The Healthy Balance Blog

Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by deterioration of bone tissue leading to a decrease in bone density which can increase your risk of sustaining a fracture. This decrease in bone density occurs gradually over time, with both men and women beginning to lose bone in their mid-30s. As such, for those who develop osteoporosis there are often no symptoms unless a fracture has occurred. A common misconception about osteoporosis is that it only affects postmenopausal women. However, osteoporosis can occur in men as well as younger individuals. There are 2.3 million Canadians living with...

Do you notice yourself often feeling anxious, irritated or overwhelmed? Do you find yourself craving bodily autonomy while your kids are wanting to be held or jump on you all the time? Do you wish you had more quiet time by yourself to escape the constant barrage of noise? Does it feel like there is no break from someone always needing something from you, and that you are so busy tending to others' needs that you can't get your own needs met? Are your energy levels consistently low, or do you sometimes get so depleted that you just crash? Do you get triggered by your kid's meltdowns...

Osteopathy is a manual treatment applied to areas of restriction or tissue texture changes in the body by applying gentle pressure and/or movement to reposition physical structures, thereby improving overall physical function. Founded in 1874 by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, Osteopathic Medicine was borne as a philosophy and science of health and healing out of dissatisfaction with the medicine of his day. A spiritual man and divergent thinker, Dr. Still recognized the importance of sufficient arterial and...

Have you heard of endometriosis? March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. In honour of spreading awareness we are going to educate you about Healthy Balance’s Endometriosis Program, and how Pelvic Physiotherapy can help people suffering from this disease. Let’s first take a look at what Endometriosis is. This is a systemic, inflammatory disease that affects 190 million people worldwide; which is equivalent to asthma and diabetes, yet it remains grossly underfunded and misunderstood, with no known cause and no known cure. It is described as tissue that is similar to the lining of the uterus tha...

Postpartum and during menopause there is a lot that can change "down there" which can impact our ability to run. These changes commonly include urinary incontinence, prolapse/feeling of heaviness, and pelvic pain. The good news: Common does not equal normal Despite being common these changes should not be passed off as the "new normal" and ignored. We would never ignore a soccer related knee injury because "they are common." Similarly, you should not ignore incontinence, pelvic pain or heaviness just because they are more common during/after menopause or post-partum. More good news: There is t...

Never heard of an FCAMPT™ Physiotherapist? Sounds familiar but not really sure what FCAMPT means? If you would like to learn more about CAMPT-Certified™ physiotherapists and what they can do for you, continue reading.FCAMPT stands for Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Physiotherapy. A CAMPT-Certified physiotherapist has completed extensive training in the area of orthopaedics that is internationally recognized and goes above and beyond Canadian University requirements for physiotherapy programs. What Makes FCAMPT Therapists Different? The additional training and education that FCA...

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that include the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. These muscles provide movement and stability for the shoulder complex. Even though the rotator cuff is more well known, there are several other muscles that attach to the shoulder girdle. What is Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy? Rotator cuff tendinopathy "refers to pain and weakness, most commonly experienced with movements of shoulder external rotation and elevation, as a consequence of excessive load on RC tissues". External rotation involves moving the arm away from the bo...

In today's world where we have become so plagued by disease/pain, one may ask "why?" We may recall Newton's 3rd Law of Motion, from our days of studying physics, "Every Action has an equal and opposite Reaction". Keep this in mind, as you read on.Motion is all around us as well as within us, down to the tiniest cells in our bodies. While this movement is good for our health, infections, trauma (emotional/physical), surgeries, repetitive movements, (poor) nutrition, environmental toxins, and stress will inflict a reaction in our bodies. Though we as human beings are resilient, how we respond to...

The Canadian Physiotherapy Association and insurance companies have been working together to make it easier for clients to continue their care online during this time of social distancing. The response to our initial tele-rehab sessions has been so positive we have decided to make tele-rehabilitation services a permanent part of our treatment options. We are happy to announce, starting today, that we will now be accepting virtual appointment bookings through our online booking system. To schedule your virtual physiotherapy appointment please go to our website at www.hbpw.ca and click the "Book...