Conditions We Treat

Sports injuries occur when the body is subjected to forces beyond its capacity, leading to damage in muscles, ligaments, tendons, or bones. If rehabilitation is skipped, the body may heal, but not optimally, leaving you susceptible to future re-injury.

Back and neck pain can stem from various sources.

Mechanical Back or Neck Pain

This type of pain is caused by mechanical issues such as poor posture, muscle imbalances, muscle strains, or ligamentous sprains.

Degenerative Disc Disease

Arthritic changes in the spine lead to inflammation in the joints, which can be a source of persistent back or neck pain.

Disc Herniation or Slipped Disc

A disc herniation, commonly known as a slipped disc, can cause inflammation of surrounding nerves or even direct pressure on the nerve root. This compression may result in decreased strength in the extremities or altered sensations like numbness, tingling, or pins and needles.

Vestibular conditions primarily manifest as issues affecting your balance and spatial orientation. Common symptoms include:

• Generalized dizziness
• Blurry vision with head movement
• Vertigo/Spinning sensations
• Neck tightness, stiffness, and/or pain
• Balance issues

These symptoms can arise from various vestibular disorders, post-concussion syndrome, whiplash injuries, neck-related dizziness, sensory integration dysfunctions, Meniere’s complications, and even stroke.

Work-related injuries typically involve musculoskeletal strain or trauma sustained during occupational activities. These injuries necessitate proper rehabilitation to ensure a safe and successful return to work. We are part of the WorkSafe BC Physiotherapy Network and directly bill all appointments to WorkSafe BC with an accepted claim.

After a motor vehicle accident, individuals often experience a variety of soft tissue injuries. These can range from neck and back pain (commonly known as whiplash) to injuries affecting the extremities. These injuries are caused by the forces exerted on the body during impact.

Bursitis is characterized by inflammation of the bursa. A bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion between tendons and bones, reducing friction. When there is excessive rubbing or pressure on the bursa, it can become inflamed, leading to pain and tenderness.

Tendonitis (e.g., tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, rotator cuff, patella tendon, Achilles) occurs when a tendon structure is strained, often due to sports injuries or overuse. This strain leads to inflammation of the tendon, which is the tissue connecting muscle to bone. If left unaddressed, tendonitis can become chronic and progress to tendinosis, where the inflammation is gone, but the tendon’s composition changes and becomes weakened.

Repetitive strain/overuse injuries (e.g., Patellofemoral pain syndrome, IT band friction syndrome, Piriformis syndrome, and plantar fasciitis) are caused by increased repetitive load applied to soft tissues. These conditions typically develop gradually over longer periods due to sustained or repeated movements that stress the body’s structures beyond their capacity for recovery.

During the pre-natal stage, the body undergoes significant changes to prepare for a baby. Ligaments begin to stretch, and postural alignment shifts to accommodate the growing fetus. This can lead to various symptoms such as low back pain, SI joint pain, round ligament pain, sciatica, joint instability, and pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. Post-partum conditions often involve similar issues as the body recovers and adapts to new demands like lifting and carrying.

Arthritis is an inflammatory condition that primarily affects joints. It manifests in various forms, and its core cause involves inflammation within the joint structures, leading to pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility.

Following a bone fracture or surgery to reconstruct or repair any part of the musculoskeletal system, the body undergoes a healing process that often leads to specific issues. Muscles can atrophy (weaken and shrink) due to disuse, and scar tissue may form in an unorganized fashion. These factors can result in joint stiffness and reduced range of motion.

Chronic pain is characterized by persistent pain that can be caused by an overactivity in the nervous system, leading to a heightened sensitivity to pain signals. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition causing widespread pain, tenderness, and fatigue, often linked to how the brain processes pain signals.

Headaches have diverse origins. Approximately 50% are mechanical in nature, often caused by tight muscles in the neck, which includes tension headaches. Other causes include migraines and more serious underlying conditions. Tension headaches typically follow a discernible pattern and are linked to muscular tension.

Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) pain can result from tightness in your neck due to nerve connections that refer to pain in the jaw, or it can be caused by grinding your teeth at night. These factors lead to discomfort and dysfunction in the jaw joint.

Malalignment syndromes, such as Scoliosis (an abnormal curvature of the spine) and SI joint dysfunction (improper movement of the sacroiliac joint), occur when the body’s alignment deviates significantly from its optimal standard. This deviation from ideal balance can cause pain and increased stress on the spine and joints, necessitating realignment and muscle retraining.

After a mastectomy, restriction of shoulder range of motion is a common concern. This is primarily caused by excessive scar tissue formation at the incision site. When too much scar tissue forms, it can stick and bind to surrounding soft tissues like muscle, skin, and tendons, thereby limiting shoulder movement and mobility.

Additionally, lymph (scar tissue) can form within lymph vessels, and cording can occur due to excessive scar tissue in the lymph vessel. Both these issues further contribute to restricted shoulder mobility.