Three new health videos

We are happy to announce the release of 3 new web videos on health-related topics. Created by Claudine Farah and April Edwards, two physiotherapists at Action Sport Physio Laval, the videos are on:

The Iliotibial Band Syndrome

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

How to Properly Lift Heavy Objects (in French)

If you have questions on running, tendonitis, knee arthritis, tennis elbow or ankle sprain – just to name a few – we invite you to visit our YouTube channel on which you will find tips on health topics and the practice of your favorite sports. You can even ask questions and an expert will answer you.

Comments are welcome too. It's a pleasure to hear from you.

 

Click on the image to go to our Youtube channel

 

Hot or Cold?

Proper application of hot or cold can, depending on the case, greatly assist the healing process of an injured muscle or joint. But how do you know when to apply them?

Applying cold (with a gel freezer pack, bag of frozen vegetables, or ice) reduces edema and inflammation. It also reduces pain with its analgesic effects while diminishing blood flow and muscle spasms. Whereas the hot, think of the famous “Magic Bag” and hot bottle, improves tissue repair while making the tissue suppler. It also reduces pain, acting like a muscle relaxant, and improving blood flow.

Cold applied to an acute injury (the initial 48 hours, during the first healing phase) relieves pain caused by muscle spasms, sprains and strains. It plays a vital roll in preventing excessive swelling in the area.

If your injury feels warm, or you feel pain in the area, your injury is red and swollen, and mobility is restricted: these are signs of inflammation, therefore the use of ice is prescribed. In certain cases, ice application is contraindicated. For example, if you suffer from advanced diabetes, Raynaud’s Disease, or diminished circulation, do not apply ice. If you are uncertain, please consult your physiotherapist.

After icing your injury, wait an hour before returning to action. Ice decreases sensation (and pain) in the injured area, so returning to play too quickly can aggravate your injury.

Once the edema has been reabsorbed, you can apply heat to stimulate blood flow. The use of heat is recommended in the sub-acute stage of healing (2 weeks into the healing process), or for chronic injuries (an injury lasting 3 months or more). You can apply heat for 20-30 minutes at a time. Accelerating the healing process of persistent bruises can be done with heat application as well.

Word of advice: don’t bring the heating pad to bed with you! If you fall asleep with it on, you can burn yourself. Also, do not sit or lie on the heating pad. Your body weight decreases blood flow to the area, which increases your risk of getting burned.

Keep Your Bones Strong

A healthy skeletal system is important for several reasons. Bones have several functions in the body. These include the protection of organs, structural integrity and calcium storage. Bones also serve as anchors for muscles. 

As one grows older, the ability to build bone is decreased. Staying healthy and starting early are ways to keep your bones in good shape. Bone health is affected by the following factors:

• Race, body frame and family history.
   
• Hormone levels, including thyroid hormone.
   
• Physical activity levels.
   
• The amount of calcium in your diet. Low calcium contributes to early bone loss, diminished bone density, and increased risk of fractures. 
   
• Gender - Women tend to have less bone mass compared to men. 
   
• Men with low testosterone levels can experience a decrease in bone mass. 
   
• Excessive alcohol consumption and tobacco use.
   
• Eating disorders and other diseases. People who have bulimia or anorexia are at risk for bone loss. 
   
• Age: As you age, your bones become thinner and weaker. 
   
• Use of certain medications are damaging to the bones. 

The Healthy Bone Formula

To keep your bones healthy, start as soon as possible. Here are some guidelines to help keep your bones healthy.
 

• Eat high-calcium foods. Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt are good sources of calcium. 
   
• Consume plenty of vitamin D. 
   
• Avoid excess protein and sodium. 
   
• Avoid smoking and limit alcoholic intake. 
   
• Bone-boosting medications may be an option, after consulting with your physician. 
   
• Women may consider hormone therapy. Estrogen, especially when started soon after menopause, can help maintain bone density, and this should be discussed with a physician. 
   
• Exercise daily. 
   
• When exercising, change your routine often to surprise your body and challenge your bones. 
   
• Play sports and spend time outdoors. Challenge your body with movements that provide the impact necessary for bone stimulation. 

Physiotherapy and Bone Health

Orthopaedics is a branch of medicine that mainly focuses on the muscular and skeletal systems. Physiotherapy in this field deals with diagnosing, managing and treating injuries in the muscular and skeletal system and the associated rehabilitation.

A physiotherapist specializes in the treatment of bone-related conditions (fractures) and joint injuries, among other conditions.

Strength training, joint mobilizations, hot or cold packs, and electrical stimulation are some techniques used by physiotherapists. Other methods include:

• Stretching and strengthening exercise protocols to encourage muscle balance during recovery.
   
• Hot and cold therapy to increase blood circulation and assist with healing. 
   
• Ultrasound machines: The use of high or low frequency sound waves to facilitate healing. 

With a unique training background and the right set of skills to help you strengthen your bones and joints, a physiotherapist is best suited to help you recover from injuries and strengthen your bones at the same time.

Call us today - taking the time to strengthen your bones is one of the best decisions you'll ever make to improve your health, and we'll help you every step of the way.

Q&A on Running with Éric Boucher

What is the most important thing when beginning to run? 
The most important thing is to start running gradually. It’s important to not rely only on your cardiovascular abilities, but to also quantify the mechanical stress on your lower extremities. If your body is not already adapted to this stress (impact) and you progress too quickly, the risk of injury increases.

How long before a substantial run should I begin training?  
This all depends on your cardiovascular abilities and lower limb tissue adaptation regarding the repeated impact against the ground. So, depending on the adaptation of the lower limbs, it can take you 3 to 8 weeks before being able to run 30 minutes non-stop without the risk of injury. Furthermore, it’s important to know the distance you are going to run in a substantial race. This is, why with a gradual progression of a maximum of 10% of the total volume of running per week, it may take you 20 to 24 weeks of training before a marathon (if you had not started running beforehand).

What should I eat the day before a race?  
It’s good to eat plenty of carbohydrates the day before the event. However, since you are likely to experience stress on the eve of a run, you should not overeat so as to digest well. Also, this is a bad time to try new foods you are not used to digesting and it’s best to avoid alcohol the day before the event to avoid dehydration.

How much water should I drink on the day of the run? 
You must start drinking the week prior to the run to already be well hydrated the day of the event. On the day of the race, you must drink sufficiently and regularly, especially if the run will last more than an hour. However, beware of hyponatremia (over hydration). Research has shown that most marathon runners are more likely to suffer from hyponatremia than from dehydration! In conclusion, the level of hydration depends on the individual (people who sweat a lot, or who are very thin or very tall, etc. will all hydrate differently), so it’s important to know yourself well before the big event!

Éric Boucher is a physiotherapist and co-owner of the Vaudreuil-Dorion and the Valleyfield Action Sport Physio clinics.

Concussion Prevention in Children

If your child participates in sports, there may be a cause for concern as it pertains to head injuries and concussions. Concussions can happen at any time, especially if your child is involved in a high impact sport like ice hockey. A groundbreaking study on Canadian junior ice hockey published in the November 2010 edition of Neurosurgical Focus uncovers alarming head injury/concussion data and trends that raise many questions about the safety and well-being of teenagers and young adults who participate in this popular sport.

So what is a concussion?

Basically, a concussion occurs when trauma to the head and neck causes a vigorous, unnatural impact to the brain. In most cases, the side-effects of a concussion are short-lived and appear as a headache. However, in some situations, a concussion may result in impaired brain function.

So how do you prevent a concussion?

Besides wearing a helmet, it's crucial for children to learn neck-strengthening exercises. The strength and stability of the muscles of the neck and trunk will help minimize the impact of injuries and the likelihood of concussions in high impact sports like football and hockey.

For children (and young adults) participating in sports, an evaluation from a physiotherapist can help determine potential areas of weakness and instability. Information from the evaluation will help your physiotherapist design a neck-strengthening program that can help avoid serious injury and possible concussions due to weak neck muscles.

Is prevention really possible?

It's almost impossible to prevent concussions, but it is possible to reduce their risk. One of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the risk of a concussion is to wear a protective helmet. Even if a sport does not require the use of a helmet, we strongly suggest that you encourage your child to use one anyway.

The earlier you can instill this habit, the better. Teach them that a helmet is not an option but a necessity. If children begin wearing helmets at an early age, they will be more likely to use them as they grow older instead of thinking that a helmet is not 'cool' enough.

The first rule for your child's safety should be: "If you want to play, you need to wear a helmet."

Physiotherapy for concussions

What is the damage caused by a concussion?

Concussions can be detected years after they occur in MRI scans as "white spots". The meaning of these spots is often debated, along with the long-term impact of a concussion.

Regardless of the severity of concussions, you want to minimize them as much as possible. Concussions have been known to cause temporary visual impairment, speech impairment, balance issues, memory loss and other problems. How long these effects last depends upon the severity of the concussion and the time between when the concussion occurred and when it was treated.

Physiotherapy can help

Your physiotherapist can work closely with other health professionals responsible for your child's safety. The therapist can help your child by creating a structured, personalized neck strengthening and core strengthening program. This will minimize the risk of concussions. If your child works closely with a coach, a trainer and a physiotherapist, he or she will be able to handle the physical stress associated with the sport.

When it comes to the head and neck region, an ounce of prevention is certainly worth (more than) a pound of cure. Give us a call and set up an appointment to discuss how we can help your young athlete be safe and injury free.

Can Physiotherapy Train Your Brain?

We exercise to keep our bodies fit, but did you know that exercise can also train your brain? You have likely heard of the effect of endorphins on your mood, and you probably know that you feel better after exercising. Exercise can improve clarity, increase brain function, and possibly stimulate the formation of new brain pathways by restoring and stimulating nerve cells, called 'neurons'.

Mental exercises can keep you alert, and must be accompanied with physical exercises for best results. Exercise helps improve circulation in your cardiovascular (heart), pulmonary (lungs) and nervous (brain and spinal cord) system.

The Mind-Body Connection

As one grows older, the human brain starts to lose nerve cells and this can result in varying degrees of mental decline. Exercise is one of the most effective ways to challenge your nerves. Your brain function is improved through mental stimulation as well as through physical exercise. The inevitable mental declines often associated with the aging process can be minimized with a well-designed exercise routine.

Exercise triggers communication between (and blood circulation to) brain cells, which interact with other parts of the nervous system. The processing system of the brain is challenged during workouts, as certain chemicals such as adrenaline are triggered. 

Regular exercise can help keep brain cells healthy and functioning properly. An active lifestyle can improve mental focus, accelerate the healing process for patients with brain or nerve injuries and can reduce the risk of dementia as we grow older.

There is a strong correlation between physical exercise and good mental health as people age. Individuals who stimulate their nervous system through exercise tend to function at a higher level physically and mentally.

Physical Activity and Brain Training

Exercise at low to moderate levels is best for training the brain. Very intense workouts can leave you exhausted physically and mentally. Ideally, you need at least half an hour of moderate exercise 3 times a week. Longer sessions may provide added benefit. You can also consider shorter, more frequent exercise during the day.

Moderate activities like brisk walking, hiking, biking, and swimming are beneficial, as are calming activities like yoga and deep breathing exercises. Your physiotherapist will help you determine what's best for you.

If you want to maintain mental acuity well into advanced age, contact your physiotherapist to learn more about how exercise therapy can help train your brain. Physical activity can help ready the brain for new information, leading to increased interest, improved attitude, and better learning outcomes.

How to rake leaves without hurting yourself

Raking and collecting leaves is good physical exercise which helps to reinforce muscles, improve posture and reduce the risks of certain pathologies such as osteoporosis. Although pleasant for some, raking leaves is vigorous activity which causes many injuries treated in our clinic. Raking involves repetitive movements and tireless work combining bending, reaching, twisting and carrying over a long period of time.

To prevent this activity from becoming a burden, injuries and overworking the muscles, here are some tips you should follow.

• Change your heavy old rake for an updated ergonomic version. Look for a light-weight rake with a bent shaft and a padded handle.
• Warm up and stretch out your muscles.
• Keep your back straight, your neck muscles relaxed and keep your elbows slightly bent and close to the side of your body.
• Face the pile and rake the leaves towards your body, in a front-to-back motion.
• Do not rake on wet ground while leaves are heavy and slippery!
• Regularly change the positions of your hands on the shaft of the rake; while simultaneously changing your forwardly positioned leg with the back in order to prevent muscular aches and distribute the work more evenly.
• Take frequently breaks in order to avoid becoming tired, which could cause you over-compensate also causing injuries.
• Do not bend at the waist when you fill the bag instead bend your knees and do not fill it excessively. Also bend your knees when you raise the heavy bags and do not use your back.
• Wear shoes adapted to the work to prevent falls.
• Finally, if you already suffer from back pain, elbow pain, or any other injury, this kind of seasonal work can worsen your situation. Get your kids involved or hire your young neighbour to do the work if necessary. It is a small investment which will prevent injury and several treatments of physiotherapy.

Written by Dominique David