Physiotherapy Toronto Blog

Featured Chiropractor: James Ho

By ADMIN on July 30, 2013

This weeks featured therapist is Chiropractor James Ho.  Dr. Ho is currently at our newest downtown Toronto location at Adelaide & York as well as our Athlete's Care Keele & Steeles and DVP & 401 locations.

Athlete'Toronto Chiropractors Care Adelaide & York
130 Adelaide St. West, Grd Floor
tel.  416.479.8554

Athlete's Care Keele & Steeles
4700 Keele St. - Toronto Track & Field Centre
tel.  416.479.8799

Athlete's Care DVP & 401
                               2225 Sheppard Ave East - Fitness Institute
                               tel.  416.492.7611

Dr. James Ho is a chiropractor and ART® Provider. A graduate from the University of Western Ontario and Palmer College of Chiropractic in 2005, James has actively pursued and continues to learn and integrate effective therapies and techniques following the Functional Integrated Therapy (FIT™) method including: Cotemporary Medical Acupuncture, Active Release Techniques®, chiropractic joint manipulation, and custom orthotic casting. In practice, James has consulted athletes ranging from the recreational level, to professional athletes from the NHL, MLB, CFL, UFC, TKO, Affliction MMA, as well as members of the Canadian National Bobsled team, and Baseball Canada's Senior National and Olympic teams. Currently, he is privileged to serve on staff at the University of Western Ontario Mustang's Track & Field team as team chiropractor.

 

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Flavoured Tea

By ADMIN on July 23, 2013

 

Think flavoured teas are only for cold nights and cuddling up with a good book? Think again! Stay hydrated this summer with cold brewed flavoured teas. To make a pitcher for your next party chose your favourite flavoured tea, add 3-4 tea bags (or to taste) to a pitcher of cold water, leave the tea bags in the pitcher overnight.  In the morning your iced tea will be ready to go. Add ice cubes and/or frozen fruit. Once you serve this to your guests, they may never leave!

Not sure what teas to use? Try orange, lemon, ginger, pomegranate,  raspberry or even chai.  Why not mix flavours to make a new favourite?

Forgot to make it the night before? Not to worry. Fill the pitcher with half hot water (make sure it can handle hot water). Let it cool and add ice cubes to fill the pitcher. 

Article written by Athlete's Care Nutritionist Maxine Silberg.

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Featured Massage Therapist: Krista Ward

By ADMIN on July 18, 2013

This weeks featured therapist is Massage Therapist Krista Ward.  Krista is currently at our Athlete's Care Mississauga and Yonge & Eglinton locations.

Mississauga Toronto Massage TherapistAthlete's Care Mississauga
at One Health Clubs, 2021 Cliff Road
Tel.  905.275.0182

Athlete's Care Yonge & Eglinton
2401 Yonge Street, Suite LL01
Tel.  416.544.9065


Krista Ward graduated from Georgian College in 2009 with honours, and has since worked in a variety of clinical and spa settings.  She is currently registered with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) and the Ontario Massage Therapy Association (OMTA). Krista has continued her education with courses in reflexology, LPG by Endermologie, pre-natal/ infant massage and hot stone therapy.

A passionate and driven competitor herself, Krista has an affixed understanding of the importance of massage therapy in regards to athletic performance. She is primarily focused on improving the performance of young active clients and prolonging the performance of mature clients, helping them enjoy their sport for years to come.  Krista enjoys participating in yoga, dance, soccer and travelling.

 

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Lessons to be learned from the flood

By ADMIN on July 16, 2013

After last weeks flooding, many people learned they should not drive into a flooding underpass, or that their basement walls may not be as sturdy as they thought or that neighbours come through in times of need. For those that were stranded in their cars, they learned a different lesson. Hunger.

 I always encourage my patients to carry around snacks – in their purse, backpack, car, or desk drawers. What does this have to do with the flood you may be wondering? Drivers were trapped in their car along the DVP for over 2 hours; 1400 passengers were on the Go Train waiting to be rescued by boat for up to 7 hours! You need to eat at least every 3-4 hours.  At that point, your blood sugar levels start to drop and you may notice symptoms including difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headache, dizziness, irritability and poor behaviour. Poor behaviour and anger combined with hunger is also known as “Hangry” (hunger + Angry).

No one wants to be around someone who is ‘hangry.’

Ways to prevent ‘hanger’ is to always keep high protein, high fibre snacks on/near you. Here are some ideas to keep in your purse, your car or at work:

Bag of trail mix (mixed nuts, dried fruit, seeds), granola bars with at least 4g of fibre (like Kashi, Nature Valley, Kellog’s Or Fibre 1), energy bars ( Lara Bars, Cliff Bars), can of tuna with crackers, travel size peanut butter.

If you have a fridge at the office try these options:

Baby carrots and hummus, Yogurt and granola or berries, Melba toast and cheese slices, banana and chocolate milk.

Keeping high protein and fibre snacks on you or at the office, will help to satiate you towards the end of the day. In turn, you will be less hungry when you walk in the door, consequently less likely to grab anything and everything in site; followed by a full dinner.

If you find a midday snack isn’t enough to tide you over until dinner, try to think of your afternoon snack as a meal. Changing your thinking from a snack to a meal will help you make smart and healthier choices. Snack implies chips, birthday cake or a muffin; meal implies salads, chicken and fruit. Having a good midday snack will help ward off ‘hangry’ sensations, making you more pleasant to be around and help satiate your hunger levels before dinner. Plan ahead, and keep snacks close by so you can avoid the dreaded ‘hangry’ sensations, making yourself and everyone around you happier!

 Article written by Athlete's Care nutritionist Maxine Silberg.

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Featured Physiotherapist: Emma Madigan

By ADMIN on July 15, 2013

This week's featured therapist is Physiotherapist Emma Madigan.  Emma is currently at our Athlete's Care Oakville location.

Oakville PhysiotherapistAthlete's Care Oakville
In One Health Clubs
1011 Upper Middle Road East
Oakville, ON

Tel.  905.847.4007

 

 

Emma graduated with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut in 2010. Prior to that she completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. She completed her National Sports and Conditioning Association Certified Sports and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam in 2011. Emma is also a member of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. She has an interest in working in orthopaedics and sports physiotherapy.

Emma's interest and passion for physiotherapy treatment and the importance of injury prevention was influenced by her strong athletic background, including competing in NCAA Division I women's hockey at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. Emma continues to stay active by playing ice hockey, ball hockey, and flag football.

 

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Rehab Exercises You Can Do At The Office

By ADMIN on July 05, 2013

Our world has become increasingly busy, and also more sedentary. So much of the day is spent either commuting or in the office, and free time at home becomes rare and valuable. 

Often, one of the hardest things about undergoing a therapy and rehabilitation program for an injury is finding time to do the corrective exercises. There is no perfect substitute for an individualized exercise program from a therapist who knows your case, but there are some exercises and modifications that can be done while in a work environment. 

First off, an ergonomic assessment of the workstation is important. In many cases, modifying the work environment will put your body in a more natural posture and reduce strain on the neck, shoulders and back. 

Many times, typing on computers and using the phone handset adds to upper back, neck and shoulder tension. The shoulders round forward and the neck and chin jut out as we concentrate on the screen. Large movements are minimized as faxes and emails come directly to the desktop and walking is reduced. Setting a timer to remind us to move is one easy start, but also making sure that there is always a large glass of water on the desk ensures that movement will happen! To help bring the shoulders back and activate the stabilizers, drop arms to the sides of the chair and turn palms forward, ideally while doing a chin tuck at the same time.

For the low back, core strength is key. Core exercises can be done while seated with the addition of a SitDisc or small pillow. This mimics a stability ball but is easily transported and can be used on a normal chair. With an unstable surface the core is used in order to keep the body upright and still, adding a small challenge to desk work. A more challenging variation is seated leg lifts (while seated, lift knees as though marching) while maintaining upper body stability. 

With these as well as many other exercises that are used to retrain muscle patterning, it's not necessarily about how many reps can be done, but rather the quality. In other words, it's not practice that makes perfect, it's perfect practice that makes perfect.

 

Article by Dr. Christina Voldner, Chiropractor at Athlete’s Care in the Beach

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Strawberry Season

By ADMIN on July 05, 2013

If you have been to any market in the last two weeks you have seen the abundance of fresh local strawberries! It’s easy to get excited about all those juicy red berries, especially if you have found your way to a pick-your-own strawberry patch and buy too many. If you are now faced with too may strawberries to eat before they go bad here are two ideas to help you out.

 

1)   Freeze Strawberries. Layer them at peak ripeness on a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen transfer to a zip lock bag or storage container and try to remove as much air as possible. Strawberries can be stored for 8-12 months and will be great for use in smoothies, baked goods, topping yogurt or oatmeal.

 

2)   Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. This quintessential dessert is the essence of the beginning of summer. Ontario has amazing strawberry and rhubarb and both can be found in abundance this time of year.  I recently made one from http://cookieandkate.com/2013/strawberry-rhubarb-crisp/ which was delicious!

 

So go ahead and buy too many strawberries this season. Your taste buds will thank you!

Article written by Athlete's Care nutritionist Maxine Silberg.

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Featured Therapist: Michelle Verrilli

By ADMIN on July 04, 2013

This weeks featured therapist is Chiropractor Michelle Verrilli.  Dr. Verrilli is currently at our Athlete's Care - Keele & Steeles (Accolade East) and Yonge & Sheppard locations.

Athlete's Care Keele & Steeles
York University, Accolade East Bldg Rm 145
Tel.  416.479.8799     Fax.  416.736.5997

Athlete's Care Yonge & Sheppard
5095 Yonge Street - Grd Flr
Tel.  416.479.8685     Fax.  416.250.7730

 

Dr. Michelle Verrilli holds a Specialized Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from York University. Following completion of her undergraduate degree, she received a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto. She was the recipient of the Mark A. King Memorial Award in 2010 for outstanding proficiency in the field of radiology. Dr. Verrilli has completed the Contemporary Medical Acupuncture course at McMaster University and is an Active Release Techniques® provider.

Using the Functional Integrated Therapy (F.I.T) approach, Dr. Verrilli utilizes a combination of joint manipulation; fascial abrasion; Active Release Techniques and Contemporary Medical Acupuncture to help patients recover from injury and reach their optimal level of function. In addition to working with various patient populations, Dr. Verrilli has a keen interest in working with individuals involved in the performing arts.

 

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