Exercise Programs to Connect Mind & Muscle After Brain Injury
Regular exercise can help people who have sustained a traumatic brain injury in many important ways. Studies have shown that regular physical activity — planned or unplanned — can help with improving emotional regulation, decreasing stress and anxiety, improving our relaxation response, decreasing perception of pain, improving symptoms of fatigue, and neurogenesis: the creation of new connections in the brain.Understanding what type of exercises to do and how to do it properly can sometimes be a challenge. However, the benefits of regular exercise far outweigh the costs and obstacles associated with it. In this blog, I outline the essential components [...]
Physiotherapy Exam Cancellations Decrease Access to Physiotherapy Care
The Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR)—the governing body that administers and oversees the national Physiotherapy Competency Exam (PCE)—recently made the news when it cancelled its online exam shortly after students began writing the exam due to significant technical difficulties. The PCE must be successfully completed by eligible candidates before applying for an independent licence to practice physiotherapy in Canada. This is the fourth time since the pandemic took hold in Canada in March 2020 that the CAPR has cancelled the PCE. This has left a group of would-be physiotherapists waiting to start their healthcare careers, a hiring shortage [...]
Personal Training for People with Disabilities or Limited Mobility
At Propel Physiotherapy, we take the same approach to personal training for people with disabilities or limited mobility as we do for any other client. By getting to know our clients and what is important to them, we can tailor personalized programs that help keep them motivated towards achieving their goals. My experience with exercise programming for special populations has taught me the importance of meaningful goal setting, not focusing too much on the numbers, and collaborating with other health professionals. Goal-Based Approach to Personal Training for People with Disabilities As a kinesiologist who works with clients with a [...]
Postpartum Pelvic Health
Pelvic-perineal dysfunctions, are the most common diseases in postpartum women[i], and yet postpartum pelvic health is generally not recommended or discussed as part of standard care in Canada. Postpartum is generally defined as beginning immediately after the birth of a child. The truth is once you deliver a child you are ‘postpartum’ for the rest of your life. But for too many women, recovery from childbirth is also lifelong when it doesn’t have to be. In France, seeing a pelvic physiotherapist post-partum is the standard of care. Ob-gyns prescribe postpartum women 10-20 sessions of pelvic physical rehab and it is covered as [...]
Physiotherapy Supports Healthy Aging
Physiotherapy supports healthy aging in many ways, “from helping Canadians recover from illness to helping improve the flexibility, strength, and balance older adults need to remain independent and mobile.”[i] In this article, we highlight some commonly asked questions about our profession and the many ways our profession can enable and support healthy aging. What is the Role of a Physiotherapist? The role of a physiotherapist is to assist patients and clients recover and rehabilitate from an injury to the musculoskeletal, neurological, or cardiorespiratory systems. Physiotherapists are also able to provide guidance, education, and instruction for community health as well. The [...]
Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation in Gait Training for Parkinson’s
Gait impairment is common in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), affecting mobility, independence and increasing falls risk. Over the past few decades, research and clinical studies supporting the effects of using music clinically in rehabilitation have been developed and replicated. One of the most powerful and well-documented elements of music on non-music functions is rhythm. In this blog, we will look at how rhythmic auditory stimulation can help improve walking and function for those living with PD.Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease.[i] The disease is caused by loss of cells in the brain [...]