🏋🏼♂️Overhead press💪🏻
⭕️Training the upper body supports everyday movement patterns such as reaching, pushing, pulling, and lifting. As we get older, having less upper body strength can increase risk of injury. Maintaining flexibility, strength, and range of motion in our shoulders and arms is important in being able to perform activities of daily living safely and effectively.
🔼The overhead press mainly targets muscles of the shoulder, upper back, and triceps. When performed standing, strength can also be improved in the core and hips. Increased strength in these areas increases our ability to carry heavy objects safely and improves our full-body stability. This contributes to lower risk of falls and other injuries.
❗️There are many variations of the overhead press using various types of weight. However, the main principles of form to perform the movement stay the same. Keeping the core engaged, not arching in the lower back, and keeping the shoulders down and away from the ears are a few keys to execute the overhead press properly!
👉🏼Swipe to see different variations of the overhead press so you can get pressing!
Struggling to find an available massage therapist? Our RMT Anna is now available for booking and has availability Monday - Saturday, spots as early as 7:15 am and as late as 5 pm!
Book now to reserve your spot.
Link in profile directly to our online booking website or give us a call (778) 484-6070 to secure your spot! ☺️
💥Shockwave Therapy for De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis
🎮Also know as “texting thumb” or “gamer’s thumb”, De Quervain’s Syndrome (stenosing tenosynovitis) is caused by repetitive movement of the thumb, leading to inflammation in the tendons (adductor pollicus longus and extensor pollicus brevis) and tendon sheath. This causes pain on the lateral side of your wrist beneath your thumb due to the increased friction between the sheath and tendons. If not treated, pain can extend the entire forearm or further into the wrist and thumb.
📝Studies show that shockwave therapy can be a safe and easy method for patients with de Quervain’s Tenosynovitis to minimize pain and restore hand grip function.
🟣During shockwave therapy, gentle impulses are sent to the area that needs treating, bringing new blood vessels into the damaged tendons to kickstart healing. We can see the syndrome resolve within about four to six shockwave sessions depending on length and severity of the condition. Recovery can be aided with exercise and massage.
📊A research article by Malliaropoulos et al. supports these findings, showing that with an individualized shockwave protocol pain was reduced and all patients found improvement. Variations in protocol based on each patients tolerance and response to treatment is the best way to treat tendinopathies with radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (Malliaropoulos et al. 2016).
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Malliaropoulos et al (2016) Radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy for the treatment of finger tenosynovitis (trigger digit). Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, (7), 143-151.
🤸🏼♀️Lumbar Spine Extensions🚶🏼♀️
🌟Lumbar extensions are used as a means to determine directional preference for people with low back pain, particularly low back pain that presents with some referral of symptoms into the thigh or leg (peripheralization).
🏆The goal of completing repeated extensions with varying degrees of movement is get these symptoms to centralize…meaning moving up from the leg or thigh and into the back. Movement of pain from the leg to low back indicates that the nerve and disc irritation that is primarily driving the referred symptoms are being reduced.
➡️Following the McKenzie MDT model, this repeated movement is normally is to manage both of what are known as a derangement and sometimes a dysfunction classification.
📶This movement can be progressed according to patient tolerance, starting off with minimal movement and hopefully progressing to a more full extension. Keep in mind that this is just one movement that may respond well (or poorly) when trying to manage this type of low back pain. Working with your practitioner to determine what truly is your directional preference is something needs to be monitored to determine its repeatability and reliability for each individual.
❗️At Momentum Health, Dr. Nimchuk is trained in the McKenzie approach and is able to take patients through the assessment and treatment to help patients develop self-management strategies for taking care of the their own symptoms.
We are happy to announce that Anna Carter is officially an RMT! She is set up for billing to extended health and has lots of availability open online! Click the link in our bio to book with Anna 🌻
💫Jefferson Curl💪🏻
🌀The Jefferson curl is a protective exercise for the back, serving to strengthen the back in movements that aren’t frequently used. It can also help improve hip and back mobility.
🤸🏼This movement encourages spinal flexion through the range of motion, unlike most other exercises. Injury to the spine most commonly occurs when we are either in flexion or rotation positions, especially when weight is included. Properly performing the Jefferson curl can increase the strength of our back in these positions, decreasing the risk of injury.
❗️It is important in the Jefferson curl to start with bodyweight and add weight in small amounts. Focus on form and slow controlled movement. Stop if there is any pain, and either decrease the weight or reduce the range of motion.
❌While the Jefferson curl can be extremely effective, this movement is NOT for everybody - it is a good idea to have this movement assessed by a health care professional before attempting. A good indication that this movement is not for you, is if your symptoms of back pain do not reside after performing the curl.
✨HOW TO:
1️⃣Stand on an elevated surface (eg: stairs, box, etc.) with legs about hip width apart and standing tall.
2️⃣Begin by rolling down towards the floor, tucking the chin to the chest and rounding the back vertebrae by vertebrae in the spine. (TIP: think about rolling over a barrel or an exercise ball)
3️⃣Bend down as far as you can, reaching for the floor. Pause at the end range of the movement with the back rounded in spinal flexion.
4️⃣Slowly begin to come out of the movement by again rolling the spine up vertebrae by vertebrae ending with the neck and head.
☀️Good mornings
🙆🏼♀️A good morning is a hinge movement that that primarily works the core and muscles of the posterior chain. It can be a great way to strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. Having stronger hips and low back can help with injury prevention and increase movement control.
✅It is very important to do the good morning correctly, and to not lift too much weight when performing reps. Weighting the movement too much or not having proper form increases the risk of low back injury.
🦵🏼Range of motion in this exercise will be determined by hamstring flexibility. Some people may be able to hinge forward further than others. It is important to not push the range of motion further than your body will allow.
HOW TO:
1️⃣hinge from the hips, pushing the bum back and leaning forward having a slight bend in the knees
2️⃣Hinge forward as far as you can while keeping the low back flat – DO NOT let the low back round. Keep the head neutral and core engaged to help here
3️⃣come back up to standing by engaging the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, calves, etc.), driving the hips forward and hinging back up from the hips.
❗️If weighting the movement, use a barbell or resistance band and position it across the back along the trapezius muscle. Start light and increase weight by small amounts!
Have a wonderful long weekend!
We are closed tomorrow, April 14th and open again at 9 am Monday.
🐣
Hurt yourself over this easter weekend and can’t get in to your chiropractor or RMT until Monday? Fear not !! Try this exercise to loosen up your muscles and relieve pain!
🐱🐮Cat-Cow Exercise
⭐️Cat-cow is a common stretch used to warm up the body and move the spine. During this exercise, the spine is moved from a rounded position (flexion) through to an arched one (extension).
🧘🏼♀️Moving through gentle flexion and extension of the spine is beneficial to stretch out many muscles in the spine, neck, hips, and abdomen.
⭐️Improvements in posture and mobility are often seen with repeated practice of the cat-cow stretch.
💪🏻Muscles targeted through this stretch include hip flexors, abdominal muscles, trapezius, spinal erectors, and lower back muscles making it a great full-body mobility exercise.
How-to:
1️⃣ – set up in a tabletop pose with the knees stacked under the hips and hands under the shoulders. Relax the shoulders away from the ears and ensure you have a stable base.
2️⃣ – Start with “cow” pose by dropping the belly to the floor, tilting the pelvis anteriorly. Bring the gaze up towards the ceiling stretching the neck and upper back.
3️⃣ – Then rotate through to “cat” pose by pushing into the ground with the hands and rounding the back, dropping the head down between the arms. Think about pushing the mid back up to the sky and tucking the tailbone under in this position.
4️⃣ – cycle through the 2 positions about 6-8 times or until the body feels stretched out enough
What if we told you that you could save hours of time each week? What if you didn’t have to flip through cookbook pages to hopefully find something interesting to cook for dinner? What if you didn’t even have to write out a grocery list?
Our dietitian, Sandra, can do just that for you! She now offers custom meal plans for new and existing clients!
Her meal plans are:
👉🏼 tailored to your preferences and allergies
👉🏼 scaled to the size of your family
👉🏼 include breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks
👉🏼 actually tasty
👉🏼 not restrictive or strict by any means
👉🏼 and come with a done-for-you grocery list
Have any questions about how you can integrate a meal plan into your busy lifestyle that meets your needs? Book a discovery call or your first session with Sandra and find out.
#mealplan#dietitian#kelowna#intuitiveeating#health#localkelowna#kelownalocal
Our very own Emily W competed with her ringette team at the Western Canada Championships and WON! We are so proud 🥲
🦾 BICEP CURLS 💪
🙇🏽Did you know your biceps brachii is a two-headed muscle? The biceps consist of a long head and a short head.
☑️Along with your biceps brachii, your brachioradialis and brachialis help to flex the arm at the elbow.
☑️Having strong biceps is important for functional movement, especially as we age. Our biceps play a vital role in moving the arms up, forward, and side to side. They also stabilize the shoulder when we carry objects or lift weight. Building and maintaining strength through some of these movements can maintain health of the shoulder joint (specifically the rotator cuff) and reduce risk of injury when carrying or picking up objects.
☑️ The two heads of the bicep work across 2 joints (shoulder and elbow) and are able to generate movements in many different planes.
☑️The bicep curl can be modified in many ways by making small simple changes to the grip or hand position as well as the range of motion used in the exercise to target different parts of the bicep or the accessory muscles mentioned above.
🔅Regular bicep curl (targets short head of biceps brachii)
🔅Supinated bicep curl (targets long head of biceps brachii)
🔅Hammer curl (targets brachialis – upper arm muscle)
Our Registered Dietitian is NOW AVAILABLE on Mondays!
Sandra is now booking between 8 am - 12 pm on Monday and Friday. Check online to reserve your spot! (Follow the 🔗 in profile)
⭐️GLUTE BRIDGES⭐️
Glute weakness is common in individuals who sit for extended periods of time during the day. When we spend so many hours sedentary during the day whether it be sitting at work, in the car, or on the couch we are prone to developing weak glutes and tight hips. This can lead to many issues including back pain, incorrect patterns of movement, and poor mobility. 🙇🏼♀️
🦵🏼Strengthening the glutes and core helps improve our stability in walking and running and keeps our movement patterns efficient.
🤸🏼♀️A glute bridge is an effective exercise for strengthening the glutes and the core. There are different variations of the exercise dependent on strength ability and level of progression.
‼️Key things to remember/focus on when doing a glute bridge:
✅Bring feet closer to the glutes (more activation of glute muscles than hamstrings)
✅Squeeze glutes at the top of the movement
✅Activate and engage core
✅Keep knees steady – not caving in or out
✅Drive hips up and try to keep body flat (no rounding of the back)
Use the following variations to progress through the glute bridge and build strength !
1️⃣Basic glute bridge
2️⃣Bridge with resistance band
3️⃣Bridge with weight
4️⃣Single leg bridge
🎾Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
Lateral epicondylitis, more commonly known as Tennis elbow, develops through repetitive motion of the wrist and arm.
❌Contradictory to its name, you don’t have to play tennis to develop tennis elbow! The primary causes of epicondylitis are from contractile overload on the tendons near the humerus that happen during repetitive upper extremity activities, especially ones that require repetitive wrist extension.
This occurs most often during:
▶️computer use
▶️heavy lifting
▶️forceful forearm pronation (turning palm to face down)
▶️forceful forearm supination (turning palm to face up)
‼️The most common and persistent symptoms of tennis elbow are
▶️Pain originating at the lateral epicondyle of the elbow before, during, or after aggravating activity. Pain can be constant if untreated.
▶️Radiating pain up the arm into the shoulder or down the forearm into the wrist and hands.
💥Pain in the forearm extensor tendons can also be caused by nerve inflammation or muscle guarding, and may not necessarily be tennis elbow! Getting your pain assessed by a health care professional can help determine the root of the issue and plan your course of treatment.
The above modalities can help with treatment and prevention !
▶️Shockwave therapy
▶️Wrist curls
▶️ wrist stretches
Good luck Emily at the BC Ringette Provincials!
We’re so proud of you 😊
It’s hard to catch all the wonderful, hard-working women in our clinic for a photo, so here’s a few of the smiling faces you see when you get to the clinic!
#womensday #internationalwomensday
🏋🏼♀️Latissimus Dorsi
🌀The latissimus dorsi is a large flat muscle that covers the entire middle and low back connecting the upper arm to the hips and spine. More commonly referred to as the “lats”, this muscle is the widest muscle in the body and is responsible for extension, adduction, and internal rotation of the shoulder. Because of its vital role in movement of the shoulder, dysfunction of the lats can limit the ability to achieve and maintain an overhead position.
🌀Stiffness in this muscle can also be a contributor to low back pain, which can be exacerbated during certain postures especially with prolonged sitting.
❓HOW DO I KNOW IF MY LATS ARE TIGHT?
▶️By performing a positional test called the Latissimus Dorsi flexibility test. Seen in the first video, if the thumbs are unable to reach the ground it is likely that your lats are tight.
🌀Use the following exercises to stretch out the lats and keep them strong!
- Lat pulldown
- Doorway stretch
- Child’s pose with lat stretch
- Seated resistance band row