Grand River Sports Medicine Centre (GRSM)
40 George Street North N1S 2M8 Cambridge, ON, Canada

GRSM is thankful for all those who participated in our food drive over the Christmas holiday. We were able to provide over 1,000 meals to those in need. We are very thankful to those who gave generously, giving back to our community!

Allison Gaudet showing glute bridges

Older athletes or adults may still need to bump up their intake to maximize recovery. An older adult will not respond to a 20g dose of protein like a younger person would, and a higher dose of protein is needed to stimulate muscle building

Grand River Sports Medicine would love to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday!

GRSM will be open during South Western Ontario Lockdown. Your safety and health and that of our GRSM staff is of the utmost importance to us. To operate our clinic as safely as possible, we continue to practice with strict processes in place. In-person care at all GRSM locations follow the direction from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Directive #2 and the COVID-19 Operational Requirements: Health Sector. ... GRSM takes pride in being able to deliver an essential service to our community during these challenging times. If you have any questions or concerns our knowledgeable staff will be happy to answer your calls. Happy Holidays! Stay safe

Happy Holidays from GRSM! There are a few changes to our schedule for the holiday season and we want to keep you up to date. Enjoy your Holidays!

Christmas Days at GRSM. PJ Day, Ugly Sweater Day and Xmas Headgear Day. More to come this week. See below and join in the Christmas Spirit.

It may be more difficult now but in the long run it will pay off

Sash Guay, MSCPT, Registered Physiotherapist shows you how to properly fit a brace for Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis)

Lest We Forget We are grateful for the brave people who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our freedoms, Thank You.

"Tennis Elbow" doesn't just come from playing racquet sports. Check out our latest blog to learn more about lateral epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow) and what you can do about it! http://ow.ly/un1Z50CfIdS

ICYMI: The staff at GRSM have lots of Halloween Spirit. Take a look at some of the costumes last Friday

I think what it takes to succeed remains the same. You have to have a real love of your sport to carry you through all the bad times...even when things aren’t working. You must have a commitment to work hard and to never give up. ______ Nancy Greene Olympic Gold Medalist, Canadian Senator

Happy Halloween! Have a safe and wonderful Spooky Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Join us live TOMORROW at 8:00am! Join in on Instagram, Facebook (@grsmcentre) or YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist ) with Allison, registered physiotherapist. A great way to start your day with movement - you won't want to miss this!

Thoracic Extension Over a Foam Roller ______ Good exercise for MOST! Our current 21st century lifestyle has led us to spend the vast majority of our day sitting with an overly flexed spine (myself included). This can lead to mobility loss into extension and cause a typically mobile joint to be become stiff. ______... I like to think about flattening my lower back (flexing) and supporting my head as I perform this exercise. Additionally, I like to think about moving each vertebrae in my spine moving one at a time. I like these instructions to make sure the movement is occurring throughout my entire thoracic spine. If you listen to the audio you can hear a big pop in my spine. ______ The ability to extend your mid back is not only important for good posture but also athletics. Some degree of thoracic extension is needed to obtain a neutral golf posture. An overly kyphotic (rounded) mid back makes it difficult to rotate the spine which could limit your turn in the backswing and/or cause lower back pain in the golf @sean_meyer_physio_golf

Simple and Nutritious Zucchini, Carrot and Pesto Salad Try this easy salad with dinner this season! Stephanie shoes us that nutrition doesn't have to be complicated, click here for the full recipe: https://www.grsm.ca/simple-and-nutritious-ribbon-zucchini-/

Pulling on last years luck for tonights game!! #letsgoraptors #wethenorth #nbacanada @nbacanada

Prevention and Management of Low Back Pain ______ Generally, use exercises which reinforce extension movement- some can be done either in lying down or standing positions (This will be best determined by your physiotherapist).... Prone lying (on your tummy): Lying flat on your tummy for few minutes (1-2 minutes or as tolerated) Prone lying in extension : Sustain the position on your elbows for few minutes or as tolerated Extension in lying: The elbows should be straight. These are dynamic movements, set of 10 reps. ______ Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/prevention-and-management-low-back-pain/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IAr0sk9nU4

Lead by Physiotherapist Allison Gaudet Remember to check out the other core and mobilty videos here https://www.youtube.com/playlist

Prevention and Management of Low Back Pain ______ Posture correction - correct the slouched position into tall sitting. Use a lumbar roll to encourage good posture sitting.... Lead an active lifestyle Once the derangement has reduced (i.e., you have regained your movement and pain is zero), you should perform the exercises for prophylactic purposes. ______ Full blog linked in bio! https://www.grsm.ca/prevention-and-management-low-back-pain/

Prevention and Management of Low Back Pain Derangement syndrome is a clinical presentation seen in a mechanically obstructed affected joint. The key feature of this clinical presentation is directional preference and centralization (if present). A common analogy I have heard many clinician use is- like a door hinge, you know it is supposed to go either way but sometimes for whatever reason it may be jerky to move in one direction or very rigid to move. Thus, we may lubricate ...it with oil and keep moving it in the obstructed direction of movement until it frees up. Patients may have difficulty with: straightening themselves up, sitting for too long, rising from a seated position, etc. They may feel better with lying on their tummy, walking, and when they are on the move. Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/prevention-and-management-low-back-pain/

Prevention and Management of Low Back Pain Low back pain is the most common cause of disability in the working population. Approximately 50-80% of the adult population will experience it at some point in their life. Don’t let this statistic scare you from preventing or managing low back pain well. Priya Chandra-Ali, registered physiotherapist at our Kitchener-Downtown clinic shares the research and practical tips a therapist may go over with you in treatment. Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/prevention-and-management-low-back-pain/

Happy Labour Day! If you persevere long enough, if you do the right things long enough, the right things will happen. ~ Ian Miller, Olympic Silver Medalist

Your at Home Guide to Reduce Prolonged Sitting and Maintain Good Health Side lying hip abduction -Lay on your side -Have the bottom leg bent for stability and top leg straight... -Make sure your hips are stacked on top of each other -Raise your top leg and slowly return it to its starting position -You should feel your back pocket muscle working -Repeat on the other side -Repeat 3 sets of 10 reps Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/your-at-home-guide-to-reduce-prolonged/

Cognition and Expectation via Todd Hargrove @mattangellrmt

Your at Home Guide to Reduce Prolonged Sitting and Maintain Good Health Bridging -Lay on your floor/bed/couch -Bend your knees so you are in a crook-lying position... -Squeeze your glutes together, tighten your stomach muscles -Lift your hips off the ground/surface you are on -Maintain your breathing -Slowly return to resting position -Repeat 3 sets, 10 reps Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/your-at-home-guide-to-reduce-prolonged/

Tuesday Morning Mobility with Physiotherapist Allison Gaudet Find all of our mobility and core videos here :) https://www.youtube.com/playlist

Your at Home Guide to Reduce Prolonged Sitting and Maintain Good Health Sit to stands -Using a chair/couch/bed, sit with your feet flat on the floor -Squeeze your glutes together... -Transfer your weight; nose over toes -Stand up -Slowly return to sitting by maintaining control of your momentum -Repeat 3 sets of 10 reps Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/your-at-home-guide-to-reduce-prolonged/

Your at Home Guide to Reduce Prolonged Sitting and Maintain Good Health Too much sitting can be detrimental to our health. Studies have shown that prolonged sitting has been associated with an increase in type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease and premature death.Our human bodies are meant to move, so with staying at home it is important to ensure that you get physical activity throughout the day. Tia Semplonius, registered physiotherapist shares some more tricks and tips with us. https://www.grsm.ca/your-at-home-guide-to-reduce-prolonged/

Join us live TOMORROW at 8:00am! ______ Join in on Instagram, Facebook (@grsmcentre) or YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist ) with Allison, registered physiotherapist. A great way to start your day with movement - you won't want to miss this!

Work From Home: 5 Tips and 5 Exercises to Reduce Postural Strain Wall slides with lift off: Facing the wall, stand up tall pulling your shoulder blades down and away from your ears, place both hands on the wall resting the pinky side of your hand on the wall, slowly slide your hands along the wall up and to the outside creating a 45 degree angle, once your elbows are fully extended lift your arms off the wall, pause and slowly lower your arms off the wall using your shoulder ...blades to help pull your arms down creating a W. Repeat 10-15 times or to muscle fatigue, do 2-3 sets at a time; do this 3-4 times per week Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/work-from-home-5-tips-and-5-exercises-/

Broader Health Consequences of Spinal Pain @mattangellrmt

Work From Home: 5 Tips and 5 Exercises to Reduce Postural Strain Chin tucks: Begin sitting or standing up tall with your shoulders down and resting away from your ears, focus on an object at eye level and gently move your head back to tuck your chin in without looking up or down. You can use your fingers to help guide the movement if needed. Hold for 5 seconds, relax and repeat 10-15 times; do this 1-2 times per day or as needed. ... Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/work-from-home-5-tips-and-5-exercises-/

30 minute core session with physiotherapist Allison Gaudet - all good things shoulders to hips

The ABCs of Running Start by engaging the core (draw your belly button up and in) for all of these exercises. Start slowly at first to get your technique down and then increase speed and power. Use this drill as a warm-up before running - or as is - in a training routine 3-4x/week. Do the drill for approx. 10 min total. As Driving High Knees... Bs Skipping Foot Impact Cs Butt Kicks Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/the-abcs-of-running https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dsDnOZdal4

Set a reminder in your phone to join us live EVERY Tuesday morning at 8:00am for core and mobility guided sessions! Join here on Facebook with Allison, registered physiotherapist. Let's work together to take good care of ourselves and keep moving. You won't want to miss these!

The ABCs of Running This runners drill is great for improving the bio-mechanics of running (speed, agility, balance and coordination), body awareness, injury prevention and increasing performance. It can be used as a pre-run warm-up or as part of an in-training routine. David Burnett, registered physiotherapist at the Kitchener-South location demonstrates the ABC technique in an easy to follow way. Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/the-abcs-of-running/

30 minutes of Morning Mobility. Hips and shoulders and everything in between Physiotherapist Allison Gaudet leading this mornings session.

Join us live TOMORROW and EVERY Tuesday morning at 8:00am for core and mobility guided sessions! Join us on Instagram or Facebook Live with Allison, registered physiotherapist . Let's work together to take good care of ourselves and keep moving. You won't want to miss this!

Virtual appointments offer plenty of flexibility to see your therapist more often between visits, when you are away from home, when you have a tight schedule, if you live out of town or if you and your family feel safer staying at home! Our therapists are trained to guide you through thorough assessments of your form, home work space and exercise equipment. Still not sure about virtual appointments? Request a free 10 minute consult to see if it is the right fit for you! Request your appointment here: https://www.grsm.ca/appointment-request/

We would like to give a warm welcome to Dr. Ali Hazari, Sports Medicine Physician at our Cambridge clinic! He specializes in assessment and non-operative treatment of acute (e.g. sprains, strains, fractures) and chronic (e.g. degenerative disease, arthritis, overuse injuries) musculoskeletal conditions in patients of all ages. Dr. Hazari enjoys working with elite and amateur athletes in all sports. Full bio online: https://www.grsm.ca/dr-ali-hazari/

We're still accepting donations to help #FeedWR! Help us raise much needed food, funds and awareness to ensure no one goes hungry during this crisis and beyond by donating here today!

We are happy to welcome Devin Chin-Cheong, registered massage therapist to our team! Devin is joining our Kitchener-South team and has experience working in both hospital and rehabilitative/palliative clinic environments. Full bio online! https://www.grsm.ca/devin-chin-cheong/

Keeping the Body Cool with Ice Slushies Keep in mind individual fluid needs, but research also shows that ad libitum fluid intake is higher when a cold drink is offered. Pre-cooling with ice slushys should be done as close to exercise as possible, preferably post-warm up in the 15-30 minutes leading up to exercise to maximize the amount of time with lower core temperatures (Takeshima et al., 2017). You could also adopt a mid-cooling strategy to continue to cool your internal... temperature. Recipe: Example for a 60kg person (60 x 7.5=450), pour 450ml of Gatorade into an ice cube tray and freeze. Add a splash of Gatorade and blend. Consume in 3 doses 5 mins apart (or sip on it for 15 mins). If you have a thermometer you could make sure it has reached -1-+1 C for the best results. Ideas: Freeze sport drink, diluted juice or sweetened coffee and enjoy prior to your event for your fluid, carbs and caffeine hit. Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/keeping-the-body-cool-with-ice-slushies/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEsTu1qFHew

Happy Civic Monday! "I encourage everybody and challenge everybody to strive towards their goals. There will be ups and there will be downs, but just keep working towards them and dont let anybody tell you that you cant do it." - Catriona Le May Doan 2 time Olympic Gold Medalist, 5 time World Champion

Keeping the Body Cool with Ice Slushies To combat the effects of exercising in the heat, there are a few things to think about: stay hydrated as best you can, fuel appropriately with a good carbohydrate plan and lastly, try and slow the rate of increasing body temperature! Hydration in itself results in significantly lower body temperatures compared to letting yourself dehydrate past 2%. However sometimes in the extreme heat, cool water (or warm if it has been on the fuel station for a while) might not be enough to preserve your performance. In this blog we will talk how incorporating an ice slushy can help you regulate your body temperature and perform better in the heat. Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/keeping-the-body-cool-with-ice-slushies/

Keeping the Body Cool with Ice Slushies Pre-cooling strategies have been used to cool athletes prior to exercising in the heat. There are many strategies used, but sometimes these are not available or convenient . Therefore, enter ice slushy! Stephanie shares a great recipe and tips for staying hydrated as an athlete. Click to learn more! Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/keeping-the-body-cool-with-ice-slushies/

We have partnered with the #FeedWR again this year to run a campaign to raise money to help those in need in our region! And even better, thanks to the generosity of the Allan Bush Investment Team, your donation will double in impact (up to $20,000). Help us raise much needed food, funds and awareness to ensure no one goes hungry during this crisis and beyond by donating here today!

The food we eat has a direct effect on our over all health and well-being. Good nutrition habits can help us maintain our energy levels, weight and muscle mass and can lower our risk of certain diseases. Research shows that those who eat lots of fruits and vegetables may lower their risk of colon cancer, people consuming fatty fish and more oils have decreased risk of heart disease and lower markers of inflammation. Higher unsaturated fat (oil and fish) content in the diet ...directly relates to the composition present in the brain, thus can affect mental health status. A balanced gut bacteria level is important to help with reducing inflammation, can benefit our mental health, and can possibly even help with weight loss and may decrease risk of triggering or severity of autoimmune diseases. Not only that, nutrition can be used to help us heal from a surgery (knee replacement for example), injury or just help us perform the best at our sport. Stephanie is accepting both virtual and in-clinic appointments. Complete the request an appointment form to request yours today! https://www.grsm.ca/appointment-request/

@mattangellrmt Emotion via Todd Hargrove - Did you know that emotion has an effect on your pain?

We are excited to be working with the Food Bank of Waterloo Region (#FeedWR) again this summer! They are currently running their Full Bellies, Happy Hearts campaign. Theres no question this will be a summer like no other. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all in different ways, but the impact has been especially profound for children and teens. The safety net that thousands of students in our community relied on five days a week regular breakfasts, lunches and snack...s offered at school came to a crashing halt when schools across Ontario closed in mid-March. Young people are now in a more precarious situation than ever. The Food Bank feels extremely fortunate to have Allan Bush of CIBC Woody Gundy, Waterloo, who will be the matching donor once again which means from every dollar raised before August 31st they can provide six healthy meals. Any money collected will allow them to purchase many of the Most Needed Items, help to fill gaps in their inventory, and support various operational activities that ensure they are able to pick up and deliver food to the Community Food Assistance Network a system of 100+ community programs and agency partners working together to provide food and access to other vital supports. If you would like to participate in this initiative your donation can be made here:

Posted @withregram @stephanie.boville Looking for a quick and easy meal? This creamy chickpea salad could be a great meatless Monday option for you! The only prep required is to chop the cucumber and rinse the chickpeas and add in the humus and tzatziki as a dressing! This would be great in a wrap as well! Again, you have to be aware of your protein value when eating meatless meals, and portion your amount of beans appropriately to meet your needs! #meatlessmonday #dietitianapproved #nutritioncoach #nutritious #chickpeas #fuelyoursport #foodisfuel #food #cambridgedietitian

6 Key Exercises to Target Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy: Phase 3 Phase 3 rehab of PHT involves continued hamstring strengthening and functional training in greater degrees of hip flexion.... The goal of this phase is to build load tolerance in positions of tendon compression aka. Resilience to re-injury. Exercise parameters are similar to that of Phase 2 rehab. Slow tempo loading (Heavy Slow Resistance Training) starting at 15 Repetition Max (RM) and progressing to 8RM. Depending on activity demands, some individuals may require a Phase 4 rehab of Plyometric training (energy storage and release). Exercise examples include, bounding, sprinting leg curls, and sleds. Exercise 1 Romanian Deadlift w. Kettle Bell Full blog online

6 Key Exercises to Target Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy: Phase 2 In phase 2 rehab we want to introduce isotonic loading with minimal hip flexion (tendon compression). The goal is to restore hamstring strength and capacity in functional range of motion. Emphasis on phase 2 exercises should be on Heavy Slow Resistance (HSR) training. Meaning exercise should be performed at a slow, fatiguing tempo starting at 15 Repetition Max (RM) progressing to 8RM. Exercise 1 Single Leg Bridge

6 Key Exercises to Target Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy: Phase 1 The initial phase of rehab for PHT involves offloading the irritated tendon and introducing Isometric loading exercises to build load tolerance. Any intrinsic factors should also be addressed during this phase. Offloading techniques and building load tolerance are the focus. -Isometrics are a great way to introduce tendon loading and recent research has shown it can have an analgesic effect on tendon pain i...n lower limb tendinopathies -We want to start with isometric loading of the hamstring tendon in positions that limit tendon compression (limit hip flexion) Exercise 1 Single Leg Bridge Hold -5 sets, 30-45 second holds @ 70% max voluntary contraction (MVC) -Some pain is acceptable (0-3/10) during and after exercise but should settle within 24 hours -This exercise can also be initiated with two legs if single leg loading is too irritating Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/proximal-hamstring-tendinopathy/

6 Key Exercises to Target Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy (PHT) describes a condition in which the tendon that connects the hamstring muscles to our pelvis (ischium) become irritated, resulting in pain and limited function. Most people will have a complaint of a well-localized deep buttock pain that can be aggravated by lunging, squatting, running (hills/sprinting), sitting, and stretching the hamstring.... In this blog, Blake goes over some extrinsic and intrinsic factors that can cause this injury and some key exercises that a registered physiotherapist may guide you through as part of your treatment plan. Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/proximal-hamstring-tendinopathy/

Ice vs. Heat : So which one is for you? If you are using ice for a healing modality, it should be applied when there is a lot of inflammation or at the beginning of the injury process (the first 1-3 days). If you are using heat for a healing modality, it should be used when the area has decreased blood supply, is stiff, or has signs of chronic inflammation. It should NOT be used in the first 48-72 hours of an injury or when there is a lot of swelling and inflammation in the a...rea. If an individual is using ice or heat for pain management, the choice is up to the individual. Both ice and heat modify the signal at the spinal cord in the same way, therefore the patient can use which modality they enjoy more. Can I use them together? Definitely! If you are starting new exercises to your injured area and feel the area is aggravated or there is an increase in inflammation, you can apply ice for 10 minutes to slow down the inflammation. Immediately follow with heat for 10 minutes to relax the area and increase blood flow. Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/ice-or-heat-for-my-injury/

Posted @withregram @mattangellrmt Posture via Todd Hargrove

After receiving an injury, it can be difficult to know the best way to treat swelling. Would an ice pack be a better choice than a heat pack? Tia breaks down what happens after sustaining and injury, and the difference between using ice versus heat. Time to learn more! Full blog online: https://www.grsm.ca/ice-or-heat-for-my-injury/