Hand Therapy services at IHC are provided by Michael Vallely and Adrienne Nichols.  A Hand Therapist (HT) is a practitioner who has a minimum of 4000 hours of hand therapy experience in addition to his/her degree.  Michael and Adrienne each have 24 years of skills and professional experience dealing with hand and upper limb conditions. 

A Hand Therapist has expertise in the assessment and management of any upper limb problem including but not limited to:

Tendon Injuries, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Arthritis, Burns, Crush Injuries, Fractures, Tennis Elbow, Amputations, Lacerations, Post Surgery

Our Hand Therapists can provide:

-Custom splints

-Explanations to help understand your injury of condition and the anticipated recovery

-An individualized exercise program to gain back your movement and strength

-Wound care, swelling and scar management

-Pain management

-Desensitization for injuries that result in increased sensitivity to touch, cold, heat, etc

-Advice on positioning, work practice

-Consultation to determine the best path for you

Why choose a Hand Therapist?

Our hands are two of the most important parts of our body. Without the use of one or both of them, even the simplest everyday tasks become extremely challenging. It makes sense to trust the most important part of your body to professionals with expertise and specific training. You wouldn't want a landscaper to fix your plumbing; you wouldn't want a physiotherapist to fix your car. A Hand Therapist is the best and most logical choice for hand and upper limb injuries.

IHC's Hand Clinic has been an essential part of the rehabilitation community for the past 50 years.

Taping and Bracing

Patients often say "If only I could take you home with me!" Taping is a treatment technique that you take with you. It is also an extremely effective technique for reducing pain, preventing further injury and improving your function.

The tape supports the muscle or joint that is injured. It essentially gives the muscles a break so they can heal. The relaxation of the injured area facilitates an earlier return of movement and function.

Professionals at IHC have the knowledge and skill to apply the tape and provide bracing in a manner best suited to achieve the above goals.

Physiotherapy & Osteopathic Manual Therapy

Because you are more than just your hands, our Professionals look at the whole picture. When you injure your hand, there are compensations that develop to help you cope with your problem. With Physiotherapy and Osteopathic Manual Therapy treatment, we do our best to make sure that the rest of your body can support you through your recovery.

For more information or to book an appointment please call 905-389-9489

Injuries or conditions of the hand or wrist need specialized treatment from experts with advanced skills who understand the intricate and delicate nature of nerves, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, muscles, and joints.

Our Hand Therapists, Michael Vallely and Adrienne Nichols, working directly with your Surgeon or Doctor if necessary, fabricate custom splints and provide therapies to help reduce swelling and pain, as well as restore strength, endurance, coordination, movement, and function. Michael and Adrienne will build the splint that is right for your condition and educate you on how to get the best result. 

Your custom splint is an invaluable part of your rehabilitation.  A custom splint can prevent unnecessary complications, hasten recovery and decrease pain. Custom splints are usually eligible for reimbursement through your insurance coverage. Check with them to verify prior to your appointment.

Looking for physiotherapy treatment services? Innova Health Clinic in Hamilton offers manual therapy, therapeutic exercises and more. Contact us today.

Osteopathy is the foundation from which all other manual therapy professions were built including Physiotherapy, Massage Therapy, and Chiropractic. In Classical Osteopathy there is consideration for your entire body from your pelvis up to your head and down to your feet.   

Osteopathic Manual Practitioners understand that there is a relationship between the bones that support your body and the tissue that surrounds it, including your muscles, ligaments, lymph, organs, nerves and blood vessels. Human bodies are made to move and restriction of motion anywhere in the body has a negative impact on health. Osteopathic treatment helps to balance the body's systems by restoring motion to relieve pain, improve mobility, and stimulate the body's ability to heal itself. It is based on the understanding that when one part doesn't work well, the others have to work harder.

In our approach to treatment, we consider the body, mind and spirit.  We are always looking for the cause of problems.  We ask "Why" you feel the way you do and avoid merely treating the symptoms.

Who can we help? 
Because each treatment is tailored to the needs of the individual, it is great for the whole family. We treat newborns through to the elderly, sports enthusiasts, athletes, people with sedentary jobs, people with physical jobs, chronic and acute conditions, and many more. 

Learn more about our Osteopathic Manual Practitioners Sharmila Kulkarni , Marcelle Constable and Laura Kappel of IHC.  They are all members of the Ontario Osteopathic Association.

To book an appointment with Sharmila, Marcelle or Laura please click here or call 905-389-9489.

Massage Therapy is a process of manual manipulation of the body’s muscular and soft tissue structures through a variety of techniques ranging from therapeutic to relaxation applications. The soft tissues include the muscles and associated fascia, skin, tendons, ligaments and joint capsules. The benefits of these treatments are: increased range of motion and flexibility, improved circulation, and stress reduction that helps to achieve an overall feeling of well-being.

Recent research has proven that massage is therapeutic, and can decrease muscle/fascial tightness, stimulate blood and lymphatic circulation, improve structure and function of the body, increase toxic elimination, decrease pain and more. Massage Therapy may also help in preventing unnecessary strain and injury that might otherwise occur due to excess tension, and resulting in structural weakness.

Massage Therapy may incorporate a variety of manual techniques in the treatment of various injuries. These techniques can involve myofascial release, soft tissue release, positional release therapy, and muscle energy therapy. Integrating these manual modalities gently releases restrictions and tightness in the muscles, and the associated connective tissues. 

Our Registered Massage Therapist, Devin Briggs, is available for daytime and evening appointments.

To book an appointment with Devin click here or please call 905-389-9489.

Unlike other athletes, dancers have their own unique set of needs to perform their best. Dancers seeking treatment for injuries or other aches and pains associated with their training benefit from having a practitioner with a deep understanding of the art form.

At Innova Health Clinic we are happy to have Osteopathic Manual practitioner Laura Kappel who brings her experience as a dancer, choreographer and teacher to her clinical practice.

Dancers need to balance flexibility with strength to meet the demands of the art form. Osteopathic treatment is beneficial for dancers because it takes the whole body into consideration. Injuries and pain in a joint or area are often related to restrictions in other parts of the body. When one part of the body is not moving as it should, all other parts must compensate. As a dancer, this may cause loss of strength, stability or flexibility leading to pain or injury. By ensuring the entire body is in proper alignment and free of any restrictions, Osteopathy helps address the “why” behind how a patient is feeling.

Osteopathic treatment does not have a one size fits all approach. While two dancers may have the same injuries, the causes of those injuries may be different. Laura uses her knowledge and experience to identify how structural issues adversely affect a patient's dancing. This allows her to tailor treatments to her patient’s needs.

With treatment, Laura helps patients to return safely to class or performance by providing strategies for improving warm up, conditioning or stretching routines. She will liaise with dance teachers, physiotherapists, doctors or parents as needed to ensure a smooth recovery for her patients.

Click here schedule an appointment with Laura.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo(BPPV) is the most common cause of vertigo.  

Benign - it is not life threatening

Paroxysmal - it comes in sudden, brief spells

Positional - it gets triggered by certain head positions or movements

Vertigo - a false sense of rotational movement

What Causes BPPV?

It is a mechanical problem with the inner ear that occurs when some of the calcium carbonate crystals that are normally embedded in gel in the utricle become dislodged and migrate into one or more of the 3 fluid-filled semicircular canals, where they are not supposed to be.  When enough of the particles accumulate in one of the canals they interfere with the normal fluid movement that the body uses to sense head motion, causing the inner ear to send false signals to the brain.

There are two types of BPPV: one where the loose crystals can move freely in the fluid of the canal (canalithiasis), and one where the crystals are thought to be hung up on the bundle of nerves that sense the fluid movement (cupuloithiasis).  With canalithiasis, it takes less than a minute for the crystals to stop moving after a particular change in head position has triggered a spin.  Once the crystals stop moving, the fluid movement settles and the nystagmus and vertigo stop.  With cupulolithiasis, the crystals stuck on the bundle of sensory nerves will make the nystagmus and vertigo last longer, until the head is moved out of the offending position.  Treatment is different for each variant.

How is it Treated?

At IHC, our practitioners are trained to diagnose and treat BPPV.  Once your health care provider whether it is canalithiasis or cupololithisasis, then they can take you through the appropriate treatment maneuver.  The maneuvers make use of gravity to guide the crystals back to the chamber where they are supposed to be via a very specific series of head movements called Canalith Re-positioning Maneuvers.

If you are suffering from Vertigo, we can help.  For more information or to book an appointment please Contact Us.