As winter arrives and temperatures drop, many people prefer to stay indoors. However, some choose winter sports and hobbies to stay active, which is vital for physical and mental well-being. Our physiotherapists at Orleans emphasize the benefits of physiotherapy and staying active during winter.
Staying Active During Winter
Once the cold weather begins, many patients ask questions such as 'Is it good to exercise during the winter?' and 'Why is physiotherapy important during the winter?'.
The answer to these questions is simple. Yes, it is good to exercise during winter, as engaging in regular physiotherapy during the colder months can help you manage any pre-existing health conditions or injuries and prevent others from occurring.
Here are six reasons to maintain your physical therapy routine throughout the winter.
1. Use physiotherapy tools and devices in order to enjoy your winter activities.
Most of us understand that participating in winter sports and activities can help support both our physical and mental health. Unfortunately, sometimes heading outside to engage in the activities we love can mean suffering from discomfort, particularly foot pain, after skiing, snowboarding, or ice skating.
While foot pain can ruin your enjoyment of winter activities, it can also affect your general health. At Motion Works Physiotherapy Orleans, we can perform a computerized gait analysis and recommend biomechanical devices called custom orthotics to help with your foot pain. Custom orthotics are made to correct specific foot imbalances and reduce stress and strain on your body. They do so by bringing your feet and lower legs back into proper alignment.
Orthotics can help a range of conditions, from arthritis to low back pain, hip and knee pain, problems with running, and recurrent sports injuries. They can also be combined with physiotherapy to encourage better health for your feet and overall body. Managing your foot pain correctly means ensuring you enjoy your favourite winter activities this season.
2. Engage in physiotherapy to alleviate weather-related symptoms and flare-ups.
Pain, fatigue, stiffness, swelling and other common symptoms can get more challenging to control during the winter, particularly for patients with pre-existing bone and joint-related problems. For those with rheumatoid arthritis, cervical spondylosis, joint pain, and asthma, we may recommend one or a combination of physiotherapy exercises, including:
- Specific physiotherapy stretches and exercises to alleviate and manage pain, improve range of motion, and optimize coordination and balance.
- Massage therapy to help manage arthritis, improve circulation, and manage pain.
- Breathing exercises for people with asthma or sensitive airways.
Being proactive with your physical therapy can alleviate or mitigate your pain and discomfort as the seasons change. Working with a physiotherapy clinic may help improve your overall winter experience if you suffer from any of these symptoms or diagnoses.
3. Help reduce injuries with regular preventive physiotherapy sessions.
Preparing for an upcoming sports season or aiming to stay active through the winter? Our physiotherapists can perform an assessment to determine your risk of injury.
With sports injury treatment and prevention physiotherapy, we consider your previous injuries and training concerns. From there, we can develop a customized sport-specific exercise program to restore strength, proper muscle length/tension, and proprioception to reduce the risk of injury and help you improve your overall performance. Being proactive about your physical therapy will allow you to not only maintain but also enjoy your winter activities safely and without concern.
4. Manage common cold symptoms with physiotherapy.
Did you know chest physiotherapy has been shown to be effective in helping to remove mucus from your airway passages? In addition, physiotherapy and massage therapy can also help make those aches and pains that accompany many viruses more bearable and easier to manage. We may recommend massage therapy to help treat headaches and sinus pain. In addition, our physiotherapists can also help you build a regular exercise program to help boost your immune system and cardiovascular health. Don’t let the common cold disrupt your physical routine any longer than necessary!
5. Create a physiotherapy regimen to help manage Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and winter blues.
Lack of sunlight, shorter days, and snowy, grey skies can wreak havoc on our mental health. While many of us understand the benefits physical activity can have on our mental health, dealing with symptoms of SAD can make it difficult to maintain our routines. While we cannot promise sunnier skies, our clinic can offer a combination of massage therapy and a custom exercise regimen that reflects your body’s capacities as the seasons change. Our team can help build you a program that may alleviate and proactively treat your symptoms of SAD.
6. Improve sleep by adding physiotherapy to your daily health routine.
In addition to the change in weather, sleep plays a large role in our physical and mental health. It goes hand-in-hand with exercise to keep our brains and bodies in tip-top shape. Physical therapy can positively impact your sleep, including alleviating joint pain and muscle tension and treating injuries. Improving your overall health may improve your quality of sleep, allowing you to maintain a positive outlook and feel rested, prepared and alert throughout this winter season.