Job Posting – Receptionist/Front Desk Clerical

Diversified Health Clinic is currently hiring for a Receptionist/Front Desk Clerical position. This is not an MOA position.

We are a multi-disciplinary, collaborative health and wellness center that combines a wide range of services including Chiropractic, Physiotherapy, Registered Massage Therapy, and Acupuncture. We are proud of our strong team of practitioners and staff and are looking forward to adding another team member as we continue to grow.

This is a customer focused position with duties including patient bookings, answering phones and email inquiries, filing, insurance submissions and billings, MSP/Extended Health billings and processing, opening and closing procedures and various office duties as needed. This is not an MOA position, however, a strong administrative background in health services is an asset and the ability to prioritize and multi-task is essential.

We are currently recruiting for a permanent position; approximately 30-32 hours per week – Fridays to Tuesdays (inclusive of weekends). This is an hourly wage-based position with an extended health benefits package.

Resumes can be emailed to the Clinic Manager, L. Steel at lsteel@diversifiedhealth.ca or dropped off at the Clinic at 1063 Fort Street, attention to L. Steel.

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What is Sciatica, And How Do I Stop The Pain?

There are two types of categories of sciatic pain:

  • Acute sciatica (short-term) lasting 4-8 weeks.
  • Chronic sciatica (long term) lasting for 8 weeks or more.

The main symptom of sciatica is a shooting pain anywhere along the sciatic nerve. That can range from the lower back, through the buttock, and down the back of either leg. This pain can range from a mild ache to severe debilitating pain.

There are several reasons why someone might suffer from sciatic pain. This may be the result of something as simple as bad posture, muscle strain or spasm, a sports injury, car accident, being overweight, sleeping on a too soft mattress, or a simple sneeze, cough, bend, or lift, if you are out of shape and have a weak core. More seriously the sciatic pain maybe caused by a slipped disc in the back.

Pain from sciatica can change on a daily basis: it can be shooting, burning, sharp, dull, non-stop, or intermittent.  Many people complain of intense and acute pain, while others experience a numb and weak feeling in the parts of their leg where it hurts. This may sometimes indicate more serious neurological problems.

Your health care practitioner; chiropractor or physiotherapist can check the spine for areas of tenderness, and test for sensation, coordination, and muscle strength. Sciatica can be relieved by treating symptoms and any specific causes that exists, such as a slipped disc.

The healthcare practitioners at Diversified Health use manual therapy as well as numerous modalities, such as the Kennedy Spinal Decompression Table,  (provides relief to severe back pain sufferers by gently reducing the pressure within the spinal discs) Dry Needling, Laser therapy, and eToims Therapy, when treating Sciatica pain.

Moderate exercise will be recommended when pain is minimal, and when acute symptoms have lessened. Rehab therapy will be suggested to help strengthen abdominal and back muscles, which is important to prevent a return of these symptoms.

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What Can You Do At Home For Back Pain?

Everyone suffers from the occasional bout of back pain… so what can you do at home to decrease the pain?

One way to decrease back pain is to get a good night sleep. Pain is a leading cause of insomnia: approximately two-thirds of people with chronic back pain suffer from some type of sleep disorder.  Make sure to organize your bedroom to help you get a good night sleep. Keep your room dark and cool, make sure you have ample pillows to help support your hips, neck and back as needed.

Another easy way to help reduce back pain is simply applying cold/hot packs.

Cold therapy – It reduces inflammation, acts as a local anesthetic, and keeps the nerves from “spasming” and causing pain.

Heat therapy –It stimulates blood flow, which brings healing nutrients to the affected area and can inhibits the pain messages being sent to the brain.

Not all types of heat will work for every person. Heat therapy can take the form of a hot shower, soaking in a hot tub, a heating pad, hot water bottle, or commercial heat wraps that you place on your body and they provide continuous, low-level heat.

Gentle stretching can also help to relieve back pain. When stretching, make sure that it is pain free and never force a stretch.

  • Move into the stretch slowly and avoid bouncing
  • Hold stretches long enough (20-30 seconds)
  • Repeat the stretch several times

If you suffer from chronic back pain or neck pain, check with your physician or health care practitioner before starting any type of exercise or stretching routine.

 Static back stretch:

  • Lie face-up in front of a sturdy chair, with your legs raised and buttocks close to the chair’s front legs.
  • Bend knees to 90° and place calves on chair seat, with legs relaxed in a comfortable position.
  • Breathe from your stomach and let the lower back muscles relax.

Knee to chest stretch:

  •  Lie on your back with your knees bent.
  • Grab both knees and slowly bring them towards your chest and a stretch is felt in your lower back.
  • Hold this position for 30 seconds before lowering your legs back to the floor again.
  • you can also complete this stretch with one leg at a time: Slowly bend one knee and pull your leg up to your chest. Wrap your arms around your thigh, and gently pull the knee towards your chest. Hold and slowly extend the leg to starting position, and repeat with other side.

Supine Groin Stretch:

  • Begin in Static Back position – lie on your back with one leg resting on a chair, knee bent at 90 degrees, while the other leg is extended straight out and resting on the floor alongside the chair.
  • Make sure both legs are aligned with the hips and shoulders
  • The foot of the extended leg should be propped upright to preventing it from rolling to one side
  • Stretch arms along the floor, straight out from shoulders, palms up. Relax entire body and hold

If you are still suffering from back pain after a day or two, contact your health care practitioner: chiropractor, physiotherapist, massage therapist or acupuncturist and make sure you rule out anything serious.

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Mobility And Balance Issues At Any Age

Any one at any age can have balance and mobility issues.  These types of issues can be caused by an illness, injury, or as a natural progression as we age. When you are dealing with a balance or mobility issue you can increase the chance of sustaining an injury from a fall.  A physiotherapist can help to treat these symptoms and can help to increase your range of motion, strengthen your muscles, and improve your posture.

The physiotherapists at Diversified Health are trained to assess joint mobility, muscular strength, balance and gait patterns.  Part of their assessment is to identify deficits and come up with a program to improve such key issues as quadriceps and gluteus (thigh and buttock) strength. The practitioners will advise you on which specific strength, mobility and balance exercises would be most beneficial for you, and will make suggestions on functional ways to work on these exercises at home or at the gym.

Balance is dependent on core stability, hip and leg muscle control and visual systems. There are two types of balance; static balance when you are not moving, and dynamic balance when you start to move.

Related conditions poor balance can affect:

  • Achilles Tendon
  • Back Muscle Pain
  • Facet Joint Pain
  • Hamstring Strain
  • Knee Injuries
  • Muscle Strain
  • Overuse Injuries
  • Sciatica
  • Plantar Fasciitis

At Diversified Health, some specific exercises you might be shown include wall squats, bridging, or outer hip strengthening.  You might use tools such as balance boards, BOSU balls, the Vibe machine, and various other cardio or weight equipment. Other treatment options include: Gait Analysis, Ultrasound, Supportive Taping & Strapping, TENS Machine and Laser therapy.

The physiotherapists also educate regarding footwear, posture and general activity, exercise, and help you come up with a plan to incorporate all three kinds of physical activity (strength and balance exercises; endurance exercises; and flexibility exercises) into your daily life.
In most cases, your balance deficits can be quickly improved with specific balance or stability exercises.

 

 

 

 

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What Is An IMS Treatment, And How Can It Help?

IMS, or dry needling is a therapeutic treatment that targets tight, sore, and injured muscles.  The goal of IMS is to release tight muscles in order to relieve nerve irritation and restore range of motion.

A Physiotherapist will insert thin needles into a tight muscle while changing the needles depth and direction. This motion will cause that muscle to “twitch”.  The “twitch” is caused by a quick contraction of the muscle.  This grasping feeling will then in turn become a feeling of release as the tightened and short muscle relaxes: the needle is then removed.  (A needle placed in a normal healthy muscle would cause no response and no pain).

The experience of an IMS treatment greatly varies from person to person. The response can be anywhere from uncomfortable to quite painful; but it’s temporary.  The level of discomfort is directly related to the level of nerve dysfunction, and the discomfort will decrease as the nerve returns to normal function.  It is not the needle causing the pain, but the muscle’s response to the needling that is causing the pain.

There are a number of changes that take place when the needle is inserted into a muscle.  First, the stretch receptor in the muscle is stimulated, producing a reflex relaxation (lengthening). Second, the tiny “injury” created by the needle draws blood to the area, initiating the natural healing process. Thirdly, inserting the needle also creates what’s called an “electric potential” which acts like a reset switch to make the nerve function normally again.

IMS is helpful for the following conditions:

  • Neck pain
  • Back pain
  • Sciatica
  • Whiplash
  • Shoulder pain
  • Tennis Elbow
  • Muscle sprains
  • Runners Knee
  • Plantar Fasciitis

The longer you have had your symptoms, the more treatments that are usually required. It can take 3-4 sessions to notice prolonged improvements in symptoms, though improvements are often found after the first session. On average, 4-8 sessions are required.

For more information on IMS/ dry needling, please contact our physiotherapists.

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The Two Must Do’s After A Car Accident

You can suffer injuries after a car accident even if there is no physical damage done to your car. The majority of injuries suffered in minor auto accident are soft tissue injuries. A chiropractor, physiotherapist or massage therapist can help you recover after your auto accident.

One of the most important things to do after an auto accident is to seek medical attention. Many people who have been in auto accident go straight to the ER. The ER may perscribe or conduct imaging, treat any cuts or broken bones, write a prescription for the pain and tell you to follow up with your primary care doctor.  There is also the option of going to your GP, walk in clinic or health care practitioner.

Some of the symptoms from a car accident that may not show up immediately are:

Arm / Leg Pain
Back / Neck Pain
Bruising / Tenderness
Dizziness / Headaches
Muscle Weakness
Numbness
Sprains / Strains
Whiplash

Don’t underestimate the emotional symptoms caused by a car accident and make sure you take care of your mental health. Following a car accident, you may suffer from depression, easily frustrated, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, and “mental fog”.

The second most important thing to do after a car accident is to start a medical file/journal. Take detailed notes on your injuries, (take pictures of the accident location, and photos of your car’s damage and photos of your own injuries) treatments and what challenges you experience on a daily basis starting from the day of the accident and continuing until your last treatment; which can be a few days to numerous months depending on the severity of your injuries.

  • Keep a list of all doctors, clinics, hospitals, and health care practitioners
  • Keep receipts for all medical bills and receipts
  • Keep all correspondence with medical professionals, (emails, telephone conversations etc.) insurance adjusters, and any accident reports from the police
  •  Keep records of financial losses, such as lost wages

After the accident, your number one priority is to restore your mobility and range of motion, so you can get back to enjoying your daily activities.

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Job Posting – Administrative Assistant/Receptionist

Exterior.jpg.4f0de2feDiversified Health Clinic is a multi-disciplinary, collaborative health and wellness center that combines a wide range of services including Chiropractic, Physiotherapy, Registered Massage Therapy, and Acupuncture.  We are currently hiring an Administrative Assistant/Receptionist to our growing team.

We are a high volume clinic with a strong team of practitioners and staff. The successful applicant will be comfortable working independently as well as being an integral part of our team.

This is a customer focused position with duties including patient bookings, answering phones and email inquiries, filing, insurance submissions and billings, MSP/Extended Health  billings and processing, opening and closing procedures and various office duties as needed. This is not an MOA position, however, a strong administrative background in health services is an asset and the ability to prioritize and multi-task are essential.

We are currently recruiting for a permanent part time position. This position is 3 days per week; Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The position is approximately 21 hours per week. This is an hourly wage-based position. Position to start immediately.

Resumes can be emailed to the Clinic Manager, Lola Steel at lsteel@diversifiedhealth.ca or dropped off at the Clinic at 1063 Fort Street, attention to Lola Steel.

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