Tag Archive for: Pain management

Physiotherapy Victoria BC

physio clinic victoria bcIf you’ve ever  had an injury, accident or pulled a tendon while running, you may have been told to visit a physiotherapist in Victoria BC. But what is a physiotherapist? Who do they help?

To develop their expertise, physiotherapists study anatomy, neuroscience and physiology and will achieve advanced diplomas, certificates, degrees, and other professional designations.

Physiotherapists are clinical professionals who help restore, maintain and increase your strength, function, and movement, and they do this through a deep understanding of the body’s physiology, and by using exercise, inspiring motivation, and working special equipment tailored to the needs of each of their patients.

What should you expect on your first visit?

On your first visit your physiotherapist reviews your injury or condition and plans a treatment program for you.

This includes the following:
• You are asked questions about your present condition and health history.
• A physical examination is done to assess your injury or condition-this can sometimes temporarily increase your pain.
• Your physiotherapist reviews with you what was found during the assessment & discusses the recommended treatment goals & program.

Physio treatments:

  • Prevent and treat sports injuries
  • Restore and work to increase the range of motion in joints
  • Increase spatial coordination
  • Educate their clients about how to use canes, crutches and wheelchairs
  • Help injured individuals return to work and daily activities

Physio equipment can include:

  • Cold Laser/TENS/Ultrasound
  • Decompression Table
  • Shockwave Therapy
  • Rehab gym facility
  • weights/balls etc.

For more information, please contact our Physiotherapists at Diversified Health.

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Victoria Clinic Discusses Health Guidelines for Tattooing

Victoria clinic discusses health guidelines for tattooing, starting with the fact that tattoos arose from a rich cultural history dating back 5,000 years.  The purpose of tattooing has varies from culture to culture.  Before you start  any tattoo, wait until you know exactly what you want permanently inked onto your skin; why you want it, where you want it, and exactly what it means to you.

The best way to pick a tattoo artist is to get a recommendation from a friend or acquaintance who’s had a positive experience working with a local artist. Otherwise, consider group review resources like Yelp.

Victoria Clinic Discusses Health Guidelines for Tattooing

Photo Credit: tattooswithmeaning.org

Insist on a consultation with the artist that will be doing your tattoo before the actual tattooing begins.   You want to talk with this person,  to see if you click,  and to discuss  issues such as your art, placement, the amount of time it will take, and the fee.

You need to insist on a viewing the the facility’s sterilization equipment and procedures.  You need to be shown that the tools are completely clean and safe by being shown an autoclave, sterilized needles, fresh latex gloves, and all necessary ink and equipment laid out on a clean work area. The artist should remove all sterilized equipment from its packaging in front of you, if not walk away.

How much it will hurt will depend on placement, size, complexity, and your own personal pain threshold. Tattoos placed over bones and tendons (spine, neck, back of ankle), on body parts with relatively little padding (feet, hands, joints), and anywhere with loads of nerve endings (nipples, fingers, face) will be the most painful.

Victoria clinic discusses health guidelines for tattooing with an informative booklet that covers informed consent, premises, and operation, preparation, and handling of instruments and equipment, pigments (dyes or inks), infection control, waste disposal, personal service workers, and post-tattooing skin care.

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Our Health Clinic Answers the Question, What is Chronic Back Injury?

Our health clinic answers the question, What is Chronic Back Injury?  A healthy back is straight, moves easily and is free of pain. When there is pain in any area of the back for a very long period of time, this is called chronic back injury, or chronic back pain.

The most common area for chronic back injury is the lower back; also called the lumbar spine.

Back pain is usually defined as either acute or chronic. Doctors may diagnose low back pain as acute if it lasts less than a month and is not caused by serious medical conditions. If the pain persists, it is considered chronic back injury, also called chronic back pain. This constitutes only 1% to 5% of back pain cases.

Our Health Clinic Answers the Question, What is Chronic Back Injury?
Chronic Back pain

Herniated discs are also a common source of back pain. Inside each disc is a jelly-like substance and 80% of the disc is water, which makes it very elastic. A disc does not contain any blood and relies on nearby blood vessels to keep it nourished. A herniated disc occurs when the cartilage between the vertebrae tears. As a result the cartilage and its contents will bulge out from between the vertebrae, often putting pressure on the nerves in the area.

How Common is Chronic Back Pain?

  • Almost 20 million (2 in 3) Canadians will have at least one episode of back pain in their lifetime.
  • 600,000 (1 in 50) Canadians will be disabled by it.
  • Chronic back injury occurs in both men and women.
  • It can affect people of any age, but older people are more likely to have chronic back pain.

Back pain is the most prevalent medical disorder in industrialized societies.

What are the Warning Signs of Chronic Back Injury?

  • If you have pain in the back that lasts for longer than a few days but less than a month this is called acute back injury.
  • If the pain lasts longer than month this is called chronic back injury.
  • The pain can be anywhere in the back. It can be in one area only or spread across a wide area.
  • Your back might be stiff and the muscles swollen. This combination of pain, stiffness and swelling is called inflammation.
  • Some injuries will cause muscles spasms in the back, and pain or weakness in a leg.

Back pain can develop anywhere from the neck to the lower spine. The pain can be localized or spread across a wide area and radiate from a central point. Muscle spasms may occur at the site of the pain. Some people also get pain or weakness in a leg as a result of back injury.

What causes Chronic Back Injury?

  • Many times the cause of chronic back injury is not known.
  • Poor posture is the most common cause of back pain.
  • Injury due to lifting heavy objects is also a frequent cause of back pain.
  • Being overweight and not exercising enough can increase your risk of back injury.
  • If your back is weak you can get back pain when you get upset or feel stressed.
  • Some types of arthritis can cause chronic back pain.

How to avoid Chronic Back Injury;

  • Be kind to your body. After doing heavy work, or doing the same task over and over, stop and rest.
  • Use your back, arms and legs in safe ways to avoid putting stress on joints.
  • When you lift a heavy item keep it as close to your body as possible. Keep your back straight and use your legs to do the lifting.
  • Use helpful devices such as a cart to carry your grocery bags.
  • Maintain a healthy weight to avoid putting extra stress on your joints.
  • Be aware of your posture and be sure to stand and sit straight.
  • Wear proper walking shoes that support your feet and help keep your back and legs straight.
  • Sleep on a firm mattress and support your neck properly with pillows. Do not sleep on your stomach as this can strain your neck.

Receiving regular maintenance treatments from your health practitioner is a great preventative measure; so when our health clinic answers the question, What is Chronic Back Injury? You will already know how to avoid this condition.

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Myofascial Pain Syndrome II: chiropractor victoria bc

Myofascial Pain Syndrome II: chiropractor victoria bc

We devised a Recommended Action Plan for Laurie, including regular chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, acupuncture and some good lifestyle changes that Laurie needed to commit to, such as some simple exercises she could perform and a regular plan of walking for at least three times each week. We cautioned Laurie not to expect an instant cure, but instead to look for steady improvement if she followed our recommendations.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome II: chiropractor victoria bc

Photo Credit: vibrationtraining.net

After several weeks, and to her obvious amazement, Laurie said the pain was starting to disappear. It wasn’t totally gone, and she still had some bad days. But she also had some good days too, something she hadn’t seen for years! We slightly increased the time and the distance that Laurie should walk and told her to continue the simple exercises. We also reduced the care as scheduled to twice a week. Laurie agreed to this plan.

Laurie’s situation has improved markedly since then, and has gone to a monthly treatment to maintain her progress.

Laurie’s  personal relationships have greatly improved.  Her daughter is still a teenager, and teenagers can be quite a handful. But now that Laurie can respond to what her daughter needs (not always giving her what she wants, of course!), her relationship with her daughter has improved.

The pain has abated so much that Laurie has been able to return to work part-time, which has been good for her pocketbook and for her self-esteem. Laurie reports that she, her husband, and her daughter are all very grateful for the chiropractic care that she received in our clinic, and it has given her back her life, all because her friend referred her to Diversified Health.

We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times and getting them feeling better!  Who do you know that may be living needlessly in pain with Myofascial Pain Syndrome II: chiropractor victoria bc.

Call us  at 250-382-0018 and we will assist you in putting together a custom maintenance plan.

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Myofascial Pain Syndrome | chiropractor victoria bc

Myofascial Pain Syndrome | chiropractor victoria bc   

When we first met her; Laurie came into Diversified Health very upset, fed up and feeling like nobody could help her, and  thinking that we probably couldn’t do anything much for her either. Her doctors had told her to learn to live with the constant pain she’d been experiencing for several years, and were apparently baffled by her condition.

Laurie told us that the pain had taken over her life. She could no longer work, and her marriage was not doing well. Her relationship with her teenage daughter was also very bad. Laurie said she knew adolescent girls were tough to cope with, but she also knew that they needed some attention, and Laurie was unable to interact with her daughter on most days because of the pain. She felt guilty and inadequate because she felt like a failure, both at work and in her family life.

A friend had suggested that the practitioner at Diversified Health would pay actual attention to her symptoms and would help her to attain some level of health and freedom from pain. She was hesitant because she’d never been to a chiropractor, and wasn’t quite sure what the experience would be like.

We took a complete medical history to determine if there were any obvious or subtler areas of trauma. The evidence suggested that Laurie was suffering from myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), a painful problem characterized by “trigger points” of pain, and a limited range of motion in the affected area. It’s also a condition that is exacerbated by stress. Ironically, in her worry and fear over finding a way to pain relief, Laurie was inadvertently worsening the condition.

Laurie could point out where the pain spots of her myofascial pain syndrome were located, and we were also able to readily identify the knobby points of muscle tissue in each place where she said she was hurting so badly. These trigger points don’t show up on imaging, but an experienced chiropractor will be able to find them by touch. Stay tuned for the next article where we discuss the Recommended Action Plan for Laurie in dealing with Myofascial Pain Syndrome | chiropractor victoria bc .

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