Living a Pain-Free Life

The Healthy View

No one should have to live their life in pain. Back pain, neck pain, pain after surgery, pain from chronic conditions…the list goes on and on. Wherever your pain is, our team wants to help. We want to get you back up on your feet and feeling like yourself again – living a life that doesn’t centre around your pain. Doesn’t that sound like a nice change?

Who’s been sitting more during COVID?

One of the more common complaints that we’ve seen from patients over the past year has been an increase in lower back pain and tightness.

With many of us working from home exclusively and sitting in non-ergonomic home office setup., we’re sitting in compromised positions for longer stretches during the day – whether we’re working from the kitchen table, dining room table, or a makeshift home office. Add in the fact that gyms have been closed for most of the past year and you have a perfect storm for a condition known as “Lower crossed Syndrome”.

This condition is primarily a muscle imbalance that results when muscles are constantly in a shortened or lengthened position relative to one another on the front and backside of the body. Tightness results in the hip flexors, hamstring, and lumbar extensors, while inactivity leads to weakness in the abdominal muscles and gluteal muscles. This imbalance eventually results in an anterior pelvic tilt, increased flexion of the hips, and a hyperlordosis in the lumbar spine.

If you are waking up daily with pain and tightness in your lower back or if it is keeping you up at night, the solution to this condition is very much attainable. Manual therapy can be used to help with the myofascial tightness and proper exercise prescription can ensure that a patient can manage the tension and build strength and stability at home.

If you have any questions regarding this condition or if you would like to get in for an assessment to determine what you can do to help with your current lower back tightness or pain, please contact the Clinic or reach out to Dr. Micheli directly.

Dr. Lawrence Micheli    Clinic Manager & Chiropractor    Sport Medicine Clinic    416-865-0903    Email him

What is Interstitial Cystitis?

Interstitial cystitis is a chronic condition, often classified as a bladder pain syndrome, that involves the deterioration of the bladder and its functions. It causes bladder pressure, bladder pain, and, sometimes, pelvic pain.

What causes interstitial cystitis?

• Breakdown of the bladder lining
• Underlying autoimmune disease
• Diet
• Series of UTIs
• Excess release of histamine, increases inflammation

What are the most common symptoms?

• Pain and tenderness in pelvic region
• Urinary urgency
• Pain and discomfort when the bladder is full
• UTI like symptoms, but with no bacteria identified that is associated to UTI

What lifestyle and/or diet changes can I make to improve my symptoms?

• Pelvic stretching exercises
• Kegel exercises
• Yoga, decreases stress response
• Eliminate dairy, gluten, wheat, other flour products or foods, coffee, sugar, citrus, any nightshades, and spicy foods

Are there herbals that can also help?

Use demulcent herbs internally (they help soothe irritated/inflamed tissue)

• Licorice
• Marshmallow
• Horsetail
• Turmeric, potent anti-inflammatory
• Aloe vera, heals wounds, produces gag molecules which are concentrated in the bladder

Beyond the herbs, there are also supplements that can help…

• Seabuckthorn oil capsules, repairs mucus membranes in the bladder lining
• Quercetin, reduces histamine
• Serrapeptase, decreases inflammation and scar tissue
• Fish oil, anti-inflammatory
• Magnesium, alkalizing
• Chlorella, highly alkalizing, has beta-carotene

Parm Kauur    Office Manager    Adelaide Health Clinic    416-367-5200    Email her

Brian’s Back!

We’re excited to announce that Brian Bastedo – a longstanding massage therapist (RMT) at the Sport Medicine Clinic – will be back beginning next week!

Brian serves all types of patients and a wider spectrum of clients whether it be through general relaxing technique for the “stressed out” office worker, weekend warrior, or the occasional amateur and professional athlete. Fascial release and trigger point work are his go to modalities.

If you’d like to book an appointment with Brian for Tuesday 2:00 – 6:00pm, please contact the Clinic.

Brian Bastedo    Registered Massage Therapist    Sport Medicine Clinic    416-865-0903    Email the Clinic