Rehab Hero Markham

Rehab Hero Markham At Rehab Hero you learn to optimize your movement and to build long lasting results. Visit us today. We practice what we preach.

At Rehab Hero all of our therapists have experience working as a personal trainer or strength coach. Taking principles from strengthening and conditioning, we combine our knowledge to create an effective treatment plan. We know that movement is best understood when experienced first hand.

🚨ROTATOR CUFF TENDONITIS🚨Have you been dealing with rotator cuff issues for longer than expected? Are the same conventio...
12/21/2025

🚨ROTATOR CUFF TENDONITIS🚨

Have you been dealing with rotator cuff issues for longer than expected? Are the same conventional physiotherapy exercises nor feeling effective? Or maybe you plateaued? Its probably time you started to think about Multi-Directional Loading

The rotator cuff is a set of muscles that are primarily needed to stabilize the shoulder joint while moving. The shoulder is one of the joints in the body with the most freedom to move, this means there are MANY different combinations of planes that it moves in. While conventional physiotherapy exercises are GREAT at doing what they do, they also might not be enough depending on your goals. The reason being is that many of them challenge the shoulder only in a single plane of motion and with a single line of resistance. Luckily it is easy to shake up those movements for additional gains in the mid and late stages of recovery.

Swipe left to check some examples out

Got a question? Let me know in the comments below!

🚨 Need additional help and in the Greater Toronto Area? Check out one of our 4 locations to boost your recovery today🚨

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📚GLUTE AMNESIA: FACT VS MYTH 📚Have you ever felt like it was harder to “activate” one glute compared to the other? Does ...
12/16/2025

📚GLUTE AMNESIA: FACT VS MYTH 📚

Have you ever felt like it was harder to “activate” one glute compared to the other? Does it feel like a “dead glute” that just can’t contract? This has been known as “glute amnesia” but there are a lot of misconceptions about what this really is:

❌ Myth: The glutes forget how to work and amnesia occurs.
âś… Fact: Glutes can actually just be weak or inhibited due to underlying injuries or stresses (such as osteoarthritis, hip impingement, etc).

❌ Myth: Sitting for a long time causes glute amnesia
âś… Fact: A sedentary lifestyle can cause de-conditioning of the glute muscles thereby causing them to weaken

❌ Myth: Weak glutes cause low back pain
âś… Fact: Strength alone does not always resolve back pain, especially in just 1 muscle group

❌ Myth: You should feel your glutes contract strongly with every single rep in exercises like the squat, leg press, etc
âś… Fact: Contracting strongly in submaximal loads can increase effort required to complete a repetition thereby making it a less efficient movement. Feeling a strong contraction is absolutely not necessary with every single rep and set.

Despite a lot of the misconceptions out there, luckily we have multiple ways to improve the way things feel. Swipe left to see a set of exercise choices to help you “activate your glutes”

Got a question? Let me know in the comments below!

🚨 Need additional help and in the Greater Toronto Area? Check out one of our 4 locations to boost your recovery today🚨

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⚡PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME & SCIATICA ⚡🤔 Do you have pain running down the back of your thigh and/leg that feels related to yo...
12/12/2025

⚡PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME & SCIATICA ⚡

🤔 Do you have pain running down the back of your thigh and/leg that feels related to your nerves? Let’s talk about a condition called Piriformis Syndrome and how it can mimic a disc issue through sciatica symptoms. First we need to talk about what sciatica is because there is a lot of confusion about what it really is. Sciatica is a SYMPTOM that describes pain going from your buttock, down the back of your thigh, into your calf, and can sometimes affect the foot. This symptom is often described as electric or burning pain. It is important to note that a symptom is NOT a diagnosis. Symptoms can be caused by a variety of different conditions (like when you get sick a symptom would be a cough or fever -> it doesn’t tell you what’s making you have a cough or fever). So while sciatica as a symptom is important to note, it can be managed VERY differently depending on the cause.

📚 For cases where sciatica is caused by a disc herniation, many exercises will target the back. HOWEVER, for conditions like Piriformis Syndrome back exercises seldomly directly help. Instead, focusing on the hip is more important. In this case we are focusing on the buttock region which is where this muscle can be found. A well thought out program should include elements of both STRETCH and STRENGTHEN. The stretch portion should give the piriformis muscle the ability to lengthen and move through its full range of motion. The strengthening component gives it the capacity to handle tasks like walking without flaring up symptoms.

⬅️ Swipe left to find 3 Stretch exercises followed by 3 Strengthening exercises

🚨 Need additional help and in the Greater Toronto Area? Check out one of our 4 locations to boost your recovery today🚨

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12/11/2025

PSA to all of those in healthcare & fitness:

Quit fear mongering

Start lifting

✋CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME✋Carpal tunnel syndrome is a repetitive stress disorder that affects the hand and wrist. Symptoms...
12/10/2025

✋CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME✋

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a repetitive stress disorder that affects the hand and wrist. Symptoms include localized pain and sensations of tingling or numbness into the hand, particularly in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and half of the ring finger. While this condition is associated with lots of typing related to office work, it can also affect those who handle objects frequently like grocery store workers, bartenders, and servers.

The path to recovery isn’t always straight forward. While it is important to do things like stretch the forearm and wrist muscles, and to strengthen them, it is also important to modify ergonomics to promote recovery time. While rest leads to immediate improvement in symptoms, many will often find that once they return to their regular routines that symptoms come right back. This is why it is important to incorporate strengthening exercises into your rehab program. It is important to effectively strengthen the structures around the wrist and forearm in order to handle the demands of your occupation with ease.

Swipe to find a set of beginner friendly exercises 🙂

Need additional help and in the Greater Toronto Area? Check out one of our 4 locations to boost your recovery today

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➡️ KNOCKED KNEES ⬅️Do your knees “cave in” when doing exercises like squats or lunges? Or maybe you notice that you walk...
12/03/2025

➡️ KNOCKED KNEES ⬅️

Do your knees “cave in” when doing exercises like squats or lunges? Or maybe you notice that you walk with genu valgum? Does pushing the knee out during these movements also alleviate pain?

While having “knocked knees” isn’t inherently bad for you, it can be associated with some painful knee conditions and changing the way you move outside of this position can be relieving. As such, working on knee mechanics can help to reduce symptoms as moving differently can offload currently stressed anatomy.

Firstly there are multiple different causes of knocked knees. One of the more common and “fixable” causes is due to hip mechanics. Specifically your ability to stabilize the knee in hip abduction. This movement may also be restricted due to “tight” hip adductor muscles so I like to start beginner programs off with stretches to improve range of motion (if it was limited). Swipe left to find the first 3 exercises that are stretches. Swipe left more to find the last 3 exercises which are hip stability and strengthening exercises.

Need additional help and in the Greater Toronto Area? Check out one of our 4 locations to boost your recovery today

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❌ LOWER CROSS SYNDROME ❌Have you been told that you have back pain because of “anterior pelvic tilt”, “tight hip flexors...
12/02/2025

❌ LOWER CROSS SYNDROME ❌

Have you been told that you have back pain because of “anterior pelvic tilt”, “tight hip flexors” or because of “hyperlordosis”? I hate to break it to you... it’s not that simple. Lower Cross Syndrome is an antiquated diagnosis that’s... not really a diagnosis. It’s really more of a collection of postural signs that was overly used in the 90’s and early 2000’s to help explain why you might be getting low back pain. While the intentions were good, scientifically we know (based on research) that posture and pain aren’t well correlated at all.

For those who don’t know, the logic behind LCS was that if you were “stuck” in an anterior pelvic tilt due to “weak glutes / core” or “tight low back / hip flexors” that you will get low back pain due to the constant compression of the lumbar facet joints. The PROBLEM with this is that many clinicians ASSUMED you had these weak or tight muscles based off of posture ALONE, and not based off of any range of motion or functional tests. Often there are people who have full strength and full range of motion, yet are “stuck in anterior pelvic tilt”.

While the logic behind LCS might have been flawed, they were right on one thing: there needs to be more movement in the lumbopelvic region. Rather than demonizing your posture, it’s more important to focus on your ability to MOVE. Swipe left to see a few exercises that help to train up this ABILITY!

Need additional help and in the Greater Toronto Area? Check out one of our 4 locations to boost your recovery today

Tag a friend that NEEDs this!

🚨LATERAL TILT ISSUES 🚨Do you ever feel like you are “uneven” or crunched to one side. Does it ever feel like your ribs p...
11/26/2025

🚨LATERAL TILT ISSUES 🚨

Do you ever feel like you are “uneven” or crunched to one side. Does it ever feel like your ribs pinch against your pelvis, or that one hip is higher than the other? Does this cause a daily ache?

One of the contributors of a “lateral pelvic tilt” is due to a contracture in the quadratus lumborum. What is a contracture? Contractures are losses in joint range due to changes in the passive mechanical properties of soft tissues spanning joints. Regarding the pelvis, it is the loss of lateral lumbar flexion into the opposite direction. The QL is a muscle that when activated on a single side causes side bending to occur. When under contracture, it can cause your pelvis to stay there involuntarily. This can be the result of an acute injury, or simply due to repetitive stress mechanisms from prolonged held postures.

Luckily, the solution is simple: Stretch & Strengthen! Stretches will be focuses on increasing space between your rib cage an the pelvis on the elevated side. This will cause the quadratus lumborum to experience a stretch. Heres the important bit - stretches need to be held for at least 2 minutes for it to be worth your while. So if you HAVE been stretching, but only for 20-30 seconds without much change, it’s because you aren’t holding it LONG ENOUGH.

Strengthening exercises will focus on contracting the QL from it’s stretched position to it’s most shortened position. In this regard we are aiming to activate it through it’s FULL RANGE OF MOTION. Generally you can do strengthening exercises 2-3 times a week (with a rest day in between workouts), for 2-3 sets and 8-10 reps.

Need additional help and in the Greater Toronto Area? Check out one of our 4 locations to boost your recovery today

Tag a friend that NEEDs this!

Neck hump got you down?Before we get started it is important to understand that there are MULTIPLE different causes of n...
11/24/2025

Neck hump got you down?

Before we get started it is important to understand that there are MULTIPLE different causes of neck hump, some are more permanent than others. The purpose of today’s post is to help reduce and prevent posture-related neck humps (this is different from fat pad humps or Dowager’s neck hump). That said keeping reading 📖 👇🏻

If you recently noticed a neck hump then chances are it’s due to prolonged postures, usually related to office or desk work. The good news is that this is something that can be addressed with just 15-20 minutes of daily mobility work.

Personally I like to address issues by doing movements that challenge ranges of motion that are rarely used in the office - namely thoracic extension and rotation. I also like to move and stretch muscle that tend to get sore in the upper back as well. Swipe left to see a few movements!

Remember, these online exercises never replace in-person professional advice. If you’re in the GTA and need some help in improving your quality of life, hit us up at Rehab Hero. We now have 4 locations!

Tag a friend that NEEDS this! Get your questions answered in the comments below 👇🏻

💢Thumb Pain 💢Dealing with Texter’s Thumb, De Quervains Tenosynovitis, or maybe you sprained it while playing sports? Hav...
11/12/2025

đź’˘Thumb Pain đź’˘

Dealing with Texter’s Thumb, De Quervains Tenosynovitis, or maybe you sprained it while playing sports? Have you noticed that rest isn’t helping enough? It’s time to do some rehab 👌

One of the best ways to get started with thumb rehab is to do isometric and banded exercises. Luckily both types of exercises are easy to access due to only requiring simple equipment. When doing these exercises is important to pay attention to how your thumb feels. We are looking to challenge the thumb without flaring up your symptoms. This means we want the exercises to be pain-free. It is also important to give your thumb some rest between sets I like to usually do at least two minutes of rest And anywhere between 2 to 3 sets.

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🇨🇦 Pain or performance issues? Now accepting new patients in North York, Richmond Hill & Markham. Book in with us by using the link in bio.

11/10/2025

🚨Back Pain and Hip Flexors🚨

Did you know that “tight” hip flexors can cause low back pain? Your strongest hip flexor is called the psoas major, and this muscle extends from the front of your hip to the front of your lumbar vertebrae and discs. When this muscle is in contracture (which is a shortened muscle that limits range of motion, in this case hip extension or lumbar extension) it can force you to move in suboptimal ways... leading to stressing some tissues more than necessary and causing low back pain.

Here are some common symptoms of hip flexor related low back pain:
âś… Low back pain with crunches or ab workouts
âś… Low Back Pain when standing
âś… Low Back Pain when playing sports like basketball
âś… Low Back Pain when lying down on your back

If one or more of the above symptoms apply to you it might be worth your time to give your hip flexors some attention. Luckily contractures are easy to address, all you have to do is stretch! Stretching should be at a low intensity (4/10 or less), completed once or twice daily, and held for 2 minutes at a time. Swipe left to take a look at some of my favorites

🇨🇦Now with 4 locations across the GTA! Google us by typing “Rehab Hero” to find a location near you

11/06/2025

What is an OMP?

It’s a type of therapist that focuses on movement as a whole, not as individual components. Our bodies are complex systems, and incorporates multiple muscles and joints to create a single action. This is why it is important not to only understand individual areas like the knees, hips and shoulders, but to understand how they relate to the rest of our bodies.

And an osteopathic manual practitioner does just this (not to be confused with an “osteopath”). An OMP examines the body and uses muscle energy techniques like PIR/PNF to help the body move in ways that it’s not.

Jake has the unique experience of being a personal trainer as well. By understanding how the body moves from a pattern and strength & conditioning standpoint he can help you to move pain free.

Visit us in North York for your first session with a Manual Osteopath. Just go to Google and search up “Rehab Hero”.

Address

7181 Woodbine Avenue, Unit 111
Markham, ON
L3R1A3

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 10am - 7pm
Wednesday 10am - 7pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday 10am - 7pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+16479479491

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About Us

Rehab Hero is a clinic where you come as you are, and do your best. Our therapists offer both manual therapy and exercise programming aimed at helping you achieve your health goals.

At Rehab Hero all of our therapists have experience working as a personal trainer or strength coach. Taking principles from strengthening and conditioning, we combine our knowledge to create an effective treatment plan. We know that movement is best understood when experienced first hand.

We practice what we preach.

At Rehab Hero, we’re always expanding our services to meet the needs of our community. Currently some of the services available include: