Patient & Client Reviews / Testimonials

I found this to be a very useful and beneficial program for my osteoarthritis in my knees. It's repetitions of five different exercises that I do twice a week and I have no more pain in my knees whatsoever. It's also good for hip exercise as well. I've really benefited from this program and find it easy to find time to do it and it is well worth it. Hopefully, I can avoid any knee surgery in the future.

Nadine's expertise helped me understand how I could reach my physical goals and maintain an active lifestyle of cycling, running, hiking and nordic skiing with practical, easy exercises that addressed weaknesses in my knees, glutes and hips. Nadine has a wealth of experience and expertise and has an exceptional skill in understanding proper form and technique. Initially my goal was to maintain my physical strength, but what I gained was more strength and also a mental awareness and confidence in my body's abilities. Nadine + GLAD = happy aging athlete!

OA kind of snuck up on me and suddenly a hip XRay indicated bone-on-bone. I was referred to a well-reputed surgeon and was seen for a very brief consult that did not involve even a physical exam - as a nurse, this was a red flag in my mind. My surgery was scheduled to take place a few months later. In the meantime, my wonderful family doctor referred me to Nadine to see what might be done to manage my symptoms (pain, weakness) in preparation for surgery. Once I started with GLAD, Nadine helped me get to a place where I regained significant ROM and pain was more easily managed as my muscles began to better support my movement. I felt so good that I decided to seek a 2nd opinion from another surgeon about my hip and then learned that it's a 12-month wait list just for the consult. I have no problem with the wait and am hopeful that I may be able to delay the surgery indefinitely as I continue to work with my body as learned through GLAD. Thanks Nadine!

I participated in the GLA:D program with Nadine last year for help with osteoarthritis in my right knee. I was impressed with her personal style and surprised by how effective the sessions proved to be. The combination of educational components and neuromuscular exercises delivered two valuable benefits.

First, they helped trigger a noticeable and sustainable improvement in my knee.

Second, they provided the tools for self-managing my arthritis. The biweekly in-class sessions helped me understand my condition and learn exercises specifically designed to avoid pain and improve mobility. Once the GLA:D program finished, it was easy to integrate the techniques into my daily exercise regimen. I've continued the routines at home using online resources and a few inexpensive pieces of equipment. I really appreciate having the tools I need to handle my arthritis on my own. Of course, there's no guarantee that my condition won't deteriorate over time. Yet even if that happens, the knowledge and techniques Nadine provided will still be very helpful in dealing with whatever medical or surgical treatments may become necessary.

Nadine is friendly, knowledgeable and professional in her approach. During the COVID pandemic, she provided very small classes in a safe environment. She focussed on each patient's particular needs and provided a solid foundation for self-managing osteoarthritis. I can highly recommend both her and the GLA:D program.

I had just returned home from a physio appointment with Wendy for my shoulder. It was getting cold outside, so I took a chair over to the cupboard where we keep the scarves and gloves. I made sure the chair was stable and climbed up on it to reach the boxes containing cold weather accessories. Just as I got onto the chair, I heard and felt an ominous click in my left leg. Oh, oh, not good!

So began my adventure with osteoarthritis. Not only did I have an abnormally torn lateral meniscus in the left knee, but it seemed there was a possible flipped fragment. All this found on an MRI.

For the next while, I continued with physio, hoping to get relief from the pain when walking up and down the three flights of stairs in our house. As well, sleep was interrupted as I couldn’t find a less painful position lying down.

It was suggested by both Wendy and Taylor that this knee problem would make me a good candidate for the GLA:D program. Luckily, I was fortunate to be able to join the next GLA:D program with Nadine. The first day of what would be a 6-week, twice a week class began in March 2021.

With the program notes and exercises sent to me prior to our first session, I realized that I would do anything to avoid surgery. Even my family doctor, when she got the results of the MRI, commented that I probably was going to have to have a knee replacement. When I said, “absolutely not” and explained the GLA:D program to her, she was intrigued and supported my decision to follow this program.

I remember the very first session. I could not believe how much I couldn’t do. Getting up from a chair was not easy or painless. Even doing the step-up exercise was not fun.

Today marks the end of Week 19 and I can go up and down stairs with ease and with NO PAIN. My sleep is uninterrupted. I can even run (truthfully more like a very fast walk) across an intersection when the no walking light starts to flash.

Bike riding for 3-1/2 hours one day, not only was my husband amazed at my pace, but I was very happy that this would be something we could do together.

As a 67-year-old, I have been so pleased with the results. Whenever a friend mentions that he or she may need a knee replacement, I am quick to tell them about the GLA:D program. One friend is on the waiting list for knee surgery. While she is waiting, she can improve her mobility by doing these very simple exercises twice a week.

This is a “forever” program. If I can avoid surgery – super. Even if the osteo gets worse and surgery appears to be the last resort and perhaps necessary, I am committed to this program.

Above all, to the amazing physios at Form Physiotherapy (particularly Nadine), thank you so much for getting me into this program. It works!

When I began the GLAD program with Nadine, I could barely walk a block and stairs had become a formidable barrier. I needed to lose weight and moving so little made that objective much more difficult.

I am 77 and could not do as many repetitions as my more active classmates, but after a couple weeks, I could feel more fluidity in my knee joint and much less pain. In fact, most days now I do not need any pain medication. That is a big change - I was taking tylenol for arthritis every 8 hours.

The exercises are simple - and most can be continued at home - but having Nadine watching and making suggestions has been very important.

GLAD makes one feel that there is a way to control and manage OA. We do not need to be passive recipients of the discomfort.

In 2019 I became a client of Nadine’s after my family physician referred me to her for unresolved shoulder pain from a car accident. During the course of my shoulder treatment we got talking about other parts of my body that needed treatment. I have had surgeries on both knees for various issues and was told that knee replacement surgery would be in my future. I definitely wanted to avoid that! Nadine informed me about the GLA:D program and she suggested that I research the program, which I did. There was a GLA:D class that started in January 2020 and I join it.

The class size was kept small and it was very educational and fun. I learned a lot about pain and pain management. It was part of the program to be aware of which exercises caused pain, how long it lasted and what was the level of pain. Adjustments to the exercises could be made if necessary to keep the pain at a workable level. But we still had to do the work! Nadine has a wealth of knowledge and experience. She kept the classes engaging and informative. We learned about osteoarthritis and how to improve and maintain joint stability by doing the exercises on a regular basis. It is important to follow through with the program to build neuromuscular memory for proper joint alignment and stability. While I know this, I am not very regular in my current structured exercise program...

I have been able to maintain a regular program of walking approximately 5-6 km per day. I have been able to loose weight to lessen the load on my joints, which is extremely important. I am much more aware of my alignment when ascending and descending stairs and carrying objects.

The help and knowledge that I received from Nadine has changed my life for the better. I am able to participate in regular physical activity. I feel better and am currently living without hip or knee pain.

Thank you Nadine for your expertise and ability to deliver an excellent program.

In early 2020 I enrolled in a specialized physiotherapy program designed to help manage and improve the symptoms of knee and hip osteoarthritis. I’m a somewhat active woman in her late 40's, so I was surprised to hear the word "osteoarthritis" and "your knee" used in the same breath. Although I’m a health care worker I’d always associated OA to be something that "older people" suffered from, so was surprised to meet another woman in the class about the same age as myself.

Nadine deliberately keeps the class sizes small - even before COVID - which enables her to spend a good amount of time with each participant. The exercises, while not arduous, do become monotonous by the time you get half way through the 6 week program, however it was within the repetition that I gradually noticed an improvement in my knee pain. I gradually found that my balance improved, that I was able to walk both up and down stairs with minimal discomfort; I no longer had to haul myself up off the seat on the bus, and I could lower myself onto a seat without discomfort!!

All these changes came gradually over the course of several weeks, and while I did have set backs I learned that they could be temporary and was given the tools to help reduce the length and severity of a flare up.

It's been a few months now since I completed the series of classes, and while I've not been diligent in continuing with the "maintenance" exercises, I know how to manage my knee pain better now. If anything, writing this review has reminded me of just how far I've come, and how its probably time to stop slacking off!!

I’m sure Nadine agrees :)