John's practice focus is on the treatment and management of musculoskeletal, neurologic and metabolic conditions.  He helps clients regain mobility and function, while managing pain, to return to the activities they enjoy doing the most.  The many different conditions he works with include:

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• the treatment and management of sports injuries & safe return to play at all ages

• acute and chronic back and neck pain, including stenosis

• recovery after joint replacement surgery

• falls, balance and gait disorders

• impairments caused by cancer therapies

• Scoliosis

as well as secondary conditions that increase the complexity of the client's health.

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John’s clients span all ages and abilities, from older adults wanting to regain their independence and mobility after surgery to athletes who compete on the world stage.  He has earned the trust of many leading health professionals and physicians, some of whom have worked with him directly on their own health conditions.

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During his career of over 20 years, John has helped elite juniors in tennis, squash, alpine skiing, and archery, as well as "A level" tennis athletes, golfers, and golf pros.  He has helped develop over half-a-dozen national Number One and FIVB world-tour women’s beach volleyball athletes, including two athletes who represented Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

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John holds a Master’s degree in Biomechanics from Queen’s University, where he joined the Clinical Mechanics Group to research anatomical factors that affect the success of hip and knee replacement surgery.  Subsequently, he joined Dr. Stuart McGill, PhD to pursue a PhD degree on biomechanical mechanisms of spine injury during exercise.  He has been published in several highly-respected scientific journals in Kinesiology and Physical Therapy, and with Dr. McGill, co-authored a chapter in “The Functional Training Handbook” on the biomechanics of injury prevention and performance improvement in Weightlifting.

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John has a long record of service to his profession, having been a Board member for the Ontario Kinesiology Association, Canadian Kinesiology Alliance, and Ontario Weightlifting Association.  He served on the inaugural Council of the College of Kinesiologists of Ontario and afterward as a Peer and Practice Assessor, helping to ensure the professional standards of the profession.

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As the owner of Movement First, John teaches evidence-based, practical skills training to health professionals who work with clients with musculoskeletal pain.  He has previously been the first Clinical Skills Instructor for the Master of Professional Kinesiology Degree Program at the University of Toronto, and has been recognized as an “Educational Influential” in Kinesiology by the Ontario Institute for Work and Health."