Davisville Yonge Clinics
124 Merton Street, Suite 503 M4S 2Z2 Toronto, ON, Canada

In this time of pandemic, many of you have been acutely aware that it was, for a time, impossible to see your family doctor/chiropractor/physiotherapist; then the virtual visit became part of your lexicon. Either through Zoom or the phone, you were able to talk/see him/her. But missing from the equation was TOUCH. I was pleasantly surprised to see in the whole front page of the Opinion Section of the Globe & Mail this morning, an article from Dr. Nicholas Pimlott, academic f...Continue reading

I would like to share with you today this very informative article I just read in the Guardian Weekly, (thanks to my sister for subscribing me to it for my birthday), which again adds to the scientific evidence of the importance of regular exercises for a healthy life. I don't know if the link will allow you to read the whole article, so I will try to summarize it: In the 1990's, a young researcher, Gérard Karsenty became very interested in one of the most abundant proteins ...Continue reading

Hello everyone; I hope you are all well and slowly returning to your usual activities as the government eases restrictions. I would like to share with you today a very instructive article from Nutrition Action, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing scientific evidence to the general public. And non profit is very important, since it guarantees that the information will not be biased. At this time of Pandemic, there is a word you hear a lot: Immunity. You he...ar for example that people who are immuno-compromised are more at risk with Covid-19 or for that matter, with any other infectious agents. You also hear, but less, about this cytokine storm, which is something happening when your immune system goes wild (overreacts) So here comes the profit makers who can cash on your worries about your immune system: Is your immune system up to par? Why don't you boost your immune system? It is quite interesting to note that the same people who attack the pharmaceutical industry for promoting drugs for every ailments that affect us, see no objection to the supplement industry who can claim any health benefits, without any research to back it up, for the supplements they are trying to sell us. Buyers beware!! Marcel J. Reux PT., DC. https://www.nutritionaction.com//foods-immunity-whats-the/

Hello everyone. I had told you a few days ago that our physiotherapy and chiropractic services had resumed as of last Monday June 1, 2020 at our clinic. I am very happy to add that Cory Lyver R.M.T. has also resumed his massage therapy practice at our clinic as of today June 4, 2020. Marcel J. Reux PT.,DC.

Hello everyone. We are pleased to inform you that our Clinic is now opened for non-emergency physiotherapy and chiropractic services; Dr. Russell and I have returned to our regular hours of operation.. Since your safety is our prime concern, we will be following the Guidelines from the Ministry of Health, Public Health Ontario and the Chief Medical Officer of Health. When you book an appointment, we will conduct an active screening over the phone to make sure you do not show ...any sign of Covid-19. You will notice that physical barriers have been installed in the waiting room to separate you from other patients. But every effort will be made to move you in the treatment room as soon as you arrive to minimize contact with others. Hand sanitizer gels are present throughout the office so we ask you that you use them when you arrive and when you leave. We ask that you wear a face mask as it has been shown to decrease the risk of contracting or transmitting Covid-19. The treatment rooms will be disinfected after each patient visit. Two air purifiers are being installed to improve on the air quality. We recommend that when using the elevator, if somebody else is already present, you wait until no one is in the elevator to use it. We look forward to seeing you again to offer you the physiotherapy and chiropractic services you have been accustomed to in the last 34 years that we have been at the Davisville Yonge area. Marcel J. Reux PT., DC.

Hello to everyone; I hope you are all safe and not too affected physically and/or mentally by the health authorities'recommendations to stay home as much as possible. Your body, your brain needs movements; therefore, as long as you maintain physical distancing, you should be able to go out and exercise: Walk, run or bike...Today I would like to share with you some interesting findings about fitness and aging. I am sure you will NOT be surprised to hear that "the best way not ...Continue reading

I hope all of you are safe and minimizing your contacts with the outside world. This is the only way we will slow down and eventually stop the spread of this invisible enemy. I am sure most of you are spending time on the computer, so let's talk today about POSTURE. And in this case, sitting posture: First let's look at our spine: It is made of 24 vertebrae (excluding the fused sacrum): 7 cervical at the neck, 12 thoracic, your upper and middle back and 5 lumbar, your low-bac...Continue reading

Dear patients: An update from our Clinic regarding our interruption of services because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. M. Russell PT, DC. will be covering the Emergency Musculo-Skeletal care this week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning as well as Wednesday afternoon. You can leave a message on our answering service and Dr. Russell will pick it up from home. You will be given a time. We remind all of you that if you have been away from the country or if you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, you must enter a 14 days isolation in your home. If you feel unwell, also stay home, since you do not know the source of your symptoms.

Hello everybody and let's start where I finished yesterday which was the physiological basis of why, incorporating a strengthening exercise program in your weekly exercise program, will benefit the sport you're involved in. The exercises I will review apply more to runners but you will notice that several of them are similar to the ones I published a few days ago when we were talking about core strengthening. Running specific strengthening programs often target the hip muscle...s; remember these hip exercises are also going to help you if you suffer from low-back pain since it will keep your pelvis steady when you move. Hip extension exercises include squats, lunges, glutei bridges and deadlifts.It targets the biggest muscle in your bum called teh Gluteus maximus. 1) Squats: You can do squats with or without an elastic band. Without the band, you stand with your feet leveled with your shoulders. Keeping your low-back straight you bend your knees from 45 to 90 degrees and hold for 5 seconds. Come back up. Rest 5 seconds and repeat. Aim for 2 sets of 10. Remember your whole spine stay straight when you squat. See below). 2) Lunges: Either forward or backward. See picture below. This one is the step-back lunge and you can a dumbbell in each hand but you don't have to. If you feel pain in the front of your knee, stop; this exercise can increase pain at the knee cap joint. 3) Gluteus bridge: We described the exercise a few days ago; lying on the floor, knees bent and lifting your bum off the floor. then you can straighten one knee while keeping the pelvis straight. Hold for 5 seconds then bring the foot back down. Repeatnd 10 times and try 2 sets. 4) Deadlifts: Only if you have no issue wiith your back, I recommend you do these exercises. To do a deadlift you have to perform the technique properly and you could injure yourself.. . Then you address the hip abductors; the ones we saw a few days ago which attach to the side of your hip; the Gluteus Medius. The clam and the side lying abduction and the side plank (with the side plank be careful if you have issues with your shoulder since the exercise increases the compression at the gleno-humeral joint. Marcel J. reux PT, DC.

Another day in confinement and this time not even any bike ride. Cooking, reading and writing and home exercises. Wonderful strength benefits can be gained with the help of an elastic band. Strengthening ones muscles is today's topic and you may be surprised to know that may enhance your performance in the sport you favor and also prevent injury. My running friends should be very happy about that and what better time, when one may not be able to go out, to concentrate on musc...Continue reading

Yesterday we had looked at some exercises you could do on the floor in your home to strengthen your core. By core we mean the muscles around your pelvic belt (your waist) but I also mentioned the hip musculature. Some of the exercises I showed you yesterday along with strengthening the abdominal and low-back muscles, also strengthen your big bum muscles the gluteus maximus. Today I will show you exercises to strengthen the hip musculature on either side of your body. These ex...ercises target the Gluteus medius which is the main abductor of the hip (abduction means moving away, either left or right, from the center of your body; adduction means moving towards the center of your body). This muscle is very important in runners but also in people with hip pain/ discomfort or after having received an artificial hip. With a weak gluteus medius, your pelvis will fall on the opposite side of the weak muscles. (See the picture below). This movement is exaggerated below but even mild tilting sideways of the pelvis, can potentially stress your low-back and of course affect your knees and ankles. This is what we call the kinetic chain. If you have weakness at the top of the chain, in this case, the hip, it can potentially affect the joints of your knees and ankles. So let's have a look at the exercises. First let's look at the abduction exercises in standing (picture in the middle): You can hold on to the wall or a chair and, keeping your body straight, you lift your straight leg to the side to a 45 degree angle. Make sure you keep the toes pointing forward. Hold for 5 seconds and bring slowly down. Wait for 5 seconds and do it again. Aim for 2 sets of 10. The second exercise( on the right) is called the Clam: You lie on the floor on the side of your body with your hips flexed 45 degrees and your knees bent to 90 degrees. Tie an elastic band at the level of the knees and keeping your feet together, you lift one of the knees up against the resistance of the band. Hold for 5 seconds and bring slowly down. Aim for 2 sets of 10. The reason I say hold it for 5 second and bring it down slowly is that you make the muscle works both ways. A quick review: A muscle can contract concentrically and doing so it will shorten; but muscles also can contract eccentrically and when doing so they will lengthen. For example, when you are going down the stairs, your large quadriceps muscle in the front of your thigh will contract and lengthen to make sure you reach the next step down smoothly. Before the ski season this is why you practice squats with your back against the wall. Have a good work-out and if you have questions feel free to ask. Marcel J. Reux PT, DC.

Because of the Emergency measures declared as of today in Ontario related to the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. M.Russell PT, DC. will be covering at the Clinic this afternoon and tomorrow morning , only to address Emergency musculo-skeletal conditions which would, otherwise, force you to go to the Emergency department of your nearest hospital. The Clinic will be closed Friday A cause des mesures d'urgence mise en place à partir d'aujourd'hui dans la province de l'Ontario suite à la pandémie de Covid-19, Dr. M. Russell PT, DC. assurera seulement les urgences musculo-skeletiques, qui vous obligeraient autrement de vous rendre au departement des urgences de votre hopital, à la clinique. Elle y sera présente cet aprés-midi et demain matin seulement. La clinique sera fermée vendredi. Drs. M. Reux PT,DC. M. Russell PT, DC.

Well another day away from the Clinic; I went for a bike ride this morning and therefore avoided any human contact but got my cardio done with a few hills contributing. I then proceeded to do some floor exercises and this is what I would like to share with you today. How can you strengthen your core while listening to your favorite music or watching the tube: The first thing you may ask is: What do you mean by core? Most people immediately think of your abdominal muscles. Thi...s is part of the answer but you also have to add the hip and back muscles. Your core is your center of gravity and where all movements start. A weak core results in much instability below and leads to injury. Let's review some exercises which will help strengthen your core: The first one below, on the left, focuses on your deep back muscles. You lay on the floor with your knees bent at 90 degrees; you lift your bum up so that you back is now straight; maintaining this position and making sure that your pelvic bone does not move, you will now straighten one knee and hold the position for 5 seconds; bring the knee down and now repeat with the other knee. Then bring your bum back to the floor. Wait for 5-10 seconds and do it again. Aim for 2 sets of 10. For the next one( in the center) you will go on all four's and, keeping your low-back straight, you will lift one arm and the opposite leg and hold for 5-10 seconds. Come back down and do the same on the other side. Again aim for 2 sets of 10. The third exercise is the plank and this one targets your abdominal muscles. You lay prone (on your belly) on the floor and with your elbows bent to 90 degrees, you lift your body off the floor taking all the weight with your elbows and your feet keeping your whole spine straight as a rod. (if you have shoulder problem and it triggers pain in your shoulder, don't do it. The last exercise for today is the one on the right and it is again aiming to strengthen your abdominal muscles. You are sitting on the floor and slightly differently than shown on the picture, you could have your arms straight and slightly behind you back. From this position you have a choice, with a ball between your knees or not, you bring your knees towards your chest. But you can also choose to start with your legs straight in front of you, lift them one and half feet off the floor and you do scissor or up and down exercises with the legs. Do it for 10 seconds at a time and as you get better you can do them for longer. That is it for today; tomorrow we will address the strengthening of the hip musculature as well flexibility exercises you could add to the above, since a good flexibility is also an antidote to low-back pain. Marcel J. Reux PT, DC.

As promised, another article I would like to share with you today and of upmost importance: What does science says about nutritional supplements? Nutrition Action addresses the scientific evidence regarding the claim that these supplements will boost your immune system. Fantastic and catchy titles like "clinically proven" or "#1 pharmacist recommended". Remember that in contrast to pharmaceutical companies, which must have scientific evidence to make claims, the supplement ...industry is NOT regulated and their claim do not have to be supported by evidence. One of my favorite answer to patients who ask for my opinion regarding these supplements is : "If you want to have expensive urine, go ahead." But I also add that, in Canada and northern countries, in the winter, because of decreased sunlight, you could add a Vitamin D supplement 400-800 IU. It is worth adding here that you can overdose on fat soluble vitamins which are A,D,E, K. The others your kidney will take care of it and you have the expensive urine I was talking about. Now you will see under the Vitamin C : "But in five trials of roughly 600 people doing intense physical activity like an ultramarathon, 250 to 1,000 mg a day of vitamin C for two to eight weeks cut the risk of catching a cold in half." Why you may ask? Because too much exercise can also be detrimental to your health; and here we are talking quite a bit over the board: Ultramarathon 50Km+ and Iron man competition 5 Km swim, 180 Km bike ride to finish with a 41 Km marathon. Studies done on these athletes show that at the end of their competition, their immune system is weaker compared to athletes who exercise at lower intensity. Proving the adage that in everything moderation is the way to go!!! Marcel J. Reux PT, DC. https://www.nutritionaction.com//can-supplements-boost-yo/