My name is Stan.

I’m the newest member of the team at Movéo if you have not noticed this past month. It is highly likely that we have exchanged glances, but I tend to be a man of few words, as my demeanor is easily mistaken as rigid and heartless. I would like to share my observations and experience here at the clinic so far.

It is quite a treat to be at Movéo, I must say. It has become my new home; day in and day out, there is always something new to learn and see. I interact mostly with the physiotherapists, chiropractors and their patients. As a man of great stature and introverted inner peace, I have been lucky to hear a lot of what practitioners have to say.

Some days, I get to see these big black inflatable pants that patients pull on. People read, stare at their phones and nap while these pants are pumped into huge goalie pads. I have heard that these pants are called Normatech. It is excellent for recovery in the legs and users do say that it helps, especially after long days or hard workouts. I call him Norman, and anyone can book a ~30 minute appointment with him! Sometimes I wish I could do something to feel less stiff.

Jason, my buddy that introduced me to Movéo, is very knowledgeable and uses a technique called Neurokinetic Therapy. It uses muscle testing, tissue release and exercises to treat the cause of dysfunction, not the symptoms. I wanted him to diagnose my two friends, Pat and Ella; they are best friends, joined not at the hip- but at the knee (the kneecap is the patella). But it turns out that they lack the tissues needed for proper testing and diagnosis.

I hear Kim, Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Registered Acupuncturist, talk about a bunch of cool, fascinating things. She does great work, treating patients using a variety of techniques, such as acupuncture, motor point acupuncture, cupping, Tui Na, Gua Sha and she can even do herbal therapy and give dietary suggestions. I am eager to book an appointment, as I have been feeling achy of late. Sometimes, some patients are a bit nervous about getting acupuncture, though there is nothing to fear and I know that Dr. Kim takes good care of everyone. I think I would be pretty good with needles; most things do not scare nor bug me, because nothing usually really gets under my skin (I am simply just bones).

Quite often, I get to hang out with “Acu-Man”, the acupuncture superhero. However, he likes to keep to himself. But Acu-Man seems to be the type that is quite open, with nothing to hide, and energetic too (in Chinese medicine, all Qi blood and body fluids travel through these super highways of the body known as meridians). From time to time, we have tea and play Connect The Dots on his rebellious tattoos, which I think, resemble constellations. Sometimes, I wish that I had this dude’s precision (he has all the acupuncture points on him). Mr. Acu-Man is quite artsy in his dainty, dancer-like pose and toned musculature while I am more inflexible and boney. Acu-Man was trying to teach me how to do acupuncture, and man, Eastern Medicine is so interesting! I tried to trade him knowledge by teaching him anatomy, but the subject itself is hard. It is not an easy topic because it is just so vastus (there are multiple muscles in the quadriceps ex. vastus lateralis).

Movéo’s other physiotherapists, Larissa and Meghan, use anatomical acupuncture based on anatomy, physiology and pathology, whereas Dr. Kim treats in a more holistic, Traditional Chinese way. Jason tells me that he will soon become certified for integrating acupuncture into his practice too. Each physiotherapist has their own differences and specialties. Among a multitude of things, they incorporate manual therapy, soft tissue release techniques and exercise prescription into their therapy and treatment.

Movéo’s kinesiologists, Kim M. and Janice frequent the gym the most, to teach a whole range of exercises. It confuses me, as sometimes all they teach is to use this blue cylindrical foam roller and instruct patients to put their body on it in a certain way and to roll, of all things! People do tend to like it though, something about myofascia and release. It seems like patients have a lot of fun with the kins, doing a bunch of different stretches and exercises. Our kinesiologists make sure that you are doing exercises correctly, firing the right muscles with proper posture. The exercises they monitor and progress are vital to your rehabilitation, because the body needs to learn and integrate correct movement into everyday life, in order to eliminate the bad habits your body has been accustomed to. Kim and Janice help the chiropractors and physiotherapists primarily and also use these ever colourful tapes on patients! I was curious and tried to use it to cover up a little. It can get drafty sometimes when a breeze from the ventilation kicks in.

Some days, it gets a bit lonely when it is a quieter at the clinic. I know I could take initiative and speak up, but I lack the guts. During busy times, it is quite a bustling clinic; all the treatment rooms and beds have guests, the gym is busy and lines form at the front desk. Exercise balls are here and there, sometimes there are even soccer matches in the gym and all the practitioners and kinesiologists are out and about, working on various patients. At these times, it can get pretty warm with so many people around; sometimes my head gets so hot that I feel like I have a femur running (femur is your “thigh bone”).

At our clinic, chiropractic is not just about the spine and joints. –Or else Dr. Turner and Dr. Jung, or Jenn and Sarah, would be my best friends since that is what I am all about! We have a fantastic blog entry about what a chiropractor does, which is not limited to adjustments, and quite frankly, it is the opposite. They use Active Release Technique® in their practice, as well as Graston. Unfortunately, I lack the sensory receptors for Graston, so I cannot tell you what it feels like, but book an appointment to find out! I have been lucky to get a couple of treatments and boy, my hip and neck are a lot more mobile now!

Usually, I see less of the Registered Massage Therapists, as Kristie, Holly and Sonya are always quite busy treating away in their rooms. Although I am quite touchy about my health condition, I have not lost my sense of hearing. I can always hear bursts of warm laughter coming from the treatment rooms and it never fails to bring a smile to my hardened, stern face. Sonya told me that Movéo’s therapists are able to treat a variety of conditions such as headaches, whiplash and tight IT bands. Their treatment includes deep tissue therapy, myofascial release and trigger point release among many. Both Holly and Sonya also specialize in treating TMJ. They made the clicking in my jaw disappear and I can now drop my jaw in awe- without pain!