Winnock Physiotherapy

04/25/2025

A good spring cleaning often means bending, lifting, and repetitive shoulder/arm movements - all of which can lead to significant injuries and pain.

Here are some tips to keep your body safe while you spring clean:

Warm up:
Try stretching or going for a walk before cleaning, and do not go from stationary to full steam ahead!

Break it Up:
Whether you are amongst family members or by yourself, divide and conquer! Change it up – do a bit of one task, and then another, and whatever you do, avoid repetitive motions!

Protect Sensitive Areas:
If you are recovering from a recent injury and you are not yet 100%, don’t overdo it. Pay attention to your movements and protect those areas.

Lift the Right Way:
Avoid back pain or strain by lifting objects (light or heavy) the right way. Load and bend your legs, not your back! All it takes is one wrong lift and twist to stop your progress and bring on pain.
Use your legs, not your back & ask for help – 2 is better than 1.

Listen to your Body:
Check in with your body throughout the task/workload. Do not wait until the end of the day or before bed to check-in and recognize the troubles that could have been avoided 5 hours ago.

If done correctly, spring cleaning can be a great workout for your body. Happy cleaning!

02/03/2025

While the snow may look beautiful, it can come with an increased risk of injury.

Check out these tips to help reduce the risk of injury while you shovel snow this winter:

1. Use your whole body and not just your back.

Get into a squat position, by bending at the knees. Engage your core and hinge at the hips. Lift snow with your legs by straightening your knees to push your body up.

2. Clear the snow before it builds.

Try to shovel every few hours during snowfall to help ensure the snow you lift is lighter and easier to move.

3. Lift small amounts of snow at a time.

Lifting small amounts of snow reduces the weight of the load, making the activity easier and less likely to cause an injury.

4. Take frequent breaks.

To help you not tire out and risk an injury, consider taking breaks as you shovel. Setting a timer for shoveling and breaks can look as easy as 10 minutes of work and a 5-minute rest or stretch break.

5. Ask and offer help.

Rally up the kids or accept the offer from a helpful neighbour when shoveling snow. This can help take the load off from any one person and encourage and strengthen community.

10/30/2024

Physiotherapy: It'll Move You!

www.physiotherapyns.ca

10/16/2024

Physiotherapists are direct-access practitioners, meaning patients can visit physiotherapists directly (self-referral) without waiting for a physician’s referral. Physiotherapy self-referral benefits both patients and the healthcare system!

Most private insurance plans in Nova Scotia do not require a doctor’s referral to access our services. Check your plan to confirm what your coverage requires and then book your physio appointment.

08/21/2024

What's New?

Meg, our physiotherapist has just returned from a 3 day McKenzie International Muscular-Skeletal & Spinal conference in Ottawa.

This brings the latest research and knowledge to our clinic to offer our clients the very best care, with emphasis on the complexities of some injuries and on the importance of a team approach to rehabilitation.

The countdown to Ottawa 2024 is on!

We have recently sent an email to all conference registrants about choosing parallel sessions. If you missed this email, please email tanya.fulcher@mckenzieinstitute.org for the information on how to access the session selections.

07/03/2024

Golf is a sport with multiple benefits such as getting outside in nature, working on balance and coordination and getting your aerobic exercise in! But did you know that roughly 15-40% of golfers suffer from an injury each year?

Here are some tips for avoiding injury:

Watch your volume – make sure that the amount of play or practice builds up slowly (a driving range/simulator can often be tougher on the body than playing the course!) and you can’t start out the first day at 18 holes without taking a few swings to practice first.

Make sure your clubs are properly fitted to you – improper gear can lead to injuries because of poor body mechanics.

Get strong!! A strong body is more resilient to injury. Make sure you are strength training leading up to and throughout the season.

Warm up – doing a proper warm up before your round is crucial. Make sure you are doing dynamic stretching and hitting a few balls before trying to smash your driver off #1. This will not only help avoid injury, but help you play better too!

How can a physiotherapist help?

Determine where your limitations are in strength and mobility.

Provide exercises to work on those limitations.
Perform manual therapy techniques, such as massage and joint mobilizations, to increase range of motion and help reduce pain.

Education on how to modify your training plan/volume, warm up and recovery routines.
And more!

Happy golfing Nova Scotia!

To learn more about physiotherapy in Nova Scotia, please visit www.physiotherapyns.ca


Image ID: There are two photos of Monica MacDonald, president of the NSPA. One photo is Monica hitting a golf ball on a course and the other photo is a close up shot of her facing straight to the camera, set on a blue background.

06/28/2024

Physiotherapists are direct-access practitioners, meaning patients can visit physiotherapists directly (self-referral) without waiting for a physician’s referral. Physiotherapy self-referral benefits both patients and the healthcare system!

Patient benefits include:
Timely access to care can lead to faster diagnosis and treatment
Improved health outcomes since early intervention and treatment can result in better outcomes, especially for conditions that require immediate attention
Better patient satisfaction
Reduced time loss for additional appointments
Reduced volume of referrals to specialists
Reduced health care cost overall

To find a local physiotherapist to help get you back to doing the things you love visit: http://www.physiotherapyns.ca/find-a-physio.

For more information about physiotherapy in Nova Scotia visit https://www.physiotherapyns.ca/

06/28/2024

Physiotherapists are primary health care providers. Nova Scotians are able to access physiotherapists through direct access, which means they can self-refer and do not require a physician’s referral. This has many benefits and timely access to the right care at the right time is a big one.

While many Nova Scotians do not have a family doctor, being able to access a physiotherapist directly and without needing a physician’s referral removes a huge barrier to care.

Removing barriers and allowing physiotherapists to work to their full scope of practice is the theme for this year’s National Physiotherapy Month. Another barrier to the right care at the right time is that currently physiotherapists are not able to refer to physician specialists (e.g. neurologists, orthopedic surgeons). Patients must go to a physician to receive this type of referral even though physiotherapists have the knowledge and skills needed to make this determination.

Physiotherapists working up to full scope have already shown the value of the profession. This needs to be realized in Nova Scotia and at a national level across Canada so all physiotherapists can deliver equitable and optimal care in our healthcare system. The call to action is clear. All jurisdictions in Canada need to remove barriers to physiotherapists working to full scope of practice, in all settings, to deliver timely, effective, and optimal care to all people and provide better outcomes for our health system.

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To learn more about physiotherapy in Nova Scotia, please visit www.physiotherapyns.ca

To learn more about National Physiotherapy Month, please visit www.physioisforeveryone.ca

06/28/2024

Physiotherapists are primary healthcare professionals that play a key role in health promotion and the treatment of injury and disease. Physiotherapy is an important part of the Canadian and Nova Scotian healthcare system. As part of this system, physiotherapists work closely with other health professionals, including physicians, occupational therapists, nurses, speech language pathologists, social workers, respiratory therapists, and massage therapists to provide excellent, patient-centered care.

Physiotherapists combine their in-depth knowledge of the body and how it works with specialized hands-on clinical skills to assess, diagnose, and treat symptoms of illness, injury or disability. All physiotherapists registered to practice in Nova Scotia (and Canada) are qualified to provide safe and effective physiotherapy treatment.

A physiotherapist’s goal is to get you moving. That means getting you to a place where you can be at your best functional capacity, maintaining that, and then helping you prevent future injuries.

Physiotherapists work in private clinics, general and rehabilitation hospitals, community health centres, residential and assisted living facilities, long-term care facilities, home visit agencies, workplaces, schools, etc. They work in all sorts of different areas, including orthopedics, pediatrics, geriatrics, pelvic health, neurology, cardiorespiratory, sports and more!

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To learn more about physiotherapy in Nova Scotia, please visit www.physiotherapyns.ca

To learn more about National Physiotherapy Month and the Deloitte Economic Impact of Physiotherapy in Canada report, please visit www.physioisforeveryone.ca

06/28/2024

Golf Tips to Prevent Injury

Golfer’s Elbow, Rotator Cuff strain and Lower back pain are three of the most common injuries from playing golf.

Here are a few ways you can prevent injury while playing:
1) Use proper form & technique while doing repetitive movements (i.e. golf swings).
2) Do gentle stretches before and after playing.
3) Maintain overall strength through exercise especially in shoulder, forearms, wrists and core.
4) Use the right size/properly fitted equipment and
5) Avoid carrying your clubs on one shoulder.

04/05/2024

If you have an appointment with us on Monday April 8 please be safe coming to the clinic.

⚠️ ECLIPSE GLASSES 😎

A total solar eclipse will occur in four days in eastern Canada! During any solar eclipse, it is imperative to wear special glasses with filters designed for eclipse watching in order to prevent eye damage. Regular sunglasses will not protect your eyes sufficiently.

→ Your glasses need to comply with the ISO #12312-2 standard (More info: https://bit.ly/4a00k9G)

→ The glasses must be in excellent condition before you use them. Make sure the lenses are not scratched, even the slightest bit. If they are, do not use them and be sure to discard them.

→ Don’t touch the filters with your fingers! If you do and there is a fingerprint, breathe on the lens and use a cloth from ordinary glasses to gently wipe it away.

→ To check whether your glasses comply with the standard, put them on. If you can't see anything, then they comply. You should be able to see nothing but the Sun.

You are now ready to watch the eclipse on April 8!

More info: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/eclipses/total-solar-eclipse.asp

02/14/2024

Exciting News!

Licensed physiotherapists working in private practice across Nova Scotia will be able to request X-rays for patients as early as spring of this year.