Category Archives: injury treatement

What you need to know about chiropractic care

April 12, 2021injury treatement, News ArticlesDana Clark

Chiropractic care comprises treatments that are focused on the diagnosis and treatment of afflictions of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems – with some of the more common direct and indirect manifestations including low back pain, neck pain, headaches but also of all other musculoskeletal injuries of the ankles, knees, shoulders and elbows..

Chiropractic is an established health care profession, with chiropractors undergoing a minimum of six to seven years of training (post-secondary education), and subject to passing standardized regulatory exams to secure a license to practice. The chiropractic profession works collaboratively with healthcare professionals across a wide spectrum of health professions.

At Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic, we specialize in combining treatments across a range of disciplines, so you have access to all of these healthcare professionals in one clinic – including chiropractors.

Before booking your chiropractic care appointment have a read through what to expect from chiropractic treatment, and some important considerations to keep in mind.

What to expect from chiropractic care

At your first visit to the chiropractic practice, the chiropractor will evaluate your medical history, combined with a physical examination focused primarily on the spine. Your chiropractor will make a diagnosis based on their assessments and will suggest treatment options to suit your condition. In most cases chiropractic care will suffice as the primary treatment, however, they may enlist complementary treatments through other health care providers depending on the diagnosis.

Chiropractic Care Used For Back Pain

Chiropractic adjustment is one of the primary treatment options that is used to treat back pain and conditions related to the spine. Chiropractic treatment is also known as spinal manipulation and is performed mostly by physical contact by the chiropractor who realigns and adjusts the spine by applying a variety of different techniques, including using sudden force, massage techniques, physical moving and adjusting of the joints, as well as exercise.

Chiropractic treatment options have been proven to be effective in pain relief for a number of conditions related to back pain, including acute and chronic back pain (especially in low back pain), and in the case of lumbar herniated discs resulting in pinched nerves.

Chiropractic Care Used For Neck Pain

Chiropractic neck adjustments – also known as cervical manipulation – work through the same mechanisms and techniques used in spinal manipulation. Through relieving pressure on the cervical joints this treatment can provide effective pain relief from conditions such as muscle spasms, pinched nerves, cervical sprain injuries, whiplash, and degenerative joint syndrome (neck) amongst others.

Whilst chiropractic care will be an effective and safe therapy for most people, there are conditions under which chiropractic adjustment is not safe for the individual, namely if you have:

Severe arthritis
Severe osteoporosis
Infections in the bone or joints
Cancer in the spine
High risk of stroke
Bone tumors or fractures
Severe pinched nerve(s)
A bone deformity in your upper neck
Any numbness, tingling, or loss of function in your arms or legs

Chiropractic care and the associated manipulative therapies mentioned here are generally entirely safe when conducted by certified health care providers, such as the licensed professionals at Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic.
Speak to us today about booking an appointment – even if you have a condition that precludes you from chiropractic care, we would be happy to refer you to one of our other treatment options.

Welcome New Physiotherapist Tara Campbell

January 3, 2019injury prevention, injury recovery, injury treatement, News Articles, rehabilitationErin Shapcott

Tara graduated from Queen Margaret University, Scotland with a Masters of Science, Honors in Physiotherapy. Prior to her physiotherapy studies, she gained her Bachelor of Arts, Kinesiology degree from Western University in London Ontario. Tara enjoys keeping busy with many sports and hobbies, including field hockey, downhill skiing, yoga, cooking, hiking and ultimate frisbee. She played for the women’s varsity field hockey team during her undergraduate degree at Western, and continued to play while at school in Scotland. Tara has experience with soccer and football team therapy, volunteer experience at the Lithuanian Olympics and elderly rehabilitation programs. Through her education and personal experiences, Tara is dedicated to helping clients achieve their rehabilitation, fitness and wellness goals. Tara is pursuing advanced concussion training with Complete Concussion Management, and will be working towards Medical Acupuncture Licensing. As an enthusiastic, engaging therapist, Tara loves that she is able to work with new and returning clients everyday. Further, Tara is committed to continuous learning, and is eager to advance her clinical education.

No More Excuses

January 14, 2016injury treatementAthletic Therapy, Athletic Therapy Oakville, Chiropractic, Chiropractic Oakville, diet, Exercise, get healthy, goal setting, losing weight, Massage Therapy, new year resolutions, Oakville Physio, Oakville Physiotherapy, oakville physiotherapy clinics, Sheddon Physiotherapy, Sports Medicine, Tips, TrainingErin Shapcott

It’s that time of year when most people are feeling pudgy from indulging too much over the holidays, tired from staying up too late and stiff/sore from not getting to physio nor doing their home exercises. It is no surprise that the number one New Year’s resolution is to simply “Get Healthy.” Getting healthy encompasses a lot of smaller goals to be successful: eating healthy, getting more exercise, getting more sleep, drinking less, and getting your nagging injuries finally addressed. At this point, 2 weeks into the new year, most people are still pretty gung-ho about their goals. However, by March more and more people revert back to their old habits, and evidently the gym isn’t as busy and the salad bar isn’t as crowded. Unfortunately, statistics show that only 12% of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions. This also helps explain why most people usually have the same goals every year. How can you make sure that 2016 is the year you get healthy, lose weight and feel good about yourself?

Most people won’t achieve their goals because:

Goals are unrealistic;
Goals are vague;
Everyone wants a quick fix

One of the most effective approaches developed to help with achieving goals and changing lifestyle behaviours is the Transtheoretical Model. It was initially developed to help people to stop smoking and has since been applied to other health behaviours, such as losing weight and getting active. If you want to be one of the 12% of the people who achieve their New Year’s resolutions, follow the steps briefly outlined below in the model:

Step 1 for Getting Healthy:

Are you ready for change? If someone else is telling you what your goals should be then you can guarantee that gym membership will be a waste of money. There needs to be some internal motivation in order to be compliant with your new behaviours. This involves understanding the health benefits, assessing how it will impact your life and your feelings around new behaviours like exercise and healthy eating habits. For example, when a new patient starts physiotherapy to address a nagging injury, the main factors which determine if a patient will be compliant with therapy is if they believe the treatment will be effective and if they perceive themselves as being able to carry out the treatment. Individuals who have these positive beliefs are more likely to adhere to the treatment sessions and the home exercise program, which ultimately lead to getting healthy.

You really cannot move on to Step 2 unless you are committed to changing your habits, behaviours and lifestyle.

Step 2

Okay, you’re commited to change, now what? You need a plan!

Let’s say that your goal is to run a 10k in 6 months. Without a plan you likely won’t get your butt off the couch. In order for people to start and maintain a new behaviour (i.e., start jogging), they need to feel confident and successful in being able to achieve their goal. The easiest way to build confidence is to set realistic short-term goals that enable success. For example, the wannabe runner can set a short-term goal to get out for a walk/run 3 days/wk for 20 minutes. They have 6 months until their 10k goal, so there is no need to set initial expectations too high, especially since failure will likely lead to quitting. As short-term goals are achieved, one feels more confident in their ability and success to reach their long-term goals.

Step 3

Recognize any barriers and have a plan to deal with them.

Old habits are hard to break, so don’t get down on yourself if you fall off the wagon. Of course you’re going to get together with family and friends and eat too much, stay up too late and decide it’s way more fun to hang out at home in your PJ’s watching Netflix than to go out in the cold for a run. Not sticking with your plan from time to time is no reason to quit and give up. If you know ahead of time when and what will make it hard to stick with your goals, then you can be prepared to deal with those obstacles and potential setbacks.

Step 4

Tell someone your goal.

Your spouse, a friend, a coworker or your physio. Pick someone that you see on a fairly regular basis, someone who will be positive and encourage you along the way. By telling someone else what your goal is, it helps keep you accountable. It also creates a support team for when you need extra motivation and run into obstacles.

4 simple steps which require a whole lot of effort! Achieving your New Year’s resolution isn’t easy; if it were, the success rate would be a lot higher than 12%. The best piece of advice is not to expect a miracle overnight. Sure a 30-day cleanse will help you lose weight initially, but after those 30 days what are you going to eat and how will you maintain your new weight? New Year’s resolutions are about long-term changes to your daily habits. You need to be ready to change your lifestyle and behaviours in order to be successful and to ensure that your goals for 2017 don’t end up being the same goals that you’ve just set for 2016.