Vertigo is a symptom of an inner ear disorder, the most common cause of which is called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). Specialized Vestibular Physiotherapy can be used to treat cases of vertigo caused by BPPV. Do I have vertigo or just ‘dizziness’? Although it’s common to use the terms…
Most people first hear of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) when they find themselves suffering from jaw pain or stiffness. Normally very robust, when these joints become inflamed it can be difficult to give them adequate rest, and significant pain and functional issues can arise. Thankfully, physiotherapy treatment for TMJ pain…
Lipedema (sometimes called “lipoedema”, or more accurately “lipalgia”) is a chronic condition that causes an abnormal accumulation of painful adipose tissue (fat) in specific areas of the body (typically the legs). This condition is frequently accompanied by obesity and psychological vulnerability / distress, and less frequently by fluid swelling commonly…
Have you recently undergone lymphatic venous anastomosis (LVA) surgery for lymphedema, or are considering it? As with other forms of surgery, appropriate preoperative preparation and postoperative care is necessary to achieve optimal results. LVA is a relatively new surgical approach for treating lymphedema, and so pre- and postoperative protocols are…
Imagine losing your ability to convey tone and emotion through facial expressions. The loss of facial function due to facial nerve paralysis can significantly affect confidence and emotional wellbeing. Facial nerve paralysis is a result of damage or injury to the seventh cranial nerve, a.k.a. the facial nerve. The facial…
There is no cure for lymphedema, either surgical, pharmacological or otherwise. Instead, the symptoms of lymphedema which include chronic swelling, tissue hardening, and infection are normally managed through Combined (or ‘complex’) Decongestive Therapy (CDT). CDT is a combination of manual lymphatic drainage massage, compressive bandages and garments, exercise, and education….
It has been known for a while that obesity can cause lymphedema, but is the inverse also true? Does lymphedema cause weight gain by encouraging the body to store fat? And what would that mean for prevention and management? The gradual accumulation of excess fluid in a lymphedematous limb will,…
Lymphedema and COVID-19 – Risk Lymphedema is not expected to increase your risk for COVID-19 infection – having lymphedema should neither increase your susceptibility to COVID-19 infection, nor increase the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Generally speaking, COVID-19 complications tend to arise in people whose lung function is impaired, or in…
There are many reasons to maintain a healthy body weight, but preventing the chronic swelling condition known as lymphedema is probably one that you’ve never heard of. In fact, there’s a good chance that your family doctor hasn’t heard of the connection between obesity and lymphedema either. This is not…
An interesting study of breast cancer related lymphedema suggest that stem cells present in chronically swollen arms exhibit an enhanced ability to form fat tissue, an observation which may explain the dramatic rise in arm fat levels observed in cases of chronic lymphedema. Fat accumulation is a poorly understood and…
