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Massage often gets a bad rep in the world of rehabilitation or physiotherapy. If you’re someone who follows the latest spotlights and trending fitness/rehabilitation influencers on Instagram or Twitter, you might have come across ‘discussions’ (which look very similar to arguments and Internet fights!) where the therapeutic benefit of massage therapy is fought over and debated — often with the eye-catching conclusion that “Massage is over-rated”, “Massage is unlikely to help your pain for the long-term”, or even the well-intentioned “Movement is Medicine, not lying on a bed and getting massaged”!      While we get the point — we just want people to start moving, getting active, and live a healthier lifestyle without relying on passive care — I think that we’ve thrown the baby out with the bathwater. If massage absolutely didn’t work, there wouldn’t be a need for registered massage therapists (RMT), nor their often two-year full-time courses, nor their acknowledgement and involvement in many Health Care Professions Act internationally such as in the US, Canada, and Australia. While not a panacea for relieving every possible body ache and pain out there, massage (or often called soft tissue therapy) has many other positive effects that are scientifically backed to provide therapeutic benefits… Provided it is used at the right time for the right person.   How does massage help — scientifically? If we take a stroll through the literature and look at what a recent systematic review says about massage, we find that the body of evidence generally agrees that massage therapy improves  various patient-reported functional outcomes among populations experiencing musculoskeletal pain (e.g. back pain, neck pain, etc).      Big picture. Short summary. Massage therapy, or anything involving touch/pressure, affects the neurological pathways between the brain and the target site. Our muscles contain structures sensitive...

Physical Therapy Exercises for Herniated Disc Recovery A herniated disc or a slipped disc can be something scary to be diagnosed with – does it mean that I will have pain forever? Can it ever be cured? Is there a way to help my recovery and reduce the chances of this happening again in other parts of my spine? The answer to that is no, yes, and yes.  A ‘slipped disc’ or herniated disc is often used to describe a condition where a person’s intervertebral disc pinches on the surrounding nerves due to reasons such as a forceful load causing the disc to bulge outwards from its normal position, joint space narrowing in the spine from degeneration, or an annular tear. But if you are diagnosed with this condition, there are exercises that can be done to prevent a herniated disc from worsening and to speed up recovery – in fact, physical therapy for herniated discs are now considered first-line treatment from the acute stage till those lasting more than 12 weeks (The Lancet). This article will help you understand how herniated discs can benefit from physical therapy exercises and why they are so important!  Why is Exercising Important to Heal Herniated Disc? Our spinal intervertebral discs are made out of an outer layer of interlacing tough and fibrous connective tissue, called the annulus fibrosus, which gives the disc its strong and flexible properties. This means that when you bend or move a certain way, your spinal discs also bend and twist to follow those movements without getting injured.  In the middle of the disc is a soft filling called the nucleus pulposus and this helps with shock absorption. When you jump and land or even go over a bump in the car, this helps your spine absorb the...

Pain in the Lower Back – Is It Sciatica? You’ve had this on and off pain for a while now, but never as bad as recently. Something just as simple as bending over to pick something up triggered that pain in your back that feels like it might be going down your buttock or leg. Other times, there wasn’t any problem.  You wonder whether you’ll always have to live your life being careful of things like bending over or lifting items. Or if the exercise you’re doing is making it worse, but you don’t want to stop. You’ve searched on Google and saw this term called “Sciatica” and it seems like something you have, but Google isn’t very clear in giving you the clarity you need – Do you need to get it checked out? Can you leave it, and will it go away on it’s own? Is it really even sciatica?   What is Sciatica? A common explanation is that sciatica is used to describe pain that radiates downwards along the course of the lumbosacral nerve roots, which may be from your back to the buttocks and back of your thigh to the back of your calf and foot.   Did you know? This sciatica has been around since the time of the Ancient Greeks in 370BC! Hippocrates described ‘ischias’ – pain felt around the hip and thigh – affecting men around 40 to 60 years old, and that young men who felt it would often have pain lasting around 40 days before resolving spontaneously! From the 17th century all the way till the 19th century, physicians knew of sciatica but were unsure about what caused it – Until the 20th century. In 1931, a neurosurgeon named Elsberg described that the removal of ‘cartilaginous tumours’ from the spinal...

How To Treat An Ankle Sprain at Home Physiotherapy for ankle sprain focuses on 4 stages of sprain healing, which is 1) reduction of pain and swelling, 2) increasing mobility, 3) strengthening muscles, and 4) improving balance & joint stabilisation to prevent future injuries.   What happens if you’ve just injured your ankle and can’t get to your physiotherapist anytime soon? There are ankle sprain first aid tips that you can try to help reduce the swelling in your ankle and increase mobility until your appointment with your physiotherapist. Before taking on first aid, remember to check whether you have in fact sprained your ankle or fractured. Read more about differentiating ankle sprain and fracture. It is important to begin the stages of healing as soon as possible. Swelling and bruising are normal in the initial period of ankle sprains (right after injury to about 7-10 days post-injury), but prolonging care may cause chronic (long-term) swelling and pain which lasts beyond the normal healing time. Ankle Sprain First Aid 1. Avoid putting pressure on the foot Take some rest to protect the injured ankle. This means staying off your feet, or using an assistive device (e.g. a cane, or crutches) while you walk to reduce the pressure off the injury for a couple of days. 2. Ice, Compress & Elevate (I.C.E.) This acronym may be very familiar to those of you who have a history of sprained ankles. Ice around the sprain helps to reduce the acute pain you may be feeling after the injury. It also helps to reduce the swelling by causing the blood vessels to constrict (become smaller) and prevents too much fluid from accumulating. Apply an ice pack to the area for 5-10 minutes every 2-3 hours, 1-2 days after the injury. Compression involves wrapping...

What is Spinal Decompression? Spinal Decompression is another method of conservative treatment for people with HERNIATED DISCS that is causing shooting pain in the neck or lower back. “Conservative” meaning that it is entirely NON-SURGICAL and that no medication is required, other than the medication advised by your Physician.   As you lie down on the Spinal Decompression table and it begins to stretch out your neck/lower back, that specific pulling motion along the precise level of your slipped disc begins to create a negative pressure, or VACUUM EFFECT, in the spine. As we know that fluid tends to move from a place of high pressure to low pressure, this vacuum encourages the movement of fluid back into the affected spinal discs. This then helps to reduce the pressure on the nerves that are being pinched, hence reducing pain.     How much Help is it in Treatment of Disc/Nerve Injuries? Several interesting studies have appeared in the last decade which show that the usage of spinal decompression therapy alongside physiotherapy was proven to EFFECTIVELY reduce pain that was severe enough to affect the daily life of patients with slipped discs!  Choi, 2015 used it for patients over a period of 4 weeks with significant improvement in pain; Demirel, 2017 and Apfel, 2010 found that it also increased the height of the spinal discs alongside reducing pain after usage of 6 weeks.  What this means is that when Spinal Decompression is used for patients with herniated intervertebral discs in the spine, the effectiveness of physiotherapy or chiropractic treatment is increased. Pain is reduced and the height of the discs increased, which indicates more fluid resorption back into the herniated discs. Most studies involved the use of core stabilisation exercises and soft tissue therapy, with the results mostly agreeing that the...

  Previous experiences — whether with a certain doctor, chiropractor, physiotherapist — can often set our expectations for future appointments. If we have only always seen a physiotherapist before, we may be reluctant to see a chiropractor. The same goes both ways too; some people may not understand how a physiotherapist can help if they have always seen a chiropractor.    I’ve always been seeing a chiro/physio before. Can I just stick with the same treatments? We understand that you may have sought out different types of treatment for your condition. Even if you have had prior experience with a chiropractor/physiotherapist before, it is worth coming in for a consultation if you still haven’t found a method that works for you.  Perhaps there’s a solution your previous practitioner may not have seen or addressed before, and this is where we come in. Our team works in a way where we get TWO experts in their field to look at your condition — two collaborative heads are better than one. We approach each case with both chiropractic and physiotherapy in mind. Healing can come in many different forms, and our physiotherapists & chiropractors are always open-minded to refer patients to each other, or other specialists, as and when you need it.   Really? Isn’t physiotherapy and chiropractic two different things? Both physiotherapy and chiropractic care specialise in different things, but both also have these same benefits. You can also read Healthline’s extensive write -up on the similarities. Personalized Consult & Treatment The initial consultation is one of the most important steps of your care. Both our chiropractors/physiotherapists are equally trained to assess what is going on in your body and how best to provide a treatment that can provide relief. Patients may often even find that they will receive unique...

How to Use Massage Balls for Tight Muscles  During a time where the pandemic has got us all stuck at home, spending all that time in front of the computer can really create lots of shoulder tightness and lower back/hip soreness. I’m sure that at one point during this pandemic, we’ve all thought to ourselves, “Man, I wish I could go for a deep tissue massage.”  For those that are hesitant to go out of the house to our clinic, or are unable to, here are some ways you can get fast relief for those tight muscles!  Notes for Using a Massage Ball Lean or lie down on the massage ball. Your body weight is what creates the pressure to a tight muscle — the more you stand away from the wall and lean against the ball, the more pressure you get.  DO NOT USE a massage ball or attempt these positions if you are having pain to the point where it is difficult to move around (walking, getting out of bed, sitting to standing). Please seek help from a physiotherapist or chiropractor!  DO NOT USE a massage ball if you have a recent injury and your skin is damaged — inflammation, bruising, fresh scarring or scabs. If in doubt, ask your practitioner.   Release Tight Shoulder Muscles  Mid Back Hug your right arm across the chest as the ball as you press the ball against the muscles between the spine and the shoulder blade. Roll it around the sore area. Avoid the bony spinal region in the centre. The further you stand away from the wall, the more pressure you apply on the sore muscle. Chest Place the ball at the edge of the wall, and lean the front of your chest against it. Keep the back straight...

  Nearly 2 years into the global Covid-19 pandemic, we may be familiar with the vaccines and SOP’s that we all need to go through. But for some people who have contracted Covid-19, a small percentage of them suffer from symptoms that go beyond the standard 2-weeks recovery time and continue to affect their daily lives.   Have you heard of the term “Long Covid”? Also known as “Post-Covid Syndrome”, Long Covid means Covid-19 symptoms continuing for more than 3 months after an infection — severe or mild — and can’t be explained by other causes. “ study, carried out in collaboration with clinicians at the Royal Free London (RFL) and University College London Hospitals NHS Trust (UCLH), shows that 54 days after discharge, 69% of patients were still experiencing fatigue, 53% were suffering from persistent breathlessness, 34% still had a cough and 15% reported depression. In addition 38% of chest radiographs (X-rays) remained abnormal and 9% were getting worse…” (Source: UCL)   What are the symptoms of “Long Covid”? Will it ever go away? The most commonly reported symptoms of Long Covid are:  Fatigue (being easily tired) Shortness of breath (difficulty breathing) Muscle aches, and  Difficulty concentrating (“brain fog”) It is also important to remember that Long Covid ISN’T “deconditioning” (not being strong enough). Exercise-based treatment can make a patient’s condition even worse. “There is evidence that fragments of the virus, such as protein molecules, can persist for months, disrupt the body in some way even if they cannot infect cells… A further possibility is that long COVID is caused by the immune system going haywire and attacking the rest of the body.” (Source: Nature) Long Covid is very similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), which is usually triggered by a viral infection....

M-E-R-D-E-K-A. The word MERDEKA (Malay for independence) brings a flood of memories to a time when I would stay up late with some friends at the mamak and then count down as the clock strikes 12am.  In some way, it was a little bit like New Years, with a lot of merry making and light-hearted fun. As I grew older — and when we got our car license — there would be late night escapades into the heart of KL… Only to get stuck in heavy traffic and eventually counting down in the car! Ask an older family member or friend what they remember about 31st August 1957, and they will tell you about the nostalgic memories of that era. The rallying cry of Tunku that signalled the new era of Malaysia stepping out from the shadows of the British rule and into her own season. Much can be said about one’s personal views during this era depending on which political divide you stand. However, I won’t go there. Merdeka has always been a rallying cry for independence from British rule, and it was a time when Tunku presented a united Malaysian front. I didn’t live in that era and I don’t know enough about it to make comments about it. However, from what I hear from my grandparents and parents, it was a much simpler time back then. In present day Malaysia, you’ll often see caricatures of a Malay, Chinese, and Indian boy/girl carrying a Malaysian flag to signal that brand of unity in the days leading up to 31st August. However, in my opinion, as much as Merdeka generally means independence, I’d like to think that in this pandemic season, 2021, is very much about INTER-dependence. We’ve gone past obtaining a unity of races for the sake...

If you’re coming from our previous post on the types of footstrike patterns, you’ve probably been paying more attention to your feet when you’re running now! So you might be wondering what are the common injuries that come with each running pattern, and more importantly how to run safer and better.  With running, our feet are constantly absorbing high impact forces and these impact sends shockwaves that travels up the body from the point of contact, and goes through multiple muscles and joints. The consistent impact that the joints undergo with these different footstrike pattern causes repetitive stress damage in ligaments, tendons, cartilages and other muscles that stabilizes those joints, potentially leading to injury over time.  In the table below are the common injuries associated with the different kinds of footstrike patterns. The impact from the Midfoot Strike (MFS) has been found to be similar to the RFS because of the position of the foot and ankle when the foot touches the ground, the injuries sustained from a MFS is similar to that of the RFS.  Rear Foot Strike (RFS) / Mid Foot Strike (MFS) Fore Foot Strike (FFS) Stress fractures (excluding metatarsals) Plantar fasciitis Medial tibial stress syndrome/Tibial stress injuries Patellafemoral pain syndrome Knee pain, Hip pain, Low back pain Achilles tendinopathies Stress fractures of metatarsals Foot pain  Now that you know the injuries that are commonly associated with the different footstrike patterns, maybe the location of pain you’re having can give you a better insight to the type of footstrike pattern you have! Watch the video below for some exercises that can help you run better and safer. But, if your pain is still very persistent especially during or after your runs, do drop by for a consult with our chiropractors or physiotherapists and let us help...