Services

Scroll down for a description of all of our services

All Physical EDGE Physiotherapists are university educated, regulated health professionals that have advanced post graduate training in the identification and treatment of musculoskeletal injury. At Physical Edge you can expect to receive the highest quality of care. On your first visit a thorough biomechanical analysis of your injury will assist us in outlining a rehabilitation program that could include:

• Advanced manual therapy

• Activity specific exercise prescription

• Acupuncture - body or auricular (ear)

• Myofasical and Active Release Techniques including the F.A.T. tool

• Certified Stott Pilates Instruction

• PhysioBall Exercise Routines and core stability education

• Therapeutic modalities – eg. ultrasound, interferential

• Post surgical rehabilitation protocols

• Radial Shockwave Treatment

• Injury Prevention Strategies

 

With an individualized program and an active approach to treatment we will definitely give you the Physical EDGE!

Physical Edge Physiotherapy has 4 Registered Physiotherapists. Please see our staff profiles for our individual areas of expertise.

Our Sport Medicine Physician is certified by the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine Physicians (CASM).  He has expertise and advanced training for athletes of all ages in the following:

• Diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injury and/or illness

• Interpretation of laboratory results, special tests and imaging studies (Xrays, MRI, ultrasounds, etc.)

• Issues for athletes of all ages and gender (i.e. gender verification, the female athlete triad, pregnancy, issues for the pediatric or geriatric population, etc.)

• Issues for athletes and persons with disabilities

• Specific acute and/or chronic disease states (diabetes, asthma, cardiac conditions, osteoarthritis, etc.) in terms of participation in sport and exercise, and the role of physical activity in prevention

• Appropriate use of orthotics, bracing, taping and splinting for overuse and traumatic injuries

• Environmental and travel issues, immunizations and vaccinations for athletes

• Nutritional factors that can affect performance and training, including fluid and electrolyte replacement

• Current guidelines for management of traumatic brain injury (concussion) and other head injuries

• Exercise prescription for both individuals and teams; including pre-screening for exercise, activity or sport-specific needs, and counselling about strength and conditioning

• Pre-participation physical assessments to determine ability to participate in specific sport related activities

• Counselling regarding medications and supplements in terms of health, doping control, and legal implications

 

Dr. Douglas Dittmer is the Sport Medicine physician at Physical Edge. Please see his Bio under Staff profiles.

Massage therapy provides an alternative health option to help alleviate the soft tissue discomfort associated with everyday and occupational stresses, muscular overuse and many chronic pain syndromes. It can also gently reduce the development of painful muscular patterning, if started early enough after accidents involving trauma and injury.
A variety of techniques are used to manipulate the soft tissues of the body to gain a therapeutic response:
• Manipulation of soft tissue (muscles, tendons and ligaments), Deep tissue massage, Trigger point therapy, Mobilization of joints, Local and systemic circulation increase, Lymphatic drainage and Stretching and strengthening programs
 Massage Therapy is also effective in treating the following conditions:
Arthritis, Back and Neck Pain, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia Headaches and Migraines, Knee and Hip Pain, Pregnancy related        symptoms, Scoliosis, Sport injuries, Stress Relief, Tendonitis / Bursitis
and Work Place Injuries.

 

     

 

Are you suffering from dizziness or vertigo? Is it affecting the ability to participate in your work or regular activities? It can be treated!

 

Therapists at Physical Edge have advanced and specialized training in treating vertigo and dizziness. Our skills allow us to assess and treat dizziess that may have a vestibular, central nervous system or cerviacal orgin. If you have undiagnosed vertigo or dizziness... we may be able to help...

Common symptoms that we can treat:

-Dizziness that occurs:

                  -when you change position

                  -when you are lying in bed

                  -when you are in a busy place

                  -when you are on a train or driving in the car

                  -when you are walking or moving

-Vertigo (a feeling that the room is spinning)

-Loss of balance

-Feeling unsteady

-Difficulty concentrating and focusing

 

 

 

A safe, non surgical treatment option/alternative for a variety of conditions:

• Persistent plantar fasciitis

• Achillis tendinopathy and lateral epicondylitis

• Calcific tendonitis of rotator cuff + patellar tendon

• Stubborn bursitis

• Chronic scar tissue adherances

 

This technology shoots ultrasound or mechanically generated waves at the injured tissue. A typical treatment cycle session involves 3-4 sessions of 2000 shockwave pulses per session delivered in one week intervals. Angiogenesis (new blood cell formation) is documented in the literature as the significant contributor to creating a new and lasting healing process

Pilates is a method of exercise, which aims to develop core postural muscle strength, stability and flexibility resulting in an overall better body awareness and more efficient and graceful movement. Joseph Pilates originally developed this merging of the mind and body in the early 1900’s, while he acted as a “personal trainer” to many ballet dancers of the time. The Pilates exercise system keeps the body balanced and is essential to provide support for the spine. During a class you will learn how to focus on proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flow of movement. In essence Pilates teaches awareness of spinal alignment with deep core muscle recruitment, which is essential for care and prevention of back pain. 

 

Nancy Botting teaches Pilates for Physical Edge patients at Creating Space Yoga Studio on Chartwell Road in Oakville. Click on the tab above to visit the Creating Space Yoga studio website.

 

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The Chiropractic Sport Specialist at Physical EDGE Physiotherapy has 11 years of post secondary education in Kinesiology, Chiropractic and Sports Sciences.  As Fellow of the Royal College of Chiropractic Sport Sciences, our chiro, Dominique, can help you with your joint, muscle or nerve issue- not just your neck or back pain!  People often wonder about the differences between a physiotherapist and a chiropractor.  Here at Physical Edge, the physios and the chiro treat very similarly. 

 

Your first visit is one hour long.  Dominique will ask you questions about this issue, past injuries, medical history, lifestyle and goals. The goals of the physical exam are to figure out the cause of the issue, but also why this occurred in the first place. She will perform a combination of orthopaedic tests to challenge joints, muscles and ligaments.  She will also perform a Functional Range Assessment to  find out the function of your joints.  Does your knee move like a knee? Does your back move the way it was designed to move?  The history and physical exam provide the pieces of the puzzle that will come together to form your treatment plan. Dominique will explain the diagnosis and go over every aspect of the treatment plan.  The goal of the treatment plan is to help you move better, so you can move more, so you can reach your goals, wether they are running a marathon or picking up your grand kids.  Regardless of wether you think your activities are classified as “sports”, our sport specialist can help you.  

 

Dominique’s treatment plans incorporate some (or all!) of the following: 

• Active Release Technique

• Acupuncture

• Joint mobilizations and joint manipulations

• Therapeutic Modalities (IFC) 

• Radial Shockwave treatment

• Instrument assisted soft tissue

• Functional Range Conditioning mobility exercises 

• Strengthening exercises.  

• Running gait assessment

 

Most people associate chiropractors with spinal manipulation.  Both the Canadian and American Medical Association recommend spinal manipulation as a safe and effective treatment of back pain.  However, not everyone is a candidate for spinal manipulation.  It doesn’t matter how much you want a spinal manipulation, it is not going to help your ankle sprain!

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Are you a patient with a spinal stenosis diagnosis ?

Do you have pain, numbness, tingling and weakness of the legs, buttocks and lower back?  If your symptoms are aggravated by walking or standing and relieved by sitting or forward flexion, you maybe an excellent candidate for the Spinal Stenosis Bootcamp.

Many patients are frustrated with the lack of physical activity, loss of independence and weight gain often associated with spinal stenosis.  Unfortunately, pharmacological intervention and surgery have not shown consistent positive results.  By combining manual therapy, specific exercises, postural education and self-management strategies, this 6 week Spinal Stenosis Bootcamp program can help increase the quality of life among individuals with spinal stenosis. The goal of this program is to improve function and help patients self-manage their spinal stenosis symptoms for years to come.  Reduction of pain is a secondary goal. Patients should expect pain to improve with improved function.

Dr. Dominique Yedon, a Chiropractic Sport Specialist, is the practitioner leading this program at Physical Edge.  The Spinal Stenosis Bootcamp at Mount Sinai hospital has shown clinically significant improvements in ODI Disability scores, numerical pain scores for leg pain and increase in ODI walking scores. These benefits were sustained over time, even after 3.5 years. 

This program consists of one initial visit, followed by two treatments per week, for 6 weeks. The initial session includes a history and physical exam, as well as education on spinal stenosis.   Manual treatments and exercises began at the second visit.  The treatment plan will include pelvis, lumbar and thoracic mobilizations, neural mobilizations and myofascial release. New exercises will be introduced at each visit. The exercises are the most important part of this program.  Patients should have daily access to a stationary bike (not a recumbent bike) to improve lower extremity strength and overall fitness.  The home exercise program will help strengthen the back and leg muscles, while the body alignment strategies will help reduce the pressure on the compressed nerves when standing and walking.  Completing the daily exercises is crucial for success! With the aid of a pedometer or step counter on a smart phone, patients will track their steps in order to see their progress.  
 

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It’s everywhere. The talk about concussion. Everyone seems to know someone that has had one or is currently sitting on the sidelines because of one. According to Statistics Canada approximately 30,000 hockey players a year suffer a concussion. Seventy eight percent of all concussions occur during sport.

Concussions are common, particularly if you play a contact sport, such as football, rugby, soccer. If you are involved in a contact sport it is important to get a baseline test done. Baseline concussion tests give health care professionals a starting point should you sustain a concussion during your season. Baseline tests are used to assess an athlete’s balance and brain function (including learning and memory skills, ability to pay attention or concentrate, and how quickly he or she thinks and solve problems), as well as for the presence of any concussion symptoms.

Physical Edge therapists are trained to take the patient through a series of validated treatment protocols depending on the flagged areas after a concussion. We will look at all the systems that the brain controls and what it is affected by; the neck (cervicogenic), the vestibular system, balance, memory and the oculomotor system (eyes). We are able to focus our treatment on the specific area that is causing your symptoms to get you back to play as soon and as safely as possible.

For more infomation on our concussion assessment and treatment program..... click here

 

 

 

 

Acupuncture is becoming a common and sought after therapeutic modality for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. So what does it do? Acupuncture stimulates the body to produce its own pain relieving chemicals called “endorphins“. These pain relieving chemicals help to block pain messages travelling to the brain, resulting in relief of pain and a general state of relaxation. This stimulates a balance within the biochemical system stimulating the body’s own natural healing system. Our therapists will often use acupuncture as part of the rehabilitation process to stimulate local points within a muscle to enhance the muscle function and assist in the healing process. Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment modality. The origin of Acupuncture lies in Traditional Chinese Medicine which aims to balance the body’s energy (or “Chi”) and blood to maintain optimal function and health. The physiotherapists at Physical Edge practice a more modern approach to acupuncture, the effects of which have been studied scientifically in Europe and North America. “Anatomical” acupuncture combines traditional Chinese points with the knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology in order to make it an effective treatment modality. Physical Edge physiotherapists can use acupuncture to treat the following conditions:

• Arthritis of multiple joints

• Carpal tunnel syndrome

• Facial palsy, TMJ and dental pain

• Muscle and joint fatigue

• Fibromyalgia

• Headaches and Migraines

• Neck, mid and low back pain • Sciatica, nerve referral

• Frozen shoulder

• Tennis and Golfer’s elbow

• Tendonitis and bursitis

• Joint inflammation

Therapists at Physical Edge are certified to perform both body and auricular (ear) acupuncture with the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada and the Association of Canadian Medical Acupuncturists. 

Physical Edge Physiotherapy is excited to announce that we have expanded our services to include Physiotherapy in the comfort of your home. As experienced and compassionate medical professionals, we are dedicated to helping you attain your physical goals and functional independence. Whether your mobility has been affected by a recent surgery, a chronic medical condition, or you are trying to prevent the inevitable effects of aging, our team of highly skilled therapists will help you get back on track .

Our At Home Physiotherapy services include:

• Treatments - for improving range of motion, muscle and joint pain

• Exercise programs - for Osteoarthritis and Chronic Back Pain

• Individually guided Exercise programs - for general strengthening

• Falls Prevention • Acupuncture - for Pain control

• In Home Gym Instruction - with a How-To use Equipment safely focus

 

We look forward to helping you reach your physical best! At Home Services are provided by Registered Physiotherapists of the team.