Golf may look smooth and effortless, but it places unique physical demands on the body. A powerful and consistent swing requires a combination of mobility, strength, and control—particularly through the hips, spine, shoulders, and core. When one of these areas is restricted, the body often compensates, which can lead to decreased performance and, in some cases, discomfort or injury.

This is where Athletic Therapy plays an important role.

Why Consider a Golf Assessment?

Athletic Therapy focuses on understanding how your body moves and identifying any physical limitations that may be affecting your swing. A golf assessment is designed to help you move more efficiently, improve power, and reduce your risk of injury throughout the season.

At ProActive Athletic Therapy, our golf assessments focus on three key areas:

Mobility
Restrictions in mobility can limit your ability to rotate properly during your swing. Identifying these limitations helps address the root cause of compensations.

Swing Mechanics
Analyzing how your body moves during your swing can reveal patterns that may be impacting both performance and consistency.

Strength & Stability
A strong and stable core, along with proper muscular support, is essential for generating power and maintaining control throughout your swing.

A Personalized Approach to Better Golf

Following the assessment, you’ll receive a personalized plan tailored to your specific needs. This may include targeted mobility work, strength exercises, and movement strategies designed to improve how your body performs during your swing.

The goal is simple: help you move better, swing more efficiently, and support your body so you can play your best golf—consistently and pain-free.

Get Ready for the Season

Whether your goal is to increase distance, improve consistency, or simply stay pain-free on the course, a golf assessment can be a valuable step in your preparation.

With the season approaching, now is the perfect time to book a golf assessment and set yourself up for a strong start on the course.

This recognition is an incredible honour for our team and a meaningful milestone for our clinic. Since day one, our focus has been on providing high-quality, personalized care to help our clients move better, feel stronger, and get back to doing what they love. Being acknowledged in this way reinforces the passion we bring to our work every day.

What Are the Canada’s Choice Awards?

The Canada’s Choice Awards recognize outstanding local businesses across the country based on community trust, reputation, and overall excellence. Winners are selected through a combination of public nominations and independent research, highlighting organizations that consistently deliver high-quality service and make a meaningful impact in their communities.

Being named a Canada’s Choice Award winner reflects our ongoing commitment to exceptional care—and the trust our Carleton Place community continues to place in us.

A Heartfelt Thank You

We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of our community. This recognition would not be possible without the trust of our patients and the encouragement of those who believe in what we do.

We are equally proud of our dedicated team, whose passion, expertise, and commitment to exceptional care set the standard every single day. Their hard work and genuine care for every client are what make ProActive Athletic Therapy what it is today.

This award belongs to all of you, and we are truly honoured to serve the Carleton Place and Lanark County community.

Looking Ahead

While we’re proud of this achievement, we see it as motivation to keep growing and improving. We remain committed to delivering the highest standard of care and continuing to support our clients in reaching their health and performance goals.

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news — ProActive Athletic Therapy has been recognized in four categories in this year’s CommunityVotes Ottawa campaign!

What is CommunityVotes?

Since 2014, CommunityVotes has been the leading community-driven awards platform, giving people the chance to highlight and celebrate the businesses and professionals who make daily life better. With thousands of nominations and votes submitted every year, it’s a true reflection of the community’s voice.

In 2025, over 4,375 businesses and individuals were nominated, with only the top selections moving forward to final voting. The competition was tough, and we’re incredibly proud of how ProActive shined!

Our Awards

Thanks to your votes and support, we’re honored to have placed in four categories:

🥇 Gold – Holistic Wellness
🥈 Silver – Massages
🏆 Top Pick – Physiotherapists and Rehab Clinics
🥇 Gold – Yoga and Meditation

These categories represent the heart of what we do: helping people move better, feel better, and live healthier lives.

A Heartfelt Thank You 💙

This recognition wouldn’t be possible without our amazing community. Every nomination, every vote, and every kind word of support means the world to us. These awards are not just a reflection of our team’s hard work, but also of the trust and connection we share with you — our clients, athletes, families, and friends.

We’re more motivated than ever to continue bringing top-quality care, innovative rehabilitation, and holistic wellness services to Carleton Place, Ottawa, and beyond.

✨ Here’s to another year of health, movement, and community!

We’re excited to announce that ProActive Athletic Therapy (PAT) is continuing its longstanding partnership with the Carleton Place Jr A Canadians, marking our third consecutive year as the official injury rehabilitation clinic for the team. This ongoing collaboration has been vital in supporting the health, safety, and performance of the Canadians’ players, and we’re honored to be part of their journey for another season.

Strengthening the Health of Our Community’s Athletes

For us at ProActive Athletic Therapy, this partnership is about more than just injury care—it’s about a shared commitment to our community’s well-being. “At PAT, we’re passionate about helping people get back to doing what they love safely and efficiently,” says owner and CEO Valerie Beaulieu. “Working with the Jr A Canadians over the past few years has shown just how impactful dedicated support can be for young athletes.” The Canadians’ Owner and Head Coach, Brent Sullivan, is equally enthusiastic about the partnership’s impact. “Our relationship with PAT has been instrumental in keeping our players resilient on and off the ice,” he says. “Knowing our players are in good hands with Valerie and her team allows us to focus on developing them into the best athletes they can be.”

About ProActive Athletic Therapy

PAT, based in Carleton Place, is Lanark County’s only Athletic Therapy clinic and has been serving the community since 2013. We specialize in treating a range of musculoskeletal and concussion-related conditions, from sports injuries to chronic issues, with a focus on fast and safe recovery through the Sports Medicine Model. Our experienced Athletic Therapists use manual therapies, exercise prescription, and various rehabilitation techniques to help athletes of all levels get back to peak performance.

About the Carleton Place Jr A Canadians

As a key part of the Carleton Place community, the Jr A Canadians have been competing in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) since 2009 and are well known for developing players who go on to the NCAA, USports, and even the NHL. This year, we’re excited to continue helping them foster health and resilience on their path to success.

We look forward to another season of collaboration and supporting these dedicated players in staying healthy, safe, and ready to compete!

Entering the Final Lap of My Athletic Training Doctorate Journey at FIU
“As we step into 2024, I’m thrilled to share the latest on my pursuit of a Doctor of Athletic Training degree at Florida International University (FIU). But first, what’s a DAT? It’s a Doctor of Athletic Training degree, equipping therapists and trainers with know-how for various roles, from academics to entrepreneurship to global leadership.

Athletic therapy in Canada is gaining ground, recognized as a go-to option for therapy and reconditioning. The Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA), the Ontario Athletic Therapists Association (OATA), and the World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy (WFATT) all have plans for advocacy of athletic therapy/training. My DAT journey aligns with these efforts, especially my capstone project, “Advocacy of Athletic Therapy in Canada,” aiming to complement and amplify advocacy plans.

Residency Events: Where Theory Meets Practice
Residency events at FIU have been the cornerstone of my education, allowing me to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Imagine three days of seminars, presentations, and workshops filled with discussions that broaden and challenge knowledge. The theme for January 2024? Learning and Strategies.

In any healthcare field, practitioners must keep up with the newest research and material to best assist their clients. But it’s not just about practitioners staying updated; it’s also about learning new strategies for client success! Using hindsight, insight, and foresight (contextual intelligence) can help one to navigate through complexity and conquer critical thinking and decision-making.

Having an athletic therapist who can help you understand your injury, create a positive rehab space, and suggest the best exercises for you (AND explain them!) can get you back better than ever. 

As I look ahead to the end of 2024, my capstone project defense is on the horizon. The adventure continues, promising more exploration, learning, and contributions to the vibrant world of athletic training and therapy and how I can best help YOU!”

Stephanie Lowther

Certified Athletic Therapist, Doctor of Athletic Training (Student)

You can see now why she is such a valuable asset to our team and why her clients trust her so much.

Foam rolling is a method of self-myofascial release, more commonly known as self-massage. It uses the pressure of your body weight on foam applied to certain body areas to relieve muscle pain, tightness, and address trigger points within the musculoskeletal system. The most common muscle areas for which foam rolling is used include the Iliotibial (IT) band, quadriceps (front thigh), gluteals (buttocks), and calves. However, it can be used on most muscle areas of the body.

Benefits Of Foam Rolling:

• Relieves muscle tension (neuromuscular hypertonicity) and pain.
• Breaks up fibrous tissue.
• Boosts circulation (increases blood flow) so you’re less sore.
• Increase flexibility.
• Can help prevent injury by loosening muscles and preparing them for workouts.
• May help reduce inflammation, scar tissue, and joint stress.
• May help correct muscle imbalance.
• Improve range of motion.

How To Best Use A Foam Roller

• Can be done before or after a workout or as a session on their own.
• It is best to perform foam roller exercises once your muscles are warm. You should do a quick five-minute warm-up if you are rolling out right before a training session.
• As you roll, take deep, slow breaths to help your muscles relax.
• Use your body weight and the foam roller to apply pressure to the specific muscle or muscle group.
• Support all exercises by keeping your abdominal and core muscles firm to maintain stability.
• Keep your head and neck in line with your back at all times to avoid placing stress on your spine.
• All movements should be done slowly and under control.
• Perform the rolling movement for about 30 seconds and roll about 1 inch per second.
• Pausing over tender or painful areas for 20-30 seconds will help release knots in muscles and reduce muscle stiffness and soreness.

What To Caution For:

• Never foam roll a joint or a bone
• Give the area at least 24-48 hours of recovery between rolling sessions to allow for proper recovery. Beginners should leave more time between sessions.
• Stretch after rolling

If you have any questions about foam rolling, don’t hesitate to contact one of our Athletic Therapists for guidance. If you are interested in trying foam rolling, you can purchase a foam roller at our clinic.

Yours in health,

Valerie

There are wide-ranging opinions and controversies on the pros and cons of flip-flops for foot health. With that comes many healthcare professionals that have strong views on this universal warm-weather footwear. But, before I jump into that and give you advice, it is very important you understand how your feet are meant to function and how injuries occur.

Each of your feet has 7,000 nerve endings, 28 bones, 30 joints, and more than 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons. These adaptable tissues work greatly together to give you stability, balance, grip, and strength, and serve as shock absorbers as we walk, propelling us forward and in other directions. The foot MUST be flexible and strong to ADAPT to uneven surfaces and remain stable.

How Does Foot Injuries Occur

Most injuries occur when there is too much mechanical stress applied on your tissues, bones, and cartilage too fast. A couple of examples are, starting a new activity for the first time and going “all out” at your full potential in a short amount of time, making a sudden radical change with your exercise routine, or the type of shoes you wear exercising or walking daily (ie: going from flat to high heel shoes).

As Canadians, we live in a seasonal climate where many people tend to develop more of a sedentary lifestyle and wear boots daily throughout the winter. Over time, this creates our feet to become less mobile, weaker, and less stable from being “over-protected”. When you suddenly start wearing flip-flops during the spring season after wearing closed, heavy, and clunky shoes or boots all winter, you are at a higher risk of developing foot injuries. UNLESS you have prepared your feet adequately by “loading” and applying some amount of mechanical stress to your foot tissues and joints. This is my most important foot injury prevention advice that you must leave with today.

Prepare for Flip-Flop Season

To increase your foot muscles’ strength, mobility, and stability, you need to apply minimal load frequently so that your foot structures can adapt to the stress and increase their tolerance. Here are some simple but very important examples of how you can prepare your feet:

1. Walking bare feet at home

• If you are used to walking with slippers or shoes in your home, start this transition gradually for about 5-10 minutes/day by increasing a couple of minutes per day.

2. Plantar muscles strengthening exercise

• Arch Intrinsic Muscles:
  • Stand barefoot holding on to the wall and lifting the inside of one foot (inversion).
  • Lower the big toe while keeping the arch supported and contracted. Keep the weight on your big toe’s joint while holding your small toes up. Hold 10 sec, relax, and repeat 10 X a day. Alternate with the other foot.

3. Toe Dissociation Exercise:

• Sit in a chair barefoot. With one foot, lift the big toe up and push the other four toes into the ground. Next, push your big toe down and lift and splay the other 4 toes off the ground.
• Repeat cycle 10 X/day and with the other foot.

4. Calf and foot stretching:

• Standing Calf Stretching: Stand and place both hands on a wall, with your feet about half a meter from the wall. Place one leg behind the other and lean your body forward without bending the back knee until you feel a stretch in your back calf. Hold 45 secs and alternate legs.
• Foot stretching: Sitting or standing, place a ball (Lacrosse, tennis, or frozen water bottle) under your foot, and roll the ball up and down and side to side to release the plantar fascia. Do this daily.

Now that you have the right exercises to strengthen your feet, let’s get back to the question “Are flip-flops bad for your feet?” My professional opinion on this topic is that it’s not about the footwear per se, but about whether or not your feet are ready for them. There are no scientific studies showing any evidence of the correlation between foot health and flip-flop footwear. I personally love wearing flip-flops, and I wear them a lot in the summer. But strengthening my feet, and walking barefoot at home, has allowed the structures of my feet to adapt and withstand the mechanical stresses I put them through.

We are all born with different bodies and foot shapes. There are no shapes better than others. Take good care of them and they will take care of you! 😉

If you have any questions, need help with any foot problems you may have, or simply need more guidance with getting ready for flip-flop season, please reach out. My team and I are always here for you!

You may be wondering how this is possible when you clearly injured a body part, such as a sprained ankle, fractured bone, or torn muscle. When there is a structural injury, your brain sends you the “pain message” to let you know that something got damaged in your body. However, your brain may continue creating pain long after your body has healed. This is when it reflects what’s going on in your body (biological), your mind (thoughts and emotions), and your social and environmental context.

Let’s BUST a few of the most common MYTHS about medical imaging.

MYTH 1: Medical imaging, like an MRI, is very good at pinpointing the cause of your pain.

• So many studies have shown that this is simply not true. While medical imaging is very good at ruling out disease pathology, like tumors, it’s NOT good at predicting, explaining, or treating pain conditions.

MYTH 2: If something abnormal shows up in the imaging, that has to be what’s causing your pain.

• We get wrinkles on the inside, which is all part of the normal aging process. The problem is, we give it nasty names, such as bulging disc, disc degenerative disease, or torn rotator cuff for example.
• Clinical studies have shown that plenty of people with “abnormal” MRI results experience no pain at all, and plenty of people with severe pain have totally normal MRIs.
• In other words, there is no correlation at all between chronic pain symptoms and the non-malignant abnormalities seen on an MRI.

MYTH 3: If you see something abnormal, you have to treat it, fix it, or you’ll never get out of pain.

• This myth can cause a lot of frustration for people in pain. However, it can cause a lot of unnecessary surgeries or physical interventions trying to treat an issue that might not actually be causing any problems.

On the bright side, this new paradigm shift gives us the freedom of knowing that the pain isn’t necessarily caused by what we think is out of our control, such as our normal age-related wrinkles inside our bodies. In my opinion, this can be such an empowering shift for not only our medical system but for all of us as human beings.

Now that we know where the pain is produced and processed, our nervous system and our brain MUST be included in our injury/pain recovery process if the pain has become chronic. It makes no sense to simply address our structural body.

There are many musculoskeletal pain disorders that are in fact related to stress or caused by suppressed emotions (Concept researched and discovered by Dr. John Sarno). This gives us a much wider range of effective non-invasive options to pain recovery, such as paying attention to our own mindset, our emotions, and our belief system.

Do you have persistent physical symptoms or pain, such as low back or neck pain, ongoing headaches or migraines, unresolved frozen shoulder, or unexplained joint pain? If you do, and you’ve gone through the medical system to rule out serious illnesses and tried all types of physical therapies and modalities with little to no results, it may be a stress-related problem. In other words, learning how to manage your pain by shifting your mindset through self-awareness, and regulating your nervous system might be just what you need.

If you are curious to learn more about the importance of mind-body connection and want to know how it can help your persistent pain, let’s chat.

Email me at valeriemindbodycoach@gmail.com to set up your FREE consultation call with me. 🙂

Yours in Health,

Valerie

• Joint pain/stiffness
• Loss of joint range of motion/flexibility
• Swelling/inflammation
• Muscle weakness
• Joint instability

This condition usually affects the weight-bearing joints, like knees, hips, feet, and the spine.

Allow me to clarify the 2 most common misconceptions about this chronic degenerative joint disease. OA is NOT caused by the joints wearing out, and it is certainly NOT something that occurs with age. In fact, there are combinations of certain risk factors that may increase the development of OA:

• Sedentary lifestyles
• Obesity
• Joint injury

Contrary to what some people think, physical activities such as strengthening, running, biking, and/or playing tennis, DO NOT wear and tear joints! In fact, adopting a daily active lifestyle in combination with making daily healthy food choices, and maintaining a healthy body weight WILL reduce your risk of developing osteoarthritis!

So, my questions to you are; what do you do when your joints feel like they need a can of lubricated “Jig-A-Loo”? Do you blame your age, your grandparents, or your job? What lifestyle choices are you making?

No matter what your answer is, Athletic Therapists can help! We understand that pain and physical limitations can feel frustrating and discouraging.

Getting you back into the activities you love with minimal to no pain with optimal function is what Athletic Therapists specialize in! Athletic Therapy reconnects you with motion and your ambition with results.

Get one of our experts to help you today!

Yours in Health,

Valerie

1. Not enough time
2. Lack of energy
3. Lack of self-motivation

Overcoming Barriers:

Here are some suggestions on how to overcome those barriers:

Lack of time:

1. Monitor your daily activities for one week. Identify at least three 20-30 minute time slots you could use for physical activity (ie: walk, ride your bike, go to your local gym or pool, do yoga, stretch, learn a new sport, etc).
2. Schedule your physical activity in your calendar and make it NON-NEGOTIABLE. Organise your work, kids’ schedules, and appointments around your physical activity.

2) & 3) Lack of Energy and Self-Motivation:

Two main causes of lack of energy and self-motivation:

• Inactivity: Physical inactivity contributes to the depletion of two hormones, serotonin, and dopamine, that help naturally regulate your mood and energy! So if you want to increase your energy level, I encourage you to push yourself out of your comfort zone and get moving. I promise you, you will feel so much more energized!
• Your mind: One of the coolest things about being a human is your ability to generate emotional energy with your mind. When you “think” about the goals you want and the things you want to do with your life, you can generate motivation, excitement, and discipline. Make sure that your thoughts about physical activity are creating emotions that will drive your actions to overcome your barriers and create the results you want.

We all know that adopting an active lifestyle is the golden ticket to improving your overall physical and emotional health. Make yourself a priority by creating time for yourself. Self-care isn’t selfish!

Notice what your thoughts are when you think about physical activity. Are they negative, judgemental, or self-loathing? Do they serve you? Be curious about them.

Here are some examples of thoughts you can use that can help create motivation and discipline: “I can do anything”, “There’s no perfect time”, “Everybody starts somewhere”, “One step at a time”, “ “Someday” is today”, “I deserve self-care”.

Have a great day my friends and remember….

Your body can do it. It’s just time to convince your mind 🙂

If you want guidance to get you started, we are here to help. Book with any of our ATs and they will be happy to get you started.

Yours in Health,

Valerie