Our Profile

Optimal Function Kinesiology Services is a locally-owned business providing Greater Vancouver with expertise in human functional restoration and ethical performance enhancement through exercise, coaching and counseling.

Optimal Function therapists have vast experience with recovery from soft-tissue injuries, such as those sustained in motor vehicle accidents, work accidents and sports. We will work in cooperation with your doctor, physiotherapist, or other practitioner to safely and effectively restore your function through evidence-based physical activity. Muscle strains, ligament sprains, post-operative conditioning and many more areas of rehabilitation require attention to detail. We determine your point of recovery and confirm treatment with your primary caregiver and other practitioners who you may be seeing. Effective injury management is our goal. Whether your goal is something such as to recover shoulder flexibility, improve core stability and back strength, or manage ongoing chronic pain, we have the means to provide you with the most effective methods to achieve your goals.

You put a lot of time and energy into your training, but are you training the right way to meet your goals? There are as many philosophies on training as there are muscles in the body, and unfortunately that can confuse many athletes. Many people understand intuitively that to enhance performance, it is important to train the muscles involved in an activity. For example, throwing a javelin obviously requires a strong arm and shoulder. But besides the prime mover muscles involved in throwing, there are muscles that act as the synergists, antagonists and fixators that also are responsible for the action of throwing a javelin. Do these muscles get enough attention in your training? This is an aspect of your training that can lead to success or, if neglected, leave you scratching your head wondering why you cannot rise above a plateau or get out of a slump.

Gentle and progressive physical activity helps to manage pain associated with injury and numerous other conditions. Osteoarthritis is one such condition that responds well to movement therapy, and is managed through the prescription of exercise. Progressive exercise helps to break the pain cycle associated with recovery from injury. The pain cycle begins when you stop activity due to pain, then your muscles weaken and your joints stiffen as a result of lack of movement. When you try moving, the pain comes, and so on. The pain cycle must be broken by slowly beginning to stretch and restore your strength. Knowing the appropriate exercises and the correct intensity is the key to successful functional restoration. This is what we can help you through. Whether you work in an office at a desk, or in a setting where you use machines, your work environment should fit your body to minimize the risk of injury and discomfort. Is your computer keyboard too high or low? Is your monitor the correct distance from your eyes? How high should your workbench be? These are questions that we can provide answers to through an assessment of your workplace.


 

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