What is Tendinitis?

The word tendinitis derives from a junction of “tendon” (the attachment of muscle to bone) + itis (the process of inflammation) in so meaning: the inflammation of the attachment site of muscle to bone.
Tendons function to provide the linkage of muscle to bone and ensure that active muscle contraction results in joint movement, and are vital for normal movement and function.

If a healthy tendon is to provide normal movement, the presence of tendinitis suggests that there is faulty movement at that particular tendon, resulting in pain, inflammation, and breakdown of that tendon. If this process continues to occur overtime, it can become a chronic, debilitating injury, at which it can be termed tendinopathy. Both tendinitis and tendinopathy are regarded as overuse injuries, meaning that they don’t result from one particular injury, rather they result from a number of small injuries occurring to the tendon over time.

Movement breakdown can occur due to lack of normal joint movement, strength imbalances, and poor control of a specific movement. As an example: Patient A has knee pain when running due to tight ITB and weak glute musculature. The lack of muscular strength and control at the hip results in excessive forces being placed at the knee, causing overuse, poor movement, and tissue injury at the patellar tendon. If patient A does not address the faulty movement at the hip, the knee pain will not be improved.

Who gets Tendinitis/Tendinopathy?

Any person that has a body that moves can get tendinitis, but it most commonly occurs in active individuals and athletes. If either of these populations have movement breakdown at any joint, tendinitis can start to form as a warning signal saying “hey, this joint is not moving correctly and you are over stressing this tendon, fit it!”.

What are some types of tendinitis/tendinopathy?

Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), medical epicondylitis (golfers elbow), Achilles tendonitis, Jumpers knee (patellar tendonitis), gluteus medius tendinitis are some of the most commonly heard of tendinitis injuries, all of which result from excessive, poor movement biomechanics.

I have tendinitis/tendinopathy, so what should I do to fix it?

You can heat/ice/ointments are great for short term relief, but if you don’t fix the faulty movement that is causing the tendinitis, the problem will not be completely solved. The best approach is to find where your body is breaking down and fix that movement for near complete recovery.

A few tips to help with you tendinitis:

1.) find the activity that is causing it and take a few days rest to let the tendon recover.
2.) Ice the region to decrease the pain and inflammation for short term relief.
3.) Solve the issue by identifying the poor movement that is causing the tendinitis. We are here to help you at PRI and we can identify the poor movement, give you specific exercises to fix the movement, and work on the muscles and joints around the area to improve pain and function.

We are here to help you getting back to doing what you love, whether that be running, skiing, hockey or golf, and to provide you with the tools to recover from injury, and prevent the injury from coming back again.

Any particular injury you want to hear about? Send us a message or email us with anything you want to hear!

Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Ours is a tricky culture in which to raise a child. We idolize thinness, shame the fat, yet live in a society that constantly begs, if not harasses us to over indulge in sugary, fattening foods. Also, thanks to busy working parents, many kids are left to their own devices when it comes to meals and it’s no surprise they go for junk food and sodas. As a result, about 20 percent of North America’s children are now obese and rates of type 2 diabetes among children are on the rise.

Children who are obese are more likely to be bullied. Research shows that not only does bullying impact a child’s mental health and self-esteem, it also further promotes obesity. The bullied kid eats more and is further sedentary in an attempt to cope with the painful emotions of being bullied.
The way children are spoken to, or in front of, by doctors and by their parents, as well as teased by family members, can also further promote obesity, according to research.

In essence, many people unconsciously believe that an overweight person does not recognize they are overweight and that telling them will address the problem and make it go away. As it turns out, this has the opposite effect of worsening the situation among children who are typically acutely aware and ashamed of their weight.
The effects of being bullied by peers and teased or shamed by family members last well into adulthood. For women especially, being teased and bullied about their weight as teens is associated with binge eating, poor body image, and obesity later in life.

About two-thirds of overweight children report being bullied by their peers and about a third are teased by family members. Because so many already experience enormous pressure and disapproval, it doesn’t help the overweight child to point out their weight.
Instead, caregivers and doctors should be careful with their language, focus on health instead of weight, and use positive reinforcement instead of shaming, guilt, blame, or stigmatizing.

Some ideas include:

Opt for neutral words such as “weight” or “body mass index” instead of the more emotionally charged words “obese” or “fat.”
Remember the whole child and not just the weight. Praise them for all that is positive about them so their self-esteem is buoyed when a challenging topic is discussed.
When talking about nutrition and exercise, focus on health and not size or weight.
Make small changes slowly, such as introducing one new vegetable at a time, clearing the kitchen of sugary drinks and junk foods, and introducing exercise in small, regular amounts.
And, most importantly, have the whole family adopt healthy habits regardless of their weight. In the end, thin people can be unhealthy too and good habits in kids start with good habits in parents.

This is a broad overview. There’s also manual therapy, aquatherapy, specific exercises that can greatly assist your child on their quest to great health. Ask our office for more advice on using natural therapies to get you and your child to your health goal.
We look forward to helping you out.

Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Keeogo™ is a user-initiated dermoskeleton that has been designed to assist individuals with mobility impairments to participate more effectively in activities of daily living (ADLs). Research has shown that it mostly benefits moderately impaired individuals, although severely impaired individuals certainly benefit as well. Benefits of wearing the device include improvements in walking speed and endurance, performance on ADLs, motor control, kinetics, and postural control.

One study used a scientific approach to discover the true efficacy of the Keeogo™

McLeod et al attempted to determine the specific functional characteristics of individuals with neurological impairments that may predict successful use of Keeogo™ dermoskeleton and to quantify the specific benefit Keeogo™ provides to a regular user of the device1.

They recruited thirteen individuals (seven males; six females; 52 ± 4.6 years old) with mobility impairments due to neurological disease or injury such as stroke. Then they used two specific assessments Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Timed Up an Go (TUG) in order to establish a baseline of the participant’s performance prior to using the KeeogoTM device. Then a 6-min walk test and a 25-foot walk test were performed with participants wearing and not wearing the device. All patients have shown improvement in scores upon wearing the KeeogoTM device. Additionally while wearing the exoskeleton, participants had an improvement of their balance of an average of 46-51 seconds on the BBS scale. Their timed up and go score has also improved on average of 8-12 seconds with proper use of device.

This is the first study providing data to help to identify which individuals with neurological impairment might benefit from using Keeogo™ dermoskeleton, together with new information quantifying its functional benefit to the user.

If you suffer from mobility impairments due to neurological disease or injury, such as stroke, Parkinsons Disease, knee injuries, multiple sclerosis and a slew of others, please see a specialist at the PRI clinic. They are specifically trained to properly introduce your body to the KeegoTM device, which will allow your body to achieve a remarkable improvement in your lifestyle. We’ll be more than glad to help you when you call or follow these links.

Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Works cited
Jonathan C. Mcleod, Susie JM. Ward & Audrey L. Hicks (2017) Evaluation of the Keeogo™ Dermoskeleton, Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology.

One of the toughest and most skill-orientated sports is the pride of Canada, a nation treasure, sort of speak: hockey.
With eagle level hand-eye-coordination, gymnast-type balance, and the brutish build of a NFL linebacker, professional hockey players are some of the most talented athletes in professional sports. However, every hockey player is not as big or as strong as a professional. Some hockey players are young boys or girls who grew up watching their older siblings or the pros and became determined to be like them. Unfortunately, young hockey players, just like the professionals, are susceptible to injuries.

Although professional hockey is played in an ice rink, other forms of recreational hockey can be played with roller blades or tennis shoes on a dry surface such as asphalt or concrete. Still, it is an extremely high contact sport and players of all ages are at constant risk of injury. Players are running into each other, getting thrown into walls by other players (body checking), and even getting hit by the puck or a stick. Although body checking is not allowed in most leagues below the National Hockey League (NHL), it does happen and it is the primary cause for injury in hockey.

If you’ve been injured from playing hockey, depending on your condition, a chiropractor may be able to help you recover from your injuries. A chiropractor aims to improve a hockey player’s performance by relieving pain and improving flexibility through a series of adjustments specifically scheduled for each body type. If you lead an athletic lifestyle and have been injured while playing hockey, call your local chiropractor to schedule an appointment today.

Hockey injuries that a chiropractor may be able to help with include:

•Muscles Strains/Sprains/Pulls
•Low Back Pain
•Herniated Disks
•Elbow Pain
•Ankle Sprains
•Hip Pointer Injury
•Burner or Stinger in Neck
•Neck Strain
•Whiplash
•Shoulder Injury
•Concussion
•Cannot help black eyes or missing teeth

It is clear that the majority of hockey injuries are the result of trauma during games. For example, body checks, collisions with other players, collisions with the wall or ice, and blows from the puck, a stick, or a skate can produce injuries, demonstrating the danger of playing hockey. Falling hard on to the ice or ground and collisions may easily produce a misalignment in the spine. A misaligned spine can create an area of the spine that pinches a nerve, compressing it enough to impact the fluidity of the nerve signal, which can have an effect on other parts of the body. Essentially, a chiropractic adjustment can decrease the amount of pressure on the nerves to eliminate pain. The focus of chiropractic care for hockey players is to promote healing, increase range of motion, and improve balance and coordination.

If you lead an athletic lifestyle and have been injured while playing hockey, call your local chiropractor to schedule an appointment today.

And if you are in the GTA area, please give us a shout. With more than 30 years of experience in treating hockey players, we have a solid belt of tools that can help you out.

Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

We’ve all heard that a high-fiber diet is good for health because it keeps the digestive system moving. As it turns out, fiber also plays a more important role than we suspected. To understand why, we need to take a look at the gut microbiome — the community of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract.

Trillions of bacteria live in the human gut –- they account for ten times more cells than in the human body — and they play vital roles in our metabolism and health. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship; the bacteria happily feed on dietary fiber while they perform a variety of duties, including helping to make vitamins B and K, repressing growth of harmful microorganisms, and breaking down and fermenting dietary fiber. This breakdown of fiber results in a release of beneficial, anti-inflammatory short chain fatty acids that are a vital energy source for our bodies.
In recent research, the firmicutes and bacteroidetes classes of gut bacteria have received a lot of attention.

Multiple studies show that obese people have a higher concentration of firmicutes than bacteroidetes, while in lean people the bacteroidetes predominate (to help keep it straight, think of fermicutes as “fat” and bacteroidetes as “bony”). Moreover, when the diet is high in fat, the obesity-friendly firmicutes increase (the exception being a ketogenic diet), yet a high-fiber diet helps bacteroidetes increase. In addition, researchers observed that overgrowth of firmicutes led to chronic systemic inflammation, which is known to contribute to common health problems such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes and heart disease.
The message: Though they both have jobs to do, you want your bacteroidetes to be stronger than your firmicutes

Feeding The Magnificent Microbes

One might wish to rid the body of the firmicutes microbes, yet this can actually open the pathway to overgrowth of candida albicans, or a yeast infection, which leads to problems of its own. Instead, supporting a healthy population of bacteroidetes is the key, and this is done by supplying ample prebiotics in the diet. Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates –- in the form of dietary fiber –- that serve as food for the bacteria in your gut.

To keep a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut, an ample supply of fiber-rich plant foods is necessary. Yes, your kale, spinach, arugula, chard, and their cousins hold one of the keys to your healh! These foods should be part of a diet that includes plenty of good fats, vitamins and micronutrients, and avoids bad fats, excess refined sugars, processed/junk foods, and excess alcohol. Good forms of dietary fiber include: All vegetables but especially artichokes, peas, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Your mother was right, even if she didn’t know the whole truth: Veggies are good for you!

In addition to a diet strong in prebiotic fiber, you can help support a healthy gut environment by using supplemental probiotics: Live, “friendly” bacteria that bolster your gut’s population of healthy microbes. For probiotics to work, there must be a sufficient number of live bacteria present in the product (read your labels!) to survive the acidic environment of the stomach, and reach the large intestine. Your dietary fiber (prebiotics) acts as food to nourish these friendly probiotic bacteria, and ensures their growth and colonization. This combination of pre- and probiotic support can be vital for insuring a healthy gut.

Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchee, kombucha, and yogurt contain live microbes, and can also help boost the probiotic content of your digestive tract. One caution; not all fermented foods have live cultures, and it’s the live ones you want. Again, read your labels!

Medications, hygiene, age, health status, and stress can also influence your gut microbe balance. Eating a fiber-strong, gut-friendly diet and supplementing with probiotics and fermented foods is one of your best strategies for supporting gut health.

For more ideas on how to get your body back in health, please reach out to us at:

Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

At PRI, we enjoy helping our patients live healthier, pain free lives. We also employ use of scientific literature to help us stay abreast of exciting discoveries that allow us to help our patients further.
We were very excited when we came across this published study that showed how chiropractic adjustments can actually boost anti-oxidants levels!

Anti-oxidants are naturally occurring chemicals that protect the body from free radicals. Fresh fruits and vegetables are good sources of anti-oxidants, but your body also produces anti-oxidants to ward off damage.
In this new study, researchers looked at 23 people who were suffering from back or neck pain. Each patient received 10 chiropractic adjustments over a period of five weeks. Blood samples were taken from the test subjects before and after the study period, and the researchers noted levels of three specific anti-oxidants: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).

At the end of the study, there was no difference in antioxidant catalase, there was a significant increase in both SOD and GPx.

It’s important to note that this was a small study and it didn’t include a control group, so further research needs to be done to confirm these results and to determine how chiropractic works to boost anti-oxidants. However, this study adds to our knowledge of the benefits of chiropractic. Other studies have found that chiropractic can boost immune functioning and decrease stress hormones.

If you would like to improve your health naturally and get pain relief, chiropractic is the answer. Give our office a call today at (416) 477-1101 to see how we can help you.

Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Works Cited

1. Kolberg C, Horst A, Moraes MS, et al. Peripheral oxidative stress blood markers in patients with chronic back or neck pain treated with high-velocity, low-amplitude manipulation. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014.

Hockey season has started and with that comes an every increasing number of articles, events and conversations about the danger of the sport.

Ken Dryden, author of the new book Game Change, says the time for talking about making the sport safer is over. It’s time to make a change.What do you think?

How To Prevent Injuries

Most hockey injuries happen due to high impact hits and occur while in the middle of a game. Common injuries in hockey include lacerations, ankle ligament sprains, knee internal derangements, concussions, facial injuries and finger fractures. Studies show that most hockey injuries occur during games rather than practices.

For most players, preparing for season and good warm up routine before entering the ice field, pre-season assessment and complementary exercises throughout the season help prevent injury including concussions.

Stretching hip flexor muscles with lunges can help prevent back and hip injuries. Dynamic stretching such as high knees engages the muscles.
If you have pre-existing injuries, visiting a physiotherapist for specific exercises prior to the season will strengthen muscles and prevent injuries from coming back.

During season, it helps to do conditioning exercises that will assist with hop mobility and strengthening pelvis stability.
During game or practice, complete gear is a must. Wear protective gear that is right for you. The right equipment should be comfortable, yet should minimise injury during your practices and games.

How Physiotherapy Helps

Physiotherapists have the ability to create specific rehabilitation/strength and conditioning programmes for an athlete in his/her sport.
They understand your sport and its biomechanics. They have good understanding and awareness of optimal performance nutrition and supplementation in a particular sport, including hockey.

Physiotherapy is like getting treatments of all sorts provided by one healthcare professional. A physiotherapist is trained to perform techniques used by most hands-on professionals such as chiropractors, massage therapists and kinesiologists.

Hands-on techniques used in physiotherapy may include joint mobilisation, joint manipulation, physiotherapy instrument mobilisation, minimal energy techniques, muscle stretching, neurodynamics, and massage and soft tissue techniques.

Strapping and taping may be used to prevent injuries. Acupuncture and dry needling helps in pain relief and muscle function. You will also be given exercise therapy to strengthen your muscles and improve your function. Biomechanical assessments will help prevent injuries from coming back.

Our stealth physiotherapists at PRI incorporate these principles to ensure you will get optimum health and performance.
If you have pain or injuries, we can help bring you into action without the pain stopping you.

Call us at (416) 477-1101 today!
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

The shoulder is a complicated structure. Most workouts involve shoulder movement. Your shoulders better be performing optimally if you want to be performing at your best and stay healthy, avoiding injuries such as shoulder impingement!

Shoulder health and performance is reliant on multiple factors including:

•The rotator cuff’s ability to stabilize the shoulder
•The scapula (shoulder blade) properly rotating upward during shoulder elevation
•Thoracic spine mobility
•Shoulder mobility

If any of these factors are off, the shoulder is put at an increased risk of injury.
The most common shoulder injury we see in athletes is shoulder impingement.
In this condition, the soft tissues of the shoulder are pinched between the humeral head and acromion.
This results in pain, weakness, decreased mobility and ultimately, poor performance.

If let to continue, this can progress to more serious problems including a tear of the rotator cuff muscles.
Here are some exercises that will help stabilize and strengthen your shoulder to help prevent shoulder impingement injury. All of these involve using a cylindrical rolling foam.

1. Take a piece of foam and roll it up the wall. Start by placing the knife-edge of your interlaced hands on the foam. Roll it, raising your arms over your head all the way up. Then roll it down. Repeat 10 times.
2. Place the foam under the shoulder blades, across your back. Lie on it and stretch your arms upwards. This is a great thoracic opener. Lie for 60 seconds.
3. Place the foam under your chest, and lie on it facing down. Slowly raise your arms over your head as if you’re doing snow angels and back down to your sides. For stronger athletes, carry barbells in your arms. Repeat 10 times.
For more ideas on how to reduce risks to shoulder injuries, please contact us at:

Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

Drop-Table Technique: What It Is and How It Works

The force of an automobile accident can cause injury, specifically to the lower back. Trauma to this area, in turn, can result in problems such as sacroiliac joint dysfunction, sciatica, disc injuries, herniation, lumbar plexus disorder and other conditions. In addition, the neck and mid-back can also be affected by a car accident and can be accompanied by their own set of disorders.

Forceful spinal manipulation is not always necessary to treat conditions of the lower back, mid-back and neck. Gentle chiropractic treatment, such as drop-table techniques, involves less powerful spinal maneuvering and slower, low-velocity movements that allow the affected joint to stay within its passive range of motion.

How Does the Drop-Table Technique Work?

Also known as the Thompson technique, the “drop” approach uses a special chiropractic table. The table used has segments that can be lifted up and then dropped when a thrust is applied by the chiropractor. The drop allows gravity to assist and work in combination with the manual adjustment, and all of this provides a lighter adjustment than that which comes with some other chiropractic techniques, such as those that involve twisting positions.

To further clarify, the table has various sections that are raised between 1 to 2 inches relative to the rest of the patient’s body. Once the section of the table is lifted, it is fastened in place and the stiffness of the table is altered based on the patient’s body weight. When the chiropractor applies a gentle thrust to the area needing adjustment, the table releases and drops down, causing that segment of the body to fall too. The drop-table comes to a rest, but the patient’s body momentum continues for a short period. This momentum is equally as critical to the drop-table technique as the thrust and dropping of the table are, because it aids in alignment.

What to Expect After a Drop-Table Technique

The number of sessions needed depends on the type of condition the patient has and its severity. However, in general, the patient should have better range of motion and less pain with each treatment.
If you experience pain after your motor vehicle accident and are looking for a gentler way to rehabilitate, please consider PRI. With over 30 years in the field, we have learned the golden rule of thumb: less is more. We employ gentler methods of rehabilitation to help your body resiliently get back to the way you were before the accident occurred as much as possible. To learn more about the drop-table technique and how it can help you, please contact our office.
We will gladly help you out at:

Tel: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com

IMS is a dry needling technique that is used to treat pain of muscular origin. Inserting needles deep into dysfunctional muscles causes a reflex release of painful, movement restricting muscle tension. This tension release can also help reduce pressure on irritated and hypersensitive nerves to alleviate pain and dysfunction. Successful IMS treatment relies heavily on a thorough physical examination of the patient by a certified practitioner.

Intramuscular stimulation is used to treat chronic pain that is caused by neuropathy (damaged, injured or dysfunctional nerves). When an individual experiences persistent and unexplained pain, neuropathy may be the cause. Neuropathy causes muscle shortening, which causes pain in the muscles, tendons, connective tissues and joints. Research shows that IMS physiotherapy treatment may help release shortened muscles and relieve neuropathic long-standing pain.

According to research, IMS can also be used to relieve symptomatology of various conditions that have occurred due to tightness of muscles. Some of them are:

Symptom
Bicipital tendonitis
frozen shoulder
Headaches- frontal
Headaches-temporal
Rotator cuff syndrome
Low back sprain
Achilles tendonitis

Tight muscle
Biceps brachii
Deltoids
Upper trapezius, semispinalis capitis, occipitofrontalis
Temporalis, trapezius
Supra-and infraspinati, teres minor, subscapularis
Paraspinal muscles
Gastrocnemii, soleus

The IMS physiotherapy technique targets areas of tightness by inserting needles into tight muscles, causing them to have a reflex response and relax. IMS also helps to relieve the pressure on joints and muscles, reducing the pain and inflammation caused by tight muscles. Our therapists here at PRI are trained by these techniques developed by Dr. Chan Gunn.
Treatments can be scheduled by contacting our office.

Phone: (416) 477-1101
E-mail: reception@priclinic.com
Web: www.priclinic.com