Focus Health Physiotherapy + Wellness
145 Regional Rd 24 # 8 P3Y 1J1 Lively, ON, Canada

We are officially back in action! Welcome back to all of our existing clients! Welcome to all of our new clients who are seeking the care of a Physiotherapist or Massage Therapsit!... We look forward to seeking you all! See more

Pop quiz: Are you currently reading this while hunched over your phone? If so, here's a very scary wakeup call: Looking down at your phone can force up to 60 pounds of weight on your spine!! Crazy right!?? Most people spend an average of two to four hours a day slumped over their smartphones, and that awkward position isn't doing any favors for your neck and back. The adult head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds, so when you're standing upright with perfect posture, that's the amo...unt of stress that's on your spine. Tilting your head forward increases the amount of stressand therefore weighton your spine. When you tilt just 15 degrees forward, that's about 27 pounds; at 30 degrees, it's 40 pounds; at 45 degrees, it's 49 pounds; and at 60 degrees, it's 60 poundsof stress!!! Not only can that cause a literal PAIN in your neck, but it also puts stress onyour muscles, tendons, and ligaments. But as scary as this image is, we know you won't be throwing out your phone, tablet, or e-reader anytime soon. That's fine, just be sure to use it with proper posture, which means your ears are aligned with your shoulders and your shoulder blades are back in the neutral position. Yes, this means putting your phone pretty much directly in front of your face, but at least you won't be dealing with a problematic neck! Let try to become more aware of how we use these devices - and perhaps change some postural habits while doing so!

Ask yourself - Do you have a GOAL? Well then... GO for it! Let’s do this! #motivationmonday #goalsetting #goalgetter #justgoforit #letsdothis ... #focushealthphysio #livelyontario #chelmsfordontario See more

Ain’t this the truth! You have what it takes!

How does the Health of your Muscles Affect your Overall Health? Caring for muscle health is not just a priority for athletes! In fact, any difficulty with muscle function, ability or performance can prevent us from doing the things we love most. It’s important to take care of your muscles so you can accomplish the things you love to do!! Here’s What Can Happen To Your Muscles When They are in Need of Some Attention... Knots or trigger points can occur when our muscle tissues get stuck together from connective tissue build up. This prevents blood blow and movement to the area and can be caused by several factors. body’s natural reaction to injury or overuse. lack of movement, which can gradually cause our muscles to dwindle in strength and vigor and can build up a layer of fuzz or connective tissue made of collagen which can prevent your range of motion and overall muscle performance. If movement or intervention is not had, the collagen will harden and become sticky. Imagine two layers these tissues ( which we call fascia ) as two pieces of printer paper. Alone, the sheets of paper glide over one another freely as would layers of healthy connective tissue. Now imagine spreading a layer of honey between the papers. This demonstrates the loss of glide that happens when collagen builds up between layers of connective tissue. Preserve the health of your muscular system by developing habits that reduce muscle stress and improve muscle function and strength. Stay tuned for our next Muscle Health post ( next week ) where we share 5 simple tips on how to properly care for your tissues!!!!

A common misconception among individuals is that if one experiences pain, harm or damage must be occurring structurally or at a tissue level. This is simply not the case. Pain operates as an alarm system in our body; it is not necessarily an indication that tissue damage has occurred. Let’s look at this alarm system more closely. The nerves in our body always run on a low grade resting electrical system. As tissue is stimulated or stressed, the electrical system in the n...erves may increase its electrical levels. If the stress is alleviated, it will return to the normal resting level. If the stress continues or is amplified, then the electrical signal continues to rise. If the electrical signal reaches the alarm threshold, then danger signals are sent to the brain, and brain may interpret these signals as pain. So the above explanation concludes that when pain is experienced tissue damage occurs, right?!?!?! Well, not exactly. The body is a beautifully designed machine. It is designed to experience pain prior to tissue damage. This means that the alarm is designed to alert the individual when potential damage is near but has not yet occurred. Just as a car engine light will come on to warn one of potential problems with the engine, pain is designed to warn an individual that tissue is being over stressed. Why are these concepts important as our bodies are recovering? Fear and anxiety increase the resting levels of our nervous system. When our electrical systems resting levels are elevated we have less room for movement or activity before the alarm (pain) sounds. Individuals began to associate different movements or activities with pain. They also may misconstrue a pulling or stretch sensation as pain. They become fearful or anxious of these movements and when forced into them they have a much lower threshold and pain is elicited more quickly. This can become a vicious cycle until the individual avoids the movement or activity all together. This is hypersensitivity. Continual movement to a painful joint is healthy. Only in extreme circumstances should immobilization or complete avoidance be practiced after an injury.

P E R S E V E R A N C E noun Persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Medicine is a field which requires dedication and perseverance. ... This is what we do! We know you have what it takes, and we will help keep you on track and in the right direction to get ALL THE WAY! #goals #motivationmonday #perseverance #overcomingobstacles #focus #focushealthphysio

Do you have healthy shoulders? Or are you praying for better shoulder mobility?? These exercises shown here can be a great way to test out your shoulder mobi...lity! The easiest way to test out your shoulder mobility is to put your back against the wall, bring your arms out like field goal posts ( bend elbow to 90 ) and try to rotate your shoulders so your wrists and forearms lay flat against the wall ( as shown ) If you are finding this difficult then you are limited in shoulder mobility. Poor shoulder mobility can manifest into problems like rotator cuff injuries, impingement, tendonitis, neck pain and more! This is a common issue which could be due to over training or over using certain muscles, or simply by poor posture. If this sounds like you - that’s okay!!! There are things you can do to help! Try these exercises out to test / improve your shoulder mobility today! 1. Wall Test for shoulder mobility 2. Wall slides 3. Shoulder CARs ( Controlled Articular Rotations ) 4. Sleeper stretch for posterior shoulder capsule 5. Pole Internal Rotation 6. Rainbows - Full Arc - Anterior to Posterior range Please note: not everyone’s shoulders may be able to do these, so exercise with caution. If you think you may have a shoulder injury or you are curious to get your shoulders moving better - you know we can help!

Just Breathe On those days when you feel scattered and pulled in many directions.... Breathing can help you refocus and feel grounded, allowing you to reconnect with your body. ... There are also so many other health benefits to taking time to do deep breathing daily ( especially during structured exercise ). Take 10 minutes a few times a day, to yourself, and learn a deep breathing technique that works for you. Stay tuned for next weeks wellness post on the how to and the why deep breathing provides so many benefits! #justbreathe #breathwork #breathworktraining #wellnesswednesday

Just a friendly REMINDER .... Our bodies were built to MOVE, and move A LOT! As you may have heard - Movement is medicine This concept applies not just to rehabilitation or exercise, but in life, and for all ages and body types. ... Simple put - our bodies will feel better when they move! And remember your next posture is your best posture! How will you show your body some love by moving it today!?????

Monday Mantra! #gettoit #justdoit #doyourphysio #focushealthphysio #livelyontario #chelmsfordontario

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Did you know....Research has shown that a positive attitude and mindset can improve your mental and physical health AND foster a more efficient recovery!? Research has shown that a patient’s attitude regarding their recovery has beneficial effects on their rehab outcomes. This means that the patient’s who demonstrated generally favorable attitudes regarding their recovery from surgery or injury tended to heal more quickly and with fewer complications than their counterparts w...ho were fearful, worried, or pessimistic. The scientific reasoning behind this theory is that a positive attitude protects against the inflammatory damage that is caused by stress, while negative emotions weaken the immune response. This type of chemical response to mood and attitude is a product of evolution. Worry, anxiety, fear or otherwise negative thoughts release the stress hormone cortisol as a consequence of the fight or flight response. High levels of cortisol make it difficult for the body to regulate inflammation. When an injury is healing, inflammation is meant to be a transient state- a necessary part of healing, but something that the body is able to move beyond so that the rest of the healing process can continue. If cortisol is causing the body to stay inflamed, your sprained ankle can never move into the final stages of recovery and the healing process is delayed. Sooooo...... Focus on what is good: positive steps you’ve taken small goals you’ve reached functional activities you can do better scribble what your thankful for (give gratitude) surround yourself with positive people who support you Instead of always pointing out what is negative: what hurts and how much what you can’t do why you can’t do the things you want to do. Try to start each day with a positive mindset - being grateful for what you see as a positive in your journey to wellness!

Do you sit at a desk all day? Do you perform data entry? Do you play racquet sports? Do you have a job that requires repetitive use of your wrists and forearms ...(carpentry, electrician...?) Are you a weekend warrior? If you use your forearm muscles repetitively to perform gripping, twisting, lifting or even typing - your flexors (bottom part of forearm) & extensors (top part of forearm) could be prone to weakness & tightness.. which can lead to pain with your activities... The extensor and flexor tendons of the wrist attach to the lateral/medial epicondyles and supracondylar regions. AKA - the lateral and medial part of your elbow (where the pain will present). By performing these exercises you can improve the flexibility and strength of your arms to ensure that you are STRONGER than the job you are performing! Start by taking the time to improve your flexibility by stretching daily. Hold each stretch for 20 seconds - 3 sets Then try to add some strengthening: Try performing 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps As always, these are suggested guidelines for this type of condition. No two elbows are alike! So please consult your trusted physiotherapist if you are suffering from elbow pain and your not sure what it could be or how to manage it!

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue, which can lead to increased risk of fracture. Nutrition and exercise can play a significant role in keeping bones healthy. Because osteoporosis can have multiple causes, it’s important to be aware of all the factors that contribute to strong, healthy bones, and control those that you can. Exercise is an important step towards protecting your bones, as it helps protect your spine, slows ...the rate of bone loss, and builds muscle strength, which can prevent falls. Exercise is recommended for all people with osteoporosis, even people who have had a spine or hip fracture. If you are new to exercise, talk to your doctor before starting any type of program. Consider speaking to your physiotherapist to get advice on exercises that are right for you! Visit the link in our bio for more information on the recommended guidelines on exercising with osteoporosis. Contact one of our clinics if you have any further questions on how you should be moving your bones! #bonefit #bonehealth #fallrisk #movementismedicine #weightbearingexercise #strengthtraining #physiotherapy

We will experience pain when our credible evidence of danger related to our body is greater than our credible evidence of safety related to our body. Equally we won’t have pain when our credible evidence of safety is greater than our credible evidence of danger (Moseley and Butler 2015, pp14). There is such power in this simple statement. There is a lot of danger ‘out there’ and it emerges from many domains. An example might be contained in an X-Ray report or what someone say...s or what you believe or hear on the news. There is a lot of safety out there too such as accurate and up to date knowledge, having goals, help from a good health practitioner or being aware that someone cares for you. DIMs and SIMs We can refer to the dangers out there as DIMs Danger In Me, and the safety out there SIMs Safety In Me. Each DIM or SIM must comprise distributed, context variable, neuroimmune circuitry in the brain. Basically this means - an individuals own personal beliefs/ideations/experiences will directly relate to how they cope with pain. DIMs and SIMs can be organised into seven varieties. Check out the examples above (and ponder some of your own). Note that there are things that are listed as both DIMs and SIMs? This is a reminder of the power of context. If your inflamed appendix has perforated, a hospital might be a very powerful SIM. If on the other hand, the hospital was where a previous surgery went wrong, the hospital might be one very big DIM. Similarly, a hot, red, swollen ankle an hour after ‘twisting’ is probably a DIM to most, but with the knowledge of the powerful self-healing properties of body tissues, the importance of inflammation and the likely timeframe to recovery, this DIM could become a SIM fairly quick. So, assess your own situation - can you... Identify and eliminate as many DIMS as you can. Identify and incorporate as many SIMS as you can (especially support). Get under the flare up line. Obtain graded exposure to activity. Not sure where to start or how to proceed? We can certainly help! This information is inspired from Pain Education literature by Moseley & Butler.

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Just Move! If you’re someone who feels frustrated when you hear get your daily exercise, it’s time to understand it’s all about movement and there’s very little that needs to be involved! That’s right. It’s time to stop thinking of daily exercise as a commitment with minimum requirements like running five miles or bench-pressing your weight. The demand can be far less taxing and should match your fitness level & your interests!... From your brain to your joints, moving every day has the power to improve every part of your body. And it’s not just about high-impact, sweat-inducing exercise, either. It’s simple whether you choose to implement small movements into your routine or try a new activity like cycling or yoga, increasing your daily mobility can help upgrade your overall health. Start Small When we say small, we mean it. Try stretching for 10 minutes, walk laps around the house when you’re on a call, walk around the neighborhood, or practice 15 minutes of yoga. All your movement adds up! Small movements can have a significant impact on both your physical and mental health. And, you can do them all from the comfort of your home or work without changing into gym clothes. Movement promotes strengthening of your muscles, which improves stability, balance, and coordination. Don’t forget, stretching helps maintain your muscle health as well. Movement helps build more durable, denser bones. Bone-building activities like resistance training (weights), weight-bearing exercises (jogging, walking, hiking), and balance training (yoga) can support better bone density. Movement supports joint health! Yoga for example is all about body awareness, so you’re compelled to pay attention to each movement. By being aware of how you move, you can increase coordination and balance, be mindful of the positioning of your joints, and relax. Plus, yoga encourages flexibility and range-of-motion, which boosts joint flexibility and joint function. So? How are you going to move today?

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The scoop on concussion! Although temporary rest and change of lifestyle and activities is important - isolation and black rooms are no longer recommended or used in treatment. They can actually have quite the opposite effect on your recovery. Want to know how to properly manage a concussion or where to start? We can help! ... Contact us today!

Movement can be used as an educational tool for the body, which aids in the management of pain! Create movement experiences: that don’t worsen pain that lead to more ease of movement ... that decrease fear of movement that provide an experience inconsistent with the belief that pain can only be changed by fixing the tissue We can do all of these things through movement! AKA - Physiotherapy! We just need to approach movement in a different way. Physiotherapy can assist with reconceptualizing pain as more than a tissue issue. If you are in pain and you would like to know how you can use your own body’s movement as medicine - talk to your physiotherapist!