*You do not need any items to benefit from home care. The following are recommendations on items that may help if you have them or are looking for something extra. 

In an instant the world has turned upside down!

With the not-so-new-anymore guidelines, most Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths and other therapists have taken leave from their offices in the best interest of their patients, and their own well being. Many have switched to virtual care.

Seeing patients via camera is a unique experience, and MANY people have paused, and asked me how it’s even possible.

The most frustrating thing is to see a problem over camera, and be unable to ‘get my hands on it’, the way I’d want to in my office. To say I’m chomping at the bit to get back to my patients when I see them virtually would be an understatement!

Getting relief at home isn’t impossible. In many cases there is no direct replacement for one on one time in the office, but there are things that can help. The more patients I talk to, the more patterns I’m finding in what I can recommend from a distance. It happens to be very similar to the things I recommend for home-acute-care in the office.

These items aren’t a necessity, many patients have benefitted from virtual care both with and without equipment at home. If you’re experiencing stubborn pain, these items may be the place to start. As always, speak with your care provider as to what is most beneficial to you.

Foam Roller: Manual therapists and personal trainers love the foam roller! It’s a great tool for kneading out the muscles and increasing the amount of stretch you can get. Treatment wise, it’s been a great item to get creative with. Deepening long-held stretches, enhancing poses, creating a bias in positioning for strengthening, postural changes, and more.

Tennis Ball: This is a great tool to use in a similar fashion to a foam roller. It gets into the smaller areas with a little bit more of a specific pressure. When I’m really itching to get my hands on a muscle or injury, I usually recommend the tennis ball as an in-term solution. Great for the bottoms of the feet, the gutters of the spine (the rib heads), the neck, and the tops of the shoulders. I also love them to get into the upper portion of the hip flexors. Also a little bit easier than a foam roller to use in a standing or seated position.

Magnesium: Magnesium comes in so many forms now; Sprays, gels, epsom salts, oral supplements. It’s actually pretty amazing the ways you can get it in your system. I’ve recommended this in the clinic for a long time, to patients who it’s appropriate for. From a distance it’s become higher up on my recommendation list, because of the strong relaxing effect, both for prophylactic, and symptom relief. In general, it boasts reducing stress, aiding in sleep issues, and calming the system in general, which is why many people already take it, or bathe in it. If used properly, and on the right kind of injury/insult it can help give some symptomatic relief.

Muscle Cream: Most of you already know where this one is going! For acute injuries, new pains, aches, and all kinds of reasons your body would be mad at you, topical muscle creams can give you some relief. Everyone has their favourites (mine is this one). I’ve been finding muscle creams an amazing tool for some of the at-home techniques I’ve been walking patients through.

With or without these items, patients have been benefiting from virtual care all across Canada. For more information on how to use any of the items listed, feel free to get in touch!

*topical and oral supplements should not be taken without the advice of your medical doctor