Physiotherapy Toronto Blog

So many delicious foods are grown in Ontario and you don’t have to head to the market to find them. Many Ontario foods are sold in grocery stores along side imports. Beets grow almost all year in Ontario and we are just starting up the season again. If you have had beets in the past and haven’t had them in a while, I encourage you to head to your local grocery store or farmers market and try Ontario beets. They are sweet and earthy and a great addition to any diet, especially vegetarian as they have a thick, meaty texture. Beets, aka: beetroot, come in a variety of colours from red, orange and striped (known as a candy cane beet). What many people don’t know is that their greens are edible! Beet greens are a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, iron, vitamins A and C, and other minerals.

To cook beets, the simplest method is to trim the root (tail at the bottom) and trim the greens. At this point you can peel them but it will be easier and create less of a mess if you wrap the beet in foil with the skin still on. Once wrapped tightly in foil place in an oven at 400 F and bake for about an hour. The beets are done when you can stick a fork in without any resistance (like a potato). Remove from the oven and let them sit for a minute until they have cooled a bit and can be handled. Take a paper towel and rub off the skin. It will come off much easier when the beet is cooked and still warm. If your fingers are stained from the beet juice, rub them with a little lemon juice to help remove the red.

To cook the beet greens, you can treat them like spinach or any other leafy green. The stalks are edible but should be cooked for a few 3-4 minutes first to soften as they will take longer to cook than the greens. Once the stalks have started to soften add the beet greens. You will want to add a bit of vinegar or lemon juice as beet greens sometimes have a bitter note. You can flavour as desired, but something as simple as olive oil, red pepper flakes and red wine vinegar will go a long way! 

Article written by Athlete's Care Nutritionist Maxine Silberg.

We are pleased to feature physiotherapist Michael D'Aiuto.  Michael is currently at our location in Vaughan.

Athlete's Care Vaughan
2535 Major Mackenzie Dr. West
tel.  905.303.0760

Michael began his studies graduating with a Specialized Honours Degree in Kinesiology & Health Science from York University in Toronto, Canada. He then went on to complete an Education Degree from York University focusing on Health and Sciences. With a strong passion to learn and further his skills, Michael went on to continue his studies in New York, completing a Master’s Degree in Physiotherapy with a clinical emphasis in orthopaedic medicine and manual therapy.

Michael is registered to practice Physiotherapy in both Canada and the United States and has worked with various populations in both countries. Michael continued his Physiotherapy education by completing a post graduate certification in Contemporary Medical Acupuncture from McMaster University. Michael also completed his Level 1 Diploma of Advanced Orthopaedic Manual and Manipulative Physiotherapy through the Orthopaedic Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. Recently, he has completed the Level One course for golf swing analysis through the Titleist Performance Institute. Michael is extremely passionate in his commitment to help individuals of all levels with injury recovery and performance enhancement.

Michael utilizes a functional approach to his assessments and treatments to determine and understand the neuro-anatomical cause of a client’s symptoms/condition. Michael’s treatments include various soft-tissue and joint mobilization techniques, acupuncture, athletic taping, physiotherapy modalities, as well as functional rehabilitative and athlete specific exercises to help alleviate pain, improve quality of movement and optimize performance.

Michael is extremely knowledgeable and experienced with exercise and high performance conditioning from years of participation in various competitive level sports and through his extensive academic training. As an avid sports lover himself, with a strong athletic background, Michael continues to be involved in a wide variety of sports and has special interest in training athletes in injury prevention, strength/conditioning, and performance optimization.

The game is getting bigger, stronger and faster. Even a novice hockey player can tell you what a big part a good training routine plays in the outcome.

But seasoned hockey players like Mike Cammalleri and PK Subban acknowledge 3 other factors that have contributed equally to their success: Preventative Treatment, Continuous Education and a Balanced Lifestyle.

The Chiropractic Team at Athlete’s Care, that treat many pro athletes including Cammallerri and Subban, are guided by these three principles in each of their treatment sessions.

Preventative Treatment:

Mike Cammalleri was asked how treatment by the Chiropractic team at Athlete’s Care has helped his career. He replied, “The significance of treatment has become equal to training. If I have not had a treatment session before a game, I need to warm up. But with treatment, I can go a 100%.”

He also stressed the crucial importance of starting treatment early. “If I had started treatment early in my career, I would have avoided 2-3 years of chronic adaptations that I had to overcome with treatment. By treating early, you can be ahead of the game, “ says Cammalleri.

Areas of the body that are not adapting to the stress we put on it, whether that comes from sitting in a chair to playing specific sports or doing the same movement over and over again can become predisposed to injury.

The Chiropractic Team at Athlete’s Care use a Functional Integrated Treatment (FIT) model unique to them to identify these areas and address them in order to improve soft tissue dysfunction, nervous system function with needling techniques and soft tissue mechanics and joint mechanics with a variety of manual techniques.  By using different tools such as tissue release techniques, fascial abrasion technique, performance taping and acupuncture, the team helps clients experience many benefits such as decreased pain, improvement in function, performance optimization and accelerated recovery, sometimes just in one treatment session.

PK Subban verifies the benefits of the FIT treatment method this way, “This treatment model has helped my muscle tissues develop at a faster rate so I can go out there and do what I do best. “

Continuous Education:

“My body is my investment and learning how to take care of it well gets me the best results, “ says Subban.

The Chiropractic Team at Athlete’s Care makes the education of their clients a top focus. ‘Our body is our number one asset and we help ourselves by understanding how it functions’ is advice they offer in all their treatment sessions.  By teaching clients corrective exercises or stretches, they help them to keep moving optimally and prevent injuries.

Cammalleri agrees wholeheartedly with this approach and expresses the same gratitude as Subban for the guidance he has received, “Education plus Treatment has become equal to Training for me. The ability to understand how my body functions and treating it well allows me to improve training and technique and recover faster.”

One of the team members placed emphasis on education by saying, “When athletes are explained the nature of what is happening with them in a language that they understand, they follow through with treatment, do the prescribed exercises and recover faster.”

Balanced Lifestyle:

At 24 years of age, PK Subban is younger than most players in the NHL. But he is thankful to have realized the importance of living a balanced lifestyle early in his career, an understanding that may take other players years to develop at high costs.

“Learning to maintain a continuous balance of treatment, training and nutrition has helped me not only in hockey but also in regular life, “ says Subban.

We don’t need to be professional athletes to learn from Subban. By practicing the many healthy lifestyle practices of eating balanced meals, proper pre and post workout meals, adequate hydration and hours of sleep we too can learn how to achieve and maintain a healthy life.

Subban went on to add, “You only get what you put in and by avoiding the highs and lows of eating very well but then eating very poorly, I am learning how to maintain consistent good shape on and off the ice.”

It is no secret that following the new fad or trend diet is not only unhealthy but also ineffective. Educating ourselves on healthy nutritional choices and how to make them consistently is a far more sustainable and healthier choice and one that also makes us self-reliant.

Whether you want to maintain longevity in hockey or your daily life or are looking to treat and manage chronic pain issues, applying the three principles of Preventative Treatment, Continuous Education and a Balanced Lifestyle in your own life as well can go a long way in helping you achieve your goals.

Trying to pick a cereal or granola bar can be as confusing deciphering street parking signs. You head to the grocery store aisle with the best intentions, and next thing you look in your cart and you have chocolate covered s’mores bar and lucky charms. Reading nutrition facts tables can be confusing when you don’t know what you are looking for. First, look at is the serving size located right at the top. For granola bars, each bar is (normally) portioned, but for cereals a serving size is often a mere 1/3 – 1/2 cup. This is important as the nutrition facts refer to the serving size, not the whole package. Instinct normally takes our eyes to the calorie count next, but the second point you want to look at is fibre and sugar. Fibre should be 4g or more, and sugar should be 8g or less.  You want high fibre so your food and snacks work for you, not against you! High fibre keeps you feeling full for longer. This will decrease snacking or binge eating later in the day. Higher amounts of sugar can cause your blood sugar to spike and drop leading to increased hunger, and cravings for more sweet foods. Everyone, especially children, should follow this rule. Our taste buds have acquired a taste for sweet foods and cereals, and by introducing kids to healthier foods at an earlier age will get them started on the right track to make better food choices. 

Article written by Athlete's Care nutritionist Maxine Silberg.

This weeks featured therapist is Chiropractor Matthew McGrath.  Dr. McGrath is currently at our Scarborough and Yonge & Sheppard locations as well as our newest location at Downsview Park.

Downsview Park
in the National Squash Academy, 75 Carl Hall Road, Unit 15
tel.  416.479.8687

Scarborough @ Consilium
200 Consilium Place, Suite 104T.  416479.8686

Yonge & Sheppard
Empress Walk, 5095 Yonge StreetT.  416.479.8685

Dr. McGrath graduated with Clinic Honours from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 2009. Prior to attending CMCC, he completed an Honours Degree in Kinesiology at Brock University. Dr. McGrath has his certification in Contemporary Medical Acupuncture through McMaster University and is an Active Release Techniques® provider.

 Dr. McGrath applies the Functional Integrated Therapy (F.I.T.) approach to patient assessment and treatment. He utilizes and combines various techniques including Contemporary Medical Acupuncture, Active Release Techniques®, Fascial Abrasion, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization, joint manipulation/mobilization and functional rehabilitation to treat sports and everyday wear-and-tear injuries. He has worked with a wide variety of individuals from professional athletes to weekend warriors.

We are excited to welcome Registered Massage Therapist, Krista Ward, to the team of practitioners at Athlete's Care Adelaide & York.

Our newest downtown Toronto clinic is located at 130 Adelaide St. West.  Please call 416.479.8554, to find out more about our services, location and therapists.

This weeks featured physiotherapist is Justin Vanderleest.  Justin is currently at our newest Athlete's Care location at Downsview Park and also at our Mississauga location at One Health Clubs.

Athlete's Care Downsview Park
75 Carl Hall Road, Unit 15
tel.  416.479.7348

Athlete's Care Mississauga
in One Health Clubs
2021 Cliff Road
tel.  905.275.0182

“Athletes know their bodies and the challenges of their sports best. Individualized treatment planning requires a therapist who listens and a mutual sharing of information in decision-making.”

Justin graduated with distinction from the school of physical therapy at the University of Saskatchewan in 2005. Since then, he has practiced orthopaedic and sports rehabilitation, developing special interests in elite training programs, racquet sports athletes, and injury prevention. Until 2011, Justin was a physiotherapist for the University of Regina, servicing their varsity sports teams.

Justin is no stranger to competitive sports himself. In 2006, he won a sprint canoe national championship with the Wascana Racing Canoe Club. And, prior to moving to Ontario, Justin was the top squash player in Saskatchewan and captain of their provincial team for several years. He participates in many other sports recreationally for fun.

 In 2011, Justin took a break from his Regina practice to organize a rehabilitation aide training and employment program to assist overburdened hospital staff in rural Zimbabwe. Upon completion of the program in Zimbabwe, Justin returned to Canada to do his Master’s degree in advanced orthopaedics and manipulation at Western University. At Western, Justin played varsity squash winning an OUA team championship and receiving the personal honours of All-star and OUA Rookie of the Year. Justin continues to train squash with the Canadian national squad in Toronto, competing nationally and internationally at the open level.

 Justin completed his Master’s degree in 2012 and is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Physical Therapists (FCAMPT). He believes in using manual therapy to correct biomechanical faults, facilitating healing by correcting the underlying cause of the problem. Analysis of precipitating factors, and patient-specific corrective exercise are hallmarks of his approach, using stretching, strengthening, and neurological retraining to rehabilitate injuries long-term and prevent re-injury.

“After the assessment and throughout treatment, the client should understand the problem well and the treatments should make sense to them.”