Wellness on West

07/22/2025

07/15/2025

When it comes to 🔥heating or 🧊icing an injury, if you ask 5 different practitioners you might get 5 different answers! 😂

As a physiotherapist my general rule of thumb is: “For an acute injury (up to 72 hours post injury) use ice and anything that is more chronic (>72 hours since injury) use heat.”

Now this is not black and white there is definitely some grey in the middle. You also need to listen to your own body, there will be reasons like visible swelling or just simply personal preference that keep people using ice longer, which is fine. The reasoning behind the recommendation is simply that ice helps decrease blood flow to the injured area which will help to reduce acute swelling and decrease bruising. Heat helps to increase blood flow and flush out chronic swelling, in increasing blood flow it can also help to begin to heal injured tissue.

There are many different ways you can heat or ice pending on what you have available and also what body part you are trying to ice. Some common suggestions are as follows:
🔥 Microwave grain bag or gel pack
Plug in heating pad
Hot water bottle
Warm water in a bowl or bucket
Hot tub or hot bath
🧊 Ice pack
Frozen vegetables
Ice bath
Cold water or cold wet cloth

You can also use topical icy hot type creams and lotions, however they do not replace a good old fashion ice pack or heating pad. They can be helpful to provide symptom relief when you are on the move or at work. So find what works best for you, depending on the injury and area, and if you are ever in doubt just ask! 📞

07/08/2025

Patient: I didn't hit my head when I fell so that means I can't have a concussion...right?
Wrong!!

Even with so much more awareness and education around concussions there is still so much misinformation. A concussion is the result of the brain making impact inside the skull. So hitting your head is not a requirement to have a concussion.

Concussions can occur when someone falls, collides with another person, gets hit in the head with an object or if they are hit in the head with a ball. Just like there are many different possible causes for a concussion, there are also many different possible symptoms following a concussion.

Some symptoms include; headache, eye pain, blurred vision, vomiting, nausea, dizziness, confusion, trouble concentrating, sleeping too much, not sleeping enough, fatigue, irritability, mood changes, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, depression, anxiety.....and the list goes on.

There is no diagnostic image or test that will rule in our out a concussion. The best thing you can do if you suspect you or someone you know has a concussion is to have them stop what they are doing (ie discontinue the sport, your day at school or work). Then decide if they need to seek immediate medical attention (ie go the the ER) to rule out more serious head injuries like fractures. If they don't need immediate medical attention one of the most important things they can do ....is put down their phone, turn off the TV and close the laptop. In other words NO SCREENS, for at least 24-48 hours. Limit physical exertion/exercise, drink lots of water and get plenty of rest.

Then if they still have some lingering symptoms like a headache, difficulty concentrating and sensitivity to light (as an example) call a healthcare professional like a physiotherapist, chiropractor or osteopath who is trained in concussion assessment and rehab. You could also seek medical advice with your family doctor who can guide you to an appropriate healthcare professional.

Roughly 80% of concussions will resolve on their own and the person will have no residual symptoms. The other 20% will need to seek out a medical professional for concussion rehab. This can help them return to their every day lives including work, school and sports- more efficiently, with less set backs, and hopefully no long term symptoms.

07/02/2025

How long do I need to keep doing my exercises for after I'm done treatment?

As practitioners we get this question all the time! And as much as I would like to say you should keep doing ALL of them FOREVER.....I know that is not realistic for most patients.
So the real answer is I hope that most of my patients continue to do some of their exercises a few times a week on an ongoing basis. The truth is even those who have good intentions are bound fall off the wagon at some point. But if a practitioner has educated their patient well they can always begin the exercises again. So it is important for patients to recognize the signs of an injury flaring up again and not ignore.

But for those that do.....we know it happens and you can always go back to your practitioner for a tune up!

This advice doesn’t apply to more chronic conditions and injuries, in these cases it is in the best interest of the patient to continue and maintain a regular exercise routine.

We hope all of our patients find benefit in maintaining a healthy active lifestyle which includes movement and exercise! This can look different for everyone!

07/01/2025

🍁Happy Canada Day from the ladies at Wellness on West! 🍁

Wishing everyone a joyful day filled with family, fun, and celebration. Stay safe, enjoy the festivities, and take a moment to appreciate the beauty and spirit of this amazing country!!

06/30/2025

Wellness on West will be closed Tuesday July 1st for Canada Day! 🍁

The office will be open our regular hours for the rest of the week, see you soon.

06/29/2025

🚧West St construction continues and as much as we are so excited for the finished product.....we have to have patience a little bit longer!
It looks like we will have parking interrupts and possible street closure for Monday June 30th while crews continue paving. We are still open and look forward to seeing you.

Thank you to all those who have been hard at work, working in the heat 🥵 to get this project done 👏

06/25/2025

The short answer is "yes" having a cortisone injection 💉 can affect your ability to receive a hip or knee replacement 👨‍⚕️ .

Although cortisone can be a useful tool to help control inflammation and improve symptoms as a result of osteoarthritic changes it can also delay a patient from receiving a joint replacement.

As previously mentioned cortisone helps to reduce inflammation, which means it could negatively impact surgical outcomes including wound healing. It can also suppress the immune system 😷 which can lead to an increased risk of infection following surgery.

So be sure to speak with your doctor or specialist doctor 🧑‍⚕️ prior to having a cortisone injection if you think you may be having a joint replacement (or any other surgery for that matter) in the near future. Research shows its recommended to wait approximately 3 months following a cortisone injection but could be up to 6 months depending on the surgeon and the patients specific circumstances.

06/17/2025

This is a very common question I have been asked over the years!

Many patients wait to come and see a healthcare practitioner until after they have had imaging done (ie x-ray, MRI, ultrasound etc.). As physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths etc we are trained to assess and diagnose injuries without imaging! In general we don't want people to wait for imaging because it can take a while and you are losing valuable treatment time. The therapist can also make the decision once they have assessed the patient to wait to move forward if they feel they need the image before proceeding.

In many cases practitioners will use the imaging to simply confirm what they have already diagnosed. Or in cases where a patient has been receiving treatment but not making the progress the practitioner would expect, they may decide to send the patient back to their family doctor for imaging.

Please don't wait to seek treatment if you are currently waiting for a medical image. The sooner we see patients and their injuries the sooner we can get them back to all of your regular activities and out of pain.

06/15/2025

From the ladies of Wellness on West, Happy Father’s Day to all the incredible dads out there! We hope you enjoy your day.

06/10/2025

📣 Let’s Talk Tuesday!

Today’s question has to do with orthotics and I can tell you over the years I have had this question or one very similar asked sooooo many times! It’s an important topic and a very common question.

First of all not everyone needs orthotics, but those who do need orthotics, the key to success with them is CONSISTENCY! For those of you who have orthotics and only wear them in one pair of shoes or only when you workout at the gym you aren’t getting the most out of your orthotics or your investment 💵. Once you are used to wearing your orthotics you should be wearing them as much as possible so your foot gets the consistent support it needs. Orthotics are made to go from 👞 shoe to 👟shoe for a reason. It isn’t always convenient but it is important.

Orthotics will not fit in every shoe and you can’t put a standard orthotic into a sandal, but you can make the best choice for the situation. For example if you are going to be on your feet all day you are better to choose a shoe that is going to allow you to wear your orthotics rather than your favourite pair of flats. You can also make a better choice when it comes to summer footwear by wearing a Birkenstock or another type of sandal that will model to your foot rather than the $5 🩴 flip flop you got on sale last season.

Orthotics do need to be replaced….there is no set time but what you have to remember is that our feet do change overtime whether it is just age related or after injuries. So wearing that pair of orthotics that is 10 years old is probably not helpful and may even be causing you more issues then you realize. Be sure to go back to your provider every few years to ensure your orthotics are doing what you are paying 💰them to do! And always throw your old orthotics out, I know it is hard to throw out any investment but when they are no longer supporting you the way they should, set them free. 👋