Author: hpc_admin

Feeling stiff? When stretching may not be the right answer…

Have you ever been told that you should stretch your tight hamstring? Wondering why your daily stretching routine hasn’t helped? Discouraged due to recurring injuries despite your effort in a proper warm-up stretching routine? Unfortunately, managing that tight hamstring may not be as simple as stretching alone, and this applies to every muscle in your body.

Stretching is often used as an effective way to help treat a muscle that has undergone physiological change causing it to shorten. A truly shortened muscle is able to fully relax; yet it remains short. This typically affects your flexibility and is most noticeable during specific activities.

When stretching becomes ineffective is when we try to stretch a muscle that feels tight, but has not truly shortened physiologically. A muscle that is tight but not “short” is often a muscle that is unable to fully relax due to some underlying cause. Rather than stretching this muscle, the most appropriate way to treat it is to find the reason why it is unable to relax.

The reason for why a muscle will not relax may vary person to person. It may be due to a previous injury to the muscle or tendon. It may be protecting other areas from further harm. It may be due to weakness within the muscle itself.

If you find yourself frequently stretching with no success, visit us at the Human Performance Centre for a personalized treatment approach to get you back feeling the way you deserve.

Trevor Watson is a physiotherapist at the Human Performance Center. You can contact him at 738-8299

Every year, this time of year, I begin to get anxious and dread the darkness and dreariness of late fall. I love fall and I also love winter but I really struggle with the time in between. The very short daylight hours, the cold wet rains and lack of bright sunshine and time spent outside really impact my mood, my activity level and my productiveness……I really think I was meant to hibernate.

Knowing that I can’t curl up in a ball on the couch and suffer through these next two months has me thinking ahead with a game plan of how to address these hurdles.

1. If there is a glimpse of sunshine I get outside. I try to go for a walk, go for a drive, sit out in a lawn chair or anything else I can think of to get me in the sunshine.

2. I choose to sleep more. I try to go to bed a bit earlier since the evenings are so long and really stay on top of my rest. This helps me feel rested and more motivated to exercise.

3. Exercise…..yes, I purposely plan my exercise routine as I would be very likely to skip it if it is rainy, dark or cold; even if I was planning to exercise inside. This helps to kick start those exercise endorphins and boost mood.

4. I participate in a hobby that requires very good lighting. I enjoy knitting, card making and reading. These all require me to focus for an hour or so with very good lighting tricking me into thinking I’m exposed to more light as well as feeling more productive.

5. Even if the skies are dark but clear and especially if the moon is bright I enjoy stargazing. If it is going to be dark I might as well take in some of the beauty in the night’s sky. I particularly enjoy the full moon over water so I may go to the local beach to take it in.

6. I take comfort in knowing that December 21st is the shortest day of the year and that the bright snow and longer days in January and February signal the turn of the corner.

If the weather this time of year begins to impact your desire to get active, we can offer you a fun, bright, dryplace in our fitness centre. Visit us to see our facility during staffed hours and pick up a free day pass.

Sarah Estabrooks, Kinesiologist

Sarah Estabrooks is a kinesiologist and runs the Fitness Centre at the Human Performance Centre. She can be contacted at 738-3554.

I waxed and waned about whether or not to write about this topic – but after some consideration decided it best to bring out the socially ‘taboo’ topic of constipation, with the purpose of helping women reduce the potential for pelvic problems.

Repeated forceful straining to have a bowel movement, due to constipation, can strain the structures (connective tissue) in the pelvis that hold organs secure in place. During menopause there is a natural decline in a woman’s estrogen levels, which reduces the elasticity and strength of connective tissue. If you are menopausal, forcefully straining, structures that hold the uterus and bladder in the pelvic cavity can falter with an abnormal drop of these organs. As well, it may cause the rectum to drop intothe vagina. This is called pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

Indications that one is constipated are that bowel movements are less than 3X per week. Passing stool is difficult or one has a sensation that their bowels are blocked or not fully emptying. The quality of the stool is also an indicator of constipation. The stool should be long, and shaped like your bowel, and not be small lumps or hard. The Bristol Stool Chart provides images and descriptions about ideal and undesirable stool types.

You can take action to address constipation by reviewing your diet to ensure that you are eating enough fibre. Canada’s Food Guide is a good reference to start with. Strive to drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water daily. Other areas that you can address on your own are to ensure that you are not holding back or delaying a bowel movement; reducing mental stress so the muscles of the bowel function optimally; increasing your exercise. If unable to improve constipation, your physician can help direct you on how to address this.

Historically, Eastern cultures squat over a floor level toilet while using the bathroom. This straightens the angle in the rectum to make the bowel movement easier. To achieve the same change in the rectum, Western toilets can be modified by simply placing a step stool under your feet, while seated on the toilet. This will tilt your pelvis backwards and allow for an easier bowel movement.

Changes in behavior take time to be re-enforced in order for them to become daily habits, so it is best to take small steps when adopting new, healthier behaviours. If you have corrected a problem with constipation but continue to have a problem with pelvic organ prolapse, a pelvic floor physiotherapist can provide an exercise program to help.

Patricia Sennett, PT

Patricia is a physiotherapist at the Human Performance Centre. She has an interest in female pelvic floor problems. You can contact her at 738-8299

I Have a Confession…and HPC helped!

I hate running! Or rather, I hated running.

I grew up an active child; played almost every sport you can imagine. Biked, hiked, camped, and participated in all of the typical activities you would expect. I LOVED every minute of it. Exercise was never a concept; it was a way of life. The things I enjoyed most made me active and kept me moving.

Running was something I did on occasion as I got older and had less time to devote to my activities of choice. I was running in an attempt to be active and healthy but I wasn’t enjoying myself. Most of this lack of enjoyment stemmed from the fact that every time I would run, I would hurt.

I recently returned to running with a fresh outlook. When my son was born, time became an even hotter commodity. I needed some form of exercise that I could perform quickly. For the first time, I approached running as something I had to “build up to.” My belief has always been that I’m fit enough to run 5 km, but I was ignoring the fact that I still needed to approach running gradually and allow my body time to adjust to the different demands of the activity.

I‘m fortunate to work alongside accomplished runners and athletes, so I had plenty of resources to draw from. I started a gradual run/walk program that has allowed me to run without hurting. To be honest, I’m still working towards the 5 km run without walking, but I am okay with that! So, I challenge you – set yourself a goal, give yourself the proper amount of time, and surround yourself with the best resources to reach that goal. Do things properly, without rushing. If you’re struggling with where to begin, or how to proceed, let us help.

Call us at the Human Performance Centre, and any of our therapists would be happy to help!

Trevor Watson, PT

Trevor is a physiotherapist at the Human Performance Centre . You can contact him at 738-8299.

I’ve been a physiotherapist for 28 years now and have been very interested, since high school, in how the body repairs and improves with exercise.

After all these years I still get goose bumps when I see a patient come into our clinic and then successfully complete their journey. They start somewhat broken, undergo an assessment, together with their therapist develop a treatment plan and in the end are successful getting back to the things they love.

There are many cases that stand out because of the amazing capacity that the body has to restore and develop. The back patient with severe leg pain who could only be on their feet for 5 mins at a time who is now training for a triathlon. The newly wed who broke her ankle eight weeks before her wedding, who was able to wear her fancy shoes and walk down the aisle without limping. I could go on and on but I want to finish with a story that 10 years ago I would not have believed possible.

As an endurance athlete myself I see a lot of runners. Over the last few years I’ve treated a few runners who have competed in ultramarathons. An ultramarathon is an event that is longer than the standard marathon of 42KM. It is usually done on trails and often in extreme conditions (lots of mountain climbs, high heat or extreme cold, through the night, etc.) This past weekend I attended the “Conquer the Canuck” in Cambridge ON to watch my son Reid compete in a 12 hour event. The format is basically run as many 8KM loops as you can in 12 hours.

Reid is a very good athlete who has competed at an international elite level and as such has had his share of injuries. His most recent was a knee issue from a fall on an ice trail in the spring. The longest race prior to the weekend was under 2 hours in an Olympic distance triathlon. I am very pleased and amazed to say that he ran for 11 hours and 48 minutes covering 125 KM and won the event!! Amazing capacity of the body to restore and develop.

If you need some help tapping into your body’s amazing capacity to heal give us a call. Between the four of us (Trevor, Geoff, Trish and myself) we have over 65 years experience and we would love to help “achieve your best”!

Earle is a physiotherapist and CEO of the Human Performance Centre. You can contact him at 738-8299.

Do you know what month February was? Heart month!

Do you know what happened in our building twice in two weeks during that month? Two lives were saved!

We had two cardiac related incidents in our building and with the quick actions of bystanders calling 911 and administering the use of our AEDs (Automated External Defibrillator) and CPR, both incidents were successful outcomes.

If there is one message I can hammer home with this article, this is it. If you are in the presence of an emergency situation there are two things to remember:

1. Call 911

2. Look for an AED, turn it on and LISTEN to it

AEDs are designed to be very easy to use. Actually, they were designed with the premise that an 8 year old would be able to turn it on and operate it. You do not need to have any special training to use one and there is no expectation for you to do anything more than applying the AED and follow the instructions. You really can’t do anything wrong if you follow the instructions. The AED will not let you shock someone who does not need to be shocked.

Something else to take great comfort in is having 911 dispatchers telling you exactly what to do. They can walk you through step by step exactly what you need to do to help someone in need.

Many people feel very intimidated when you mention administering CPR. They feel they won’t do it correctly, that they may hurt someone or that they may get sued for not doing something right. If you don’t have formal training in first aid, the most basic thing you can do for someone is called “Hands Only CPR”. This is where you are not expected to breathe for the individual; you simply place your hands on the center of the chest and apply compressions “hard and fast”.

Don’t get me wrong, taking a first aid course and learning good technique is invaluable but know that not doing anything isn’t going to offer a better outcome for someone in distress. Call 911, find an AED, turn it on and LISTEN.

Sarah Estabrooks, Kinesiologist

Sarah Estabrooks is a kinesiologist and runs the Fitness Centre at the Human Performance Centre. She can be contacted at 738-3554.