Squamish Wellness Directory

Post Partum Health for Moms- Restoring the Core

Pregnancy & delivery are natural parts of a woman’s life. But “natural” doesn’t mean “without effects”. These events can significantly ALTER the strategies women use to transfer loads – meaning walk, run, stand on one leg, squat, bend forward and even sit…

Pregnancy and delivery can have effects on the joints of the pelvis and lower back, the muscle/fascia system and the pelvic organs.

With regards to the joints, pain in the lower back and pelvis are fairly common during and after pregnancy. Some clients have told me their pain has persisted for years after having kids, but they were too busy to deal with it or assumed it was normal. This often leads them to reducing their activities, or in active community like Squamish, exercising through pain or incontinence.

When we look at the muscles system and the fascia, common issues include over-stretching of soft tissue that doesn’t return to normal months or even years post baby. Most commonly, this is either the soft tissue in the area of the pelvic floor or the linea alba, the tissue down the centre of your abdomen that contributes to your internal “corset or girdle” system supporting your pelvis, lower back and organs.

If you’ve ever heard of women having their bladders “resuspended” or having repairs for a prolapsed uterus, these are some examples of how organs can be affected. 30% of  clients ending up with surgery have to have it repeated again years later.

Given that within 5-7 years of having babies, 44% of women have some type of urinary incontinence (meaning leaking with sneezing, coughing, jumping or running), it is  very important that EVERY mom learns some basics about their core. There are no “perfect” exercises. You will learn about how muscles of the core, working at the right TIME for the right AMOUNT are the key to a good functioning core, and as a result, less pain and dysfunction. Whether or not you have symptoms right now, the earlier you learn to support your body, the better you will feel!

Want to learn how to reconnect to your core muscles after pregnancy so that you can stay active, healthy & leak-free for good?

 

Come to an informative workshop  that will introduce some of the concepts and skills needed to regain the ideal function of your lower back, pelvis.

 

Learning these things NOW could prevent future lower back pain, pelvis pain, uterine prolapse and bladder issues LATER, even if you are currently symptom free!

 

Taught by local physiotherapists

 

Tell your mom-friends about it!

 

Moms with babies 8 weeks to 18 years old welcome!

Classes are held once a month at Challenge by Choice studio

Next class is MONDAY SEPT 19th at 10am. If you can’t make that class, call the clinic and we will let you know when the next workshop is, they will be running once a month.

You can sign up by emailing sue_physio@mac.com or CALLING THE CLINIC AT 604-815-9864

Instructors are Maggie Phillips-Scarlett PT (proud mom of 1 year old Logan) and Sue Shalanski PT (dog-mom only).

Childcare now available at Reach Physio Solutions on Tuesdays and Thursdays

We're trying something NEW. Starting this week, we have childcare available midday on Tuesdays/Wednesday and Thursdays. We know its not easy to get time to take care of yourself so we'd like to make it a little easier. Call to book your physiotherapy or massage therapy appointment AND request childcare during your appointment!

604-815-9864

info@reachphysio.com

reachphysio.com

1235 Village Green Way

(Eaglewind Development under the clock tower)

 

 

Mind and Mountain Weekly Hikes

Starting this Sunday July 12th through til August 30th, Reach Physio Solutions will be leading hikes in the surrounding area twice a week.
We hope you'll join us

We'd be thrilled if you'd join us for "Mind and Mountain", a summer-long hiking program. It's an opportunity to be outdoors with a friendly group, feel safe, get some exercise and here's the twist...take a "mindful approach" to hiking.

As your leader, upon meeting at the trail head, I will share with you a quote or short reading to ponder, could be anything from Socrates to fairy tales to the latest on CNN. If you choose to, you may comtemplate the message during your hike (or NOT, we won't be checking!). We'll hike at our own pace, meeting at a mid point to stop for a rest and a stretch.

All we ask is that you bring water, appropriate clothing and an open mind! Friendly dogs are welcome too. The hikes will be approximately two hours in length for the average hiker. We will leave at 6pm on Tuesdays and 8:30 am on Sundays. The location will be announced via email (if you contact me and let me know you're interested, you'll be put on an email list, your address won't be shown to others, I promise), it will be also be posted on our website home page 2 days before hand and also on our Facebook group page ( to join, type "reach physio" in the search box). You can use the link below to get there now.

Oh, and I forgot to mention. The purpose of this, other than to be outside, with great people enjoying Squamish's splendor, is to fundraise for two local programs. The first recipient is the Seniors' Fall Prevention Program who are in need of equipment for their exercise programs starting very soon in the new Seniors Center opening this fall. The second recipient is as yet not decided- I'm open to your suggestions. Proceeds will be split 50/50. Please bring a cash donation with you to the hike (suggested $3-5).

Please pass on this information to anyone whom you think might enjoy group hikes. We will have hikes of varying levels of physical difficulty so that people of different abilities may come. I suspect we'll hike The Chief a few times, that being the most "difficult" and maybe walk the Four Lakes trail at Alice Lake, that being the most "accessible" hike.

I hope you'll join us.

Craniosacral Therapy for all Ages, Even Newborns

Craniosacral from day one is excellent for Common Problems of Newborns

Suzanne Baker is a Craniosacral, Visceral and Physiotherapist

Treating the root of injury & illness: physical, emotional and spiritual

A holistic and gentle form of hands-on therapy that aims to reduce restrictions and re-balance the relationship between our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves.

604-898-1185

sfbaker73@yahoo.ca

Take on the Challenge!

Starting April 1st, 2009, Reach Physio Solutions is offering another 30 Day Exercise Challenge!

Complete and log a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise (ex: cardio, strength training, stretching, yoga, walking, house cleaning or yard work to name but a FEW options).

Finish the whole challenge and you will not only have established a healthy habit of exercising regularly  but YOU  will also have a chance to win some great prizes, the grand prize being a Kona Africa cruiser bike. There’s a story behind these bikes- for every 2 bikes sold, Kona sends one to AFrica for healthcare workers to use to deliver medications to HIV/AIDS patients! Click here to read more about the AFRICABIKES project

The cost to enter is only $30 and two can join together for $50.  $2 from every entry goes to Habitat for Humanity.

NEW THIS TIME AROUND…  you can choose to do 30 Days of YOGA, with a special prize offered by Bodyvine Yoga Studio of a free month of unlimited yoga at their studio (a $95 value). A one month unlimited membership to Bodyvine Yoga for new members is only $65+GST, available at the studio or through our online store. You can purchase it anytime and it will become active on April 1st when you bring your receipt to the studio. Click here to buy your Introductory 1 month unlimited membership.

Sign up for the challenge

Download The 30 Day ChallengePoster Here

Can playing active video games like Nintendo's Wii Fit actually help you get fit?

When I was growing up, video games held NO appeal, at least to my girlfriends and I, who were the “sporty girls” in school. For the boys at my junior high school though, Pac man & Donkey Kong kept them busy through many a lunch hour at the local arcade! Besides the exercise involved in actually WALKING to the nearby “Happy Pop” store to play, not much fitness was gained. That was sometime back in the 80‘s...Can today’s video games offer playing time with fitness combined? The short answer is YES. 

The long answer requires some explanation of HOW you could use a fun tool like Wii Fit to help you achieve your fitness goals. As with other types of exercise- to build fitness, you need enough intensity (or challenge), for enough time on a regular basis (3-5 times a week at least) to get fit. To read more or watch a video review by the Times UK,  visit the  Reach Physio Blog

IMS versus Acupuncture...what's the difference?

IMS stands for Intra-Muscular Stimulation. It's a technique developed right here in BC by a Vancouver physician named Dr. C. Chan Gunn. 

Compared to acupuncture which has been around for hundreds of years, IMS is a relatively recent "invention". The needles used are the same in both treatments but the application combines conventional (or Western) physiological and anatomical knowledge  with traditional (Eastern) techniques to produce a fusion, of sorts. I personally believe it's a beautiful union of old with new, offering relief for clients who can not find any with regular physiotherapy or other body work, for example.

It's application and success has been noted mostly in the reduction of chronic musculo-skeletal pain. Some examples of "conditions" treated with IMS are tennis elbow, low back pain,  fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel or frozen shoulders, to name but a few.

IMS involves the insertion of needles into muscles who've shortened or contracted. Creating a tiny "wound" in the muscle encourages blood and healing materials into the area of the overly tight muscle. While tight, it doesn't heal properly which leads to the chronicity of the condition. The muscle being needled "grabs" onto the needle and after a while, relaxes. This continues for some time after the needling is complete. By "twiddling" the needle, a greater response can take place. Wanna read more? Visit my site to keep reading by clicking on this link IMS versus Acupuncture, what's the diff?

Sue Shalanski is a physiotherapist and owner of Reach Physio Solutions in Squamish. She practices IMS, having trained under C. Chan Gunn in 2003. Drop by the website at reachphysio.com  

When more exercise doesn't necessarily mean more benefit

Sue Shalanski 

BScPT, MCPA, MCPA, CGIMS

Sue has been practicing in Squamish for over 10 years. Wanna find out about our unique physiotherapy practice? Find out more about us at Reach Physio Solutions

If you do a Google search for “benefits of exercise”, the results are in the hundreds of millions. When you Google the results for “effects of too much exercise”, the numbers are exponentially lower...why? Because outside of the Sea to Sky corridor, and other pockets of this planet with exercise or outdoors obsessed folks, people DON’T MOVE much. Around here though, I’ve learnt that a little caution in required regarding the additional benefits of exercise when you've either had several previous injuries, are  a bit cardio-obsessed or start up a little too much too fast..

For people who are extreme  bikers, paddlers, boarders, skiers, kiters, climbers....insert other sport here)

As a physiotherapist working in Squamish for over 10 years, I am no longer surprised when a new patient, typically an active, outdoorsy person in their 30’s or 40's, comes in with a long list of old injuries including major joint sprains, or fractures and/or years of general aches and pains. 

Most of these clients come in with an immediate issue to deal with- "it hurts in my ankle such that I can’t snowboard well anymore without it swelling up afterwards".  Once we delve into the “life story” of injuries and heavy activity, it becomes apparent that an old issue that apparently mended long ago has left behind a trail of muscle imbalances that has possibly creating a mechanical “glitch” in the system. I am not an expert on vehicles, but imagine that your not-new-anymore car hits a pothole on the Sea to Sky leaving your car sadly misaligned because you were unaware that the shocks had tanked  a few months/years back. The unassuming pothole causes more damage overall to the vehicle with the poor shocks by decimating the forces throughout the rest of the vehicle’s frame, to settle, quite likely, on any weak link that it finds.

So, perhaps your weak link is an old ankle sprain that now hurts when you hit the bumps on the hill because your “shock absorbers” (aka your muscles) are wound up tightly or wound up unevenly somewhere in the chain. This is the puzzle for your physical therapist, massage therapist, chiropractor etc etc to sort out!  But, I’m sure you can imagine that working on the problem at the ankle is hardly going to deal with the lack of shocks elsewhere that are leading to your swelling, pain and inability to play!

Which leads me to the top 3 tips for recovery and prevention...

Your On-line Directory to Wellness!

Welcome to the Squamish Wellness Directory, your online resource for practitioners, education and information about all things healthy. You can find practitioners and learn more about what they do and what events they are hosting. Read articles about how you can make your life healthier in body, mind and spirit.

Learn about wellness and how the diverse, gifted and inspiring practitioners of Squamish and the Sea to Sky corridor can help you on your path to greater health and happiness.

Get started by discovering who the practitioners are and what they do with the Find Practitioners and Articles column. Each category lists people and has a link to informative articles.

Click on the Events category to find out what exciting, informative and fun wellness workshops and practitioner trainings are happening.

Enjoy and please post your feedback and questions after you read. You can also email info@squamishwellness.ca

If you are a practitioner and would like to be listed please email info@ahealthierme.ca or call 604-892-5452 for more information.

Enjoy good health,

The Squamish Wellness Practitioners