Footprints Physiotherapy
10 Eastern Avenue L7J 0A5 Acton, ON, Canada

"They gave up their tomorrows, so we could have our today." In respect the clinic will be closed tomorrow November 11th, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

We are happy to announce that we will be slowly reopening the clinic this coming week. Everyone is going to have to be very patient as things are going to have to run very differently than before. Our patient load is going to have to be much smaller which will mean we cannot offer you multiple appointments in one week as we strive to see everyone in need of treatment. We will walk you through the process over the phone and we will post here as well as to what to expect when visiting the clinic at this time. Thank you ahead of time for your patience, understanding and kindness as we all navigate the days ahead.

Join our new community group ParticipACTON!

Covid neck - it's a thing! Hey Folks Last week someone asked me if there was anything that could be done about the neck pain and headache they got from wearing their mask all day. Masks have become part of our attire lately. We put them on without even thinking. They are even getting rather stylish. But that does not make them comfortable. It is very subtle but most of us change our posture when we wear a mask. It has a lot to do with breathing. Masks make it somewh...at difficult to breathe so we make little changes to overcome these difficulties. We tend to tilt our head backward and stick our chin forward because this opens up our airway. Unfortunately, this position puts a great deal of stress on the tissue at the top of the neck and is a common source of pain and headaches. In addition, some of us (me) keep our mouths open all day because mouth breathing is easier. It also tends to hold the mask further from our face. This position however, places extra stress on our jaw and facial muscles. This too is a source of headaches. So what can we do about this? We can start by being aware of our posture. Try to pull your chin in rather than letting it sick forward. It takes concentration and we can’t do it continuously because we have to concentrate on our job not our posture. Try this first: stand with your back against a wall with the back of your head touching the wall. Then gently pull your chin in while also keeping your head touching the wall. You should feel a gentle stretch in the back of your neck. This position reverses the posture caused by the mask. I teach my patients to hold this position for 60 seconds to allow the tissue to stretch out. Once you practice a bit and get a feel for it you can do it anywhere and don’t need a wall. Now you can try doing it while you have your mask on. If you do it once every hour it should make a difference for you. Some people tell me they set timers on their phones to remind them. You can also do this stretch in your car using the headrest. This stretch is one of the most effective ways of relieving postural headaches and neck pain. We have no choice these days, we have to wear a mask. We do it because the law requires us to. We do it to flatten the curve. We do it to protect our friends, our neighbours, and people we don’t even know. We do it because it is the right thing to do. And since we are doing such a good thing in wearing it, we should be allowed a bit of comfort too. See more

We are happy to announce that we will be slowly reopening the clinic this coming week. Everyone is going to have to be very patient as things are going to have to run very differently than before. Our patient load is going to have to be much smaller which will mean we cannot offer you multiple appointments in one week as we strive to see everyone in need of treatment. We will walk you through the process over the phone and we will post here as well as to what to expect when visiting the clinic at this time. Thank you ahead of time for your patience, understanding and kindness as we all navigate the days ahead.

Happy Friday, sadly due to the continuing Covid 19 pandemic the clinic will be unable to reopen until further notice. If you have an emergency or need advice please call John on his cell phone 519-835-9806. He'll be happy to help in any way that he can. Stay safe and well and follow the directions of our public health officials.