Physiotherapy Toronto Blog

We are excited to welcome featured therapist Traci Howard.  Traci has currently joined our team at Athlete's Care Oakville.

Athlete's Care Oakville
at One Health Clubs
1011 Upper Middle Road East

tel.  905.479.8667905.479.8667

Traci is a Registered Massage Therapist and a graduate of Sutherland-Chan School and Teaching Clinic. She is an active member of both the Registered Massage Therapists Association of Ontario and the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario.

She uses a variety of Swedish massage techniques along with hydrotherapy and remedial exercise to help you achieve your desired goals. As a competitive soccer player and avid runner for many years, she knows the importance of getting her clients back to their daily activities as quickly as possible.

Traci’s clinical experience includes rehabilitation of sports injuries, relaxation to improve sleep and decrease stress, treatment of scar tissue to improve tissue health and range of motion, as well as many other soft tissue conditions.

Preventing Athletic Injuries, Improving Performance and Improving Recovery with Naturopathic Medicine

Teresa Tsui, MSc, ND individualizes evidence-based treatments to help patients prevent athletic injuries, improve performance, and improve their rate of recovery after exercise. Here are some examples of how naturopathic medicine can help you:

Preventing athletic injuries:

• Taking nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D helps prevent stress fractures in athletes (Tenforde, 2010).

• Athletes who take antioxidant vitamins and enzymes have been found to prevent exercise-induced muscle damage (Dekkers, 1996).

Improving athletic performance:

• Taking proper fluids and hydration are important for improving exercise endurance. Natural electrolytes such as coconut water offer a good rehydration beverage (Kalman, 2012).

• Some herbal medicines either taken orally or topically have been used to improve athletic performance (Chen, 2012 and Meamarbashi 2013).

• Nutritional supplements / natural health products can have beneficial effects on athletic performance (Volek, 2013).

Improving rate of recovery:

• Taking antioxidant nutrients help to reduce the oxidative stress on your body after exercise (McAnulty 2013).

• Acupuncture treatment can enhance your rate of recovery after exercise (Urroz, 2013).

About naturopathic medicine

Naturopathic medicine is a complementary and integrative approach to primary health care aiming to address the cause of disease while supporting your body’s ability to heal itself. Naturopathic medicine is covered by most extended healthcare plans.

Teresa Tsui, MSc, ND practices at Athlete’s Care Empress Walk, improving the quality of life and performance of athletes. Call 416-479-8684416-479-8684 to learn how naturopathic medicine can help you.

References

PM R. 2010 Oct;2(10):945-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.05.006. Evaluating the relationship of calcium and vitamin D in the prevention of stress fracture injuries in the young athlete: a review of the literature.

Tenforde AS, Sayres LC, Sainani KL, Fredericson M.

Sports Med. 1996 Mar;21(3):213-38.The role of antioxidant vitamins and enzymes in the prevention of exercise-induced muscle damage. Dekkers JC, van Doornen LJ, Kemper HC.

J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012 Jan 18;9(1):1. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-9-1. Comparison of coconut water and a carbohydrate-electrolyte sport drink on measures of hydration and physical performance in exercise-trained men. Kalman DS, Feldman S, Krieger DR, Bloomer RJ.

J Physiol Anthropol. 2012 Mar 8;31:4. doi: 10.1186/1880-6805-31-4. Herbs in exercise and sports. Chen CK, Muhamad AS, Ooi FK

J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013 Mar 21;10(1):15. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-10-15.The effects of peppermint on exercise performance. Meamarbashi A, Rajabi A.

J Am Coll Nutr. 2013 Apr;32(2):122-35. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2013.793580. Whey protein supplementation during resistance training augments lean body mass. Volek JS, Volk BM, Gómez AL, Kunces LJ, Kupchak BR, Freidenreich DJ, Aristizabal JC, Saenz C, Dunn-Lewis C, Ballard KD, Quann EE, Kawiecki DL, Flanagan SD, Comstock BA, Fragala MS, Earp JE, Fernandez ML, Bruno RS, Ptolemy AS, Kellogg MD, Maresh CM, Kraemer WJ.

Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2013 Jul;38(7):760-5. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2012-0455. Epub 2013 Mar 8.

Effect of resveratrol and quercetin supplementation on redox status and inflammation after exercise. McAnulty LS, Miller LE, Hosick PA, Utter AC, Quindry JC, McAnulty SR.

J Altern Complement Med. 2013 Jan;19(1):9-16. doi: 10.1089/acm.2011.0727. Epub 2012 Sep 11. Effect of acute acupuncture treatment on exercise performance and postexercise recovery: a systematic review. Urroz P, Colagiuri B, Smith CA, Cheema BS.

We are pleased to feature physiotherapist Uma Welling.  Uma is currently at our Athlete's Care Scarborough Consilium location.

Athlete's Care Scarborough
200 Consilium Place, Suite 104
tel.  416.479.8686416.479.8686

Uma Welling graduated with a Master of Physiotherapy from the University of Western Ontario, and recieved her undergraduate degree from McMaster University in Kinesiology. Uma is a member of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association as well as the Orthopaedic Division. She has completed the maunal therapy Level 1 certification and plans to pursue further certification in this area. She has also completed her certification in acupuncture from the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute(AFCI. Uma continues to pursue post graduate training in the areas of manual therapy, acupuncture, myofascial techniques, and functional sport specific training. Uma's sport interests include swimming, running, and biking.

We are pleased to feature chiropractor Dr. Christopher Klachan.  Dr. Klachan is currently at our Athlete's Care Yorkville location.

Athlete's Care Yorkville
In Hazelton Lanes, 87 Avenue Road
tel.  416.479.8667416.479.8667

Dr. Chris Klachan graduated from University of Waterloo in 2003 with an honours in Kinesiology, specializing in ergonomics. Prior to becoming a chiropractor through Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, he focussed his efforts as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in progressing performance and function through exercise prescription.

As a therapist, Chris administers the Functional Integrated Therapy approach including orthopaedic and biomechanical assessments to better understand his patients needs. Driven by the assessment, a blend of contemporary acupuncture, Active Release Technique, fascial abrasion, kinesiology taping, and joint manipulation is used to treat both athletic and non-athletic injuries. Chris has worked with a spectrum of individuals from a variety of recreational runners and athletes to professionals performing ballet or competing in track and field, baseball, volleyball and hockey.

We are pleased to feature massage therapist Junel Fazilova.  Junel is currently at our Vaughan location.

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

Junel has been aspired to become an RMT through long term work at chiropractic clinic and rehabilitation settings. Having a great interest in alternative therapy, she enrolled in a 2-year intensive Massage Therapy Diploma program at Wellspring College of Massage Therapy in 2010, from which she graduated with honours. She has worked in a variety of clinic settings and spa environments. Some other key areas of her massage therapy experience include deep tissue massage, shiatsu and reflexology techniques, relaxation and pre-natal, acupressure. Her true passion is to encourage and promote the body’s own natural healing abilities through massage.

It’s September already. Before you know it, the days are getting shorter and the kids are off to school. Make sure to take advantage of those last few sun shiny days! Here are some great food tips to keep you healthy and on the go.

1. Keep it clean: it’s important to always wash your hands before preparing food. This is the best way to prevent the spread of bacteria and some infectious diseases. Fruits and vegetables are great on the go snacks and contain water to keep you hydrated. Always wash your produce thoroughly. This will get rid of any possible contamination including unclean water, fecal matter or other raw food items.

2. Prep and Storage: You may be leaning towards cold soups and salads to help combat that hot weather. Any cooked food should not be kept at room temperature for too long. The goal is always to keep food out the danger zone; 4˚C to 60˚C. Keep that chilled food chilled! Leftovers are always great! If you have any extra food, store them in the refrigerator and try to eat it within 3 or 4 days.

3. Keep your eyes peeled when dining out: Who doesn’t love a nice meal on the patio of their favourite restaurant. When eating out this summer, take a quick look around to make sure the tables, tablecloths and utensils are all neat and tidy. If you don’t finish your meal at the restaurant, think twice about whether or not to take home a doggy bag. If the weather is really hot and you know you won’t be reaching home within a couple hours of the food being served, it may be wise to pass on the doggy bad. If you do get one, get your meal in the refrigerator as soon as possible.

It’s too beautiful outside to be under the weather. Follow these tips and have a blast before the summer wraps up!

Article written by Athlete's Care Nutritionist Maxine Silberg.