Lower back pain

Neck and shoulder pain

Long term disability

Chronic pain

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While injuries will range in type and severity, the most common and widespread are soft-tissue injuries. Most people don’t realize just how painful muscles can get and attribute their pain to bone, joint or nerve damage. Painful muscles are the result of a state of inflammation and stiffness, it’s our bodies reaction to protect and guard itself against further trauma. Our anxieties about pain, rather than actual tissue damage, commonly slow the healing process because injured people become overly protective and movement becomes limited.

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This protective response is very common and understandable, but clients who are capable of exercise need to use movement to get back to their former level of function. An active therapy program is designed to move and relax our muscles and get them back to working in a functional and productive way. To be safe, our exercise specialist uses an assessment to ensure clients are capable of exercise, and when in doubt will always defer to the recommendations of a doctor or referring physiotherapist. 

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Exercise specialists prescribe exercises with varying goals ranging from strength and endurance to more precise and targeted muscle control. With lower back pain for example, strengthening the muscles of the lumbar region at the core that connects to the spine will reinforce the support structure of the spine. Core stability exercise can be viewed as the enhanced ability of the muscle to control and protect the spine from damage and re-injury. 

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The goal of active therapy is to increase stability in weak areas of the body that are prone to damage in order to reduce the risk of reoccurring issues. By strengthening these areas, active therapy also helps reduce the amount of overcompensation by surrounding muscles.

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