therapies for back pain in Winnipeg by Physiotherapy Winnipeg

You’re back is Achy, You’re neck may be Sore, and You Have No Idea Why…It feels like muscle pain, but unlike a tight hamstring, hip flexor or shoulder that makes you yelp when you stand up, your ache isn’t triggered by a particular movement, and you can feel it in different places at various times. The culprit could be your fascia, that relative “sheet” of tissue, made up of densely packed protein fibers, weaves throughout the entire body, and it binds and supports your muscles, bones and even your organs.

You know how your muscles feel cramped and stiff when you wake up in the morning? After a night’s sleep (or another long period of inactivity, like a car trip or plane ride), the parts of your fascia that wrap around and through your muscle fibers, which are normally stretchy and flexible, can stick together like previously chewed bubble gum. Stretching like a well rested cat in yoga, is a great way to release those sticky fibers at home.

Just today, I’ve recommended a client to work out those overused sore spots with a foam roller. You’ve probably seen people at the gym using these things, which look like pool noodles, to stretch their back, hamstrings and the notoriously tight IT band on the outside of the hips. To start, take an old pillow from home, fold it in half length wise and duct tape it into a hardened roll. It may not provide the stiff surface of a good foam roll, but you can begin slowly, and graduate to harder surfaces later. Sit or lie upon the roll, and when you get to a sore spot that feels like a bruise, pause for 15 to 20 seconds. The discomfort should melt away as the fascia softens and the muscles release. If you feel intense pain that doesn’t dissipate, stop and consider making an appointment with a physical therapist.

Don’t Let the Tissues Get “Crunchy”

If you’ve ever had a shoulder rub and heard something that sounded like crinkling plastic under your skin, that wasn’t your imagination—it was probably your parched, stiffened fascia. The collagen, protein fibers that make up fascia need to stay supple to work properly, and to slide over and under muscles and other inner-body surfaces. One way to keep the fascia hydrated is obvious: drink lots of fluids, especially water. I have had chronic back pain clients change their coffee to water on a 8x per day basis to gain relief from their fascial pain. Another easy (but easily forgettable) way is to make sure we stand up, stretch and flex regularly throughout the day to keep the fascia from locking up. Those pressure points are warning you for a reason!

If you need some foam roll instruction or relative treatment with myofascial release techniques, don’t hesitate to contact me.

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Winnipeg weather can be dangerous too; ice, falls, car accidents, back pain…get Physiotherapy 2022

As the weekend storm moves off the Prairies… but as our fore-Fathers discovered, Winnipeg weather can be dangerous too; just today another car accident where the conditions and poor preparation cause injury.

Falls can diminish your ability to lead an active and independent life. About one third of people over the age of 65 and almost half of people over the age of 80 will fall at least once this year. There usually are several reasons for a fall. We can help you reduce your risk of falling, and better your performance through Universal design. We can assess your biomechanics at home, on the job or even during sport; like golf, running and curling.

Balance, together with ‘core’ training can enhance your ability to perform, avoid injury, especially like those from falls.

Aging is a natural process that encompasses biological changes that tend to be associated with the development of joint pain or that may limit the ability to work with joint pain.  In addition to arthritic joint degeneration, aging is associated with loss of muscle mass and muscle function.  Functional loss is influenced by changes at the cellular and molecular physiology level.  These changes may reduce joint stability and impair normal joint motion that affect the ability to tolerate specific work postures and repetitive motion.  With a loss in muscle strength, the same level of physical effort places a greater demand on an individual relative to her/his capabilities.

The relationship between aging and joint pain in the workplace is complex and influenced by a number of factors.  For example, national surveys of workers across a wide variety of occupations indicate that not all older workers (50 years and older) report a greater risk of joint pain.  Older workers at greatest risk tend to be in jobs that have high physical demands.  And once an injury has occurred, it may take longer for an older worker to return to work.  In spite of these factors, studies indicate that older workers suffer no decrease in overall job performance.

Osteoarthritis, and the pain associated with degenerative disc disease in the lower back can be alleviated with laser therapy. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact your Physio.

An in-person or virtual assessment should be completed before starting any exercise program

You can perform at your best when prepared
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Snow, garbage, warm winds and bags of leaves in Winnipeg, need Physiotherapy?

Our first snow fall has come and gone in Winnipeg, unfortunately for those who lost their hydro in the first blizzard of this winter season in Manitoba, it dragged on for 4-6 days. Sounds like our garbage collection woes this October, as Winnipeg introduces the automated, curbside, private company collection, not to mention a shortage of paper bags to dispose of the fall leaves. Snow, garbage, raking leaves, the dreaded fall cleanup can all lead to acute, or even chronic back injuries.

My ergonomic tip for you this fall season; switch the way you do things, especially those repetitive tasks, the raking, the shovelling, switch direction, go from right to left and vice versa. Avoid the pitfalls of the weekend warm winds, get it done, but pace your work and enjoy the time outdoors, stretch occasionally; hands on your hips, bend backwards comfortably and repeat.

Next, we’ll talk about whiplash injuries; what to expect from MPI and driving ergonomics for the ice n snow of winter.

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Winnipeg Soccer, as outdoor ends, indoor begins and the knee injuries need Physiotherapy

It’s almost the end of September in Winnipeg, and its all too common on the soccer field and basketball court.  An athlete jumps to get the ball, lands and blows out a knee. And most of that time those athletes are girls. Girls are four to six times more likely to suffer a certain kind of knee injury than boys, according to Mayo Clinic research.

Your Physio Winnipeg always concentrates on proper training, biomechanics and technique of exercise, otherwise, why do it if you’re going to hurt yourself.

When an athlete cuts, pivots or jumps, the athlete puts stress on the ligaments of the knee; Medial, Lateral and especially the Anterior Cruciate Ligament or ACL in the knee.  If the knee collapses inward during these moves, that ligament can tear, along with severe injury to the surrounding soft tissue.

ACL injuries are especially a problem for girls, possibly because of the angles of their leg bones or imbalanced muscles around the knee. But proper biomechanics, education and training can help prevent ligament injuries.

Train to jump properly, and actually practice to inherit a good habit; “Legs shoulder width apart. you have to jump as high as you can and when you land you have to land straight and your knees can’t go in or out,” explains Winnipeg physiotherapist, Chris Bisignano.

At the heart of research now is jump mechanics and landing mechanics.  These drills teach how to move more safely and will strengthen the muscles around the knees.

Ligament injuries can mean a trip to the operating room and reconstructions are not minor.  Recovery can keep you out of the game for nine months to a year.  But injury prevention training, and cross activity training can keep kids in the game. Westwood High School in Winnipeg, actually has a “high performance training or phys ed” class for its athletes. “They give their kids some training techniques I would never try in practice,” says Bisignano, “but its excellent training to be involved in to prevent injury”.

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Back pain in Winnipeg, your remedies; from analgesic creams to core exercises, and physiotherapy

Back pain is still, just too common. Our medical treatments tend to be too reactive and not proactive. Most people know that they should be exercising more, not sitting for greater hours at work and home, and not jumping on n off the latest bandwagon cures or diets.

Today’s new submitted an article on the risks of burns with over-the-counter heat/cold rubs or creams, see link (http://t.co/Cmu5yEDS). Given the ingredients, occasional misuse or combining these ‘patches’ with other forms of heat/cold can cause severe skin reactions.

Physiotherapists have always been the healthcare provider to prescribe exercise, in rehabilitation of an injury or surgery, and in prevention. Don’t hesitate to ask, or come in for an ‘exercise review’, if you’re just not sure on your biomechanics or plan for an activity, like golf, hockey or your next marathon.

‘Core exercises’ should be the eventual focus of a back patient’s exercise plan. The individual may not be able to do a ‘side plank’ the second week, but we as physiotherapists prescribe exercise and breakdown biomechanics based on a person’s ability.

Core exercise by Physiotherapy Winnipeg yourPhysio.com

This core exercise example could be done with a small dumbbell, standing, lying on your back or even on an exercise ball. It should be performed with your own restrictions in mind, and not attempted if you are in pain. An excellent exercise for rotational stability for golf, hockey, baseball, etc.

Call us for an exercise review 2 0 4 9 4 3 8 4 1 1

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your Ergonomics, line of sight and that nagging neck-shoulder-upper back pain, by Physiotherapy Winnipeg

Whether it be at work, rest or play; a candy bar cannot make that pain go away…but your ergonomics at the workstation, at home or doing any activity can make a significant difference to your health.

We can often find those simple modifications, those easy answers to perform a task easier, and safer. The problem is that many of us do not take the time to change our habits, make changes and implement them consistently at our busiest work areas…the kitchen, in this case. The ‘pant hangar’ keeps the recipe near eye level, there is no awkward posture to maintain and the cabinet can even be accessed quite easily, well done!

 

This concept always applies to those that must ‘sit for a living’, the ‘desk jockeys’ of the finance, legal, grain and media industries here in Downtown Winnipeg. Like a ‘whiplash’, those muscle aches can proliferate throughout the upper back and neck.

 

Such that, you must remember to adjust your computer monitor height; use some yellow pages or photocopy paper bundles. Some recent ergonomic assessments have resulted in 8-10 inches of monitor height changes to accommodate the individual’s line of sight. Your eye level should be equal to that of the curser start position, in the most frequently used software program. This position allows the eye to adjust to a variability of 2-3 inches of text/toolbar and decreases or eliminates the chronic forward head posture.

Let your human resource department or health & safety manager know that I am available for any size group education, assessments and ergonomic design.

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your Shoes could be the source of your Pain…your gait and Physiotherapy Winnipeg

For almost 20 years, I have been the bearer of bad news for Winnipeg women in Downtown Winnipeg. Those with plantar fascitis, knee pain, iliotibial band syndrome, hip pain, back pain, etc…those shoes may be the ultimate source of the problem.

I used to say, “wouldn’t you rather be wearing a Bisignano?”. I guess I have had this dream of designing my own ergonomic, yet fashionable shoe line. For many of us, our shoes dictate our gait; how we walk, step, stand and adjust to the terrain. And womens’ shoes are notorious for poor design, forcing womens’ feet into contortionist postures. That can’t be good?

I know you may be thinking, “but I don’t wear high heels all the time!”…the opposite style can do just as much if not more damage…the ‘flip-flop’. Shoes with little or variable support; flip-flops, simple sandals, loose, flat shoes like ‘crocs’, do nothing for your feet. Even the flat snow boots of winter can be a biomechanical disaster. Grab some over-the-counter insoles and make them 1000% better.

Find a retailer that knows how to fit your feet, knows some basic biomechanics and will not push those $300+ Nikes on your feet. yourPhysio can identify your biomechanical fault (we all have them) and recommend the exercises and support mechanism (shoes) best for you.

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Is your Winnipeg summer, play time limited by a joint sprain ; tennis? golf? walking?

According to the Orthpedic Society for North America; knee sprains, especially those of the anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL) have risen 400% over the last decade.

We are trying to stay more active; at work, at home and during our ‘play time’. All sport participation rates are up, just try and book something in the Winnipeg Leisure Guide, or a camping spot in one of our Manitoba Provincial Parks. Congrats!

Remember to prep for activities; some form of ‘dynamic warmup’, imitate a biomechanical piece of the movement that you shall be attempting, and repeating. At the gym, prep those muscle groups, learn the correct exercises that will benefit your performance.

Sore afterwards? Don’t put all the ice in that glass, use some cold therapy to cool down those worked areas…Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation

We do have a Golf 911 service for those that need to get back quickly, and avoid loosing that ultimate tee time. Enjoy!

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Sitting a ‘disease in Winnipeg? Just a necessary evil of our computer driven ergonomics Downtown

Really…too many media driven articles on sitting as a “disease”…since 1995 or there about’s, it’s been a necessary evil of our increasingly computer driven ergonomics at work, rest and play; the desktop, the laptop, the smartphone, the tablet, next?

But then why are exercise plans so quick to add the situp? or bench press? or knee extension? All of these place our biomechanics, our posture into greater flexion! Beware, add more extension exercises now! add those planks!

Give yourself more reasons to stand…even every 12 minutes is ideal. If you cannot figure it out, give me a call…your ergonomics may be your disease…and you are not retiring anytime soon.