Undergoing surgery is never a fun process, but one that's (unfortunately) often necessary. And while the miracle of modern medicine has seen profound advancements in surgical techniques and outcomes over the previous decades, surgery in itself creates a new injury for the body to recover from.

And if you want the best outcomes possible, there will be work that needs to be done on your part—before AND after—surgery to help give your body the best chance possible of regaining maximal amounts of health and function.

Which is why this episode covers all sorts of information pertaining to the ways you can prepare your body before surgery and what to know and expect for surgery itself, along with steps to take after surgery has been performed.

Because, let's face it: if you are going to go through a surgical procedure, it's worth implementing and following through on a few basic steps and actions that help reduce risk of surgical complications, optimize healing recovery rates, and limit the risk of surgical failure.

As always, everything discussed in this episode is for informational purposes only; if you are planning to undergo surgery or any other medical procedure, consult with your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional to receive medical insight pertaining to you.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00 - Intro

8:10 - The big problem to solve & the big takeaway

11:02 - The context of this episode

13:40 - Some surgical statistics

16:27 - Essential education for undergoing surgery

26:18 - Timelines for surgical recovery

32:04 - Factors affecting surgical recovery rates

36:34 - Pre-surgical steps to take for better outcomes

44:18 - Nutritional intake for better healing

50:29 - Pre-surgical strengthening

55:50 - Preventing surgical complications

59:59 - Post-operative strengthening exercises

1:03:59 - Understanding phases of recovery

1:07:57 - Post-operative specific strengthening exercises

1:11:42 - The importance of ongoing maintenance

1:14:15 - Key takeaways from this episode

1:16:29 - A small request to make the world stronger & healthier

Everyone loves a good comeback story! Telling stories is an activity woven into the fabric of humanity and is how humans have been connecting with one another for millennia. Stories inspire us, comfort us, empower us, and help us to bring out a side of us we might not otherwise know exist. Every story is one filled with a problem or a lesson, and is therefore a chance for teaching, discovery, and the opportunity to enhance some aspect of our own life or the lives of others.

And so when it comes to physical pain, injuries, and other disabling conditions, there exists the potential for a story to be told; a story about why we felt it necessary to battle against what we were or are currently up against. And when we choose to craft our own comeback story, not only can we enhance our own life situation, but we can simultaneously enhance the lives of anyone around us who chooses to observe or listen to our story.

So if you want to learn a bit more about why everyone loves a good comeback story and some ideas of how to start creating your own comeback story, give this episode a listen!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00 - Intro

6:31 - The problem to solve & main takeaway

10:19 - The power of a good story

17:36 - The story of Superman

22:04 - The story of Aron Ralston: Stuck between a rock and a hard place

28:50 - Do NOT discount your story!

32:18 - Why we're drawn to the underdog

36:48 - How do we start writing & living out our comeback story?

41:39 - Idea 1: Tell your story by living it

43:37 - Idea 2: Be motivated by love and not by fear

46:58 - Idea 3: Know where to direct your energy

49:05 - Idea 4: Make inner peace your outer strength

51:25 - Key takeaways of this episode

53:57 - A small request

We all know that physical therapy is the place you go when you're injured or something has gone wrong with your body. But did you know that you can also go to physical therapy as a means to prevent injuries and issues from arising?

Just like going to your family physician for a check up, or your local optometrist for an annual eye exam, you can also go to physical therapy to get a "check up" on how your body is physically moving and performing.

As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And when it comes to maintaining overall physical health (particularly with your ability to move), one of the best ways to do so is to determine how you're moving and performing before any symptoms arise.

Pretty much everyone has various forms of movement dysfunction that they aren't aware of; these dysfunctions don't have to be symptomatic. The problem is, they tend to slowly build up until one day there's the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back.

So, if you're interested in how going to get a physical therapy assessment—before an issue arises—can benefit you, then you're in the right spot. This episode breaks down the world around the life-enhancing benefits (and even sports performance benefits) we can obtain when we choose to make an investment into our physical movement abilities before issues even arise!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00 - Intro

9:27 - The problem to solve & the big takeaway

12:28 - Movement Dysfunction is everywhere

19:44 - Healthcare vs sick care

12:38 - The traditional reactive mindset of physical therapy

22:58 - The proactive mindset of physical therapy

24:20 - The benefits of proactive physical therapy

29:34 - Prevention & performance for athletes

33:01 - Investments vs expenses with proactive approaches

36:10 - Using a multi-collaborative approach on your journey

40:33 - The road trip analogy

42:18 - How does proactive assessment work?

46:38 - Proactive assessment examples

49:26 - Examples of movement screening

53:26 - Gait analysis examples

57:35 - Finding a professional to help you be proactive

58:53 - Key takeaways

1:00:25 - Final thoughts & a small request

We are currently living in a society where sitting is becoming the new normal. Research is showing that there is a global shift towards greater amounts of our time being spent sitting down. While sitting certainly is necessary, it can begin to work against us and wreak havoc on our overall physical health and wellness.

Recently, the phrase "sitting is the new smoking" has begun to make its way into popular culture, leaving many to wonder if the adverse health effects of chronic sitting are more likely to kill us than smoking. And while this research is important to uncover, for the average person, a direct comparison might be missing the point.

So, in this episode, I discuss the adverse health effects of chronic sitting, particularly as it pertains to our hip and back health, along with provide insight and strategies for how we can mitigate and even reverse the effects of accumulating too much time in a seated position.

Naturally, if you want to know more, hit that play button!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00 - Intro

7:06 - The problem to solve & the big takeaway

12:34 - Why are we sitting so much?

17:27 - Defining “sedentary” behaviour

19:14 - The health impacts of chronic sitting

22:55 - Orthopaedics and sitting

29:28 - Lumbar disc pressures in different seated positions

34:36 - Don’t forget the hips (the lumobopelvic hip complex)

35:59 - The gluteus maximus and “sleepy” glute syndrome

39:35 - Directly comparing health effects of sitting to smoking

40:31 - Stuck between a rock and a hard place

44:47 - Strategies for when you’re sitting

51:17 - Strategies for when you’re not sitting

58:48 - What about standing desks?

1:01:56 - Key takeaways from this episode

1:04:13 - Thank you (and a small request)

ARTICLES REFERENCED WITHIN THIS EPISODE:

1. Conradi, S. M., & Cramer, H. (2025). Get Up, Stand Up—Are We Sitting Ourselves to an Early Death?. Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 31(12), 1007-1008.

2. Vallance, J. K., Gardiner, P. A., Lynch, B. M., D’Silva, A., Boyle, T., Taylor, L. M., ... & Owen, N. (2018). Evaluating the evidence on sitting, smoking, and health: is sitting really the new smoking?. American journal of public health, 108(11), 1478-1482.

3. Baddeley, B., Sornalingam, S., & Cooper, M. (2016). Sitting is the new smoking: where do we stand?. The British Journal of General Practice, 66(646), 258.

If you're struggling with anxiety as you try to return to your physical activities after an injury (be it social, sports, or even occupational activities), you're not alone. Research shows that upwards of half of all individuals who suffer an orthopaedic injury deal with some form of anxiety as they return to being physically active.

So what do we do when our body is good to go again but our brain is still struggling? In this episode, I go over the problem of treating the body but neglecting the brain after physical injury, why it can be such a common issue, and general insight towards how to overcome the troubling thoughts that may hold us back from fully engaging or participating in the activities we wish to get back into.

As always, it comes down to a multidisciplinary approach whereby we draw from the help of others while also working through action steps we can take on our own to help put ourselves in a mentally better position to overcome what holds us back.

If you want to know more, then hit that play button!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00 - Intro

7:35 - The problem to solve & the big takeaway

13:47 - Defining “anxiety”

14:35 - Post-injury anxiety statistics

20:55 - If post-injury anxiety goes unchecked

27:50 - Pain memory circuits

30:40 - Tracking progress with outcome measures

34:23 - Common psychosocial interventions you can do

39:06 - Systematic desensitization

42:39 - A story from my past (my shoulder injury)

48:25 - Learning to interpret pain

50:23 - Practical progressions for getting back on track

52:08 - What if your activity involves others?

55:19 - If you’re struggling (personal insight)

56:43 - Sharing your story with others

58:20 - Critical takeaways from this episode

59:26 - Thank you (and a small request)

ARTICLES REFERENCED WITHIN THIS EPISODE:

1. Breazeale, S., Conley, S., Gaiser, E., & Redeker, N. S. (2021). Anxiety symptoms after orthopedic injury: a systematic review. Journal of Trauma Nursing| JTN, 28(1), 46-55.

2. Muscatelli, S., Spurr, H., O'Hara, N. N., O'Hara, L. M., Sprague, S. A., & Slobogean, G. P. (2017). Prevalence of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder after acute orthopaedic trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of orthopaedic trauma, 31(1), 47-55.

3. Hsu, C. J., Meierbachtol, A., George, S. Z., & Chmielewski, T. L. (2017). Fear of reinjury in athletes: implications for rehabilitation. Sports health, 9(2), 162-167.

When it comes to pain and injury, one of the most frustrating things you can experience is its ability to keep you from staying physically active and engaged with the things you enjoy (trust me, I get it).

Most of us know what this feeling is like or know someone who has gone through this experience. And it can be immensely frustrating when we're not sure if it's safe to continue to stay active or how long to expect the injury to hold us back from our physical pursuits.

The good news is that much of the time, there are ways we can continue to participate in physical activities we enjoy as we go through the recovery process. Naturally, this is very situational and context-specific, but you might just be surprised how often we can find ways to modify our pursuits in a manner that allows us to stay engaged to a certain extent.

I use these strategies with my patients when working with them as a physical therapist and therefore thought it would be a good idea to turn much of these tactics and mindset techniques into an episode here on the podcast.

So in this episode, we’re looking at some simple but highly effective strategies and action steps you can take to find ways to not only stay physically active while injured, but to even help yourself heal up quicker throughout the process.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00 - Intro

8:14 - The problem to solve & big takeaway

13:28 - The inevitabilities of pain and injuries

18:32 - Staying active: Around vs through

38:02 - The traffic light analogy

43:07 - Interpreting pain

50:29 - Looking at obstacles vs opportunities

54:38 - A story of a good friend of mine

1:00:02 - The key takeaways & action steps

1:03:37 - A small request

They say that there are only three guarantees in this world: Life, death, and taxes. For whatever reason "pain and injury" didn't make that list of guarantees. Maybe "taxes" was depressing enough.

Life is, in essence, accumulated damage. That is not to dismiss the beauty of what this life has to offer, but rather to acknowledge that pain and injury are unfortunate realities of the human experience. But that doesn't mean we should simply resign ourselves to a life of misery and pain; there's always hope.

Whether you're laying in a hospital bed, or you're nursing a sore elbow that doesn't seem to get better, our path towards overcoming injuries and painful conditions looks different for each of us. But there is a common action that is required from each of us, which can be summarized in five simple words.

In this episode, I go over a remarkable story of a young lady who embodied these five words, and tie it into man choosing to go to the moon to help illustrate what human beings are capable of overcoming and ultimately achieving when their will refuses to yield to circumstances.

My hope is that by the end of this episode, you will feel more empowered to take that first step towards embarking on your journey towards improving your circumstances with whatever you may be up against, be it physically, mentally, or even spiritually!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00 - Intro

8:52 - The problem to solve & big takeaway

14:37 - Starting with my story

18:02 - The remarkable story of Lillian Alling

25:02 - We choose to go to the moon

29:15 - What will it take? (The five words)

30:21 - But what does this look like?

38:24 - A survival story

43:10 - Where are you at?

45:46 - Leaving you with a quote

Whether you like it or not, there will come a day when you, for the last time, partake in your favourite physical activity. Maybe it's running, or lifting weights, playing your favourite sport, or even a leisurely activity you enjoy doing with your friends.

The fact of the matter is our bodies break down, either from injury, age, disease, or various medical conditions that render us unable to perform these activities that we enjoy so much. If we're smart about looking after ourselves, and with some good fortune, we can stay engaged with them to some extent as we age through life, but even that comes with loss of the extent or intensity to which we might be able to pursue these activities.

None of this is meant to instil fear into you; rather to help you appreciate what you have while you have it—to live in the moment, if you will.

In this episode, I go over a couple of general concepts we can employ throughout our days of remaining physically active to help us truly appreciate what we have, leading to a higher quality of life and perhaps even a greater sense of meaning.

So, whether you enjoy working out and engaging in activities like Crossfit, powerlifting, or Olympic lifting, or if you much prefer casual physical exercise and activities, my hope is that this episode will help to arm you with a greater appreciation for your physical abilities and help you to truly take in every moment with gratitude and a deeper sense of meaning for what you love to do!

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introduction

9:30 - The problem to solve & big takeaway

15:05 - “Secret” weapons

17:55 - The benefits of gratitude

22:51 - The benefits of mindfulness

26:42 - The good & bad times

35:40 - What does it all look like?

39:52 - Personal examples

51:34 - Putting it all into practice

53:46 - A small request