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May is Physiotheraphy Month!
May 7, 2012 | 
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May is National Physiotherapy month in Canada so this is a perfect time to let everyone know about who we are and what we do.
To practice physiotherapy in Nova Scotia the therapist must have a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy and be a member in good standing with the Nova Scotia College of Physiotherapists.
Physiotherapists treat people of all ages and all fitness levels. They are trained to assess musculoskeletal, neurological and cardiopulmonary conditions and together with the patient, develop a treatment plan that meets the specific needs and goals of the patient. The aim of treatment may be as simplistic as to eliminate pain, reduce swelling or restore mobility. In contrast it may be more functional such as a return to a specific sport within a month, climb stairs to a bedroom within 2 weeks or return to work in 3 months.
The assessment is done through thorough history taking and physical evaluation. Examples of treatment include modalities like ultrasound, inferential and moist heat or exercise prescription, manual soft tissue releases, joint mobilization, balance re-education and patient education.
A typical first visit is approximately an hour long. This often, but not always, includes some treatment. The therapist will explain their findings and discuss their recommendations during this first visit. You can expect to attend treatments anywhere from three times per week to once every two weeks. Occasionally the time between visits can be even longer as it is very patient specific. Don’t hesitate to ask questions during this initial visit as the therapist can not possibly anticipate every potential query.
You will find that physiotherapists do not advertise many, if any specialties, but if you call their office and ask, you may find certain therapist have an “interest” in certain conditions. Generally you can assume that their interest is something they feel confident in treating and have had success with in the past. If you find a therapist you like and who was successful in assisting you in your recovery, please tell your friends. Many of us prefer to build our clientèle through “word of mouth” and appreciate the referrals.
Happy National Physiotherapy Month.
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Straighten Up and Weight Bear Right
Bone resembles a honeycomb in its internal structure, and it’s this honeycomb design that gives bone it’s strength. In somebody with Osteoporosis the holes in the comb become larger and the bone forming the comb pattern becomes thinner.
As many are aware, putting weight through your bones makes them stronger; hence weight bearing exercises have become the gold standard in osteoporosis prevention and maintenance. However, due to poor posture many people actually put less weight through their bones than they should and more through their soft tissues. This poor posture tends to worsen as osteoporosis progresses unless a conscious effort is made to counteract it. At the very least if you are going to do weight bearing exercises doesn’t it make sense that you actually load the bones and not the soft tissues? It makes even more sense that if you spend most of your day sitting, standing and walking that you should maximize the weight you put through your bones during these activities as well.
You might think that correcting your posture is as easy as standing in front of a mirror and simply re-positioning everything until it looks “right”…..practice makes perfect doesn’t it? Not always. Due to things like scar tissue, joint stiffness, cranial restrictions and dysfunction of internal organs it may be impossible to maintain your new position for very long….if at all. Sometimes you need some help relieving tension in your tissues. Once the restrictions to good posture have been relieved you will be surprised at how much easier it is to stand tall and aligned. Happy weight bearing!
One final note…..don’t forget to eat your prunes! A new study just published in September of this year confirmed that eating 100g of prunes per day, in combination with your prescribed Calcium and Vitamin D, can actually IMPROVE bone mineral density!
(Shirin Hooshmand, Sheau C. Chai, Raz L. Saadat, Mark E. Payton, Kenneth Brummel-Smith and Bahram H. Arjmandi (2011). Comparative effects of dried plum and dried apple on bone in postmenopausal women. British Journal of Nutrition, 106 , pp 923-930 doi:10.1017/S000711451100119X)
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