Tag Archives: preventative medicine
Theatre is a wonderful form of entertainment and depends on performing artists who are highly dedicated to their craft to create the magic so often found there. The industry, however, is highly competitive and extremely demanding of performers. When people think of athletes they may picture football, tennis or basketball players or long distance runners. But like other athletes, dancers and musicians also experience injury and develop conditions as a result of their trade.
Professional musicians and dancers face common injuries like tendinitis, sprains, muscle strains, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and back pain, and other orthopedic, neurologic and musculoskeletal conditions.
Think about the repetitive nature of practice and performance for string musicians, pianists and wind instrument players. It’s little wonder they often suffer from conditions related to overuse of the tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. Neck and shoulder pain is very common. So is pain in the hands. Dancers tend to face musculoskeletal and orthopedic conditions involving the feet, ankles, hips and knees and are also more prone to injury regarding bones and ligaments such as the ACL.
For these reasons preventative medicine and sports therapy for performing artists are growing.
Occasionally chronic injuries and/or conditions develop as a result of incorrect posture, stress, insufficient rest and excessive force placed upon the bones, ligaments, joints, muscles or tendons. Passion that drives performing artists also tends to produce people so committed to the craft they often tend to accept a lifestyle of injury as easily as they’ve embraced the physical demands placed upon them. But the two are not the same, and injury left untreated can jeopardize a performer’s career. Performing artists who ignore early symptoms of an injury or condition and continue working, without allowing conditions or injuries to heal, aren’t thinking of the long term consequences to their body and their ability to work. Ignoring a small problem now can lead to a larger one later.
Preventative medicine and sports therapy for performing artists can teach them how to avoid injury and reduce the likelihood of a developing an unwanted condition. Performers can learn techniques for reducing force on joints by selectively strengthening and balancing the muscles needed to perform. Musicians can learn about how different postures reduce muscle tension produced while playing their instruments. Dancers who struggle with osteoarthritis in their hips and knees may receive Durolane injections directly into the joints to lubricate them, relieving pain and inflammation. Can you imagine how much relief this brings to a dancer otherwise forcing him or herself to continue dancing in pain?
Techniques that both dancers and musicians can adopt include warm up and cool down exercises, stretches, short breaks, adjustments in technique, use of devices and modified foot gear, massage therapy and more. Sports therapy professionals can work with performing artists to stretch and loosen tight areas and strengthen weak ones. Combination treatment options like injections in correlation with procedures for reducing inflammation and blood flow to a targeted region are essential restorative therapies which often remove the need for surgery.
It is not uncommon to see medical personnel from sports therapy clinics present at rehearsals and performances. These behind the scenes professionals can do wonders to support and enhance performing artists, helping them avoid injury and also mitigating injuries to avoid further damage. Sports medicine is a quickly evolving industry and medical advances are constant. Performing artists stand to increase their rate of long-term success by establishing and building a relationship with a good sports therapy clinic that understands and specializes in treatment of people in their industry.
Sound care now becomes an investment enabling performing artists to increase their level of pain-free comfort, physical strength, enjoyment and longevity within the field they are passionate about — and that many hope to continue well into their senior years.
For more information about preventative medicine and sports therapy for the performing arts please call 416-800-0800 or visit www.aesm.ca
It’s interesting to note how people often take better care of the things they own than they do their bodies. Take cars for example. Frequently, owners make faithful priority of their car maintenance: scheduling oil changes, tire rotations even detailing and car washes, with fluids all topped up to boot. So why is it people often wait until they’re njured to visit sports therapy clinics? That’s like waiting until you have engine trouble before visiting your mechanic for a tune up! The truth is, people are creatures of habit and are often reactive rather than proactive. It often takes an injury, trauma or condition that can no longer be tolerated to prompt a person to seek treatment. But what many fail to realize is that listening to the body and early symptoms, a problem can easily be solved. The alternative is waiting until the condition becomes unbearable, and why on earth would you ever choose to do that?!
Whether you’re an athlete or non-athlete, there are simple things you can be doing to prevent injury or worsening existing conditions, and such steps often involve the services of sports therapy clinics. You will find they not only treat the injured but also offer preventative medicine and treatment for conditions that aren’t injury related. What seems like innocuous pain or inflammation that begins in the absence of an injury, may in fact be an indication of an underlying condition that could use a little attention now (rather than a dramatic rescue later).
Conditions like osteoarthritis come from the breaking down of joint cartilage. Since cartilage can’t heal itself, treatment at the first signs of osteoarthritis is time well spent. Many people mistakenly chalk osteoarthritis up to a simple case of the body growing older. But what may seem like an innocent grinding sensation of the knee joint, may actually be an indication of osteoarthritis, and if left untreated, could worsen and evolve into a condition needing surgery.
Both the aging population and athletes are common sufferers of osteoarthritis. The really good news is: osteoarthritis can be avoided. Sports therapy clinics can provide preventative education. Physiotherapists can help athletes reduce their odds of developing osteoarthritis. Again, like avoiding engine problems by keeping your car’s oil clean and engine working parts tuned, athletes can care for their bodies, preventing conditions or injuries, by utilizing services found at sports therapy clinics.
Sports therapy clinic professionals can also help prevent injuries to bones, tendons and ligaments. Their specialized attention goes beyond that normally found at traditional physiotherapy clinics or at a family doctor.
Sports medicine physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, massage therapists, registered dieticians, sport psychologists, orthopaedic surgeons, and other professionals are commonly found “under one roof”. When you visit a respectable sports therapy clinic you should find all of these professionals in one place and within the time frame you require treatment.
What’s more, professionals at a sports therapy clinic will work together on your condition, injury, lifestyle or athletic challenges and work interactively with you to come up with a customized, realistic and successful treatment plan.
For more information about the services offered in sports therapy clinics please call 416-800-0800 or visit www.aesm.ca
Sports therapy clinics, also known as sports medicine clinics, are clinics that specialize in sports medicine. Sports medicine clinics offer physical therapy but also a host of other services that cater to sports injuries and conditions.
Why do athletes use sports therapy clinics? Sports therapy clinics don’t just treat the injured. They also focus on preventative medicine and education to help the athletes avoid injury altogether. Typically sports injury clinics will specialize in injuries or conditions that affect the head, spine, neck, shoulder, elbow, forearm, hip, pelvis, knee, leg, ankle and foot.
Common injuries treated at sports therapy clinics include concussions, osteoporosis, fractures, sprains, herniated disks, chronic instability in bones and joints, dislocations, rotator cuff tears, joint tears, burners and stingers, tendon dysfunction, muscle strains, injuries to the ACL, MCL, or PCL, torn cartilage, pulled hamstrings and more.
Sports therapy clinics also typically treat conditions such as; arthritis, osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis lumbar spinal stenosis, scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, tendinitis, bursitis, thoracic outlet syndrome, tennis elbow, femoroacetabular impingement, burning thighs, discoid meniscus, runners knee, osteonecrosis, adult flat foot, clubfoot, bone spurs, tendon dysfunction, sesamoiditis, claw toe and more.
Many conditions treated in sports therapy clinics affect hundreds of thousands of non- athletes as well. Osteoarthritis is a prime example. Osteoarthritis affects a large percentage of the aging population because it is a condition where the cartilage inside the joints breaks down over time as a result of ongoing wear and tear. Torn ACL’s are very common in teens and young adults and can occur as a result of merely horsing around too roughly. Non-athletes who suffer a sports injury are best served to seek treatment at a sports therapy clinic because they offer advanced treatment that may not be available in a traditional physical therapy clinic.
A good sports therapy clinic will provide a multi-disciplinary medical team. When choosing sports therapy clinic you should choose one with access to:
1. A primary care Physician. One who can come up with an all-encompassing treatment plan for your injury or condition.
2. Physical Therapists who work with patients to improve physical conditioning and joint function.
3. Dieticians to work with patients to control health, nutrition and weight.
4. Occupational Therapists who educate patients on how to minimize pain and protect themselves from further injury while at home.
5. Rheumatologists who specialize in treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis.
6. Physiatrists whose primary focus is on physical rehabilitation.
7. Social Workers who help patients to deal with social challenges like home health care and other needs to support a medical condition.
8. Psychologists who help patients cope with the emotional difficulties that result from medical conditions (e.g. loss of sleep, depression, anxiety).
9. Orthopedists who provide surgical treatment of bone and joint diseases.
10. Licensed Acupuncture Therapists and more.
When selecting a sports therapy clinic do some research. Visit their website and read about their services. If you are an athlete, ensure that they offer a wide range of services and are reputed in the industry. Look for evidence of client testimonials and pay attention to well known brands where there is an affiliation. This will ensure that you establish a long term relationship with a sports therapy clinic that is able to address all of your needs whether you are injured or not.
For more information about sports therapy clinics or to book a consultation with our team please call 416-800-0800 or visit www.aesm.ca today.
