What's New at Physio Sport Med

Eric St-Onge, Chiropractor

The cold season is among us!  Left and right, it seems just about everyone is getting sick.  One of the unfortunate results of feeling under the weather is that we miss out on our physical activity.  And rightfully so!  No one enjoys exercising when they are sick.

(by the way, if you prefer to WATCH instead of reading, click the link here or view the embedded video below!)

There are many different variables that can help and hinder your immune system.  For the sake of this article, we will focus on 5.

1. Nutrition
2. Exercise
3. Life Stress
4. Sleep
5. Environmental Extremes

 
Nutrition.  This should not be a big surprise! If we are not feeding the body what it needs, it will not be working optimally.  Chronically not eating enough calories is also a part of this mechanism. 

WHAT TO DO:

• Eat a well-balanced diet
• Consider Vitamin D supplementation (especially during the cold seasons)
• Replenish what you expend (make sure you eat enough calories!)

 
Exercise. After very long and heavy exercise bouts (>90 minutes), it’s not uncommon to have a small dip in your immune system to take a bit of a dip for up to 24hrs. 

WHAT TO DO:

• Use gradual increments in load (~10% per week)
• Have more frequent shorter training sessions rather that fewer very long sessions
• Implement recovery strategies post-workout
• Schedule a de-load week every few weeks

 
Life Stress.  Being in a state of constant low-level stress can impact your sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous system and your neuroendocrine system, all of which can impact your immune function.

WHAT TO DO:

• Monitor mood and anxiety levels
• Implement stress management techniques, such as meditation

 
Sleep.  Although one night of missed sleep may not impact your immune function, chronic sleep disturbances can raise inflammation markers in the blood.  Disruption of your normal circadian rhythm (AKA, your biological clock) can also negatively impact immune function.  This is most often seen in shift-workers and those travelling to new time zones.

WHAT TO DO:

• Sleep at least 7hrs/night
• Monitor quality of sleep with wearable devices
• Nap during the daytime
• No electronic screens close to bedtime - if not possible, invest in pair of blue light blocking glasses
• If travelling to new time zone, acclimatize to new sleep schedule ahead of travel departure

 
Environmental Extremes.  Being in either very hot of very cold weather for long periods challenges your central nervous system, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system.  These systems also play a huge role in producing your immunoregulatory hormones.  Thus if they are already under lots of stress, immune function may be impacted. 

WHAT TO DO:

• Contrast baths can help boots immune system function
• Avoid breathing large amounts of cold dry air, especially if exercising outdoors during the colder climates

 
 
“I’m a shift worker and it’s not possible for me to change jobs.  Does this mean I’ll always be prone to get sick?”
Not necessarily!  It is my opinion that we can mitigate certain factors by “overcompensating” in the other factors.  For instance, because in your case, sleep will always be a problem.  Thus, we need to investigate the other factors that we talked about and find ways where we can “overcompensate”.  For example, make meditation part of your routine (even if you are not feeling stressed), be a little stricter with your nutrition and make sure you implement naps as often as you can.  (the linked video has a great visual representation of this concept of “overcompensating” – I recommended giving it a watch!)

Motor Vehicle Accidents make up a substantial percentage of physiotherapy treatments.   And although most people get back to work and play, it can be a long and sometime painful process that would be better avoided.  

Here are some tips to minimize injury and quicken recovery:

1. Prevention!  If possible, it is best to avoid accidents altogether.  During winter weather, drive slower and leave more space between you and the car ahead.   Snow tires are a great investment in safety.  Ensuring that your car is well tuned is also helpful.  Finally, pay attention to the road and vehicles around you.  
2. Position yourself well.    Adjust your seat so that it is as far away from the air bags as possible while still being able to comfortably reach the steering wheel.   Check to see if the steering wheel is pointed at your chest or face.   If it is pointing at your face, adjust it to be in line with your chest.   Feet flat on the ground.   This may be more relevant for passengers than drivers, but with feet crossed or resting on the dashboards, the safety features of the car can do as much damage as good.  Finally, keep your thumbs off the cross piece of the steering wheel.   Airbags eject with speed and power; your thumbs may be injured if they engage. 
3. Relax and release the brake.  If you see an impending impact, try to relax the muscles of your neck and shoulders. Instinctively, most people tense to try to minimize the movement, however, the forces are generally too big for your muscles to overcome.   Relaxed muscles will end up with less injury.  If it is safe, release the brake of the car.   This will allow the forward momentum of the car to absorb some of the impact.   Injuries are often less if the car is moving slightly versus at a stand still.    However, if movement will create an impact with another car, keep the brake applied.
4. Keep it moving.  If you have pain in the neck or limited movement, go to the emergency room to get checked by a doctor.  Once you have been cleared from serious injuries, try to keep your neck moving through the pain-free range of motion.   This will quicken recovery and get you back to your best as soon as possible.  
5. Seek treatment early.   It is common that the pain will increase during the first few days after an accident.  Studies show us that early intervention through a registered healthcare provider can quicken recovery.

 
Remember that we are here to help.   The first few days after an accident can be a scary and stressful time.   Our practitioners have been through it many times before and can assist you with navigating the experience. 

By Tricia Hayton

October 24th to 28th, Milton hosted the world. 

Held at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, the TISSOC Track Cycling World Cup welcomed over 300 athletes and staff from 40 different countries.   These cyclists travel as fast as 75 kilometers per hour around a 250-meter track in a wide variety of races.  For a small highlight clip, follow this link:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpkoZ6JlTYY/?taken-by=cyclingcanadaofficial .

In May, I joined Cycling Canada as part of their integrated support team in the daily training environment.   Working with Olympians and inspiring NextGen athletes is very fulfilling and motivating, but the pit crew behind the athletes is just as impressive.   The medical team includes sport psychology, physiotherapy, a sport medicine physician and a registered massage therapist.   The scientific team includes a nutritionist (who also assists the medical team), biomechanist, exercise physiologist, a videographer and a strength and conditioning coach.   Long gone are the days that you simply had to pedal harder to go faster.

The science behind sport involves examining the athlete to determine training plans to maximize their ability to perform their sport.   The nutritionist will look at Vitamin B levels, Ferritin blood work and diet plans to make sure that the athlete has the fundamental building blocks for training and improving.  A critical element to avoid overtraining and the dreaded REDs.   A strength and condition coach is boss in the gym and will measure power for the sprinter and pure strength and endurance for the endurance teams.     The physiologist studies lactate and exertion at different efforts.    Is it the athlete threshold or tolerance that needs to improve?   The biomechanist, physiologist and physiotherapist work together to improve bike fit and aerodynamics of the athlete.  In an afternoon of work, you can improve performance by 70 watts of power.   A few tweaks of the bike are the same as a year of training.  All of this information is fed back to the coach, so they can develop individualized training plans that maximize the performance of the team.

Is it working?

Well, since May, 4 broken Canadian records and 9 medals say that we are on the right track! Pun intended.

Tricia Hayton is a physiotherapist and partner at Physio Sport Med of Oakville

So, let's talk about it!  What can be done to treat it, and more importantly what should be done to prevent it.  Here are some facts that everyone should know.

1. Osteoporosis in defined as a condition that causes bones to become thin and porous, decreasing bone strength and leading to increased risk of breaking a bone.
   
2.  It is not a women’s only club.   Fractures caused by osteoporosis occur in 1 in 3 women, but also in 1 in 5 men.   Women do have a higher incidence on osteoporosis than men due to a reduction in estrogen during menopause.  Women start with smaller and thinner bones.
   
3. You won’t know that you have it.   There are no symptoms to osteoporosis, and many people do not know that they have it until a bone fractures.  Osteoporosis Canada estimates that 80% of people with fractures caused by osteoporosis are not treated for the disorder.
4. Get the kids off the couch. Maximum bone density is achieved at an early age (16- 20 for women, 20-25 for men).  And men and women alike start to lose bone mass in their 30s.  Bone density is increased with weight bearing exercises like walking, jogging and running.   Another great reason to make sure that your kids are getting their recommended 1 hour of exercise per day.
   
5.  Stay off the couch as adults.  Weight bearing exercise (jogging, walking, running) and resistance exercises (weights, bands, kettle bells) have been shown to slow bone density loss.   So, the more you move and stress your bones, the less you will lose.
   
6. Eat right.    The food that we eat can play a large part in preventing and treating Osteoporosis.   Foods that are rich in Vitamin D, calcium and other healthy bone nutrients are available through a healthy diet.
   

If you have osteoporosis or osteopenia and are not sure where to go for help, reach out to any of our associates for advice.   We can look at your diet, create and exercise class and get you the on the right path to health.   Remember we are here to help.
 
The statistics in this article were found on the Osteoporosis Canada website.   For more information please follow this link:  https://osteoporosis.ca/