There is not one defining moment that led Joanne to become a physiotherapist. She grew up in a small Saskatchewan town at a time when they only had 2 television channels and the only electronic gaming device her family owned was the game “Einstein” (look it up). While she did enjoy that game, it didn’t entertain her for long, so her friends and she found their fun through physical activities, games, and sports – mostly outside. Though never pursuing high level sports, Joanne always loved being physically active and still does! This love of physical activity married with her thirst for knowledge in how things work led her to study human movement at the University level. Joanne graduated from the University of Saskatchewan first with a Bachelor of Physical Education in 1997, then a Bachelor of Physical Therapy in 1999. After this, she began her career as a physiotherapist at what is now Lifemark 8^th Street Saskatoon and has been working there ever since.

Throughout her career, Joanne has maintained her passion for physical activity and for knowledge. She has taken extensive post-graduate course work that has given her expertise in diagnosis and treatment of movement impairments, foot and ankle biomechanics, foot orthotics, exercise therapy, Pilates, manual therapy, dry needling, osteoarthritis, and chronic pain management. She has most recently developed a special interest in hips after having personal experience with chronic hip pain which led to severe osteoarthritis and ultimately a total hip replacement at age 49. This experience has shown her, firsthand, the impact of chronic pain and osteoarthritis. It has also shown her that with the proper guidance and a commitment to rehab, getting back to meaningful and enjoyable activity is attainable. With respect to her philosophy in physiotherapy, she holds a strong belief in evidence-based treatment and feels that it is imperative to empower patients with the tools to help themselves in recovery, maintenance, or prevention of injury.

On a personal note, since her hip replacement, her activities have changed somewhat, but outside of work she enjoys walking on the river trails, hiking in the mountains, cycling, camping, working out, and spending time with her husband, two adult children and family dog.