by Adam Brown  BScPT, MClScPT updated Feb 26, 2024 The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is an often overlooked, but crucially important system when considering how to promote recovery from injury or disease. In a healthy individual with a balanced ANS the system simply runs in the background maintaining homeostasis in all of our bodies systems. The ANS has direct control over heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, thermoregulation, inflammatory pathways, hormonal balance and metabolic control. It is responsible for every system in the body that we do not consciously manage. It goes without ..read more

Melissa Seifried   MScPT Registered Physiotherapist Director of Long COVID Rehabilitation updated Apr 3, 2024 You may be wondering why your Physiotherapist has recommended you “train” your Heart Rate Variability. Perhaps you’ve been told yours is low and that it correlates with the symptoms you are experiencing in Long COVID. What does this mean exactly? And what can we do about it? Read on to learn more!   What is Heart Rate Variability? Contrary to the once-held belief that the heart beats steadily like a metronome, we now know that a heart’s rhythm is surprisingly nonuniform ..read more

by Joon Nah   BScPT Registered Physiotherapist updated Mar 14, 2024 What is Prehabilitation? Prehabilitation is the proactive approach to a patient’s physical and psychological well-being that occurs before surgery or other major medical procedure. It is often shortened to “prehab” and in some ways is seen as the opposite to rehabilitation. Where rehab usually centres on reducing the negative effects of the trauma of surgery, prehab has a positive focus, helping patients optimize their current condition to help ensure the best possible outcomes following their procedure. Simply put ..read more

Aparnaa Nandakumar  MScPT Pelvic Physiotherapist updated Mar 7, 2024 Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and for many, a prostatectomy is the chosen path to recovery. This surgery involves removing the prostate gland and surrounding tissues, which can lead to various side effects. Now, here’s something surprising: did you know men can also benefit from seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist? That’s right, men have a pelvic floor too! This blog post explores the importance of pelvic floor physiotherapy in managing challenges following prostate surgery and enhancing overall wel ..read more

Melissa Seifried   MScPT Registered Physiotherapist Director of Long COVID Rehabilitation updated Mar 6, 2024 Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a condition that can affect both children and adults, forming part of a spectrum of mast cell disorders. In 2021, an observational study concluded that mast cell activation symptoms were increased in individuals suffering from Long COVID and mimicked the symptoms and severity reported by patients who have MCAS.1 By early 2023, follow up studies agreed with these observations.2,3 In MCAS, the body releases mast cell mediators excessively ..read more

Melissa Seifried   MScPT Registered Physiotherapist Director of Long COVID Rehabilitation updated Mar 1, 2024 In our Long COVID Rehabilitation program, the patients we work with may have only been infected with the SARS-COV-2 virus once. Some are perhaps infected twice or more. A small group of patients have developed Long COVID symptoms after vaccination without confirmed SARS-COV-2 infection. As the world tries to move on from this pandemic, this much is abundantly clear: it is not over for many people still living with persistent symptoms. We now know that the risk of developing L ..read more

by Adam Brown  BScPT, MClScPT updated Feb 26, 2024 Whether a serious athlete or a weekend warrior, eventually we all experience some pain from participating in sport. Sometimes this pain is a clue that you need to take a step back and go into ‘recovery mode’, and at other times you may be able to play on without risk of further injury. Making this decision can be confusing and difficult. Wherever possible consult with your physiotherapist and physician if you have concerns. Here are some things to consider when deciding if you can stay in the game.   1) Does the pain stop when you do ..read more

by Lauren Philippi   MScPT Registered Physiotherapist updated Jan 22, 2024 Winter is finally here! Skiing is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and get some good exercise throughout the cold season. This is an exciting time for winter enthusiasts however, whether you are a pro skier or new to the sport, it is normal to be concerned about the risk of injury when going fast down an icy slope. An understanding of typical injuries in skiing and what you can do to be as safe as possible can help to mitigate the risks.   The highest percentage of injuries in skiing, ranging from 4 ..read more

by Joon Nah   BScPT Certified Vestibular Physiotherapist updated Jan 19, 2024 As a physiotherapist, I encourage my patients to walk as frequently as they can, throughout the year. However, getting out and about in the winter can come with a few hazards. In fact, the National Safety Council highlights slips and falls as one of the leading causes of injury during the colder months of the year. Here is an essential guide and some practical tips for safe winter walking. Some of these are obvious, so I’ve highlighted tips that are useful but you may not have considered.   Use proper ..read more

by Adam Brown   BScPT, MClScPT Advanced Practice Physiotherapist updated Nov 20, 2023 One of the questions we consistently get from patients who are at the beginning of their physiotherapy recovery is about supplementation. It is natural to want to do everything you can to promote healing and recover as efficiently as possible. Whether or not supplements will be beneficial to you depends upon a few factors including the quality and variety of whole foods in your usual diet, other medical comorbidities and what type of injury you are recovering from. Several supplements have been stud ..read more