Dr Victoria West

01/02/2023

Back at it - January 9!

I’ll be returning to my practices from my mat leave as of NEXT MONDAY. I am excited to get back to the work I love and helping my patients get back to the activities and movements THEY love.

My second maternity leave has brought so much in perspective and I’m excited to be participating in a few courses in early 2023 and bringing what I learn to my patients.

No matter how many courses I take - one thing never changes - education and movement are always key to recovery and resilience.

Looking forward to being able to take on new patients again - booking link in bio, let’s get you beyond your pain and level up your quality of life and movement 😃

09/17/2021

thank you runner’s clinic for having me as your featured speaker this week!

It was fun running through a few basic mobility points while we talked through some of the benefits of chiropractic!

thank you to a great group for participating and being welcoming! you are all in great hands with Suzanne, I look forward to hearing about your progress through the 8 weeks!

07/14/2021

I love the results neurofunctional acupuncture brings in an acute injury. It moves a patient towards goals of decreasing pain AND improving function at the same time.

Active patients like Body Design want to have minimal interruption to their habits around movement and activity and that’s exactly what I help my patients work towards - through treatment to speed up the healing process, & education and movement training to understand how to move towards confidence and strength after injury!

Got an injury - treat it!
I recently sprained my ankle. It was pretty sore and swollen for a couple of days and I could have easily said to myself just wait it out and it will heal on it’s own.
However I knew that I wanted to get back to my regular activities as quickly as possible. I also wanted to make sure that my ankle healed properly so I would not have any further issues in the future.
As a personal trainer, I often hear people comment that they have some kind of physical ailment that's been bothering them for a while or they have an injury. I always suggest seeking out treatment for the issue because I know the issue will probably not just “go away”.
But it still amazes me how many people decide to do nothing and will put up with discomfort and/or a lack of mobility in the affected area. Would it not be better to get the issue diagnosed and then treated appropriately to ensure proper healing?
There are a number of highly skilled professionals in our community who I refer to for injuries and ailments. Go to their social media pages and website and check them out. They’re all amazing and I would not recommend them if I did not believe in their services. victoriawest




(In the picture, I’m receiving medical electro-acupuncture with Dr. Victoria West. It is a precise nerve and tissue stimulation technique that allows for a “reset” of the pain signals from an injury using gentle electrical stimulations to acupuncture needles. It stimulates and promotes the body’s natural healing process, increases blood circulation and helps the brain communicate more effectively with the area injured.)

01/19/2021

movement matters.

movement matters to physical, mental, and emotional well being.

movement is not what i feel like doing when i’m overwhelmed but makes the greatest difference.

right now i am working through for postpartum restoration of my core stability, pelvic floor strength & endurance, breathing patterns, hip mobility and strength, cardiovascular foundation, etc.

it’s a lot to take on, and i’ve been feeling overwhelmed by that list. i’ve started and stopped this 12 week online program 4 times since reggie was born because

➖ this used to be a measly warm up i’d barely break a sweat in, and it just feels too frustrating i am where i am at
➖i miss working out in classes with great community, working out at home is a reminder of what i’m missing
➖the ever interfering nap schedule, i prefer to try to move when i can focus fully on my form and breathing. tending to a 6 month old who times his fussy times for when i workout is draining.

attempt #4 brings me to
▪️ finding an online zoom buddy to work through it with me, that has patience for last minute schedule adjustments and fussy man in the background sometimes (holla .west).
▪️ being flexible and working on my instilled all-or-nothing attitude. a few times a week is enough right now. deciding that if reggie has to join, i’ll scale back and use it as a way to play with him.
(some days he JUST goes for a nap when we start and we get to do the full program plus some yoga... 👌🏻👌🏻 moms, you know 😉)
▪️ setting a goal. spring is coming and with the warm weather i know i’m going to be craving my annual spring 10K training and getting back on my mountain bike.

i know if i can complete this 12 weeks i will be ready to take on those activities again. While i know the 10k likely won’t take place this June - I’d like to train for it, goodness i miss that part of a run that feels like meditation on cruise control.

so, while i may end up on attempt #5 - i’m giving myself grace and know I’m doing my best given the stay-at-home order, being a part time working first time mom, and month 11 of some form of lockdown.

we sorta got this, keep trying friends.

01/18/2021

Do you have issues with your feet?

I have been so impressed with the results from toe spacers over the past 4-5 years. I discovered them after being beyond disappointed in the “evidence” suggesting orthotics are a long term fix for anything. While searching for answers in 3 levels of “orthotics” training - I was left with no choice but to see that they are rarely indicated.

orthotics support under the arch of your foot - we need the foot like this all the time, right?!

wrong.

the ability to pronate - pushing the arch down, flattening the foot to the floor - is CRITICAL for all movements done from your feet. Things like - walking, running, squats, deadlifts, lunges, step ups, split squats.

pronation is basically rotation through your foot. (did you know there are 26 joints that participate in this motion?!)

so just like bracing and hand and wrist permanently seems insane for the healthy population, so is bracing their feet. Not like we spend all day moving on our feet or anything..

which brings me back to $6-10 dollar toe spacers.

stay with me here - does it make sense to you to think that resolving issues with your feet means helping the soft tissues regain their dexterity and function then strengthening them?

it makes A LOT Of sense to me.

i often recommend toe spacers often when I am working with patients looking to resolve pain or issues with their feet - knees, hips, low back, midback, or neck.

the feet set the stage for ALL the joints above - if they aren’t strong, involved, and coordinated into your movement, there are gains and pain free gains to be had in most cases.

Should you get toe spacers and start wearing them all the time?

possibly. impossible to say for sure without a movement consultation.

where someone is at with their mobility, strength, and stability in movement dictate if and when toe spacers are recommended and at what pacing I feel they can adapt at.

should you throw out your orthotics?
again, i can’t say without assessing the movement in your feet, the joints, and state of the soft tissues.
i have seen success in long term orthotic use with certain conditions - such as VERY arthritic feet in an older pop’n.

12/25/2020

Merry Christmas 🎄
Love you Family & Friends!

12/21/2020

👩🏻‍⚕️Chiropractic will continue to be OPEN and ACCESSIBLE during the 28 day lockdown beginning Boxing Day according to the document provided by the Ontario Government.

Continued careful, thorough, and strict COVID-19 measures will continue in place of course.

If you prefer to have your care virtually, the link is on my bio.

While I am very grateful to continue to support patients in person with hands on care, I am personally heartbroken for the entrepreneurs that have withstood so much and to have to shut their doors completely once again..

entrepeneurs... this year has been incredibly hard for you and i’m so sorry that despite your greatest efforts, you are again finding yourselves without an end in sight & bearing the brunt of the tremendous pressure and stress the measures taken in this pandemic have placed on you. 💔

12/20/2020

nothing to see here mom.

just a boy and his dog sharing some SNACKS

12/15/2020

not sure what the most impressive part of this picture is…

That the time it took us to get ready was less than the time that we walked or

that I got the three of us in a picture even though I’m the only one looking LOL.

12/09/2020

the aftermath of 30 minutes of yoga with an almost 5 month old. so many changes in position, offering toys, barfs and a diaper change.

i miss my group classes.

i miss looking at the person next to me and smiling, a silent communication of “damn, this is a challenge”.

i miss feedback from instructors and coaches.

i miss leaving my house and walking into a gym or studio, leaving my mental stuff with my shoes at the door.

this is tough folks.

fitness with little access to in person community.. i’m finding it a little suffocating. that energized feeling leaving the gym after hauling a good workout with 7-8 others in your community ... i miss it a lot. i bet a lot of you do too. this working out at home without friends is certainly missing something.

no comments on solutions, just. yeah. hopefully things change in the near future.

anyone have any ideas?

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11/19/2020

yoga while he naps is going greeaaatt...

the cold weather and R turning 4 months has brought some challenges to the little routine we had going.

so, my 45 minutes of yoga while he takes his first nap and our walk when he was done .... is now 20 minutes with him and interrupted about 47 times to entertain him.

hopefully we will be able to find a new rhythm in the next few weeks but hey - for now it’s something.

i’d like to encourage you to join me in trying for “something” - even if it’s basically “nothing”.

➡️ we will still feel better after moving around a little bit
➡️ we are still reinforcing the groove in our brains that “i make time for my body and health”
➡️ it builds resilience in mental health to have to adapt to changes.
➡️ works on reprogramming “it’s gotta be *just so *perfect *hard to be exercise”
➡️moves lymph fluid around, improving our mobility, decreasing stiffness, giving your immune system a hand
➡️ increases blood circulation into the “nooks and crannies”, giving tissues and organs fresh nutrition and oxygen.