A love of sports and movement was sparked for me at a very young age, when I fell in love with artistic gymnastics and competed provincially in Ontario. After a few persistent injuries I ended up in physiotherapy as a patient, my first introduction to the profession. It was there that I became fascinated by how the body worked and all the systems that functioned seamlessly together. Over the years, this spark of interest would continue to grow and become my lifelong passion to learn about the body, injuries and how to best recover from them.
I attended the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, first completing a Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology in 2003, followed by a Masters degree in Physiotherapy in 2005.
I have always wanted to live surrounded by the mountains and the ocean, so it was only a matter of time before I would relocate to the west coast. During a vacation in 2008 to British Columbia, I fell in love with the beauty and outdoor adventures British Columbia could offer. A few short months later, I drove across Canada and Squamish was my new home.
Throughout my career I have had the opportunity to work with high caliber and professional athletes in a wide variety of sports: snowboarders, skiers, ballerinas, gymnasts, rock climbers, runners, and mountain bikers (to name a few). In 2010, I worked with the Olympic and Paralympic athletes training and competing during the Olympics in Vancouver, BC.
I have continued to further my education and expertise through years of postgraduate training in a wide variety of treatment techniques, allowing for a more holistic and integrated approach to injury prevention and recovery. I have taken courses in orthopedic manual and manipulative physiotherapy, craniosacral therapy, visceral mobilization, nerve manipulation, acupuncture, intramuscular stimulation (IMS), body control pilates, orthotics prescription, acute & chronic pain rehabilitation and brace fitting.
My passion for understanding complex injuries and chronic pain grew further in 2014 after I sustained a knee injury that left me with nerve pain and a chronic pain condition (complex regional pain syndrome, CRPS). My desire to heal and return to an active, pain-free life, spurred me to undertake years of research on complex pain, countless courses and self exploration on ways to recover and heal from chronic pain. Through this experience, I have gained a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by patients living in chronic pain and the treatments that can aid in their recovery. I now incorporate this knowledge and wisdom with my patients clinically and have guest lectured at the University of British Columbia (UBC) on chronic pain recovery.
I have obtained additional certifications in acupuncture (CAFCI), intramuscular stimulation (Gunn IMS), and craniosacral therapy (Upledger). I am a teaching assistant for the Barral neural mobilization and Upledger craniosacral therapy curriculum. I continue to take postgraduate training courses and conduct ongoing research into injury recovery, health and healing, allowing me to offer updated treatment techniques and concepts to my patients.
In my free time, I enjoy exploring the mountains and nature around Squamish and BC, hiking, paddle boarding, kayaking, rock climbing, snowboarding, and riding my adventure motorcycle.
For more information on the types of treatments I offer, please visit my website: nmphysiotherapy.com
