LEGACIES Prescribing Scarves?? Wearing a Scarf in Surrey BC

November 12th, 2012

Wearing a Scarf in Surrey BC

Wearing a Scarf in Surrey BC

Wearing a Scarf in Surrey BC

Do you suffer from chronic tensions headaches, upper back tension, or maybe even whiplash?  There’s a reason why you’re feeling more pain now when the weather is getting cooler.  Your body will naturally shunt blood away from the area that is cold which creates a physiological response creating muscular tension.  The McKinley Health Center in the University of Illinois states “wearing a scarf in cold weather helps keep you from hunching your shoulders.”

Wearing a scarf in surrey BC, especially when you have a neck or back injury, will increase warmth, which in turn increases circulation.  That has a positive physiological effect of increasing circulation, decreasing muscular pain, and even assisting the recovery of injury.  At our therapy clinic in Surrey, especially this time of year, we find ourselves prescribing a simple remedy: “wear a scarf”.  A simple solution that makes a huge difference!

Watch this 45 sec video to hear what our expert therapists have to say. Save your Neck! wear a scarf in Surrey BC!

Wearing a Scarf in Surrey BC

Wearing a Scarf in Surrey BC

Naturopaths provide advanced Biopuncture Therapy, Surrey BC

September 4th, 2012

Biopuncture Therapy, Surrey BC

Biopuncture therapy is emerging from Europe utilizing very dilute injections of natural products which are introduced into the skin or muscle to stimulate the immune system. Instead of just covering up the symptoms, the injections promote the natural healing ability of the body by attracting the immune system to the site for repair.  Watch the video below to learn more.

Biopuncture Therapy Surrey BC

Biopuncture Therapy Surrey BC

What conditions are typically treated with biopuncture therapy?

The common factor is pain and inflammation, be that in a soft tissue or joint or in the lining of the respiratory or gastrointestinal tract.  Each of these tissues has nerves that become chronically inflamed and cells secret chemicals that initiate and maintain pain and inflammation.

  • Musculoskeletal problems:
    • Sprains and strains, joint pain, tendonitis, back and neck pain, mild to moderate arthritis
    • Medical problems:
      • Asthma, hay fever, allergies, IBS, migraine headaches, PMS, Menopause, fibromyalgia

What is injected?

The two most commonly injected products are ultra-low doses of mainly medicinal plant and mineral-based products and/or glucose. The plant and mineral derived formulas were introduced in Germany in the 1930s. Currently, more than 100 million injectable vials are used per year throughout Europe, United States, and Canada.

Who can use Biopuncture Therapy in Surrey BC?

Biopuncture therapy is a great treatment for those people who have tried conventional medicine but have had no success, for those who have had to stop conventional treatments due to side effects, or for those who prefer alternative therapies to treat injuries. You can also use Biopuncture therapy in conjunction with existing treatments if you prefer.

When is Biopuncture therapy not appropriate?

While a very effective natural therapy, Biopuncture used by itself is not appropriate for serious or life threatening illnesses or disorders. It is also not appropriate for depression or other mental disorder, if you are needle phobic or your immune system is impaired.

Video Interview on Biopuncture Therapy in Surrey BC:

Doctor Robert Davis discussing Biopuncture – 2011

Low Back Pain – stop it now!

October 25th, 2011

Low back pain is one of the leading causes for a work injury claim in Surrey and Delta BC.  In fact, just over 25% of all WorkSafeBC claims are for back strains.  It is also a BC statistic that 60%-90% of the population will experience low back pain in their lifetime.  At Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic, we want you to know some interesting facts that will help you the next time you injure your back.  We also have a special “Lifting Ergonomics” handout at the end of this article…

low back pain

Did you know:

  • Aging of the back begins before 30 for most people.
  • Smokers are more likely to get back pain.
  • If you’ve had a previous back injury, you are more likely to reinjure.
  • More than 90% of low back pain has no specific cause.

Lets face it – a low back injury is painful.  But how you handle that pain is crucial.  Studies show that activity more than rest will help your injury recover faster.  Try to keep moving.  Aches and pains can linger even after you have returned to work.  Gradually return to your normal activities as you recover.  Seek the expert advice of your physician, massage therapist, or chiropractor to help control pain, speed recovery, and guide you to a full recovery.

FREE Lifting Ergonomics handout

Prevent a low back strain!  Read these simple tips on correct lifting ergonomics…  Look at what most people aren’t doing!  CLICK HERE for your free Lifting Ergonomic Handout.

 

Get better faster & cheaper!

August 2nd, 2011

How important is it to follow my massage therapist or chiropractor’s treatment plan?  Simple: do you want to get better as soon as possible and at the lowest cost?  Because that’s what the goal of your treatment plan is all about!

Get better faster & cheaper!

At Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic, we’re all about getting results – its what we’re known for and is likely why you were referred to our clinic.  So that means outlining a specific Treatment Plan (like a road-map to recovery) for each of our patients.  This is specific to you – based on your assessment – to ensure you get better as soon as possible.  Sooner means cheaper, right?  You bet it does!  Without a clear Treatment Plan (or if you don’t follow your practitioner’s advice), you will find that it is “pain” that keeps bringing you back to the clinic – and that is often too late.  You may find you get into a chronic cycle, and never fully recover if this is the case.  So what’s our advice?  Follow our advice! Do your part, and we’ll do ours – and the results will be amazing!

If you are unclear about your Treatment Plan that your practitioner has designed for you, please just ask.  ** Did you know that Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic is one of the only clinics in Surrey & Delta that gives written Treatment Plan slips to our patients, and sends a Patient Progress Report to all referring doctors? We’re proud to be your choice – thank-you!

 

The benefits of Chiropractic treatment and Pregnancy

June 17th, 2011

Low back pain with pregnancy

Is your pregnancy causing you pain? Maybe you know someone who is having discomfort with their pregnancy?   A pregnancy can be an exciting time but often not without a few challenges on the woman’s body.

Both bio-chemical and bio-mechanical changes that occur during pregnancy can cause back pain, pelvic pain, sciatic referrals, and even headaches to name a few. Chiropractic treatment can help!  Treatments are safe and effective when conducted by a qualified professional.

Our chiropractors at Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic are highly trained, and will conduct a thorough assessment before treatment.  They will gather a complete medical history, and listen to you and answer all your concerns.

Together with you and often your family physician, our Doctors of Chiropractic will design a treatment plan that helps manage your pain so that you can stay active and have the benefits of a positive pregnancy.

Take a look at the video below to see Dr. Sharon Dhaliwal answer some questions about chiropractic treatment and pregnancy and perform a chiropractic adjustment on a pregnant patient:   What to Expect: Pregnancy Chiropractic Visit

Please do not hesitate to call our clinic and speak with one of our Chiropractors to see if this treatment is right for you.

604-591-5569 at 214 – 12080 Nordel Way, Surrey BC.  Scott Rd and Nordel Way.

Stretching Myth

May 14th, 2011

Typical "quad stretch"

A great question was posed in our blog this week, which we think deserves a full post dedication.  “Is it true that you can’t stretch your quads?”  The surprising answer is mostly TRUE.  When you perform a typical quadriceps stretch, it is the rectus femoris (approximately 15% of the quadriceps muscle mass) that is being stretched – and “yes” you will feel a strong stretch sensation through the front of your leg.  The other muscles (vastus lateralis/medialis/intermedius  – “vasti” meaning “large”) make up the “vast” majority of the quads and can only be stretched with knee flexion.

Anatomically impossible to stretch the "vasti" group

The problem is: knee flexion is limited by your calf muscle hitting your hamstrings behind your leg at about 120 degrees.  This is only enough to create a mild stretch if any at all.  So there you have it:  your anatomy actually limits your flexibility!  This is where we also find a bit of a “stretch myth”, because we can guarantee you that you can go into the local book store and find many health and fitness books on how to stretch your quads.

In fact, many healthcare practitioners are trained that “any muscle in the body can be stretched”.  But it’s hard to argue with science, and stretching the vast majority of your quads is just anatomically impossible.  And the quadriceps are not alone – there are several other muscles in the body which Paul Inghram, clinician and health journalist, has fondly termed as the “Unstretchables”:

 

Unstretchable: Why:
Masseter & Temporalis The jaw can only open so far.
Suboccipitals Neck flexion limited by chin hitting chest in many people.
Supraspinatus Arm adduction is limited by the torso.
Pectoralis minor The scapula needs to lift to stretch this muscle, and is limited by leverage.
Thoracic paraspinals Spine flexion in this area is limited by the rib-cage.  You can really only “hunch” this area.
Latissimus dorsi The enormous length of this muscle requires great distance to truly stretch.  No matter how far you lift the arm to stretch, stretch tension remains very low.
Gluteals Stretching is blocked by the limit of hip flexion.  The length of the muscle requires a greater flexion to truly stretch the tissue than can ever be anatomically created.
Tibialis anterior Limited by ankle flexion.

Massage of the "unstretchable" suboccipital muscle.

Don’t believe us?  Give it your best try!  If you think you are feeling a stretch, it is probably another tissue you are actually feeling.  The one exception may be if there is a
significant injury, in which very little tension may be required for the muscle to begin a stretch when under a protective spasm.  For many people, this information is like learning about an “itch” that just can’t be scratched.  There is a solution: Massage Therapy.  The muscle may not be able to be stretched, but it can be massaged.  Massage can help restore a normal tone to the muscle, and help restore function.  If you have an injury to one of the “Unstretchables”, think Massage Therapy, and seek out a trained and licensed professional.

 

Stop Pain Without Drugs: How Kinesio-Tape Works

April 25th, 2011

Stop Pain Without Drugs: How Kinesio Tape Works

Kinesio-Tape at Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic

At Legacies Sports Massage and Chiropractic, many of our practitioners are trained in the new techniques of Stretch-tape (also known as Kinesio-tape, K-tape, Kin-tape, and Kinesiology Tape).  This highly stretchable, breathable, hypoallergenic tape can be applied with or without a “stretch” for desired effects, and can stay on the skin for up to 5 days lasting through exercise and even swimming.  A skilled practitioner can use the tape with different techniques to either correct posture, support an area, increase lymphatic and blood circulation, load or unload tendons, and even assist pain management.

Kin-Tape at Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic

Today, pain management will be our focus of discussion.  Have you ever had an injury that causes a pain referral that lingers, no matter what you do?  A pain that just throbs, and remains constant and dull?  Maybe a back strain, or an elbow tendonitis?  Maybe shoulder pain from repetitive strain at your computer work station?  Pain is a terrible thing sometimes, and it can ruin your mental focus, affect your mood, and challenge your overall energy.  Chronic pain is even worse, as it will effect your motivation and create serious limitations in your recovery.  Have you ever been in this situation or know someone who is?  Below I will describe how Kinesio-Tape can now assist patients to manage pain with this new exciting product…

Stretch-Tape at Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic

Let me ask you a quick question that will help you understand how Kinesio-Tape helps inhibit pain:  Have you ever banged your thumb – maybe with a hammer or in a door?  What is the first thing you did (besides screaming)?  You squeezed your thumb with your other hand, right?  It is the mechanical compression that your hand squeezing your thumb creates that helps to “block” the nerve signals to the brain which are saying “My thumb really hurts!”.  Without getting into the neuro-physiology, we can simply summarize and say that “compression inhibits pain signals by over-riding them”.  Not exactly what happens, but pretty close (My old Neurology Instructor would probably gasp at that explanation!).

So here is how Kinesio-Tape works:  the “stretch” with the tape the practitioner applies over an area of pain creates compression – just like your hand squeezing your thumb.  The great thing with Kinesio-Tape however, is that this compression can last up to 5 days.  What is key for the practitioner is to simply apply the Kinesio-Tape over your pain referral area.

K-Tape at Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic

I have personally practiced with this relatively new product for over a year in my clinic, and have had some amazing results with it.  I have patients who are drug sensitive and cannot manage pain with medication, but Kinesio-Tape has.  I have patients who were able to return to exercise with Kinesio-Tape because pain is being managed, and this has allowed them to overcome chronic pain syndromes and eventually return to normal activities in their day.  It is a great tool for skilled practitioners, and will often be used with other appropriate modalities.  Seek out a skilled practitioner, and see if Kinesio-Tape is right for you!

Why Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic uses bolsters vs pillows.

April 10th, 2011

At Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic, we have chosen to use bolsters for lower extremity support during a massage therapy treatment compared to pillows which are used by most other facilities.  The reason is quite simple yet multifaceted:  A triangular bolster offers ideal support to a patient, whether they are prone (facedown) or supine (face-up).  To be in a supported position during a treatment is crucial to optimizing therapy outcomes.  Have you ever had a treatment where you are uncomfortable on the treatment table?  You can’t relax, and you are more aware of pain – right?  Removing compression and tension from joints and musculature is the first step a therapist makes before beginning a treatment.   When face-up, the bolster unloads the back, supporting it against the table.  In a facedown position, the bolster slackens the hamstrings that can oppose the lower back musculature if the legs were otherwise straight.  A pillow cannot provide this support, unless several are stacked together – and even then a less than ideal angle for the knee is created.

triangular bolster

The next reason that we use triangular bolsters is that they provide excellent drainage through elevation of the lower extremity.  A pillow does not do this, unless again many are stacked together.  Drainage is important therapeutically as it assists venous return and increases central blood volume, enhancing the effects of the massage treatment – even if the treatment is not aimed at the legs.  An increase of central blood volume will accelerate circulatory results in the back, neck, shoulders, and even arms.  One of the greatest therapeutic effects of Massage Therapy is how it influences circulation through the soft tissues – so assisting venous return and increasing central blood volume is easily achieved with the triangular bolster.

The final reason Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic uses triangular bolsters over pillows is hygiene.  The bolsters are covered in a medical-grade vinyl that does not absorb bacteria, and we can wipe it clean easily with anti-bacterial wipes.  Pillows, usually cased in cotton, are not a hygienic choice for a medical practice, and will harbor microbials.

triangular bolster

So why don’t more massage therapy clinics use bolsters in treatment?  As with most things in life it comes down to cost.  A single medical grade bolster like ours will cost anywhere between $140 – $350.  An expensive investment.

Massage Therapy Colleges do not even supply these to their students.  So students learn in college to use pillows, and then graduate and practice using what they know: pillows.  At Legacies Sports Massage & Chiropractic we stop and ask, “what’s best for our patients?”.  We use bolsters because they offer superior support, ideal lower extremity drainage, and are the best choice in hygiene.

What is trigger point massage therapy?

March 7th, 2011

What is trigger point massage therapy? This is a common question regarding a massage therapy technique often referred to as “trigger point release (TPR)”. In our clinic, in approximately 90% of the massage therapy treatments given, trigger point release techniques are being used. But lets first define what a trigger point is, and then we can describe the therapy technique of releasing them.

A trigger point is a clinical name given to describe “hyperirritable spots in skeletal muscle that are associated with palpable nodules in taut bands of muscle fibers” (Travell, 1992). So in other words, a focal point within the tissue that is painful, and is most commonly described as a “knot” in the muscle. Now of course the tissue is not “tied in a knot”, but a skilled Registered Massage Therapist or Chiropractor will be able to feel and isolate this “mini-spasm” within the tissue.

Trigger points are significant because they alter the function of the muscle tissue. The muscle will be tighter, weaker, and create a pattern of pain that often refers to other areas. Have you ever had a headache from working at a computer too long? That could likely be the referred pain of a trigger point you feel, often in the neck or shoulders. Identifying the cause of a trigger point is probably the most significant clinical finding about it – that trigger points are not normal, and they will often point to an underlying cause such as poor posture, repetitive movement or strain, over-exertion, and sometimes the guarding response of a deeper underlying injury. Somatic (muscle) pain can be very debilitating and limiting, and a skilled practitioner will consider and test many factors when making an examination.

The most common clinical technique in our clinic of releasing a trigger point is through what is called an ischemic compression. An ischemic compression is when the therapist isolates the trigger point, and compresses it with pressure (often using a thumb to be precise). When compressed, the trigger point’s pain referral is often heightened temporarily, but quickly eases as the tissue releases. Ischemia means “a restriction in blood supply”, so by limiting blood supply to the trigger point through this compression technique, the muscle is deprived of essential nutrients (such as O2) needed to continue to contract and the result is that the tissue relaxes. The physiological response is of course a bit more complex, but this is essentially the basis for trigger point release technique. By releasing the trigger point, the pain is relieved, tightness decreases, and the tissue begins to function normally.

Trigger Point Release Technique: Ischemic Compression