Hello all,
I'm about to enter my 11th season of planting and I've been having some issues with my lower back for many of the latter seasons, I'd like to go see a good physio in the Vancouver area and get an idea of exactly what's going on and hopefully some pointers for how to help or fix it, other then retiring from planting, ha.
Anyone on the board know of any reputable Physiotherapists in the area? perhaps someone with who might even be familiar with planting injuries?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Physiotherapists in Vancouver
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CampMeeting
- Regular Contributor
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:23 pm
Re: Physiotherapists in Vancouver
I had good experiences with Carolyn and Dean over at Performax. It's in Burnaby, but their office is close to the Skytrain.
They are very knowledgeable and I found their sessions to be an excellent value. Often I'd be there for well over an hour, since they use a combination of acupuncture, massage, and exercises.
They are very knowledgeable and I found their sessions to be an excellent value. Often I'd be there for well over an hour, since they use a combination of acupuncture, massage, and exercises.
Re: Physiotherapists in Vancouver
I was a big fan of 8 Rinks Physio (Burnaby). They cater to a lot of elite athletes, but I found getting in there to be as easy as many other places. I was lucky to get treatment from Alex McKechnie. He's famous for treating elite athletes, and I regularly saw Canucks, BC Lions, and even LA Lakers going in and out the door. His work has strongly influenced a huge part of the physio world with his proprioceptive conditioning systems. He now runs Fortius Physio (also Burnaby), and 8 Rinks is now taken over by someone else.
I would go to Fortius in a heartbeat (or a kneejerk
ANyone that has trained with Alex is likely to absorbed some of his skill. I could barely run prior to seeing him, and I was up to doing 25km runs for fun a few months after I started working with him. Key word "WORK"ing with him. A good physio does not fix you. They show you how to fix yourself. You have to commit to following their directions. The more determined you are in that regard, the quicker you can progress. It is also economically better to self-treat by rigorous adherence to physio homework regimes, so that your actual treatments sessions can be less frequent.
My all time favourite physio on earth, however, is Sue Shalanski in Squamish (Reach Physio). Sue is profoundly gifted at identifying, diagnosing, and drafting corrections for improper movement issues. She also saw me through my second ACL surgery. Can't say enough about her, other than it is worth the trip to see her. She has put my 15 years of planting into physical perspective, and taught me more about the impact of planting on the body than any book or WSBC report ever did. Also, her dog Sammie, is a wicked clinic dog.
If a physio's idea is to smear some blue gel on your, rub you with an ultrasound or some buzzing thing, and then leave the room for 15 minutes, that person is a hack and should not receive your money. Also know that a good physio will be hard to get appointments with (same for RMTs). WHen you are new to a clinic, they may try to book you in with whoever is least busy. This is a bad sign. I see physios and RMTs with blank schedules, and I know they can neither rub off a ketchup stain or straighten a garden hose. Therapists with tight schedules, especially at this time of year when everyone's coverage resets to zero, are generally the one with a committed clientele that knows they are good.
Remember also, different strokes for different strokes though, and you may have to try one or two before you find the right match. Probably goes for RMTs, even moreso than Physios. However, I have found you have to get through a few before you find a good one, unless you get lucky.
I would also look for physios that work in cooperation with massage therapists, who are closely attentive to the subtleties of soft-tissue, range of motion, binding of tissues due to repetitive motion and poor posture, and other important dimensions of healthy movement. I'll put a plug in for Tasha Stewart and Shawn Trimble at UBC Massage Therapy. Both good at their trade, and Shawn has worked extensively with the Whitecaps. I take that as a good sign for aptitudes for treating extreme athletes. EDIT>>I see that Shawn has moved to Van Isle and no longer treats from UBC.
Don't pick a massage therapist that prides themselves on going deep, or leaves you in excruciating pain. A good RMT should be able to achieve muscle release through accurate application of just enough pressure, not by mashing your muscles like bread dough...that's what gets you messed up in the first place. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I am also not a fan of really light touch, or what some call "woohoo" massage. I expect my RMT to work and apply force, but only enough to allow my muscles to release.
I would go to Fortius in a heartbeat (or a kneejerk
ANyone that has trained with Alex is likely to absorbed some of his skill. I could barely run prior to seeing him, and I was up to doing 25km runs for fun a few months after I started working with him. Key word "WORK"ing with him. A good physio does not fix you. They show you how to fix yourself. You have to commit to following their directions. The more determined you are in that regard, the quicker you can progress. It is also economically better to self-treat by rigorous adherence to physio homework regimes, so that your actual treatments sessions can be less frequent. My all time favourite physio on earth, however, is Sue Shalanski in Squamish (Reach Physio). Sue is profoundly gifted at identifying, diagnosing, and drafting corrections for improper movement issues. She also saw me through my second ACL surgery. Can't say enough about her, other than it is worth the trip to see her. She has put my 15 years of planting into physical perspective, and taught me more about the impact of planting on the body than any book or WSBC report ever did. Also, her dog Sammie, is a wicked clinic dog.
If a physio's idea is to smear some blue gel on your, rub you with an ultrasound or some buzzing thing, and then leave the room for 15 minutes, that person is a hack and should not receive your money. Also know that a good physio will be hard to get appointments with (same for RMTs). WHen you are new to a clinic, they may try to book you in with whoever is least busy. This is a bad sign. I see physios and RMTs with blank schedules, and I know they can neither rub off a ketchup stain or straighten a garden hose. Therapists with tight schedules, especially at this time of year when everyone's coverage resets to zero, are generally the one with a committed clientele that knows they are good.
Remember also, different strokes for different strokes though, and you may have to try one or two before you find the right match. Probably goes for RMTs, even moreso than Physios. However, I have found you have to get through a few before you find a good one, unless you get lucky.
I would also look for physios that work in cooperation with massage therapists, who are closely attentive to the subtleties of soft-tissue, range of motion, binding of tissues due to repetitive motion and poor posture, and other important dimensions of healthy movement. I'll put a plug in for Tasha Stewart and Shawn Trimble at UBC Massage Therapy. Both good at their trade, and Shawn has worked extensively with the Whitecaps. I take that as a good sign for aptitudes for treating extreme athletes. EDIT>>I see that Shawn has moved to Van Isle and no longer treats from UBC.
Don't pick a massage therapist that prides themselves on going deep, or leaves you in excruciating pain. A good RMT should be able to achieve muscle release through accurate application of just enough pressure, not by mashing your muscles like bread dough...that's what gets you messed up in the first place. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I am also not a fan of really light touch, or what some call "woohoo" massage. I expect my RMT to work and apply force, but only enough to allow my muscles to release.
Re: Physiotherapists in Vancouver
Thanks for the advice!