Pain and Injury Recovery

Our co-owner and Physiotherapist has had many injuries over the years, but this was a strange one:

"I was learning to curl, and was simply standing up from throwing the rock when my foot went out sideways and I heard a "pop" on the inside of my knee.

I was able to self-assess it as an MCL injury (ligament on the side of the knee), and felt pretty good that day. 

However, the next day inflammation had set in and I could barely walk. Being a Physio has advantages: I was able to  treat it at home. However, I noticed how afraid I was of my future, and possible loss of some of my favourite activities, such as hiking, gardening and running. 

I found that telling myself that I would heal helped to reduce my knee pain!

Tape, ultrasound, strengthening, stretching, proprioception training and gradual increase in stressing the knee led to my full recovery. I am able to fully squat, kneel, run, hike and kayak. 

But, this took me SIX MONTHS to achieve FULL RECOVERY!"

Ms J hurt her back lifting her toddler out of the crib one morning. She was super busy with work, the three kids, trying to keep her life together.

Six months later she realized it was starting to cause tingling and numbness in her buttock.

She googled what to do, and it helped a bit, but she still was having difficulty sitting.

Another few months flew by in her busy life and she realized it was starting to affect her quality of life. She was saying no to friends when they wanted to see a movie. And the thought of sitting on a plane was terrifying.

She found our clinic online, and booked herself in via our Jane booking app

Our Physiotherapist assessed her, decided that she'd benefit from seeing one of our Chiropractors as well, and they collaborated on her treatment plan.

Because Ms J had waited so long to come in she had significant muscle atrophy/weakness, muscle imbalances, plus altered posture and gait to compensate for the pain.

Her treatment journey took a YEAR to regain full strength, function and normal movement patterns.

She started out with visits a few times/week and gradually weaned off to one every 2-3 months by the end.

She achieved all of her recovery GOALS and learned to manage her pain!

Ms Runner was enjoying a long run through Rattray Marsh when she had to dodge a muddy puddle. As she jumped around it she slid over a rock in the mud, rolling her foot inwards.

She was able to walk with a limp back home, but by that night her outer ankle was really swollen and turning interesting colours.

She called our front desk and was booked in the same day with the first available Physiotherapist.

Her personal goals, range of motion, gait pattern, strength and balance were assessed.

Her acute treatment involved education, pain relief, early exercises, working on maintaining her fitness for her upcoming marathon and taping.

She made a rapid recovery in SIX WEEKS and was able to run her race two months later!

This is the big question! 

When we assess your injuries we will give you an estimate of how long that type of injury takes to heal.

Having said that, it may take us a few sessions with you to see how you are responding to your treatment plan.

There are many variables that can influence your healing such as:

• injury severity (mild vs severe sprain, simple vs compound fracture etc)
• psychosocial factors (anxiety, fear, overconfidence, etc)
• nutrition (eating the building blocks for tissue healing is essential)
• work and life stressors
• sleep quality
• your participation in the home exercise program!