7 Types of Injuries Treated Successfully with IMS Treatment

7 Types of Injuries Treated Successfully with IMS Treatment

Have you heard of Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) before?  

Have you wondered what treatments IMS might help with?

Maybe you have wondered if it might help YOU?

My name is Stephen Uhrbach and I am a physical therapist at MOMENTUM Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Okotoks.  I have been using IMS on my clients (with HUGE success stories) for nearly 10 years.

Take for example our client Lynall. 

Lynall is your run of the mill, tougher than steel, southern Alberta cowboy.  

Two years ago, Lynall went for a wild ride on his temperamental stallion that resulted in two (yes both!) major groin pulls.  Lynall had excruciating pain through both groins, he could barely lift his legs, and riding his horse was out of the question.  

Lynall tried everything to help his groin heal - nothing seemed to do the trick. 

It wasn’t until he learned about IMS and physiotherapy from a friend.  He came to visit us at MOMENTUM Physical Therapy in Okotoks for a round of physiotherapy and IMS.  

After a few IMS and physiotherapy sessions, Lynall was back riding his horse without issue.  

Lynall is now pain free and back to riding his wild stallion (albeit holding on a little tighter to the reins).  Without IMS, who knows if Lynall would have ridden again.

Ok, so tell me more you say.

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What is IMS treatment?

IMS is short for Intramuscular stimulation.

IMS is a physiotherapy treatment used to loosen tight muscles.   

With IMS, a small solid acupuncture needle (without any medication in it) is inserted into the muscle under the skin.  The needle is moved around (up and down and/or by spinning it) to get a muscle twitch that ultimately leads to the relaxation of the muscle.

Does this sound… scary?

Don’t worry! 

Physiotherapy that utilizes IMS might leave you feeling a little uncomfortable but the results are worth it.  It has truly changed the lives of people just like you (some of whom were deathly afraid of needles) by reducing pain and improving movement of your muscles.     

Ultimately, the quicker your physiotherapist can resolve your pain and get you moving, the quicker you can start progressing your strengthening exercises AND getting back to the things you love in life (like Lynall and horse riding).  

If you want to learn more about IMS, click here for another blog article that we wrote that dives deeper into exactly what IMS is.

How can IMS treatment help me?

Clients new to physiotherapy often say to us  “I see you perform IMS treatment.  Will that help me?”

The response is often YES!

Anytime your pain or injury involves shortened or tightened muscles, IMS physiotherapy is often a powerful tool of choice to help relieve pain and promote healing.  

Actually, IMS is one of our most powerful tools to help loosen muscles.  

At MOMENTUM Physical Therapy in Okotoks, we utilize IMS if we think it is going to make a significant improvement with your rehab.

If your initial physiotherapist finds tight and shortened muscles at your initial evaluation, your therapist will likely recommend trying IMS treatment.  IMS is often the quickest and most effective way to get you pain free - regardless if the injury is new or old.

Let's dive into just a few of the most common things that IMS successfully can treat!

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7 Conditions Physiotherapists can treat with IMS needling

1. Tennis elbow

Tennis elbow refers to damage and inflammation that occurs in the tendons on the outside of the elbows.  

Do you have sharp pain that is located on the outside of your elbow?  Does it burn or ache at night?  Do you feel like you have no strength in your arm because of the elbow pain?  

If you answered yes to these questions, you likely are dealing with a tennis elbow.

Despite its name, tennis elbow does not originate solely from tennis!  Besides playing tennis, you can develop tennis elbow after lifting objects, excessive desk work (and typing!), and repetitive hobbies (such as knitting).  

Tennis elbow can be stubborn to heal; however, IMS is often the physiotherapy treatment that will tilt your recovery in your favour.

By stimulating the injured elbow and forearm muscles with IMS, and pairing your rehab with the correct physiotherapy exercises, the injured muscles along the outside of the elbow will heal.

In no time at all, you will be back to swinging that tennis racquet, pouring the carton of milk, or knitting your next pair of Christmas socks.

Let's dive into just a few of the most common things that IMS successfully can treat!

2. Jaw or Temporomandibular Jaw (TMJ) Issues

The jaw (or TMJ) can be very painful when tight or injured.

The TMJ can get injured by direct trauma (think car accident), stress (by clenching your teeth during the day or at night while you sleep), or as a result of neck and head tightness.

TMJ dysfunction is often characterized by pain in the jaw, difficulty opening the mouth, “clicking” along the sides of the jaw when eating, or headaches and neck pain.  

IMS and physiotherapy is a powerful tool to help resolve your TMJ pain.   

IMS treatment works by releasing the muscles that help the jaw open and close.  

If you are dealing with any TMJ pain, IMS is the tool you may need to finally loosen those tight jaw muscles and get that jaw working optimally.

3. Hip Pain and Hip Osteoarthritis (OA)

Do you have pain on the outside of your hip?  Did it gradually show up out of the blue or after you started a new activity (like jogging or hiking)? Have you been told that you have hip osteoarthritis?

The hip joint is controlled by large muscles in the buttocks, groin, and hip flexors.  If we dramatically change our activity level (both by increasing or activity or decreasing activity) or sustain an injury that leads to arthritis, these muscles can get unhappy. 

Increasing activity usually leads to conditions like tendonitis (or fraying of tendons and muscles) that create muscle “spasms”.  Decreasing activity can lead to muscle shortening and tightness.   In both of these situations, muscle tightness will restrict movement on the hip and create pain.  Hip arthritis specifically will generally lead to muscle tightness as the muscles try to overprotect the irritated hip bones.  

Fortunately, IMS treatment paired with proper physiotherapy and exercise can help by loosening muscle tension, promote healing and strengthening, and allow you to return to pain free living.

If you are dealing with any hip pain, IMS therapy will likely give your hip the “kick in the butt” it needs to get better.

4. Shoulder Pain and Rotator Cuff Tears

Are you having shoulder pain reaching for the top shelf in the pantry?  How about aching in the shoulder at night when you are trying to sleep?  Does throwing a ball or holding your dogs leash give you pain?

These are all symptoms of an irritated and inflamed shoulder.  

The shoulder is a complex joint made up multiple muscles, ligaments, bursa sacs, and bones.  If this shoulder is forced to work in ways that it cannot control (either due to being put into awkward positions or by doing things it doesn't have the strength to do), problems arise.

Often one rotator cuff muscle is being overused resulting in tissue break down (tear) and spasm.  While this occurs, other rotator cuff muscles are often ignored and go into a state of shortening as they weaken.  This mismatch leads to improper shoulder movement, and ultimately, pain.

IMS therapy is a powerful tool to help reset the muscles of the rotator cuff - either by loosening shortened and tightened muscles so they can be strengthened or by reducing muscle spasm and tension so rotator cuff tears can heal.

If you are dealing with any shoulder pain, IMS treatment paired with physiotherapy often is your ticket to recovery.

5. Tension Headaches

Headaches suck.  Full stop.

Headaches can occur for a multitude of reasons.  Some headaches are caused by tightness in the upper back, neck, and at the base of the skull.

If you have pain that is worse on one side of your head then the other, if your headache pain feels like it wraps up around behind your ears, or if your headache feels like it sits either behind or above the eyes, you might be dealing with a tension headache.

Poor posture, car accidents, neck injuries or stress can often lead to neck tightness.  For some people, this tightness radiates pain up into the neck causing headaches.

IMS and physiotherapy treatments can effectively loosen these muscles and reduce (if not abolish) your headache.  By effectively stimulating the specific muscles that are causing your headache, you can have the headache generating muscles finally release and give you relief. 

If you are dealing with tension headaches (or know someone who is), IMS treatment is often a powerful tool to release the tension and pounding from your head.

6. Low Back Pain

Pain through the low back can be caused by a number of reasons.  Pulled muscles, disc bulges, stenosis, and sciatica are all different causes of low back pain and can be caused by anything ranging from lifting heavy objects incorrectly to putting your socks on awkwardly.

Regardless of what exactly your back injury is, low back pain is always accompanied by muscle spasming and tightness.  This tightness can lead to increased pressure on irritated joints, discs, and nerves while preventing inflamed joints and muscles from properly healing. 

IMS therapy is effective at loosening shorted and spasming muscles.  By pairing IMS therapy with physiotherapy, you can relax shorted and tightened muscles so you can properly allow your back injury to heal and strengthen.

If you are dealing with any back injury (whether it be a new or old injury), consider trying IMS to help jumpstart your healing process.

7. Muscle Strains (Hamstring, Groin, Quads, and Calves)

Pulling a muscle.  We have all done it.

Maybe it was sprinting from 2nd base to 3rd base at baseball, trying to make a fancy move while playing hockey, or simply stepping funny off the curb, we have all pulled a muscle.

When we pull muscles, we effectively tear and separate muscle tissue.  Think of when you cut a piece of steak - you are effectively “tearing” through a muscle.  When you feel that pull in your muscle, you are separating the muscle tissue like you do when you cut a steak.  

Fortunately, most of us do not find our muscles on a BBQ.  

After a muscle is torn, the muscle will go into a sustained contraction (spasm) to try and allow the muscle to heal.  As the muscle heals, the body often forgets to allow the muscle to relax and return to its preinjury resting level.

For muscle strains, IMS therapy paired with physiotherapy is effective at loosening tightened muscles to allow them to fully heal and recover.

If you are dealing with a muscle strain that won’t quite fully recover, often a few sessions of IMS will help you fully loosen the healing muscle.

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Ultimately IMS Physiotherapy is often the ticket to kickstart your healing

As you can see, there are many applications for IMS.  

Generally speaking, IMS is a powerful tool to help relax shortened and tightened muscles to a point where you can effectively strengthen and heal your injury site.

Tennis elbows, TMJ (jaw) pain, hip tightness and arthritis, shoulder pain and rotator cuff tears, headaches, low back pain, and muscle strains are common examples for where we find IMS highly effective.

Ready to kickstart your recovery and try IMS?

Do you have an injury that just won’t seem to go away?  

IMS might be your ticket to kickstarter your recovery and return you to your regular self.

Lynall likely would not have gotten back on his horse without trying IMS.  Do you want to get back on your “horse”?

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Let’s Get Started

At MOMENTUM Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Okotoks, we take YOUR recovery and YOUR goals very seriously. 

If you are dealing with any injury, we would be happy to evaluate your injury to decide if IMS and physiotherapy would be of benefit to your recovery.  

Call us today at 403-982-5600 to book an appointment with one of our IMS trained physiotherapists.

Not sure if you are ready to try needling yet but would like more information, email us and request that one of our physiotherapists call you to discuss IMS and its benefits in detail.  We would be happy to answer any further questions you might have.

We are here for you!

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is IMS in physiotherapy?

Intramuscular stimulation (IMS) is a treatment technique used by highly trained physiotherapists to help loosen shortened and tightened muscles. IMS is one of many techniques that physiotherapists use to help injuries heal.

How long does it take for IMS to work?

Intramuscular stimulation (IMS) is extremely effective at loosening tightened muscles and reducing pain after your first session. We expect to see some improvement after the first session but generally 3-4 sessions are required to ensure that IMS is working with most injuries resolving after 8-10 sessions.

Does IMS needling hurt?

When needling, IMS can lead to twitches in the muscles. Often people call this uncomfortable but not painful. After needling, people might be sore and achy for 24-36 hours after treatment. Afterwards, this soreness fully resolves.

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Momentum Physical Therapy, located in Okotoks, Alberta, is ‘Here for YOU’.

If you are experiencing any pain or injury, or you just want to learn more about how IMS or dry needling can help heal your pain, don’t delay and call Momentum Physical Therapy today. You can reach a registered physiotherapist at Momentum by calling 403-982-5600. We look forward to helping you feel you best again.

What is Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) in Physiotherapy?

What is Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) in Physiotherapy?

Have you heard of Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) before?  

Maybe a friend told you that you HAVE to try IMS because it did wonders for them?

My name is Stephen Uhrbach and I am a physical therapist at MOMENTUM Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Okotoks.  I have been using IMS on my clients (with HUGE success stories) for nearly 10 years.

I am here today to tell YOU all about what IMS is so you can decide if it is a treatment that you want to try.  

Before we dive into what IMS is, I want you to meet my client Stacey.  

Stacey came to me in the spring of 2017 with unrelenting hip pain.  Turns out she had advanced hip osteoarthritis and wanted to try everything but IMS.  

She was afraid of needles and heard that IMS HURT!

Who would blame her.  Putting needles into the body didn’t sound fun.

After a few conversations where we talked about IMS, what it entailed, and how she would benefit she decided to give it a go.

Guess what…

IT HELPED! 

LIKE IT REALLY HELPED!

And now, everytime she gets a little sore, the first thing she asks for is IMS.

Today I want to tell you about IMS physiotherapy so you can learn about what it entails and decide if it would help kickstart the recovery you deserve.

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What does IMS stand for and how does it work? 

IMS stands for Intramuscular Stimulation.  

When performing IMS, a trained physiotherapist inserts an acupuncture needle into a tight and shortened band of muscle (or a trigger point).  

Muscles can become tight and develop trigger points if they are injured, are compensating for an injury at another body location, or if they are receiving abnormal signals from the spine and nerves.

After the physiotherapist locates a trigger point, the acupuncture needle is inserted into the trigger point.  You should feel a deep ache or a twitching sensation as the physiotherapist moves the needle up and down through the tightened band of muscle.  After the therapist has sufficiently stimulated the tightened muscles, the needle will be removed.  Your practitioner may repeat this process a number of times through different trigger points.  

This process causes the muscle to “reset” and relax - thus reducing your pain and improving your ability to move.

How deep do the needles go into the muscle during IMS?

The depth of the IMS needling completely depends on the depth of the trigger point. Some muscles (like in the jaw or forearm) are very close to the surface of the skin. In these instances, needling depth is relatively superficial and can be 1-2 cm. Other times, such as in the hip or calf, the trigger points are deeper and can be 5-10 cm below the skin.

Do you need special training to perform IMS?

Yes!

In order to perform IMS, you need to have an advanced level of post secondary training and understanding of the human body.

Physiotherapists who perform IMS will first need their Masters in Physical Therapy to begin training in IMS.

Physiotherapists will then take advanced post university training that includes self study, hands on training/experience, and formal examinations.

Once a physiotherapist has completed all the necessary training and passed the required examinations associated with learning IMS, they will receive approval from the Alberta College of Physical Therapists to perform the advanced technique “use of needles in practice”.

Do you inject anything into my body when performing IMS?

No.

IMS is a form of dry needling.  With dry needling, there are no medications injected or associated with the needles.

IMS uses small, flexible, solid needles that are not capable of delivering medication of any form to an individual.

Is IMS safe?

Absolutely.

First, your therapist will screen you to make sure that you are a safe candidate for dry needling.  In our practice, we will not needle someone who is pregnant (due to the risk of inducing labour) or had surgery in the last 12 weeks.

Next, your therapist will ensure that they are using a clean needle technique.  This involves using single use sterile needles, cleaning the needle site of the body with a special rub called Stanhexadine, the continuous wearing of gloves, and the safe disposal of used needles.  

Finally, your trained therapist will review with you the area that they will be needling and how they will ensure your safety.  Some areas (like the gluteal muscles) are extremely safe to needle.  Other areas (such as along the spine) are safe to needle as long as the technique used by the practitioner is sound.

The most common side effect of IMS is some minor bruising and aching.  On rare occasions, some people feel tired after a IMS session and this usually resolves in a few hours.    

All in all, the cleaning, screening, and proper technique is what makes IMS safe.

Does IMS hurt?

When IMS is used to release trigger points, you can expect to feel a deep ache and a twitch from each needle point.  This sensation is not necessarily painful but feels like the muscle is momentarily cramping and aching.  This sensation lets us know that your muscle had a trigger point in it that would be causing movement restriction and pain.  

Once the IMS session is over, you might feel sore and achy for 24-36 hours.  This is normal and expected.  

As long as you keep moving around, the achiness should fully resolve leaving you feeling loose and with reduced pain.

If your muscle does not have a trigger point in it, the needling should be pain free.

What kind of results can I expect with IMS?

With IMS, you can expect two main positive results.

First, as you progress through treatment, you should expect to feel increased movement.  As the IMS loosens up the tight bands of muscle, you should begin to experience increased mobility at your joints as your muscle tightness subsides.

Second, you should feel significant reductions in pain.  As the IMS loosens up muscle and reduces compressive loads on joints, ligaments, and nerves so you should start to feel your pain resolve.

Once your pain has gone down and your body is moving better, you will be well on your way to a full recovery.  

How long does it take to get better? 

Most often people will report improvements after their first session of IMS.

Typically we will see good results after 3 to 4 sessions with treatment courses usually lasting a total of 8-10 sessions.

What do I need to do after a session of IMS?

After receiving IMS at your physiotherapy appointment, make sure that you drink lots of water, move about, and heat the needle site.  This will help quickly reduce your soreness.  Your physiotherapist should also provide you with some exercises specific to your injury.  

What injuries will it help?

There are many injuries that IMS will have a profound positive effect on.  Tennis elbow, rotator cuff strains, headaches, whiplash, low back pain, muscle strains, and hip pain are very common sites that we treat everyday with IMS.   

Generally speaking, any injury that involves tightened or shortened muscles will benefit from IMS physiotherapy treatment.

Click this link to review another blog that we wrote recently specifically talking about 7 injuries we treat daily with IMS.   

What to do next?

There you have in.  

A crash course in what IMS is.

Still wondering if IMS will work for you?  Tired of living with an ache or a pain that just won't go away?

Give us a call at MOMENTUM Physical Therapy in Okotoks and we would be happy to review your injury to determine if you would be a good candidate for IMS as part of a physiotherapy treatment program.  You can reach us at: 403-982-5600, Monday-Friday from 7am - 8pm.

Not ready to commit yet, fire us an email with any questions about IMS and one of our physiotherapists will reach out to you to discuss your case.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is IMS a form of dry needling?

Yes! Dry needling refers to a group of treatment techniques in which a needle is used to stimulate a tissue to promote muscle relaxation or healing. Wet needling refers to techniques in which a substance (such as a medication or vaccine) is administered to a person through the needle.

How long does it take for IMS to work?

Intramuscular stimulation (IMS) is extremely effective at loosening tightened muscles and reducing pain after your first session. We expect to see some improvement after the first session but generally 3-4 sessions are required to ensure that IMS is working with most injuries resolving after 8-10 sessions.

What should I do after IMS treatment?

After completing a IMS session, it is important to drink lots of water, remain active, and heat the needle site. This will help reduce your soreness after your session. Once the soreness from the needling subsidies (usually after 24 hours), you should experience reduced pain and increased mobility.

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Momentum Physical Therapy, located in Okotoks, Alberta, is ‘Here for YOU’.

If you are experiencing any pain or injury, or you just want to learn more about how IMS or dry needling can help heal your pain, don’t delay and call Momentum Physical Therapy today. You can reach a registered physiotherapist at Momentum by calling 403-982-5600. We look forward to helping you feel you best again.

What are the Benefits of Ortho Physiotherapy?

What are the Benefits of Ortho Physiotherapy?

Being injured sucks.  

Rolling an ankle, throwing out your back, or pulling a muscle can happen in an instance.  

Has this happened to you?

Stephen Uhrbach, registered physical therapist, is an ortho physiotherapist who owns and operates a physiotherapy clinic, MOMENTUM Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab, in Okotoks Alberta.  He has spent the last 10 years helping people recover from all types of injuries. Daily he works with people just like you who are dealing with a new injury and uncertain of what to do next.

Having pain, without an understanding of what is going on or how to make it better, can be a helpless place to be.  Have you found yourself Googling your symptoms only to be left more confused at what you might be dealing with?

You are not alone!

Meet Nick.  

Nick threw out his back while lifting a box at work.  He had pain running down his leg and couldn’t sit for more than 3 minutes without having excruciating pain in his leg.  Google told him he needed surgery.  Yikes!

Fortunately, there are experts to help in instances like this.

Physical therapists are here to help you!

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What is Ortho Physiotherapy? 

Orthopedic (or ortho for short) physiotherapy is a branch of physiotherapy dedicated to diagnosing and treating injuries to bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments in the body.  

Physiotherapists who focus on ortho physiotherapy dedicate their career to:

• Properly diagnosing pain

• Teaching you about your injury

• Developing plans (including hands on treatments and exercises) to promote healing

Our goal as physiotherapists is to fully heal your pain and then implement strategies to prevent re-injury.  Physios are the experts you need to connect with when faced with an injury.

What are the Benefits of Ortho Physiotherapy?

Ortho physiotherapists will help you understand your injury, develop a recovery plan, and then meet your goals to get you back to what you love to do!

Ortho physios are experts in:

• Evaluating your injury so you don’t need to guess what is going on.

• Developing treatment plans so you know what you will need to do to get better.

• Delivering hands on treatments and exercises designed to get you relief (and promote healing).

• Helping you reach your recovery goals.    

Before we dive deeper into ortho physiotherapy, you might be wondering how Nick fits into the picture.

Nick found Stephen, the ortho physical therapist in Okotoks, online and booked an appointment with him.  

At his first appointment, Nick found out that he was dealing with a minor low back disc injury.  Stephen built Nick a physiotherapy treatment plan that included an explanation of his injury, a pathway to success, and all the steps that Nick would need to take to fully recover.

After a few weeks of treatment, Nick has had his pain fully resolve.  He is now working at building strength through his low back so his pain doesn't come back again and he is back to his regular running routine.

Below you will find a deep dive into the benefits of an ortho physiotherapist.  You will learn all the benefits of ortho physio and how they can help you today.

Ortho Physiotherapy Will Help You Understand Your Injury

Did you know that the adult human has 206 bones, 360 joints, and over 650 muscles in their body?  On top of that, there are many other structures including tendons, cartilage discs, bursae sacs, arteries, veins, lymphatic vessels, and other structures?

If ANY of these tissues get overloaded, they will break down. 

When they break down, you will feel pain and are officially injured.  

Ortho physios are specially trained to evaluate injuries to figure out exactly what is going on.

By carefully asking you what happened before you got injured, ortho physios will narrow down your possible injury.  Your injury story will give your physiotherapist clues as to what might be going on in your body so they can better focus their assessment. 

Questions they might ask may include:

• What were you doing when you first felt your pain?

• Where do you feel your pain?

• Can you describe your pain?

• What makes your pain better?

• What makes your pain worse?

• Did you see any swelling or bruising after your first felt your pain?

Once your physio has a few clues, they will begin a physical examination of your injury.  This physical examination will be hands on by your physio so they can get a feel for exactly what is injured.  This process will likely include:

• Having you move your injured body part (to the best of your ability)

• Feeling for any swelling, warmth, or pain

• Activating of muscles around the injury site

• Stability testing of ligaments around the injury site

• Feeling for motion in the joints around the injury site

By carefully listening to your story and physically feeling your injury site, your physiotherapist will be able to identify what is going on in your body.  

Your physiotherapist will take the time to review their findings and teach you about what is going on in your body.  As experts in the physical body, your physiotherapist will tell you what your injury is while explaining it to you in terms you can understand.

This will take the guesswork out of “what is wrong with me” so you will know exactly what your injury is.

Ortho Physiotherapy Will Develop An Action Plan For You

Once you know what exactly your injury is, the next important step is to make a recovery plan.

Essentially, this recovery plan will be your roadmap to recovery.

Your physiotherapist will take the time to outline a treatment plan that will lead to your full recovery. This will include a description of what types of treatments will help promote healing, approximately how long each of these steps will take, and what you can do to help facilitate this process quicker.

This success roadmap will hinge completely on your goals. 

Different goals require different plans and strategies.  Without knowing what your goals are, your physiotherapist will struggle to create a unique program geared towards maximizing your recovery. 

This plan will also outline what exercises you should be doing at home as ortho physical therapists are experts at exercise.  

Ortho physios will review exercises that can:

• reduce your pain

• improve your movement

• build strength

• promote healing.  

Exercise is essential to recovery and your physio will provide you with specific exercises (and their dosage) to maximize your healing.  

This roadmap will also include important elements about how frequent you should be attending physiotherapy and for what duration of time. 

Generally speaking, injuries are treated at twice per week when they are NEW or PAINFUL and will drop to once a week once the focus shifts towards re-strengthening and injury prevention.  

Therapy programs generally run for 8-12 weeks that transition injuries from new to a full recovery. 

Ultimately, this roadmap will give you the opportunity to ask your physiotherapist any questions you may have about your recovery.  By the end of this process, you will understand what your injury is and what the necessary steps are for you to lead to your recovery. 

Ortho Physiotherapy Will Provide Hands on Treatment to Give You Relief

Ortho physical therapists not only identify injuries, but also are trained to provide treatment to provide relief and promote healing from injuries. 

There are countless treatment options that ortho physiotherapists can employ, but they are all geared towards one goal - reducing your pain while promoting your healing!

Physiotherapists undergo countless hours to learn techniques to:

• improve joint movement

• loosen tight muscles

• stimulate healing processes

• reduce pain

• break down scar tissue

Common treatments physios use to loosen muscles include trigger point muscle release, Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS), and hands on massage.

Common treatments physios use to improve joint movement include manual stretching and joint adjustments.

Common treatments physios use to promote healing include tendon massage, scar scraping, and cupping.  

Common treatments physios use to reduce pain include Kinesiotaping, applying ice/heat, using electrical tools such as TENS or IFC.

This is not an exhaustive list, but ortho physical therapists will use their hands (and their heads!) to give you relief from your injury.  

The benefits from hands on treatment is endless.  Highlights of treatment for you may include:

• Reducing (and quite possibly removing) your need and use of medications

• Reducing (and abolishing your pain)

• Improving your ability to move your limbs

• Improving your balance

• Improving your strength

• Avoiding unnecessary injections 

• Avoiding of unnecessary surgery 

Ultimately, your ortho physio will be giving relief from your injury on day 1!

Ortho Physiotherapy Will Help You Reach Your Goals

By now, you probably can see that your ortho physio will have identified your injury, provided you with a recovery plan, and began treatment to promote your healing.

All of this hinges on helping you.

As you progress down your recovery plan, you will be guided towards meeting your goals.

Maybe your goal is to resolve your pain? ... run a marathon?  … push a shopping cart?  … downhill ski?  … or even make the NHL?

It doesn’t matter what your goal is, it just matters that you reach it!  

Your ortho physio will guide you from day 1 of your recovery all the way to your physio graduation.  Graduation from physio will only occur after you reach your goals and your physio will be right there to celebrate with you.

Is Ortho Physio Right For Me?

Now you might be wondering if an ortho physiotherapist could help you?

If you have pain - the answer is yes!

If you got injured playing a sport you love - the answer is yes!

If you have recently had a surgery and cannot do everything you love - the answer is yes!

If you have been in a car accident and are looking to heal - again the answer is yes!

If you have been hurt at work and are trying to get back to work - you guessed it - the answer is yes!

What Do I Do Now?

Physical therapists are your go to expert in evaluating and treating any injury or pain.  Regardless of how you acquired your pain, physio can help.  A physiotherapist will be able to identify what is injured (so you can stop Googling it), provide you with a plan of action of recovery (so you can rest easy that you will get better), and then guide you through your recovery process (so you can get back to what you love as fast as possible).  

If you have recently found yourself injured, call us at MOMENTUM Physical Therapy, in Okotoks, today at 403-982-5600 to connect with one of our expert physical therapists to start you on your recovery journey today. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the advantages of physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is an effective treatment option for people looking to recover from an injury.  Physiotherapy will help you understand your injury, provide hands on treatment to help reduce pain and promote healing, and will provide you with exercises to promote your full recovery.

Does physiotherapy actually work?

Physiotherapy is extremely effective at helping people recover from injuries.  Countless researchers have studied (and proven) the effectiveness of physiotherapy in reducing pain and promoting healing after injury or surgery. 

Is physical therapy really effective?

Physical therapy is extremely effective at promoting healing.  Not only has physical therapy been shown to provide healing for injuries, it has also helped people get off of pain medications and avoid unnecessary surgeries.  Physical therapy is an effective tool that provides natural healing. 

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Momentum Physical Therapy, located in Okotoks, Alberta, is ‘Here for YOU’.

If you are experiencing any posture related pain, or you just want to learn more about how physiotherapy can improve your posture or help fix your bad posture habits, don’t delay and call Momentum Physical Therapy today. You can reach a registered physiotherapist at Momentum by calling 403-982-5600. We look forward to helping you feel you best again.

Jumper's Knee

Can Physio help with Jumper’s Knee?

Do you have pain in the front of your knee just below your knee cap? Does your child complain of knee pain after sports that contain lots of running and jumping, like soccer or basketball?

Jumper's knee, or patellar tendonitis, is something that we treat daily in the clinic. Jumper's knee occurs when the tendon that holds the knee cap to the shin bone becomes irritated. We see this often in young athletes who are growing or adults who have recently increased their activity level. Fortunately, physical therapy is an extremely effective treatment to help heal this type of injury.

At MOMENTUM Physical Therapy in Okotoks, we treat jumper's knee with specific hands on techniques to ease the strain on the patellar tendon to reduce pain. We pair this hands on treatment with exercises that restrengthen the injured tendon and then build a plan to help return you back to the sport or activity you love.

If you are dealing with jumper's knee, or any knee pain at all, call MOMENTUM Physical Therapy in Okotoks today get get started on your recovery. 403-982-5600

Stephen Uhrbach is the clinic owner and lead physiotherapist at MOMENTUM Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab Ltd. located in Okotoks, AB.

Top 7 Physiotherapy Exercises to Improve Your Posture

Top 7 Physiotherapy Exercises to Improve Your Posture When Working At Home

Working at a desk can be tough.  Being stuck in the same position for hours on end can lead to poor posture and pain.  Fortunately, there are simple physiotherapy exercises that can help improve your posture and reduce your pain in 5 minutes or less!  

Stephen Uhrbach, registered Physical Therapist and owner of MOMENTUM Physical Therapy in Okotoks, Alberta, has been working with people to help overcome posture related pain for the last 10 years.  He has helped hundreds of people overcome the aches and pains associated with poor postures from working at home.

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The ultimate physio guide to improving posture and reducing pain associated with working from home.  

Like many Canadians these days, has your work life involved a relocation to the “home office”?   

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of work offices, many of us found ourselves working out of our basements, in our home offices, and sometimes, even on our couch!!!

This was the case for Alyssa, who was recently forced out of her downtown office to her Okotoks basement.  

Can you relate?

Although these new work environments may have had shorter morning commutes, they have also created a few challenges.  Home workstations have left people struggling with sore shoulders, neck pain, headaches, sore wrists, and achy backs.

Alyssa reached out to us with neck and back pain that was giving her headaches and preventing her from putting in a full work week (even from home!).  

Does this sound like you?

Our bodies have been forced to work in new (and often poor) postures.  If left unchecked, these poor postures will lead to pain and discomfort, which makes the home office a 40 hour per week marathon of struggling to find a comfortable position to work in.

What physiotherapy exercises can you do today to improve your posture?

Fortunately, there is something that YOU can do right now to help curb these aches and pains.  Physiotherapists have been tackling these issues for years and there are physiotherapy exercises that you can do everyday to fight back the aches and pains of poor posture.

After hooking Alyssa up with a few of these physiotherapy exercises, her pain has gone away and she is now loving her commute AND home office.

Below you will find 7 physiotherapy exercises designed to help you with posture and pain from working at home.  These physical therapy exercises are designed to target poor posture to make your working less painful and more productive.   They should be able to be completed in 5 minutes (or less!) and can give you the same relief that Alyssa got.  Give them a go today!

Physiotherapy Exercise 1: Arching Over A Foam Roller (or rolled up towel)

One of the easiest physiotherapy exercises for loosening up the mid back is extension over a roller (or rolled up towel).  

How to do this physio exercise:

• Simply sit on the ground with your knees bent and feet square on the ground with the roller placed in the lower part of the back

• Cross your hands over your chest, breathe out, and lean back over the roller.  

• Lean back as far as you comfortably can, pause, and then sit back up.  You might hear a few small pops - this is normal! 

• Repeat two or three more times at higher points up the back.

Physiotherapy Exercise #2: Hip Flexor Stretch

Hip flexors get tight when we sit too much and can cause low back pain.  The next physiotherapy exercise for you to complete will be to stretch these out.

How to do this physio exercise:

• In a high kneeling position (kneeling on one leg with the other leg forward with the foot flat on the ground)

• Gently clench your buttock muscles to bring your hips forward.  

• Keeping your back straight, lean forward until you feel a pull down the front of the leg that has the knee on the ground. 

• Hold for 20 seconds and repeat on each side twice.

Physiotherapy Exercise #3: Cat Cow

This physiotherapy (and yoga) exercise has been shown to loosen back muscles and lubricate the joints in the spine.  This is a go to for physiotherapists who are treating people with any form of back pain.

How to do this physio exercise:

• From your hands and knees, start off by letting your stomach sink towards the ground while you look up towards the roof.  This is the cow position.  Go as far as you comfortably can and hold the end position for a count of 1.

• Arch your back up towards the roof while bending your neck down and looking towards your belly button.  This is the cat position.

• Go as far as you comfortably can and hold the end position for a count of 1.  Repeat this 15 times. 

Physiotherapy Exercise #4: Door Frame Stretch

Sitting at a desk (or on a couch) for a prolonged period of time will lead to slouched shoulders and difficulty sitting up straight.  You need to keep the muscles on the front of your chest loose to avoid getting stuck in this hunched position.

How to do this physio exercise:

• Find a door frame and raise your arms up and out to the side as if you were making the letter “Y”.  

• Press your arms against the frame.  

• Lean forward until you feel a comfortable stretch across the front of your chest.

• Hold for 20 seconds and relax.  Repeat twice.

Physiotherapy Exercise #5: Forearm Stretch

Repetitive work, like typing or using a mouse for hours on end, can lead to tightness through tops and bottoms of your forearms.  Keeping these muscles limber can help fend off injuries such as tennis elbow or carpal tunnel syndrome. 

How to do this physio exercise:

• Extend one arm out directly in front of you.  

• Bend the wrist down towards the ground.  

• With your other hand, pull the hand of the extended arm back down towards your body.  

• Stop when you feel a pull along the top of your forearm.

• Hold for 20 seconds  

• Repeat by extending the same arm straight forward and bending the wrist up towards the sky.  

• With your other hand, pull the hand of the extended arm up and back towards your body.  

• Stop when you feel a pull along the bottom of your forearm.

• Repeat twice.

Physiotherapy Exercise #6: Neck Stretch

Seated for hours at a laptop or on Zoom calls can lead to slouching and tension in your upper back and neck.  Tightness here can lead to headaches and soreness through the upper back and neck.  A physiotherapy exercise to help alleviate this is the relaxing neck muscle stretch. 

How to do this physio exercise:

• Turn your head and look at one of your shoulders.

• With the arm on the same side that you are looking, reach up and gently grab the back of your head.  

• Gently pull on the back of your head until you feel a gentle pull on the opposite side of the neck.  

• Hold for 20 seconds and relax.

• Repeat twice on both sides.

Physiotherapy Exercise #7: Shoulder Blade Squeeze

Activating the muscles in your upper mid back are essential for maintaining good posture.  Often we let these muscles get lazy if we get stuck into a seated position for too long.  Using this physiotherapy exercise, you can keep these muscles reminded of what they need to do to maintain good posture.

How to do this physio exercise:

• Sit up tall in your chair or stand.

• Imagine that there is a pencil stuck to the middle of your back that you do not want to let fall to the ground.  

• Gently squeeze your shoulder blades back and down together.

• Hold for 5 seconds and relax.  Repeat 15 times.  Please note, if you feel like your shoulders are coming up towards your ears, relax and try again.

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So, What’s Next?

These 7 physiotherapy exercises are designed to help people with posture related pain that comes with working from home.  Give them a try today to help make your working from home life more comfortable.  

Give us a call at MOMENTUM Physical Therapy in Okotoks at 403-982-5600 if you would like more help with any posture related pain.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Physio improve posture?

Physiotherapy is a proven treatment to improve posture.  Physiotherapists will use a combination of hands on treatment, stretches, and physiotherapy exercises to help correct poor posture and rebalance the body. 

What exercises improve posture?

There are many physiotherapy exercises that can be used to improve posture.  Common exercises include arching over a foam roller, hip flexor stretching, the cat cow, the door frame stretch, the forearm stretch, neck stretching, and shoulder blade squeezing.  These exercises are designed to loosen shortened and tight muscles while strengthening posture muscles.

Can you correct years of bad posture?

Bad posture can be improved upon and corrected with physiotherapy.   Using a combination of hands on treatment, stretching, and physiotherapy exercise, years of bad posture can be changed and improved.

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Momentum Physical Therapy, located in Okotoks, Alberta, is ‘Here for YOU’.

If you are experiencing any posture related pain, or you just want to learn more about how physiotherapy can improve your posture or help fix your bad posture habits, don’t delay and call Momentum Physical Therapy today. You can reach a registered physiotherapist at Momentum by calling 403-982-5600. We look forward to helping you feel you best again.