Physiotherapy Toronto Blog 

• Pack and bring your food! Make sure you plan ahead before your go grocery shopping so that you’ll be able to choose healthy products. Make your meals ahead of time and pack them in containers so you don’t have to rush to make it before you leave for work.

• Share your healthy meals with your coworkers to encourage healthy eating in the environment.

• Research nearby food places that sell healthy meals when you feel like buying food for your lunch break. This can give you the opportunity to walk around and move more if you’re mostly sitting at your work.

• Drink plenty of water. Bring a portable water bottle to work so you can refill it throughout the day.

• Be mindful of your caffeine intake.  If you need energy, try consuming healthy snacks like fruits, vegetables, or nuts as alternatives to more cups of caffeinated beverages.

• Have a light lunch (for example: salad with a side of protein) and snack throughout the day.

• Get up and move during your lunch break to catch some sun and take a stroll outside.

• Take breaks when needed. Stretch, move your body, and refresh yourself in order to take the strain away from your lower back, neck, and eyes due to long periods of sitting and staring at the computer screen.

• Try to reduce the consumption of sugary snacks and drinks at work. Eating them will not keep you alert throughout the day. Consume complex carbohydrates instead.

Nutrition tip provided by Registered Dietitian and Sports Dietitian, Ben Sit.   Contact Athlete's Care at Yonge & Sheppard to book an appointment with Ben or click the here to find a Registered Dietitian near you!

Here is a list of 10 simple things you can do to improve your nutrition today!

• Drink water as soon as you wake up. It’s a great way to add more water in your body.

• Take things to go. Restaurant portions are massive and can contain up to 3 servings. Do not be ashamed to take things to go.

• Cook with spices.

• Try eating without electronics.

• Add green leafy vegetables to your diet.

• Do not to skip meals.

• Cook in batches to prepare for those busy days when you won’t have time to cook

• Take time to chew your food and try not to eat in a hurry.

• Make a list before you go grocery shopping.

• Log your food on an app or a food journal.

Frozen shoulder is one of the many conditions that our clients bring to our Toronto physiotherapists, chiropractors, and other sports medicine specialists.

Frozen shoulder is a condition that can be puzzling in how it seems to develop. You may not notice anything in particular that leads up to it. One day, you may just wake up and find your shoulder is sore, and when you try to move, it’s stiff, and doesn’t seem to want to move in a full range of motion. That’s frozen shoulder.

A typical case of frozen shoulder gets worse over a period of time. It can take from six months to up to three years to fully heal. 

Frozen Shoulder – the basics

The condition is also called adhesive capsulitis. The term refers to the capsule of connective tissue that surrounds your joints. When you have frozen shoulder, the capsule has swollen or thickened, and as it tighten around the bones, ligaments, and tendons, movement becomes more and more restricted.

While the exact cause may not yet be understood, there are several risk factors associated with frozen shoulder.

• Your risk goes up if you have recently had surgery or a condition where you are unable to move your arm for a period of time, such as recovering from mastectomy surgery or a stroke.
• Other conditions that seem to carry an increased risk of developing frozen shoulder include diabetes and other systemic diseases like  as thyroid disease, TB, cardiovascular disease, and Parkinson’s disease
• If you are age 40 and older, especially if you are a woman.

Whatever its underlying cause, it’s thickening and tightening of the capsule tissue that causes pain and restricts movement.

• Scar tissue forms in bands that stiffen and tighten around the joint capsule.
• Levels of the joint lubricating liquid, called synovial fluid, is reduced, leading to friction, which also works to limit range of motion.

Symptoms

Symptoms typically begin with a dull ache in one shoulder. The pain may extend to the upper shoulder muscles and the upper arm, and it may get worse at night.

Frozen shoulder generally develops over three stages. They may last one or more months each, and they may not necessarily last an equal amount of time. The stages can be characterized by what you’ll notice the most.

1. Pain. Any movement of the shoulder causes significant pain that worsens over time. Range of motion is also becoming more difficult.

2. Stiffness. The pain typically lessens after the first stage, even as stiffness increases, and range of motion decreases more and more.

3. Recovery. Over time, range of motion will improve again, and any leftover pain should go away too.

Options

Treatment can involve several options, depending on how serious your case is.

• Exercise – exercises that involve range of motion can be effective.
• Pain management options include ibuprofen or aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that can provide relief. If they don’t work, prescription medications are available to help.
• Corticosteroid injections into the joint capsule can alleviate the pain.
• In serious cases, arthroscopic surgery may be advised in order to loosen up the joint capsule.

Once you’ve had frozen shoulder once, the good news is that it isn’t likely to come back...in the same shoulder. It’s not unheard of to experience it in the opposite shoulder as well.

Prevention may be possible. If you are immobile for a period of time, or you live with any of the following conditions, then you can ask your Toronto physiotherapist or chiropractor what kind of exercises you can do during your convalescence to help maintain range of motion.

Let our Toronto physiotherapists, chiropractors, or other sports medicine specialists help you with frozen shoulder, shoulder pain, or any other musculoskeletal issue or condition. Call one of our Toronto clinics, or drop by today to make an appointment.

Many of our clients come to our Toronto physiotherapists and chiropractors looking for advice on measures they can take to improve their athletic performance. If you watched the last Summer Olympic Games, you’ll have noticed many athletes sporting colourful K-Tape or Kinesio Tape on their shoulders, legs, and elsewhere. The Japanese Olympic volleyball team pioneered the practice which has now spread to many sports and disciplines.

What is K-Tape?

It’s also known more simply as elastic therapeutic tape, and that pretty much describes its essential characteristics. It is elastic cotton tape with an acrylic adhesive on one side. Physical therapists and Chiropractors at our Toronto sports medicine clinics sometimes use it for their clients. It has a range of uses.

The key difference between K-Tape and the usual athletic tape that is used to immobilize an area after injury is that the K-Tape is flexible. Its elastic quality works to support muscles and tendons and take some of the stress off pressure points like joint areas. That’s the key to its potential athletic benefits.

When it’s used for therapy, it is typically wrapped around an area. When it’s being used for athletic performance, however, it’s placed on the skin on top of muscles. It often looks like long strips.

The Benefits

It’s extremely important to only use K-Tape with some guidance, which our Toronto physiotherapy and chiropractic specialists are always happy to provide. You may actually worsen an injury by using it incorrectly, so the proper instruction on its use is crucial.

In the absence of large controlled studies, the anecdotal evidence does seem to suggest that it provides some short term benefits – even if they may be psychological to a certain degree. The K-Tape seems to make athletes feel more stable, and that may be a crucial point.

• Applied properly, it essentially lifts up the upper skin layers, and provides a little more space between the various layers of soft tissue. That’s where pain control is thought to come into play.
• K-Tape is thought to increase circulation in the area where it is applied due to the separating effect.
• It can help to alleviate chronic musculoskeletal pain, which can also help improve performance where that is an issue.
• Another advantage many sports experts note is that the tape encourages proper form by helping athletes remain more mindful of those areas and specific muscles.
• K-Tape doesn’t react to chlorine, making it a good choice for swimmers, who are one of the disciplines that have seen benefits with its use.

Note that the possible disadvantage may be feeling a little too over confident in its effects and taking risks that you shouldn’t take. The general guideline is to use the tape for bouts of only two to four days at a time.

K-Tape may give you an advantage and help boost your athletic performance. It will depend on your sport, your current condition, and a number of other factors. Let our Toronto physiotherapists and sports medicine specialists advise you on K-Tape and any other issues that affect your athletic goals. Drop by one of our Toronto clinics or call us for an appointment today.