Watch the game in a pub? Go on a shopping spree? Get a perm at a salon? Take a cross province road trip? While these are all good ideas (aside from most perms) there is one thing you should do above all else now that the COVID lockdown is ending BC – see a physiotherapist. Not quite what you were thinking? Keep reading to see why it’s a great idea.
5 Reasons Why a Visit to a Physiotherapist is the First Thing You Should Do Now That the COVID-19 Lockdown of 2020 is Coming to an End
1. You’ve Been Physically Inactive
There have been two camps during the lockdown. Some have flooded the local parks, tracks, and fields to workout and maintain their workout regime the best they can with limited resources. Many others however, have not. If you have been spending more time on the sofa during the lockdown, with activities restricted to simple walks to the grocery store, then you definitely need to see a physiotherapist. During extended periods of inactivity you become more susceptible to arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, weakened muscles, joint pain, and other physical abnormalities. A physiotherapist will promptly diagnose elevated issues that you may have experienced during the past three months and can help you take immediate corrective action (yes, even for symptoms of diabetes).
2. You’ve Been Overtraining and/or Poorly Training
If you land in the other camp, then you have taken the last three months to get in the best shape possible. You’ve been using local parks, high school tracks, and even commercial parking lots and structures as impromptu fitness centers. Kudos to you for the enthusiasm and dedication. However, without access to trainers, standardized weights and machines, and/or other forms of proper gym equipment you may have been using whatever you can find to build muscle and tone your body. We’ve seen people out in full force using playground monkey bars, tree branches, and bleacher stairs while lifting sandbags, lumber, and even 4-quart jugs of water to maintain their fitness regime. While we admire these ROCKY IV workouts they often result in injuries. Outdoor surfaces and makeshift gear offer poor weight distribution leading to imbalance and subsequent injury to various muscles, joints, and ligaments. In addition, you may have used the forced free-time to train more than you should. It’s a fact that overtraining is a direct precursor to injury and chronic pain.
But the concerns don’t stop here.
Now that fitness facilities are reopening across Burnaby, Vancouver, and BC you plan on returning to the gym environment. Hitting the weights and various machines after training without proper equipment for three months increases the risk of aggravating the underlying injuries that you have likely sustained.
For all of the reasons a visit to a physiotherapist is essential. A comprehensive assessment is required to identify and address potential injuries and malfunctions so that you can begin your new workouts with a clean slate, so to speak.
3. You’re Heading Back to Work and Need to Prepare Your Body
Like thousands of Greater Vancouver residents may be heading back to the “workplace” in some shape or form after working remotely (or not at all) for the past three months. However, it’s not as simple as it may sound. Your body has adapted to a completely different environment, and now you’re going to be standing, sitting, and perform a repetitive motion (contingent upon vocation) for extended periods of time. As it was before the lockdown, these workplace activities present a risk of overuse injury. This risk is inflated by the fact that your body has changed to accommodate an at-home environment. Moving forward, you need physiotherapy to prepare yourself for standing all day, for sitting at a desk and using the computer, for business travel, and more. Physiotherapy will help teachers get back into the classroom, help those in the film industry get back onto the set, and every other professional beyond and between.
4. Will Assist With Emotional Re-entry Into Society
Pretty much everyone has suffered some form of anxiety and stress during the lockdown. For some, reconnecting with people will be a challenge. For others, the anxiety has become so severe that their immune-system has begun to shut down due to the release of the stress hormone cortisol. We don’t need to tell you how important a stronger immune system is at this time. Simply put – you need to take as many steps as you can towards easing anxiety and stress as you re-enter the community. While those with significant concern should consult with a mental health professional, studies have found that physiotherapy services (massage therapy, acupuncture) can also help mild to moderate cases of stress. Learn more.
5. Because Summer is Coming!
The lockdown is easing up just in time for summer. You want to get out and enjoy it to the best of your ability while still maintaining the suggested guidelines for health and wellness. You will want to enter the season with a clean bill of health, and this includes more than a thumbs-up from your family physician. You want to ensure that your body is in proper working order so that you can enjoy the following activities (which a physiotherapist will help with):
Learn more about how a physiotherapist will help prepare you for one of the best summer seasons you’ve ever had, despite all that is happening in 2020.
Ready to make your first big step out of the COVID lockdown? Absolute PhysioCare is exceeding the health and safety requirements set forth by the federal and provincial government so you can visit us with complete peace of mind. Contact us today to get started.