What is Physiotherapy?

Physiotherapists manage and prevent many physical problems caused by illness, disease, sport and work related injury, aging, and long periods of inactivity.

Can Physiotherapy help me?

Physiotherapists are skilled in the assessment and management of a broad range of conditions that affect the musculoskeletal, circulatory, respiratory, and nervous systems. Here are some of the ways physiotherapy can help:

• Address physical challenges associated with back pain, arthritis, repetitive strain injury etc.
• Attend to sports injuries and provide advice on prevention and recurrence
• Get you back on your feet after surgery
• Help you manage the physical complications of cancer and its treatment
• Maximize your mobility if you have a neurological disorder such as stroke, spinal cord injury or Parkinsons’ Disease
• Oversee rehabilitation in your home after you have been ill or injured
• Provide balance and strengthening exercises for seniors who are at risk of falling
• Provide pre and post natal care and attend to other women’s health conditions
• Treat neck and back pain and other joint injuries
• Work with you to treat and manage respiratory and cardiac conditions.

(Adopted from the Canadian Physiotherapy Association website at www.physiotherapy.ca)

Physiotherapy at Town Center Rehab Clinic

At Town Center Rehab Clinic, we believe in valuing our clients with the utmost esteem and also in providing an individualized “hands on” approach that is highly regarded by the patients. Our Physiotherapists help people with varied orthopaedic, neurological, connective tissue, cardiopulmonary and circulatory, workplace, motor vehicle accidents and sports injuries.  During the first visit, the Physiotherapist would perform an extensive assessment after which a plan of care is developed. Individualized and realistic goals are henceforth set. The Physiotherapist and the Patient then work together to meet the set goals. Based on the particular wants, that surfaces from the goal setting, treatment could include therapeutic exercises and mobilizations of joints and muscles to promote proper function. Physiotherapists may also use alternative procedures like electrotherapy, ultrasound, hot pack, ice when appropriate. Some of the conditions treated include Neck and Back injuries, Pain, Tendonitis and Bursitis, Repetitive Strain Injuries, Sports Injuries, Motor Vehicle Accident Injuries, Osteoporosis, Spondylitis, Sciatica and Disc injuries, Fractures, Sprains and Strains, Stroke, Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders. The Physiotherapy treatment plan will be uniquely set for each patient and the patient’s active participation in the whole programs is essential for its accomplishment.  So, once again, we are here for you, to work closely with you and to offer our sincere and best effort to maximize your potential. Physiotherapy... It works!

About Dr. Sung-Mee Lee, BSc, ND

Dr. Lee focuses on treating the whole person, not just provide symptom relief, by integrating safe and effective traditional therapies with the most current advances in modern medicine in order to help her patients reach their optimal health.

Dr. Lee is a graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, and has earned a Bachelor of Science in Life Science degree from Queen’s University.  She is frequently hosted by “All TV,” the Korean community Broadcaster, for various health related programs.

What is Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic Medicine is a form of health care that not only diagnosis various illnesses, but also uses natural substances to treat and even prevent the afflictions of the Naturopath’s patient. Naturopaths recognize that a patient's mental, emotional, and physical states must all be evaluated and treated in order to improve and maintain the health of their patients. Naturopathic medicine is based on six simple, but very important principles. They are as follows:

1. DO NO HARM (Primum non nocere) - This principle is accomplished by providing the most effective health care available with the least risk to the patient at all times.
2. RECOGNIZE THE HEALING POWER OF NATURE (Vis Medicatrix Naturae) - The Healing Power of Nature. The belief that the body has an innate ability to heal itself. The naturopathic doctor provides therapies that support this process.
3. IDENTIFY THE CAUSE (Tolle causam) – Naturopaths strive to identify and remove the causes of illness, rather than eliminate symptoms.
4. TREAT THE WHOLE PERSON - Each person's treatment is specific to their needs and goals. Naturopaths take into consideration all the presenting symptoms and causative factors that influence a patients health and work with the patient to restore proper health.
5. TEACH RATHER THAN TREAT (Docere) – Educating patients is the Naturopaths key role. They advise patients on what lifestyle, nutritional, emotional and dietary changes are necessary to alleviate their condition.
6. PREVENT DISEASE – Naturopathic medicine emphasizes health promotion and the prevention of diseases. Naturopaths advise their patients on simple disease prevention principles which are designed to produce health.

What Education do Naturopathic Doctors Have?

Naturopathic physicians are the highest trained practitioners in the broadest scope of naturopathic medical modalities. In addition to the basic medical sciences and conventional diagnostics, naturopathic education includes therapeutic nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, natural childbirth, classical Chinese medicine, hydrotherapy, naturopathic manipulative therapy, pharmacology and minor surgery. The education of a Naturopathic Doctor is an intensive four-year graduate program including approximately 4,500 hours of academic and clinical training with admission requirements comparable to those of conventional medical schools. The program leads to licensure as a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (N.D.). It is important to distinguish certified naturopathic physicians from non-certified who have completed just a short-term course-work mostly by correspondence.

What are the Benefits of Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic medicine treats the patient from the preventive stage through to serious, chronic and debilitating disease. Therefore, people can go to Naturopaths for colds, bronchitis, allergies, as well as for heart disease, diabetes, and malignant diseases.  Moreover, Naturopathy is a gentle, non-invasive method of managing such common ailments as:

Children

• Asthma
• Eczema
• Retarded Growth
• Concentration Difficulty
• Allergy

Adults

• Acne and skin issues
• Weight management
• Fatigue
• Infertility
• Insomnia
• Female hormonal issues
• Depression and Anxiety

Older Adults

• Osteoporosis
• Arthritis
• Menopause

What type of Treatments do Naturopaths offer?

• Botanical (Herbal) Medicine – Herbs are plant substances that are used to induce healing and also have various nutritional values.
• Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine –Acupuncture and Chinese herbology is used to promote healing.
• Clinical Nutrition – The use of specific individual diets, vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements. This can be in the form of vitamins and minerals taken in pill format or vitamin injections to enhance health and treat disease.
• Homeopathic Medicine – The use of minute amounts of natural substances to stimulate the body’s self-healing abilities.
• Detoxification Programs – The use of herbal medicine, clinical nutrition and other modalities to cleanse the bo

Your initial visit to a naturopathic doctor involves a detailed health history and physical exam. From this information a treatment plan is devised specific to the patient’s needs and health goals. Your road to optimal health begins during this initial visit where you are provided with an explanation of your condition, in easy to understand terms, and your treatment plan is implemented with what ever type of therapeutic intervention is necessary to relief your condition and improve your overall health.

Want to learn more about how Naturopathic Medicine can help you?

If you have any questions about Naturopathic Medicine or would like to make an appointment to see our Naturopathic Doctor contact our office and our staff would be more than willing to answer any of your questions.

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is a regulated health profession, recognized by statute in all Canadian provinces and American states. More than 1.2 million patients in Ontario rely on chiropractic care every year to help them live healthy, active lives. Chiropractic is a health care profession dedicated to the non-surgical treatment of disorders of the nervous system and/or musculoskeletal system, generally through chiropractors maintaining a unique focus on spinal manipulations and treatment of surrounding structures. It is one of the largest primary-contact health care professions in Ontario; chiropractic is a non-invasive, hands-on health care discipline that focuses on the neuromusculoskeletal system.

Who are Chiropractors?

Chiropractors practice a manual approach, providing diagnosis, treatment and preventative care for disorders related to the spine, pelvis, nervous system and joints.
Chiropractors use a combination of treatments, all of which are predicated on the specific needs of the individual patient. After taking a complete history and diagnosing a patient, a chiropractor can develop and carry out a comprehensive treatment/management plan, recommend therapeutic exercise and other non-invasive therapies, and provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counselling. For many conditions, such as lower back pain, chiropractic care is frequently the primary method of treatment. Where other conditions exist, chiropractic care may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the neuromusculoskeletal aspects associated with the condition.

Chiropractic care may also be used to provide symptomatic relief for patients with chronic conditions. According to patient surveys, by treating the neuromusculoskeletal elements of such disorders, chiropractic treatment has been shown to improve the general well-being of the patient.

There are many reasons to seek chiropractic care:

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Headache
• Joint pain in the upper and lower extremity
• Whiplash
• Strains and sprains
• Repetitive strain injury (RSI)
• Work and sports injuries
• Arthritis
• Limited range of motion in the back, shoulder, neck or limbs
• General health and well-being

Why see a chiropractor?

Chiropractic Treatment of Back Pain

Doctors of Chiropractic (DC), more commonly known as chiropractors, typically treat conditions involving Back pain and/or neck pain through “hands-on” chiropractic care, including:

• Spinal manipulation and manual manipulation. Referring to a high-velocity, short lever arm thrust that is applied to abnormal vertebra with the goal of improving functionality, reducing nerve irritability and restoring range of motion in the back, manual manipulation is also known as chiropractic adjustment. There is firm literature support for chiropractic treatment of lower back pain. Many of the published guidelines recommend chiropractic manipulation to be included in the treatment plan early in the care of lower back pain. Manipulation/adjustment is a highly controlled procedure, which rarely causes discomfort.  A chiropractor adapts the procedure to meet the specific needs of each patient. Many people will notice an improvement in their symptoms immediately after a treatment. To help patients attain their wellness potential, the chiropractor can also design a program that includes exercise and nutritional advice.
• Mobilization. Chiropractic mobilization refers to low velocity manipulation, movement and stretching of the muscles and joints, with the goal of increasing the range of motion within those areas

Additional Services in Chiropractic Care

In additional to manual manipulation, most chiropractic clinic offers a range of health services, such as:

Physical therapy modalities. In many chiropractic practices various type of equipment (ultrasound, electrical stimulation, traction, etc.) may be used with the goal of reducing back pain and inflammation.

Exercise. Various Cardiovascular stretching and strengthening exercise may be prescribed by chiropractors to decrease lower back pain, increase strength and restore range of motion. For example, chiropractors may prescribe exercise that strengthen under-active muscles and/or inhibit over-active muscles with the goal of attaining muscle balance and a balanced structure.

It is important to note that doctors of chiropractic do not utilize drugs or surgery in their practice. However, there are times when a chiropractor doctor will recommend that the patient consult another practitioner if these or other methods of treatment are indicated

What is Acupuncture ?

Acupuncture is a component of traditional Chinese medicine that originated in China over 5,000 years ago. It is based on the belief that living beings have a vital energy, called "qi", that circulates through twelve invisible energy lines known as meridians on the body. Each meridian is associated with a different organ system. An imbalance in the flow of qi throughout a meridian is how disease begins. Acupuncturists insert needles into specified points along meridian lines to influence the restore balance to the flow of qi. There are over 1,000 acupuncture points on the body.

The intent of acupuncture therapy is to promote health and alleviate pain and suffering. The method by which this is accomplished, though it may seem strange and mysterious to many, has been time tested over thousands of years and continues to be validated today. The perspective from which an acupuncturist views health and sickness hinges on concepts of "vital energy," "energetic balance" and "energetic imbalance." Just as the Western medical doctor monitors the blood flowing through blood vessels and the messages traveling via the nervous system, the acupuncturist assesses the flow and distribution of this "vital energy" within its pathways, known as "meridians and channels".

What does acupuncturist do?

The acupuncturist is able to influence health and sickness by stimulating certain areas along these "meridians". Traditionally these areas or "acupoints" were stimulated by fine, slender needles. Today, many additional forms of stimulation are incorporated, including herbs, electricity, magnets and lasers. Still, the aim remains the same - adjust the "vital energy" so the proper amount reaches the proper place at the proper time. This helps your body heal itself.

Acupuncture is just one form of therapy used within the coherent system of healing known as Oriental Medicine. Oriental Medicine includes herbology, physical therapy, dietetics and special exercises (such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong), and is a complete medical system unto itself and is not another branch of modern Western medicine. Acupuncture evolved from principles and philosophies unique to Oriental thinking and Oriental Medicine, and is most effectively applied when done in accordance with those principles.

The mechanisms of acupuncture, though not solidly proven, have exhibited several commonly accepted effects to the body. Most notable is that acupuncture stimulates the central nervous system—the brain and spinal cord. Most people report a tingling sensation, feeling relaxed or even energized. Again, this is largely based on the individual receiving the acupuncture treatment and how he or she perceives it.

People experience acupuncture differently, and rarely do they describe it as 'painful'. Unlike needles used for injections, the tip of an acupuncture needle comes smoothly to a point, instead of by way of a sharp edge. Acupuncture needles are also extremely thin—about 20 times thinner than a typical hypodermic needle used for injections. The acupuncture needles are solid and do not remove tissue as would occur with a hypodermic needle, making them safer. Some practitioners also use moxibustion and burn this on the needles during insertion. This is an herb compound that is often used. Acupuncture also has a cupping component to it, whereby cups are heated and applied to the skin to create suction and bring blood close to the surface.

How Acupuncture Works ?

There are numerous theories about how acupuncture works. Some of them are:

• acupuncture stimulates the release of pain-relieving endorphins
• acupuncture influences the release of neurotransmitters, substances that transmit nerve impulses to the brain
• acupuncture influences the autonomic nervous system
• acupuncture stimulates circulation
• acupuncture influences the electrical currents of the body

Conditions Treated By Acupuncture

• migraines and tension headaches
• sinusitis
• common cold
• addictions, quit smoking
• trigeminal neuralgia
• Meniere's disease
• tennis elbow
• sciatica
• arthritis
• menstrual cramps
• fibromyalgia
• low back pain
• asthma
• weight loss
• infertility

What a Typical Acupuncture Treatment is Like

Before the initial appointment, clients usually complete a health history questionnaire. The acupuncturist then interviews the client, asking about his or her primary health concern, lifestyle habits, diet, emotions, menstrual cycle, sleep, temperature, appetite, stress, and sensitivity to foods, temperature, and seasons. During the interview, the acupuncturist examines the client carefully, noting his or her face color, voice, and tongue colour and coating. There are also three pulse points at the wrist of each hand that the acupuncturist will assess to further determine the health of the 12 meridians.

After the interview, the acupuncturist gives a diagnosis and begins treatment. Typically, the acupuncturist will use 6-12 needles during the treatment. The number of needles used does not correspond with the intensity of the treatment, rather it is the precise placement of the needles that is important.

Upon insertion, the client may feel a slight sting or prick. Once the needle is inserted, there should be no pain. You should feel comfortable during the treatment. If you experience pain, numbness, or discomfort, notify the acupuncturist immediately.

Treatment length varies from seconds to longer than one hour. The typical length is about 20 to 30 minutes. The acupuncturist may use the following techniques during the treatment:

• moxibustion - heating of acupuncture needles with dried herb sticks to activate and warm the acupuncture point. Also known as "moxa".
• cupping - the application of glass cups to create a suction on the skin. This is to relieve stagnation of qi and blood, e.g. in sports injury.
• herbal medicine - Chinese herbs may be given in the form of teas, pills, and capsules to supplement acupuncture treatment.
• electrostimulation - provides electrical stimulation to two to four acupuncture needles. Can be used for pain relief and muscle pain.

What is Massage Therapy?

Massage therapy, also known as Swedish massage, is the most common form of massage therapy in the North American. Massage therapists use long, smooth strokes, kneading and other movements focused on superficial layers of muscle using massage oil or lotion. A massage therapist can also give a deep tissue massage uses patterns of strokes and deep finger pressure on parts of the body where muscles are tight or knotted, focusing on layers of muscle deep under the skin. In trigger point massage (also called pressure point massage), the therapist uses a variety of strokes but applies deeper, more focused pressure on myofascial trigger points--"knots" that can form in the muscles, are painful when pressed, and cause symptoms elsewhere in the body as well.

How Does Massage Therapy Work?

Massage therapy improves circulation by bringing oxygen and other nutrients to body tissues. It relieves muscle tension and pain, increases flexibility and mobility, and helps clear lactic acid and other waste, which reduces pain and stiffness in muscles and joints.

Why Do People Get Massage Therapy?

People get massage therapy for relaxation or for a variety of health conditions:

• Back pain
• Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and tendonitis
• Stress relief and stress-related conditions
• Headaches and migraines
• Muscle and related conditions such as spasms, strains and sprains
• Repetitive strain injury, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
• Circulatory and respiratory problems
• Post-injury and post surgical rehabilitation

Massage therapy relieves stress. It is thought to help the body's stress response by lowering levels of hormones such as cortisol. Massage therapy also appears to enhance immune function.

How massage therapy might work ?

• Massage reduces waste products such as lactic acid & carbonic acid that build up in muscles after activity and cause cramping, discomfort, and irritability. It also enhances the immune system and aids recovery from soft tissue injuries by increasing blood circulation to injured areas.
• Massage dilates or opens up blood vessels, improving the circulation and relieving congestion. Massage also increases the number of red blood cells, especially in cases of anemia.
• Massage acts as a “mechanical cleanser” pushing along the lymph and hastening the elimination of wastes & toxic debris. Massage helps to eliminate edema (or dropsy) of the extremities through lymphatic massage.
• Massage increases the blood supply and nutrition to the muscles without adding to their load of toxic acid, produced through voluntary muscle contraction (such as exercise). Massage thus helps to overcome harmful “fatigue” products resulting from strenuous exercise or injury
• Massage improves muscle tone and helps prevent or delay muscular atrophy resulting from forced inactivity. Massage relaxes muscle spasms and relieves muscle tension.
• Transverse massage (a therapeutic massage technique) separates muscle fibers, undoing or preventing the formations of adhesions. Massage stretches connective tissue, improves its circulation and nutrition so that it breaks down or prevents the formation of adhesions, and reduces the danger of fibroids.
• Massage can compensate, or at least in part, for lack of exercise or muscular contraction in persons who because of injury, illness, or age are forced to remain inactive. In these cases, massage helps return venous blood to the heart and so eases the strain on this vital organ.
• Massage may have a sedative, stimulating, or even exhausting effect on the nervous system, depending on the type and length of massage treatment given.
• According to some authorities, massage may burst the fat capsule in the subcutaneous tissue so that the fat exudes and becomes absorbed. In this way massage, combined with proper nutrition and exercise, can aid in weight loss.
• Massage increases the excretion (via the kidneys) of fluids, nitrogen, inorganic phosphorous, and salt in normal individuals, however, in individuals convalescing from bone fractures, massage encourages the retention of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur which are necessary for tissue repair when damage is present.
• Massage improves the general circulation and nutrition of tissues. It is accompanied or followed by an increase interchange of substances between the blood and tissue cells. Heightening tissue metabolism.
• Massage improves the circulation and nutrition of joints and hastens the elimination of harmful particles in the synovial fluid. It helps to lessen inflammation and swelling in joints, thereby alleviating pain.
• Massage disperses the edema following injury to ligaments and tendons, lessening pain, and facilitating movement
• Massage empties the larger ducts and channels of the body, thereby decreasing the auto-intoxication resulting from re-absorption of toxic materials in these channels due to constipation or inflammation.
• Massage is an invaluable aid to physical fitness. No other single health technique is more versatile.