The suitcase feels heavier than it used to, and getting up off the floor takes more thought. We all lose strength over time, but it's never too late to rebuild it. Here's why strength training matters more as we age, and how to get started.

Pelvic floor physiotherapy can help with bladder leaks, pelvic pain and postpartum recovery. Learn the signs and what to expect at our Steveston clinic.

Pickleball is booming in popularity — but so are overuse injuries like tendinitis. From elbow and shoulder pain to wrist and Achilles issues, we’re seeing more players sidelined by preventable strain. Learn how to stay in the game with simple tips for injury prevention and recovery. Whether you’re new to the court or a seasoned player, our team at Empower Physiotherapy can help you play pain-free.

With longer days and sunnier skies, May is the perfect time to get outside and move more—whether it’s running along the dyke, hiking local trails, planting a garden, or getting back to sports. It’s also a time when we tend to see a rise in preventable aches and injuries. At Empower Physiotherapy, we love seeing our community out enjoying the outdoors—and we’re here to help you do it safely and comfortably. Here are some tips from our physiotherapy team to help you stay active

Spring is here, and for many, that means getting back into the garden! While planting, weeding, and digging can be rewarding, they can...

These running injury tips with keep you pain free this spring.

February is Heart Health Month, a time to focus on keeping our cardiovascular system strong and healthy. While diet and exercise are well-known factors in heart health, posture plays a surprisingly important role as well. Poor posture can contribute to restricted blood flow, increased stress on the heart, and reduced lung capacity—all of which can impact overall cardiovascular health. Let’s explore how maintaining good posture benefits your heart and what you can do to improv

A stroke can be life-changing, but the right rehabilitation plan can make a world of difference in regaining independence and improving your quality of life. Physiotherapy plays a crucial role in post-stroke rehabilitation and recovery by helping individuals restore movement, balance, and strength. Here’s how it can help: 1. Regaining Movement After a stroke, some muscles may weaken or be abnormally tight, both of which make simple movements difficult. Physiotherapists work w

Kinesiologists play a crucial role in the management of osteoarthritis by designing tailored exercise programs to improve joint function, mobility, and overall quality of life. Here's how we can help: Exercise Prescription: Kinesiologists are experts in human movement and exercise physiology. We can assess a patient's current level of function and design an exercise program specifically tailored to your needs and limitations. This program may include a combination of flexibi

Spring is a fantastic time to embrace outdoor activities and keep active. There are so many ways to keep an active lifestyle. Here are some

Ever wonder what the difference between a physiotherapist and kinesiologist is?

Mallet finger injury A mallet finger is a deformity where the end joint of the finger droops like a mallet or hammer because of an injury to the tendon and/or bone that holds the fingertip up. What causes mallet finger? The injury is usually caused when a fingertip gets jammed while it is straightened and is also known as “Baseball Finger”. It is a common injury in athletes, but we’ve also seen patients sustain mallet finger injuries simply from tucking in bed sheets to pul

This is what ICBC covers for injuries requiring physiotherapy and kinesiology sustained after a motor vehicle accident.

This West Coast winter, we have been having more than our usual share of snow and cold spells. We, in the Lower Mainland, are not used to this crazy weather. Snowstorms, several inches of snow, and all the chaos that goes with it! ​ This kind of winter weather brings a lot of snow and so many problems with it. I’ve treated several patients with incidences of low back and shoulder pain after shoveling. Most people hurt themselves from sudden exertion and overloading the spine.

When all eyes were on each country’s best soccer players competing for the illustrious FIFA World Cup, Brazil’s hopes of winning the cup took a potential hit when their star player Neymar suffered an ankle sprain during the preliminaries. How did one of the best soccer players from Brazil get back to playing in the elimination round of 16s? Was there magic involved? Let’s take a deeper dive into the potential ankle rehabilitation program that got him back so quickly. ​The mos

Sports are a fantastic way of keeping our kids active, strong, and having fun. But what happens when that nagging ache continues to persist and your teen starts to complain of knee pain? You might ask yourself: Is this a normal part of youth sports? Will it go away with time? Should we rest it and if so, for how long? Do we pull our children out? When do I see a physiotherapist? Whether your child is a recreational or high-level athlete, these are all questions that can come

Truth be told if you asked me to perform physiotherapy through a computer monitor a few months ago, I’d say no way. I am a manual therapist and need my hands, or so I thought. However, as social distancing didn’t allow for traditional in person visits, I had to adapt. Physiotherapy is a health care profession directed at assisting people to restore, maintain and maximize their movement, strength, function, and overall well-being. It includes rehabilitation, as well as prev

I want you to pause for a second and take a look at your posture. Is your chin poking forward? Are your shoulders hunched and slouched over as you are reading this? What about your arms, low back, and feet? Are they supported or dangling in space? You’ll often hear physios talk about good posture. Well that’s because poor posture is often the culprit of neck and low back pain. Let’s take the head for example. A human head normally weighs about 8-15lbs when in normal posture.

1. Manage load Load management is one of the most important factors to take into account whether you are new to running or an experienced runner. If you are new to running, you would want to start with a shorter run and slowly progress your way up. For example, you may want to start your program with interval sessions. A combination of a run/walk program is a good place to start. For example, you may choose to run for 1 minute and walk for the next minute for about 15-20 min

Who doesn’t like to hear the melodious words “you were right”? In the past couple of months, three different patients came back to me and said those exact words. Not as sweet as from the mouth of a spouse but still a nice ring to it. What were they referring to? -- My suggestion of purchasing a new mattress. ​ In each of the three scenarios the situation was different, however they all had the similarity of waking up with pain. Case no. 1, Kate* refused to believe that h