Briony's Approach
Your body, resilient like a tree
Your body is an extraordinary living system that is constantly adapting and regenerating. Much as a bone heals itself once supported by a cast, Briony helps you set up the conditions for your body to recover using its innate capability for healing.
Self-healing tissues
For your tissues to adapt after an injury, they usually require movement in the right dosage. Hands-on therapy can also set adaptive changes in motion.
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Learn more about Briony's traditional physiotherapy approaches of exercise prescription and manual therapy.
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Neurological regeneration
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Modern science tells us that pain is a purely neurological phenomenon. Fortunately, the nervous system is a dynamic, branching network that is very responsive to change. To guide you in building fresh neural pathways, Briony uses:
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Who should see Briony?
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Briony confidently treats orthopedic conditions from tennis elbow, to neck pain, to tingling in your toes.
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People who have been in pain for a long time may find her methods particularly helpful.
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Briony's approach is also great for those who have anxiety or depression alongside their pain, especially when combined with psychological counselling.
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If you have tried a lot of different therapies but are still suffering, Briony's therapeutic emphasis on pain neuroscience may be the missing piece of your pain puzzle.
Pain neuroscience in action
“Bioplasticity got you into this mess, and bioplasticity will get you out again.”
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- Lorimer Moseley
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Why learn about pain neuroscience?
Understanding how and why pain happens is an essential component of treating and preventing persistent (chronic) pain – and the evidence supports this.
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What do we know about pain?
Modern neuroscience tells us that pain occurs only when your brain thinks your body is under threat -- and that pain is not an accurate depiction of what is happening in your body's tissues. Your pain may be the result of an overprotective alarm system more than a serious problem at your injury site.
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The good news?
We can reverse the changes in your nervous system that are making pain persist. Briony can guide you to:
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develop more accurate beliefs about pain
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create a sense of safety in your thoughts and actions
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increase your tolerance to activity in a gradual way
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use mindfulness meditation to calm the nervous system
​Briony's role
Briony guides you through re-adapting your nervous system so you can safely and comfortably get back to doing what you love to do. Here's how:
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Learning about pain can take place as short or long discussions, or as suggested videos and reading.
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Practicing day-to-day activities and thought patterns that are most likely to alter your pain state for the better.
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Coaching you through a safe, gradual activity program.
She also assesses carefully for problems in the tissues and uses biomechanical (tissue-based) physiotherapy treatments when appropriate.
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Check out some videos explaining pain science.
Read about the evidence for using neuroscience in treatment.
Find out more about Briony's training in the pain neuroscience field.
Traditional Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy Assessment
Traditional physiotherapy includes a thorough orthopedic physical assessment, including hearing the story of your injury from you. Briony will check for anything dangerous happening in your body, and use evidence-based assessment techniques to determine what may be causing your pain. Based on the assessment, she then develops a treatment plan designed to return you to your life as you want to live it.
​Physiotherapy Treatment
Treatments chiefly draw on:
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Manual therapy: Briony uses her hands to provide helpful input to your joints and muscles
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Individualized exercise prescription: to stretch, strengthen, stabilize, and activate needed areas
Briony also uses:
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Taping to support movement
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Cupping to release muscle tension
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Ultrasound to address inflammation
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TENS or IFC machines for pain relief
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Shockwave for chronic tendon problems
As we progress through your recovery and learn more about your injury, we continually re-focus the treatments to reflect your evolving needs.
Briony is trained to evaluate the evidence
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As a graduate from a Master's program in Physical Therapy in at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine, Briony is trained to be a critical thinker, using evidence, anatomical knowledge, and clinical reasoning to evaluate and treat a wide range of conditions. To offer you the most up-to-date, proven, and effective treatments, she checks the research regularly.
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Find out more about Briony's credentials and post-graduate coursework.
Find out more about physiotherapy evidence.
Mindfulness in practice
What is mindfulness?​
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Mindfulness can be defined simply as paying attention to the present moment, and doing so non-judgmentally -- with acceptance and great kindness.
How does mindfulness affect pain?
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Decreased sympathetic arousal
Mindfulness can be helpful for creating a physiologically quiet state, whereby the "fight or flight" response produced by the sympathetic nervous system is reduced. Pain then has much less of a stronghold.
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Awareness of body sensations
By training yourself to observe the present moment, you become better able to notice your body sensations. This can make pain seem less frightening, and even less unpleasant. With more awareness, you may find ways to prevent flareups by listening to the early signs.
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Awareness of thoughts and emotions
You can also learn to notice your personal reactions to pain and movement. Over time, your thoughts and emotions can become healthier, more balanced, and more in line with your new knowledge about how pain works. You may notice reduced levels of suffering secondarily.
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Gratitude and self-compassion
These attitudes and practices can contribute to your overall sense of well-being, and can reduce pain as a by-product.
How does Briony use mindfulness?
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Briony often works short periods of mindfulness into a regular physiotherapy session. For interested clients, she can prescribe a curated mindfulness meditation program using audio and video resources, and based on your personal preferences. She is then available for questions, encouragement, and guidance.
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Briony has completed an intensive training in facilitating the well-researched meditation program Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which is widely used in medical settings.
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Try some basic mindfulness meditations.
Find out more about the evidence for mindfulness and pain.
