Meet the (not a gym) Wellness Centre
Today I want to show you somewhere unique and very cool!
Meet the wellness centre at Flexology Wellness Clinic in Calgary, Alberta. It’s one of a kind in Western Canada.
This place is not a gymnasium. Flexology has a performance centre as well, but gyms and this wellness centre have different purposes so the equipment you’ll find in each is different. In my own words, I’d say that a gym is used for general training, while this wellness centre is mostly used for self-managing pain and training using special equipment not found in standard gyms.
I want to talk about some of the cooler toys that are in this space :) We’ll keep referring back to the photo above.
1) The Inversion table- see photo centre-right.
These are so great that I have one in my home. These tables are used to gently and securly flip and hold yourself upside down. Ask anyone who’s used one of these before and they’ll tell you how good it feels on their back, especially if they have back pain. Personally, I like to invert for 30 seconds or so, return to upright for a minute, and then repeat as much or as little as I’d like.
Do inversion tables have a role in rehabilitation though? They are fairly recent inventions so the medical literature on them is still growing. One thesis in 2020 found that their role in physiotherapy is still unknown. A neat 2017 study found that using these tables doesn’t significantly improve spinal mobility. However, a 2012 study found adding the use of an inversion table into the standard treatment for a certain type of low back pain significantly improved the outcome for the low back pain patients. See the links below if you’d like to see these articles for yourself.
2) The Roller- see photo right
Check this thing out in action here! https://rolleroriginal.com/how-to-videos/
This is my favorite tool in the wellness centre. It’s essentially a large rotating massager which you can use on your whole body all by yourself. It’s production company advertises it’s use for acupressure, body shaping, weight loss, etc., but I’ve used this tool for soft tissue therapies targeting muscle and fascia. Honestly, it just feel great, and it’s always an eye-catcher whenever somebody sees the space for the first time.
3) The Whole body vibration trainer- see photo centre.
To be honest, I am a little scared of the vibration trainer 😂. It’s loud and intimidating to me, but I still use it occasionally because I’ve read about the many benefits of using whole body vibration. It can also be used for vibrating select body parts such a leg during a lunge to train balance, etc. A quick literature search shows extensive research into the tool including what it’s good for and what it’s not. For example, check out these systematic reviews showing the efficacy of whole body vibration for low back pain, bone health post-menopause, and knee osteoarthritis, just to start!
i) Wang W, Wang S, Lin W, Li X, Andersen LL, Wang Y. Efficacy of whole body vibration therapy on pain and functional ability in people with non-specific low back pain: a systematic review. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 May 27;20(1):158.
ii) Marín-Cascales E, Alcaraz PE, Ramos-Campo DJ, Martinez-Rodriguez A, Chung LH, Rubio-Arias JÁ. Whole-body vibration training and bone health in postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Aug;97(34):e11918.
iii) Zafar H, Alghadir A, Anwer S, Al-Eisa E. Therapeutic effects of whole-body vibration training in knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2015 Aug;96(8):1525-32.
4) The Acupressure mat- see photo centre (floor)
This thing is basically a yoga mat with several hundred plastic points which you can lay or walk on. There’s even a bolster with pressure points used to target specific areas, like your low back or neck. I was skeptical at trying it at first, but it has grown on me since. I was curious whether the acupressure mechanism was actually an effective treatment for anything, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found a study showing that laying on a mat like this one is good for chronic back and neck pain. See it below if you’d like. I think this piece of equipment helped remind me that looking into the research helps me overcome the bias I may have towards one treatment versus another.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3446809/
There are lots of other wellness tools that people can use in the centre including: a stall bar, exercise bands, foam rollers, foam bolsters and supports, wobble boards, varying angle platforms, bosu balls, a balance beam, etc. All of them have their own merit and I am impressed by the availability of equipment for people to use here. Maybe soon I’ll write more about these other toys as well!
If you’d like to see the Wellness centre at Flexolgy for yourself, reach out to the clinic and they’d be glad to show you around. Check out www.flexology.ca, or feel free to contact me if you’d prefer.
