Ottawa Health: Performance and Rehab

08/11/2025

🧠 Boost your brain's growth naturally with BDNF - no it's not a supplement!
BDNF is Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor - think of it as fertilizer for your brain cells 🌱

BDNF supports:
✨ Neuroplasticity (your brain’s ability to adapt and grow)
✨ Mood regulation
✨ Learning and memory
✨ Mental clarity and resilience

And here's the good news: you can increase BDNF naturally.

Try this today:
🥗 Eat omega-3-rich foods (salmon, walnuts, flax)
🏃‍♀️ Move your body (aerobic or strength training exercise helps)
😴 Prioritize deep, restful sleep
🧘‍♀️ Practice mindfulness or breathwork to reduce stress
🥕 Add colorful produce—especially polyphenol-rich foods like berries and turmeric

You don’t need a prescription to support brain health—just a few intentional habits rooted in whole-person wellness.

08/05/2025

What if your plate could be your prescription?

Working with our Holistic nutritionist isn’t just about eating "clean" - it’s about nourishing the body with intention. The foods we choose impact everything from energy and digestion to mood, hormones, and inflammation.

Here’s what “food as medicine” means in practice:
✔ Supporting gut health with fermented and fiber-rich foods
✔ Using anti-inflammatory ingredients to ease joint pain or skin flare-ups
✔ Balancing blood sugar to reduce fatigue and cravings
✔ Choosing nutrient-dense options to support immunity and mood
✔ Rebuilding health from the root cause, not just treating symptoms

You don’t need a fad diet. You need a personalized approach that sees food as your most accessible, effective, and empowering form of care.

Curious where to start? It begins with one mindful meal at a time.

07/30/2025

Consistency Tip: Schedule Your Workouts Like Appointments 🗓️

One of the best ways to stay consistent with exercise — even when life is busy — is to put it in your calendar just like any other important appointment.

We often say we "don't have time," but what we usually mean is that we haven’t made it a priority or it simply isn't in our schedule. No wonder it doesn't get done. Whether it’s 20 minutes or a full hour, if it’s scheduled, it’s more likely to happen.

You don’t need to wait for the “perfect” time. Early morning, lunch break, after dinner — whatever works for your routine. What matters is:
✔️ It’s blocked off in your schedule
✔️ You protect that time
✔️ You show up for yourself

Consistency isn’t about having more free time — it’s about making your health non-negotiable. Geting the family involved means every one wins. Habits take time, start early.

07/28/2025

How flexible is too flexible? 🤸‍♀️
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The Beighton Scale is a quick and widely used screening tool to assess global joint hypermobility. It’s based on a 9-point scoring system that looks at how far certain joints move beyond the normal range:⁠
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✅ Elbows and knees that straighten past 10°⁠ (1 pt each limb)
✅ Thumbs that bend to touch the forearm⁠ (1 pt each)
✅ Pinkies that bend back past 90°⁠ (1 pt each)
✅ Ability to place palms flat on the floor with straight knees⁠ (1 pt)
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A higher score suggests greater joint laxity — which isn't always a bad thing! But it can contribute to joint instability, discomfort, or increased injury risk in some people.⁠
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If you're experiencing pain, frequent sprains, or stiffness despite being “flexible,” an individualized assessment can help uncover the root cause.⁠
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07/24/2025

Neck tightness slowing you down? 🏋️‍♂️🏃‍♀️🪡⁠
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Whether it’s from lifting at the gym or in the garden, impact from contact sports, or repetitive movement, acupuncture can help reduce neck pain by easing muscle tension, boosting circulation, and calming irritated nerves — without medications.⁠
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It’s a great tool for recovery, mobility, and keeping you in the game.⁠
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07/22/2025

Did you know your body uses 3 simulatneous, yet very different chemical pathways to create energy!
👉 Swipe to learn about the 3 Energy Systems and how your body fuels movement — from sprints to marathons!

The 3 systems rely on different energy sources due to the complexity and time it takes to produce the energy in order to complete the task.

The quicker the energy demand, the more readily available it needs to be in your cells to provide the energy. The less intesne and longer duration exercise can shift the body's focus from more sustainable, but longer to produce energy systems - like delivering oxygen to your cells as you breathe.

07/18/2025

07/10/2025

Foot mechanics matter — especially for your Achilles tendon🦶🔥⁠
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Controlling pronation (rolling in) and supination (rolling out) of the foot plays a major role in how load transfers through the Achilles tendon during walking, running, and sport.⁠ It can strain one side if your feet are asymmetric or strain one area of your tendon more if you are repetitively pronating too much with the volume of activity you are taking part in.
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🔁 Poor control or asymmetry can lead to excessive strain on the tendon, contributing to irritation, tightness, or even chronic Achilles tendinopathy.⁠
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Training proper foot and ankle control — including strength, balance, and proprioception — is key for injury prevention and performance.⁠
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We assess and train the foot-ankle complex to support healthy Achilles mechanics.⁠

07/08/2025

Increased joint laxity, as we learned in the previous post, can predispose us to injury. One of those injuries is a shoulder dislocation.

Exercise plays a crucial role in the recovery process after a shoulder dislocation. The choice of exercises depends on the individual’s specific condition, such as their pain levels, mobility, and the exact nature of the dislocation. Generally, most of the exercises in a physiotherapy program will focus on stabilizing both the scapulothoracic joint and the glenohumeral joint.

Key exercises often include:
- Range of Motion Work
- Isometric Strengthening
- Rotator Cuff Training
- Scapular Control Drills
- Functional Progressions

A consistent and guided exercise program ensures that recovery is not only effective but also sustainable in the long run.

Keep in mind that some times, we cannot completely prevent an injury from happening - like in contact sports. But the recovery process should alway emphasize exercise to manage pain, regain stability, prevent recurring dislocations, and returning to regular activity - for home, for work, for recreational / competitive areas.

07/04/2025

Have you sprained the same ankle more than once? Did you fully or partially dislocate your shoulder?

It is not uncommon for people to experience multiple injuries like sprains or dislocations, especially if there were tears to certain stabilizing tissues in the past. However this is not normal.

We hear this regularly during the initial assessment when we ask about previous injuries. Repeat injuries, especially to your joints and ligaments, is not ideal for overall stability and joint health long-term.

Strengthening weakened tissues, addressing joint hypermobility, and correcting faulty movement patterns help reduce the risk of recurring dslocations and sprains.

It's not "just an ankle sprain" - it's your body's foundation when it comes to daily movement.