As summer draws close we are seeing the masses head to their lakes and preparing for summer vacations.  Please remember that your bodies still require stimuli to maintain strength, and more importantly to continue to progress over summer. 
 
We are offering a youth athletic strength camp this year.  This camp is designed for the 13-18 year old, and is set up to educate to proper lifting techniques, and then develop conditioning. 
 
Once back from your summer hiatus, we have our fall strength class -- Mackie Strong Levels I and II -- starting again.  These classes are a great way to recover what you have lost over the summer, and as a great disciplined structure to catapult you into a new year of gains.

 Call our front office at (306)955-7888 to get more information and/or sign up.

Mackie Physiotherapy has evolved even further by adding a model of prevention to our clinic philosophy.  Because we feel that this is the way of the future, we are excited to offer an assessment process to identify small issues before they become problems.  

Blaine has been in the field for 26 years, and has witnessed small physical issues become life-altering problems.  We seem to live our lives in a reactive mode, meaning that we do not deal with issues until it is too late.  We relate this to a fire.  People do not want to deal with a small glowing ember, such as an ache or a stiffness, until it becomes a roaring fire like a muscle imbalance or disc herniation. A minor issue that you feel very occasionally is usually neglected or ignored.  Most often, this small mechanical issue can, or will, become a significant disability that you are forced to deal with, which becomes more time consuming and expensive as it is affecting your life style and requires more attention and treatment.  Dealing with the minor issue first is significantly more efficient.  Changing the oil in your car is a great example of keeping your motor running well over a longer time frame – if you do not change the oil, there is eventually major mechanical breakdown that is associated with significant cost and downtime.  In our body, managing small issues throughout the year is much more efficient than waiting for a major break down or disability to occur.

Our prevention philosophy is to deal with the small ember instead waiting for a roaring fire.  Consider having a prevention assessment to identify the small embers and receive a few self-treatment techniques, or physiotherapist-assisted hands-on treatment to deal with the embers and effectively correct the minor problems, so these embers are not permitted to become roaring, life-altering fires.

This prevention philosophy leads to the concept of “Younger Next Year”.  Blaine will be speaking on the concept of “Younger Next Year” on June 19,  2018  Watch for the email newsletter.

Annual Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy Checkup
Dr. Sahrmann (world renowned and published Physical Therapist) draws a parallel with the dentistry profession. People visit their dentist once or twice a year to check their teeth. The body is much more visible than our teeth, and it needs a bi-annual checkup of the movement system by a physical therapist/physiotherapist.

Any questions can be directed to our clinic at (306) 955-7888 or through our email.

Back pain can affect everyone.  It has been said 80% of individuals will experience back pain at some point of their lives.  But that does not mean once you have back pain you have to live with it.  And if you have back chronic back pain, that does not mean you have to limit yourself.

Back pain comes in many different forms, and each one can be treated in some way or another through physiotherapy.  Examples are:

• Sprains and strains
• Tight back and hip muscles
• Disc injuries
• Radiacular leg pain
• Fractures
• Scoliosis
• Spondylolithesis
• Spinal stenosis
• Osteoarthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Post surgical pain
• Weakness

Myths regarding back pain:

1. “Once you have experienced or have back pain, you should not lift heavy objects.” FALSE!  Lifting heavy may be just the thing you need (with approval of a physiotherapist)!  Strengthening the back will help make your back stronger, which will allow you to tolerate more lifting load.  You may also need to have your lifting techniques adjusted.
   
2. “Medical imaging is a good indicator of my back pain.” FALSE!  A combination of imaging and a physical assessment can give you the best answer as to what’s going on in your back.  For example your recent x-ray may read that you have degeneration or disc space narrowing, but this may not be causing your back pain at all!  It may be because of tight hips or something else an x-ray may not show.
3. “Bed rest is the best thing for your back.”  FALSE!  There may be some points in your rehab that may require rest, but generally backs need movement and sometimes repeated movement.
4. “Pain is equal to the degree of injury.”  FALSE!  Pain is not a good representation of what’s occurring in your back.  The worse the back pain does not necessarily mean the worse the problem.  A physiotherapist can help decipher what the pain means.

What you need to know:
Reducing or getting rid of your back pain can be a slow process, especially when it’s chronic.  Time and consistency are the key factors on changing back pain permanently.

Do you have back pain?  We may be able to help! Contact our office.