After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Sports Therapy in 2009, I started my career as a Personal Trainer, specializing in Exercise Rehabilitation. The majority of my clients had sought me out to help with aches and pains that were being made worse by their current exercise program. I found that having regular contact with my clients, seeing them for 1-4 hours per week was producing remarkable changes in their strength, mobility, physical confidence, body awareness and body composition.
To further my education and improve my skills as a practitioner I took a 40 week internship with the Gray Institue in Michigan (US) with Dr Gary Gray “The father of function” and Dr David Tiberio. A key principle the Gray Institute taught me was that “the body follows the path of least resistance” meaning we habitually move in ways that we’re already good at. This can become quite a narrow range of motion and we loose the ability for movement variability, which can predispose us to overuse injuries. Most importantly, they taught me how to create individualized, patient specific pain free exercises.
Using my new skills and knowledge I began teaching these pain free progressive exercises to my clients, and although I lacked the formal training to diagnose injuries at this point, I was getting good results with my clients, their aches and pains tended to disappear.
I now wanted to further improve my clinical skills and be able to diagnose conditions. I wanted to know for sure when it was safe for me to train a client or whether they needed to be referred to their doctor or hospital and I wanted to improve my manual therapy skills. This led me to completing a Master’s Degrees in Osteopathy from the oldest Osteopathic School in Europe, The University College of Osteopathy, London. I favoured Osteopathy over other disciplines for their full body approach, their wide range of manual techniques, from gentle joint tissue stretching through to high velocity, low amplitude thrusts (i.e. clicking and cracking). They also gave consideration to the latest scientific research from pain science, communication and exercise.
In the UK, Osteopathy is considered an Allied Health Profession, and is commonly known for treating spinal pain. Traditionally Osteopathy was developed as a manual medicine system to treat all types of disease, however, Osteopathy has evolved into a system that diagnoses and treats the full spectrum of nerve, joint, fascia, tendon, muscle, ligament and chronic pain conditions. The Osteopathy I was taught fully embraces its historical principles, but is thoroughly influenced by current scientific research. The course was offered 4 years full time or 5 years part time (I enrolled part time whilst continuing to run my business). Our last 2 years of the course were spent being tutored by experienced Osteopaths in our university clinic and outreach clinics within the UK’s National Health Service.
After completing my Master’s in 2018 I registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) and integrated Osteopathy into my practice, whilst continuing to work with my long term training and rehabilitation clients. An opportunity then arose for me to work in Canada so in December 2019 I took the decision, with my girlfriend Claire, to make the move and take on a new challenge with a bit of adventure thrown in.
I was aware of some limitations in the practice of Osteopaths in Canada and since working here I have observed that Osteopaths are viewed as being very “alternative” and “complimentary”. Osteopaths are not only recognized as Allied Health Professionals in the UK, but also Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Italy and many other countries, but not yet Canada. Interestingly, at the 2012 London Olympics, in the on-site medical department for the Athletes, Osteopathy had their own clinic alongside Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Sports Massage and Sports Medicine.
In the UK, Osteopathic training is extensive (4 years full time), if you’re already a medical profession such as a physical therapist, it is a 2 year full time Master’s degree or if you are a medical doctor it is a 1.5 year course. The reason for the extensive training is mainly to ensure we are treating patients safely, so we know when pain is most likely coming from a nerve, muscle, joint or whether the pain is coming from something more sinister such as a cancer. This is reflected in the clinical skills we are taught including cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal and neurological exams, but most importantly we’re taught how to ask the right questions.
My passion for learning and improving my clinical practice has not diminished. I started an online post graduate Diploma in Sports and Exercise Medicine in September 2021, in which we are studying the most current research in the fields of:
- Exercise and sport in relation to chronic disease and populations
- Injury prevention, rehabilitation and return to exercise
- Anatomy, physiology and psychology of sports and exercise
- Common sports injuries and investigations
- Management and rehabilitation planning of sports and exercise related injuries
- The multidisciplinary team in exercise and sport
My current areas of interest are; the use of exercise in arthritis and pain, and exercise programming in the management of lower limb tendinopathies, back pain and neck pain.
My ultimate ambition was to bring my clinical skills and experience to my own clinic, to be able to share my knowledge with my patients and work with and learn from likeminded clinicians. So, I am excited to be opening GAiN Physical Health, and to be working within and for the Canmore community.
