Spring Sports Injury Series: Common Baseball Injuries

The 2015 baseball season is up and running, and that means that pros and amateurs alike are out there on a regular basis running the bases and hitting home runs (we hope)! In the midst of all of this excitement however, sometimes we lose sight of the fact that baseball can be a source of major strain on the body, and for regular players, baseball injuries can be quite common. What kind of injuries are we talking about? The most common occur as a result of contact (odd in a non-contact sport, we know), and as a result of repetition. These often include muscle strains and ligament sprains. We’ve compiled a short list of some of the most common, what their symptoms are, and some of the most popular treatment options. The repetitive yet abrupt motions unavoidable in baseball often lead to shoulder injuries, including a torn rotator cuff, rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder tendonitis or shoulder instability. Symptoms of these types of injuries may include decreased range of motion, pain, and weakness in the shoulder. Treatment varies, and depends on the severity of the injury - but ignoring the pain in the hopes that it will go away will likely...

MLB Season Open: Players Start with a Physiotherapy Assessment

Baseball fans get your gear ready; Major League Baseball is up and running next week and that means fans and players alike with be suiting up and heading out on the field to get back in the game. Professional players have been gearing up for weeks now during spring training and are ready to give each game their all. Part of spring training for all players includes a pre-training assessment - and before players even think about lacing up those cleats they head in for a physiotherapy assessment. But just because you may not play at the same level as the pros, doesn’t mean that those guys are the only ones who should be taking advantage of this! If you are prepped and ready, you want to make sure your body is too. Check out this great video from Health Choices First. In it, Physiotherapist Behnad Honarbakhsh talks about the importance of a pre-training physiotherapy assessment. According to Mr. Honarbakhsh, “People can end up with chronic repetitive injuries that they didn't have before they started, and all it took was a predisposing factor to be pushed a little bit further and bring up these issues. They can do a fitness...

Resolution Re-Vamp: Nutrition Counselling for Eating Well at Work

It is the middle of March now - have you managed to stick to your New Year’s resolution to get in shape? If not, don’t fret; the Dieticians of Canada have made March Nutrition Month, and this year’s theme is eating well at work. We’ve got some nutrition counselling tips to help you re-vamp that resolution starting with your at work eating habits! March nutrition counselling - tips for eating well from 9-5: Breakfast: According to the Dieticians of Canada, almost 40% of Canadians skip breakfast, and often this has to do with not being able to fit it into the morning rush. However, this skimping means you are losing out - breakfast not only helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight over time, it helps with appetite control and allows you to better take in those key vitamins throughout the day. Tip #1 - Prep breakfast ahead of time so it is easy to grab on-the-go. For example, make quinoa or oat porridge and reheat in the morning. Add fruit or nuts for extra sweetness and fibre. Tip #2 - Stock up on ready-to-eat items, such as yogurt or individual portions of healthy trail mix - these will...

March Break Madness – Sporting Events in Toronto

Happy March everyone. It is that time of year again - spring is just around the corner and it is time to take a break from the routine - well, that is if you have kids off on March Break and are lucky enough to have some time off with them. That being said, it can sometimes be tough to think of things to keep the kids occupied over the course of the week, so we’ve compiled a list of sporting events in Toronto to help you stave off the boredom! March Break Sporting Events in Toronto: Into Lacrosse? Check out the Toronto Rock as they take on the Buffalo Bandits on Saturday, March 14th at 7pm. Where? Air Canada Centre. They come at it again on Saturday, March 21st against the Edmonton Rush! If basketball is your game, Monday, March 16th the Toronto Raptors host the Indiana Pacers, starting at 7pm at the Air Canada Centre. They will follow up this game with another one at home on Friday, March 20th against the Chicago Bulls. If hockey is your thing, Thursday, March 19th the Toronto Maple Leafs gear up to challenge the San Jose Sharks at the Air Canada...

Treating Chronic Pain with Chiropractic Treatment

Whatever the cause, thousands of Canadians suffer through chronic pain on a regular basis. Whether as a result of an injury (a car accident or sports-related injury) or an unrelated condition (sciatica), chronic pain can be debilitating and make even the simplest daily tasks harder. What exactly is chronic pain? Chronic pain is just that, pain that continues to persist after the expected time frame, and often doesn’t respond well to typical treatment or pain management techniques. It can affect various parts of the body, and can be intermittent (coming on at different points during the day) or present all the time. This is where chiropractic treatment comes in. A registered chiropractor, one trained to assess chronic pain and administer treatment can bring significant relief. Prior to any form of treatment, your registered chiropractor will assess your pain, learning how and why this pain is present – it is essential to know what is causing the pain before attempting to treat it. Following this assessment and diagnosis, your chiropractor will develop an individualized plan to address the issue. A one size fits all approach to treating chronic pain will not work for most, and so a unique plan of attack...

Beat the Food Blues at Winterlicious with Tips from a Registered Dietitian

This is the final week to taste test at Winterlicious Toronto 2015; this fun annual event is an exciting culinary experience that gives you a chance to indulge, tasting cuisine from around the world at a price point that won’t leave you feeling overdone. For all of you foodies out there, this is a great opportunity to get out there and try something new, exotic, or even traditional – and you’ve got 200 of Toronto’s top restaurants to choose from! Wait – what if you’re trying to watch that figure? Does Winterlicious sound like just the type of temptation to make you fall off the wagon? Besides the usual ‘make reservations in advance’ type of tip, here are some others from a registered dietitian that will help you stay on track and let you enjoy everything this great event has to offer. Start by asking for the nutritional information for whatever dish you are most interested in. When dining with a friend, split the main course and start with a house salad with low fat dressing. These days, meal portion sizes are often far larger than we need them to be (we’ve all left a restaurant feeling full after attempting...

Getting Ready for World Masters Games with Athletic Therapy

This week, Quebec City hosts the Winter World Masters Games. For the past 20 years, the Summer World Masters Games have been a huge success, and as a result, the birth of the Winter Games in Bled, Slovenia in 2010 is being followed up by this year’s event – and being held in Canada no less!! Athletes from across the world will join together to compete in a number of events and test themselves and each other for top position. For many athletes, events such as these are the pinnacle of an athletic career, and for good reason, but when pain from a prior injury or from overuse is present, the prospect of competing can hamper any excitement. One of the best ways to prepare yourself for any sporting event, and to rid yourself of the pain that may negatively impact your performance, is with athletic therapy. First of all, what is athletic therapy? Athletic therapy is the treatment and rehabilitation, as well as the prevention, of musculoskeletal injuries. This is done by a certified athletic therapist, trained in the effective assessment and treatment of pain caused by an injury. An assessment of physical function first evaluates an injury, and...

Super Bowl Fans Unite – Just Beware of Football Injuries!

Next weekend sees University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona as host to the 49th annual Super Bowl! Football fans across North America will gather together in bars and living rooms, indulge in some football fare and many will even grab a ball and host their own super bowl playoff game in the backyard or local park. But if you are like one of the many fans out there suffering from football injuries, the thought of an impromptu pickup game can leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Although most are mild to minor, and are often the result of contact, there are a still a vast number of common football injuries that plague players no matter the level of play: Injuries to the knee and leg • ACL/PCL injuries • Various sprains and strains • Shin splints • Pulled muscles, groin or hamstring Head, neck and shoulder injuries • Concussions • Torn rotator cuff • Shoulder separation or dislocation Foot and ankle injuries • Ankle sprains and strains • Achilles tendonitis Back Injuries • Muscle strains • Lower back pain So what are you to do if you’ve sustained one of these and suffer from the pain...

Back in the Game: Treating Pain with Sonocur Shockwave Therapy

When we suffer from pain, no matter the source or location, often our immediate solution is to stop taking part in physical activity. If pain makes your favourite sport unenjoyable, stopping all together is a sad but all too common choice made by many of us. On the other hand, some of us decide to play through the pain, not seeking treatment until things have gone far past bad – which isn’t always the best decision either. Instead of ignoring the pain or foregoing your favourite pastime, perhaps it is time to think about an alternative solution to treating the pain: Sonocur shockwave therapy. What is shockwave therapy? A non-invasive yet highly effective form of treatment, during Sonocur shockwave therapy treatments, high-intensity sound waves are sent into the tissues of the impacted area of the body. It won’t cause tendon damage and there is no downtime following treatment – you don’t need to take time off work or sit on the bench for an extended period of time. Shockwave therapy is conducted by a medical professional (a physiotherapist or chiropractor most often), trained in applying this form of treatment to achieve maximum results. The number of treatments will depend on...

Are You Eating the Right Way for Healthy Weight Loss?

We are officially in 2015 now, and that means many of us are still (hopefully) adhering to those New Year’s resolutions we set for ourselves a little over a week or so ago. And for many of us, those resolutions mean getting back in shape and shedding those few extra pounds that may or may not have added up as a result of the holiday season. But with many other things, there are both good and bad ways to go about this. Are you going about healthy weight loss the right way? One of the first things we think about when it comes to healthy weight loss is food, and for many this involves reducing our fat intake. However, as Sarah Ware, registered dietitian, discusses in this video, avoiding fats all together is not the best approach: http://www.healthchoicesfirst.com/category/nutritionists/fats/nutritionist-fat-in-our-diet. According to the video, “Fat is essential in our diet and it is one of the three macronutrients that make up the main components of our food…eating fat alone will not cause you to gain weight.??? Wait, what? Fat itself is not what causes you to gain weight? No, the right fats are actually going to help you stay on track. If...