Aquatic Yoga Fusion

Starting in November 2019, our very own in house Yoga teacher and Registered Massage therapist Jeff Kittmer is going to take our pool to the next level with Aquatic Yoga

Aquatic Yoga Fusion, is a blend of gentle Ai-Chi movements and yoga poses performed in a warm therapeutic pool.  The flowing movements will help you to be more mindful and aware of your body as it moves through the soothing water.  Connecting your mind, body, and breath while releasing the stress and anxieties of everyday life.

  • The benefits of aquatic yoga fusion:
  • Improves circulation and swelling
  • Reduces muscle tension
  • Decreases anxiety and stress
  • Enhances your mind body connection
  • Increases flexibility and balance

Email or call us to reserve your spot.  Spots are limited to 4 people per class and are first come first serve.

Soft Tissue Release – Tri City Physiotherapy

What is Soft tissue release?

Soft tissue release is a therapy where pressure is applied on a muscle or connective tissue during movement to fascilitate a stretch or lengthening of tissue.

To maximize effect, the pressure is moved during the stretch to release different parts of the mucle or connective tissue.

Why soft tissue release?

The benefits include increases in venous and lymphatic drainage, increasing fluid absorption, mobilizing adhesions, breaking up scar tissue and helping overall collagen flexibility.

In all, soft tissue release combines stretch and massage which together have better effect on decreasing the size of the scar/painful area and helps organize the direction of the fibres which ultimatley lessens strain. The technique is rhythmic, relatively gentle and takes place in multiple planes to help create a greater range of motion overall.

Still confused or scared it will hurt?

Good youtube video showing how it is done on a hamstring.  Soft Tissue Release

Interested in knowing more.. or are in need of this type of therapy…

Call our staff to book your appointment now or to speak to a therapist.

519-620-2229

Supporter of GSM Tennis Club

Tri City Physiotherapy is proud to be a supporter of the all new GSM (Game Set Match) Tennis Club in Cambridge.  www.gsmtc.ca

We are going to be the provider of rehab and paramedical services to the club members and staff.  We are also planning in the near future on providing an injury prevention course for athletes (and non-athletes) of all ages at the club.  We feel that preventing injury is more important than fixing them once they happen.  Happy healthy and safe play is the key to a long successful sports career.

GSM Tennis Club is a brand new facility serving the entire waterloo region with state of the art flex courts (http://www.flexcourtcanada.ca/)  These courts are one of the best at providing a safe and orthopedic cushioned play while providing a very similar playing feel to hard courts.  They try to prevent the injury before it happens.

GSM provides year round play with the courts housed inside of a retractable bubble for play in the winter and open air in the summer.

We hope to see you out at the courts staying fit and healthy.  If you want to find out more about future injury prevention clinics call the clinic at 519-620-2229.

If you want to test out the courts call GSM at P: 519.896.7070   E: info@gsmtc.ca

See you there

Arm Bike / Ergonometer is here

I’m very excited to announce that Tri City Physiotherapy will now offer a top of the line upper body ergometer to offer an even wider range of rehab options for our patients.  An upper body ergometer is best described as a bicycle for your arms. Your hands hold pedals and your arms move around in circles as if pedaling a bike. You can sit or stand in front of the ergometer for a no-impact cardiovascular workout that uses only your upper body.

Upper body (arm) ergometers aren’t a gym staple, but they’re becoming more readily available in many of the top physical therapy offices, hospitals, and universities. These machines are targeted to meet the fitness and rehab needs of individuals who cannot use their legs for physical activity, either due to an acute injury or chronic pain, or for those patients with an upper body injury trying to return range or motion or strength to their upper body.  These machines offer a great cardio workout that uses the upper body instead of your legs.

Who can use an upper body ergometer?

  • Individuals with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, or lower body disability
  • Individuals with chronic pain in the knees, feet, ankles, or hips.
  • Individuals who need a low-impact exercise program
  • Individuals who are recovering from foot or leg injury/surgery and have clearance to continue working out, but can’t use their legs.
  • Anyone who wants to vary their cardio workout program

Shoulder Pain or Problems?  Just had upper body surgery?

No problems at all…  If you have shoulder pain, shoulder surgery, or any other upper extremity problem that may affect the strength or endurance of your arms, your therapist may choose to have you use the upper body ergometer while in the clinic. Also, if you have worn a sling while healing from injury, you may notice that the strength and endurance of your arms is impaired. The upper body ergometer can help you improve your strength and endurance to help improve the function in your arms getting you back to your regular self faster.

Is it Safe if I’ve had Heart attack, or Bypass Surgery?

If you have had a heart attack, cardiac problems, Bypass surgery, or pulmonary (lung) problems, your doctor may refer you to physical therapy for cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation. The upper body ergometer may be used to help improve your cardiac endurance or pulmonary function so you can quickly get back to normal activities.

Bypass patients still have to follow the standard restrictions for upper body exercises for the first part of their rehabilitation.  Once these restrictions have been removed by the supervising therapist in conjunction with the supervising physician, the upper body ergometer can be safely added to the rehab process.

Sci Fit Pro

We have ordered the Sci Fit Pro 1 http://scifit.com/proseries/pro1.shtml there is lots of good information on their website as well as lots of details about the machine.  Some of the features are:

  • Adjustable tilt head for all heights and ranges of motion
  • True , adjustable step-through accessibility
  • Bi-directional exercise
  • Iso-Strength safe, accommodating strength program
  • Very low starting resistance
  • Wheelchair platform
  • Fully adjustable seat

This model is compatible with the polar straps, so our cardiac patients can still monitor their heart rate using their straps.   Our non-cardiac patients can buy or bring their own polar straps to use with our machines.

For those interested in any of the scientific articles and research behind the upper body ergometer, please ask one of our staff members and we’d be happy to provide them for you.

We’re all excited and looking forward to adding this great piece of equipment into your rehab routine.

Why does this strain just insist to remain?

Ever had something you thought was just a muscle strain that just never really went away?

Isn’t it time to figure out why this injury has stuck around and has not gotten better with the ever popular “wait and see” approach?

Well, one of the reasons it probably hasn’t just “gotten better on its own”, is because of an accumulation of scar tissue. After an injury such as a muscle pull or a strain, a mass of immature scar tissue is laid down to repair the damaged muscle. Initially this process helps repair the strained tissue but if it remains after the strain has healed, it can irritate and inflame the surrounding healthy tissue and cause unwanted pain and limitations in function. When a build up of scar tissue remains well after the initial injury, measures must be taken to break down this scar tissue so that it can mature and align properly with the healthy muscle fibres. If measures are not taken, this scar tissue remains immature, inflexible and extremely weak. With inflexibility and weakness comes an increased risk of reinjuring the area and causing an even greater build-up of scar tissue. This cycle of injury makes it even harder for the body to break down this scar tissue and this buildup can eventually become so great that even the easiest movements can become weak and cause pain. As an example, think about a muscle strain as being a bruise on the front of your thigh. As we know, when bruises occur they are quite tender to touch and we generally leave them alone until they turn yellow and go away. Now, say we poke these bruises just as they are about to fade away, wouldn’t it be that much easier to cause this bruise to return with the same intensity if not more than with the initial injury? Essentially this bruise is like scar tissue where the initial injury makes us more susceptible to a more serious future injury unless we take measures to avoid and help prevent sequential injuries from happening. And…… how can we help avoid and prevent further injury you ask? Let a physiotherapist HELP!

A physiotherapist combines in-depth knowledge of how the body works with specialized hands-on clinical skills to prescribe personalized therapeutic exercises, provide essential patient education, deliver targeted manual therapy techniques and help manage pain and increase healing with different modalities such as laser and acupuncture. So, if you’re tired of feeling an injury you thought would have healed by now, let a physiotherapist do what we do best: restore, maintain and maximize your strength, function, movement and overall well-being.

By Andrew Mensink BHSc(Hon), MSC(PT)
Registered Physiotherapist