Category: Physiotherapy

black and silver coffee maker Overcoming Everyday Struggles: My 10-Minute Mobility Routine
fitness · mobility · Physiotherapy

Overcoming Everyday Struggles: My 10-Minute Mobility Routine

Sam BLeave a comment

I am a person who is good at getting things done.

I do my physio.

Being a person who is good at getting things done is part of my identity.

And yet lately, I’ve been struggling. Not with everything. In the world of fitness, I’m struggling with one very specific, very small thing: doing my daily mobility routine. The routine includes exercises to improve my hiatal hernia, hip mobility movements, and some stretching to maintain the range of motion I worked so hard to get after knee replacement surgery.

I’ve got three different 10-minute routines–one done lying on my yoga mat or in bed, one to be done with a chair, either seated or standing holding the chair for support, and a flow version for when I’m feeling extra good.

My plan is always to do them in the morning. In theory, I’ve got time between when I take mediation and when I can eat breakfast. There’s supposed to be a full hour there! And yet…sometimes between Wordle, and drafting my #ThreeGoodThings and “Hey, Google please play the CBC news” and similarly “Hey, Googling” the weather in Guelph today and showering and putting on coffee and thinking about breakfast and lunch…well, you get the idea.

I’ve written about my 5 to 9 routine here before and admitted that really for me, given my work schedule, it’s more like 5-7 am and I listed some options for what I might do in that time. The options were write, walk Cheddar, ride my bike, or my physio/mobility routine. And yet I’ve mostly managed to do none of those things in the 5 to 7 am time slot! It’s all Wordle, scrolling and going back to sleep. To be fair, that’s also when I share our blog posts to social media, which WordPress won’t do automatically anymore.

I said “mostly” because the week gets a great kick off with all my Monday morning energy going into the Herd’s Morning Morning Coffee Crew ride. And Tuesdays and Thursdays we’re at the gym at 7. The mobility routine has to happen first, before these things. And it’s just 10 minutes.

I could do it while the coffee drips! Actually, that’s not a bad idea. I might try it.

Do you have a small thing you struggle to do? What techniques have worked for you to just get it done? I’m listening….

Three printed workout routine sheets outlining exercises for different fitness goals, including 'Floor Flow', 'Standing & Chair-Supported', and 'Dynamic Flow'. Each sheet includes a schedule, focus areas, and specific instructions for various exercises.
Nat’s list of petty injuries keeps growing
Physiotherapy · Sat with Nat

Nat’s list of petty injuries keeps growing

natalieh (she/her)1 Comment

My lower back is often tighter than I realize. My massage therapist kindly reminds me to keep walking, lifting and stretching. It usually keeps things decent.

My last physiotherapy appointment I asked Emily if we could assess my right hip. It was very painful after swimming last week.

Emily asked me a bunch of questions then set about assessing my hip and back. I stood on one leg, then the other. I did side bends. She then had my lay on my back and put my leg in various positions asking me to press or pull.

“Ok. Now I want you on your stomach and just go into a baby cobra as relaxed as possible.”

The pain went away. Yet another moment of “what I go in for is not the issue”. Translated pain is the name of my game.

So I’m on a tummy time routine with hourly baby cobra. It’s definitely working.

No more hip pain but WOW is my lower back screaming day and night.

It’s frustrating as I continue to chase one petty injury after another.

Looking back there have been many things to irritate my lower back.

My fall in December , walking in snowy conditions, less strength and cycling and, oh yes, shoveling a shit tonne of snow the past month.

It’s the injury of desk jockeys, those of us with extremely sedentary jobs.

“But Natalie!” you exclaim, “you are a very active person!”

Not farmer active. Not contractor active. I’m active around an 8 hour day of sitting. So I’m using the standing option as much as possible. I change up where I’m meeting. I use stretch brakes. Walking commutes.

While I am frustrated at always being in physiotherapy for something I’m grateful I can access expert care.

It’s tempting, laying here writing to just stop doing everything. But I know it will only make the pain and my quality of life much worse. So. Baby cobra and being kind to my back it is.

Nat’s doing her best Lucky Cat impression
Physiotherapy · Sat with Nat

Nat’s doing her best Lucky Cat impression

natalieh (she/her)Leave a comment

My latest physiotherapy move is designed to help my shoulder stay seated in place.

Emily demonstrated the move, arm out sideways and bent at the elbow up. Gripping a tension band rotate the hand down, parallel to the ground and back up.

“Oh it’s like the waving cat statues!”

A white cat waves at you

“Yes!” Emily grinned “A Lucky Cat!”

It’s a classic silly little move that hones in on a weakness. I could only do 4 reps and completed the remainder without tension.

I’m grateful for more days pain free. I’m glad I’m seeing progress. It’s very slow but definitely happening.

Strength has returned to my left hand. The nerve pain has retreated to my shoulder. I have a buffet of simple exercises I use to keep the healing on track.

If I’m very lucky I’ll be able to have a full range of motion in 2026.

A physical therapist helping a client. BY Annie Spratt for Unsplash. Graduating from physical therapy: Catherine’s excited and a little worried
fitness · injury · mobility · Physiotherapy

Graduating from physical therapy: Catherine’s excited and a little worried

catherine wLeave a comment

I’ve been in physical therapy for a recurrence of sciatica since late July. I’d had pain and weakness in my right hip since May, causing me problems climbing stairs and pain that would wake me up at night. Blech!

Once I finally acknowledged that yes, I needed some help, and got started with a supervised twice-a-week plan, plus at-home exercises, I felt relieved. Relieved that I had a structured plan for dealing with the pain and getting stronger, and also relieved that I could leave this plan up to the professionals (thanks, Julian and Louis!), who would guide me through a process of healing and rebuilding my muscles and getting needed functionality back. Ahhh…

Starting with stretching exercises and some easy strength-building (e.g. bridge, clamshells), I moved on to a full array of hip machine exercises, leg presses, balance activities, farmer’s carry, and stair climbing with dumbells on one side. It’s been gratifying to see and feel my strength increase and pain decrease. Yay!

My classes are all on the second floor of one of the campus buildings, with extra stairs to get into the building. I’ve really not enjoyed waiting for the super-slow elevator to take me to my floor, but it was necessary. Until the past couple of weeks. I’m now taking all the stairs, and my strength has increased so I don’t need to rely on the stair railing to offset weakness in my hip. Yesss!

I knew it was coming, so I wasn’t surprised when I got a call from the PT practice to say I didn’t need twice-a-week sessions anymore. I’ll go once a week for the next few weeks to transition to discharge. This means they think I’m recovered enough to maintain my newly-regained strength and flexibility on my own. Uh, yay?

I mean, here’s the thing: I know I should be feeling like this:

This lamb is feeling it. Thanks, Jonathan Mabey from Unsplash.
This lamb is feeling it. Thanks, Jonathan Mabey from Unsplash.

And I am. It means I’m pretty recovered and functional. I’ll have 4 more hours back for my week. I won’t be paying $40 in co-pays each week. I’ll be climbing stairs to beat the band!

But I also I feel a little like this:

This woman is also not completely sure about the plan. Thanks Simon Abel for Unsplash.
This woman is also not completely sure about the plan. Thanks Simon Abel for Unsplash.

What am I worried about? I’m worried about the challenge of keeping up my fitness maintenance without the help of the PT bros, who I’ve come to like and respect and depend on. Now I have to depend on, well, me. Hence the worried face.

The good news is that my gym has all the machines I need and is a mile from my house. I also know what to do, and in fact like the experience of the weight work and strength training. And, I can bring a friend to my gym for free on the weekends, so I can enlist help in getting there.

And yet.

I’m almost at that transition point– not yet finished with PT, not yet into a regular gym routine. So that’s my next challenge: get to the the one-mile-away-from-my-house gym to do those exercises without the guidance of physical therapists, but instead with the company of other exercisers, including friends.

Maintaining strength, flexibility and functional fitness is really important to me. And it doesn’t always come easy. It’ll take some adjustment, just like twice-a-week PT and at-home exercises did. I’ll report back in a month to let you know how things are going.

Dear readers, what have your experiences of transition from PT/physio to maintenance exercise been like? I’d love to hear what’s worked for you.

Thanks!

A minion, lolling in a swimming pool. By Magda V for Unsplash. Catherine’s self-care trifecta day– you can’t be too chill
fitness · Physiotherapy · self care · yoga

Catherine’s self-care trifecta day– you can’t be too chill

catherine w2 Comments

October is an extra-busy travel and research month for me. I’m giving four talks and flying to two conferences, one in Hamilton ON and one in Portland OR. I also have to decide what to pack for Portland, as the peaceful and creative citizens of that lovely city have broken out the Halloween costumes early in response to incursions by masked ICE teams and National Guard troops. The main choices seem to be frog or chicken suit:

A guy in a xhicken suit looking up at Kristi Noem, who is surrounded by National Guard troops with nothing to do.
A guy in a chicken suit looking up at Kristi Noem, who is surrounded by National Guard troops with nothing to do.
Civilians in work casual and froggy attire gather peacefully outside a Portland, OR ICE facility.
Civilians in work casual and froggy attire gather peacefully outside a Portland, OR ICE facility.

As you can see, there’s a lot on my plate this month. However, in the brief lull beforehand, I found myself last Friday with room for some self-care. Herewith, my trifecta of attention to reducing stress and increasing yummy feelings of well-being.

Stop one: physical therapy.

I’ve been in PT since August for sciatica, and am recovering, albeit slowly. The last thing to get better is my ability to climb stairs without pain or weakness in my right hip. It’s improving, but not there yet. So, the PT bros at my great physical therapy practice have me working with weights, from farmer’s carry to asymmetrical weights for stepping up and down stairs and such like. Also, I’m doing one-legged leg presses (which are harder than I expected, but good for me) in addition to regular leg presses. And of course core and stability stuff. All good and good for me. I felt thoroughly worked out by the end of the 60-minute session.

Stop two: acupuncture.

I have been getting acupuncture for musculo-skeletal pain for many years now, and I really like it. There’s ample evidence for its effectiveness– look here, for example, for a review of studies. I also find that I’m super-duper relaxed after a session, due to addition of ear points (see here for an interesting case report), dreamy music and a heat lamp on my knees. My only wish is that someone would show up at the end of a session to escort me to the back of their station wagon and drive me home… However, I did manage to get in my car and get back to my place with no problems. Once home, I did some reading and then fell asleep for a 30-minute luscious nap.

Stop three: restorative yin yoga.

After waking up refreshed from movement and chill stillness, I did some light housework (dishes, laundry, and a little cooking) before heading out to my local yoga studio, Artemis in Watertown, MA, for evening restorative yin yoga. Norah had saved a spot for me up front, and I gathered up an armload of blankets, a long round navy-blue bolster, and blocks, depositing them in my little space. There was slow, chill music playing, and I settled in for 75 minutes of stretching and relaxing. Here are some yin poses, including several we did Friday night:

  • A bunch of yin poses.
  • Some more yin poses.

Our yin teacher, Liz G (there are multiple Lizzes teaching at Artemis) apologized for not having a yin bus parked outside to take us all home afterwards. We agreed that this would be a welcome addition, but we happily toddled off to our respective homes after class.

Optional stop four: the Great British Bake-Off

Once I got home, I remembered that there was a new episode of Bake-Off, so I woozily watched the contestants labor over pastries. However, I felt no stress at all, either on their behalf or mine. Not too long after, I shuffled to bed, sleeping like a log, perhaps dreaming of elaborate confections.

Unsplash calls this pastry, although it's possible a hybrid? Thanks VF for the photo.
Unsplash calls this pastry, although it’s possibly a hybrid? It’s exquisite, in any case. Thanks VF for the photo.

So readers, what are your favorite chill modalities when you have some time to shift into the slow lane? I’d love to hear any suggestions.

An abstract rendition of stairs, by freysteinn-g-jonsson for unsplash. Catherine is reminded that form precedes function in physical therapy
fitness · Physiotherapy

Catherine is reminded that form precedes function in physical therapy

catherine w

In architecture, form is supposed to follow function– the style of an object or structure should reflect its purpose (says the NY Times, paraphrasing Louis Sullivan). But I’m being reminded (again) in physical therapy (for sciatica) that form in fact precedes it.

I guess we all know this– from tennis strokes to proper stance for weight lifting, getting the form right is key both to success in performance and reduction of injury risk. The “aha” moment of getting the form just right and feeling the movement as fluid or effortless or smooth or faster– it’s one of the great personal pleasures of physical activity.

One of my physical therapists (I alternate between Louis and Julian, both of whom I really like and respect) started me doing some piriformis and hip flexor stretches before doing work on the hip machine (extension, flexion, abduction). There was a noticeable reduction in the difficulty and improvement in the feel of the exercises, especially the abduction ones (moving my leg outward using the weight machine).

I mentioned this to Louis while I was using the machine. He said that this was very good information for us, that the exercises helped improve the structural form of my hips, glutes, etc, so that my muscles worked more efficiently. He said other things which I can’t quite recall, but the point was that the stretches helped my body getting in the right form for weight-bearing effort. And I think it’s helping. Yay!

I’ve still got a ways to go before I’m back to climbing stairs without pain or weakness. But this week felt like it gave me more tools for working my body and reminding it how to do its job for me. Yay again!

A hip machine-- I'm not planning on buying one of these, but it's my good friend these days.
I’m not planning on buying one of these, but it’s my good friend these days.
A person on a table being evaluated by a physical therapist. By Judy Beth Morris for Unsplash. Five lessons Catherine is learning from Physical Therapy (this time)
fitness · functional fitness · injury · Physiotherapy

Five lessons Catherine is learning from Physical Therapy (this time)

catherine w1 Comment

I’ve been in physical therapy for six weeks for sciatica, which has been centered on my right hip and glute. I had the same problem in my left hip and glute two years ago, and got physical therapy for it, which helped enormously.

But it came back, this time on the other side. Which brings me to the first lesson from this round of PT:

Lesson one: our physical vulnerabilities don’t ever go away; they’re always there and in need of attention and care.

I knew this, of course, as do we all. But when we devote concentrated attention to some problem, we tend to hope and believe that it’ll be fixed, once and for all. Well, in the case of our musculoskeletal bodies, this just isn’t true.

Lesson two: slow and steady actually works.

Once I got into physical therapy and made a little progress– less pain and more function– I was ready to throw myself into more intense activity. But they counseled me to let pain guide me; if doing something hurt a lot, stop doing it. Sounds simple, but this bears repeating.

Lesson three: more activity brings more discomfort, but it’s okay.

When I was on vacation in Canada, swimming and dog walking and just generally being more active, I had some level of pain every day, for much of the day. Because I’d been prepped for this, I didn’t freak out. I did what I wanted and could do, took Tylenol when needed, and enjoyed the fact that I was able to be more active and out there than the previous month. Yay.

Lesson four: sitting in cars and planes is evil for the body (or at least my body).

Yes, I knew this, but driving from Boston to Ontario and back again (with some detours along the way) showed me once again how my body is vulnerable. And don’t get me started on air travel; that’s what precipitated this flare-up. This doesn’t mean I can no longer drive. But it does mean that 1) I should stop more often and get out and stretch and walk around; 2) I should know that after a very long drive, my body will need attention through stretching, rest, and movement; and 3) If I ignore and push through this, I do so at my peril.

Lesson five: bodies are wonderful things. They take a licking and keep on ticking. And they respond to focused attention and care. This means that I have renewed appreciation and love for my physical self. This time around, both the physical therapists and I are working on a maintenance plan that I can and will follow. I really love what my body can do, and I want to keep doing it for a long time to come.

Physiotherapy

Happy Physiotherapy Month

Diane Harper1 Comment
Two physiotherapists from Kitchener-Waterloo from a 2019 blog post on the Ontario Physiotherapy Association web page. They are showing off their blue T-shirts, which say #PhysioHelpsLives

May is National Physiotherapy Month, and FIFI bloggers are big fans. Almost all of us have written about injuries and how physiotherapy has helped.

Sam is probably the most prolific: she worked with physiotherapists both before and after having two separate knee replacements. They helped her remain mobile, then prepare for each surgery, and then recover to the point that she is back to regular cycling and long walks with Cheddar.

Cheddar the dog, from one of Sam’s blog posts in 2024. he is a blue-eyed golden lab, I think.

If you are struggling with balance issues, arthritis, stiffness, or injury, and are able to see a physiotherapist, you might want to get things checked out and get support to keep you moving. May is when we celebrate physiotherapists, but any time is a good time to check in on your bone and muscle health and strength.