Rehab. Differently.
Generational Women's Health For Every Stage Of Womanhood
Rehabilitation at CONNECT is all about more.
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More one-on-one time with your clinician.
More listening to your concerns, your goals, and your needs.
Helping you create more clarity around your diagnosis and your treatment plan so that you know how you're going to get where you want to go.
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We're helping you get more out of life, one step at a time.
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy | Prenatal Care & Birth Preparation | Postpartum Care & Classes | Perimenopause | Menopause | Barbells4Bones
The CONNECT Difference
It's Time To Change The Way We Think About Healthcare
You're more than a patient, you're a person with a life, with a family, with friends, with things that you love to do and things that you would love to do in the future. 50% of women leave their sport or physical activity of choice due to pelvic floor symptoms, 30-50% of women will experience pelvic floor dysfunction in their lifetime. Combine that with losing muscle mass starting at age 31 and it's no wonder women have lower health-related quality of life.
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We're here to raise the standard of women's health care, here are the promises we make to you:
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We promise to always treat the whole person, because you're way more than just a pelvic floor.
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We promise to take a lifelong approach, because it's not enough to only treat the concerns in front of us and then send you on your way, we will support you in building long-term success to improve and maintain your quality of life forever, we don't give out bandaid solutions.
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We will be your go-to people, we will be in your corner no matter what life throws at you, quarterbacking your health, helping you understand what's going on, and connecting you with the resources you need to live well.
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We promise not to stop at "just." When you first come in and say "If I could just get up off the toilet," we know that your "just" used to be "If I could just get back to walking," "If I could just get back to hiking," and "If I could just get back to running" because over time you've had to compromise with your health. We're done compromising, it's time to get back to living.
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Welcome to CONNECT, let us show you how we put HEALTH back into healthcare.
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CONNECT | Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
What Is Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy is a specialty designation under the physiotherapy scope of practice that includes internal vaginal and/or rectal assessment of the pelvic floor muscles in addition to assessment of the back, hip, and core to determine the root cause of your symptoms.
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​At CONNECT, we believe that the secret to more effective treatment of the pelvic floor is movement, and in our approach all roads lead to exercise that improves your symptoms and gets you back to living the life you love.
Who Needs Pelvic Physiotherapy
Pelvic floor physiotherapy is not just for those who’ve been pregnant and had babies. Women of all ages deal with pelvic health concerns from urinary incontinence to persistent low back or hip pain that can impact their participation in physical activity and enjoyment of life.
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Pelvic floor physiotherapy isn’t just about the pelvis. It’s about how those muscles make up one part of the whole core unit, and how that core unit can affect the entire body. It takes a closer look at how the pelvic floor may contribute to your symptoms and includes a holistic full-body approach to help address your concerns.
Common Conditions We Treat
Women attend pelvic floor physiotherapy for a variety of reasons including urinary or fecal incontinence (leaking of pee or poop), pelvic pressure, pain or heaviness, pelvic organ prolapse, painful sex, tailbone pain, constipation, endometriosis, and perimenopause- and menopause-related changes, to name a few.
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If you're not sure if pelvic floor physiotherapy is for you, click the link below to talk to a member of our team and they can connect you with the best therapist for your needs.
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CONNECT | Prenatal Care
Do I Need Prenatal Care?
We recommend that every woman who is pregnant attend prenatal physiotherapy, even if her pregnancy is uncomplicated.
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Prenatal physiotherapy, even in an uncomplicated pregnancy, allows us to establish birth preferences, learn and practice how to push, review techniques that can be used to reduce tearing during delivery, go over techniques that your partner can use to help you with pain, and you can learn about potential interventions you might see in inductions.
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Prenatal physiotherapy can ensure you and your partner know what to expect during your labour and delivery and can help create a better birth experience.
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Not sold yet? Reach out to our team below and we'd be happy to answer any questions.
When Should I Book Prenatal Care?
In an uncomplicated pregnancy, we find our moms feel the most prepared if they attend the Birth Essentials workshop in the third trimester, and have 2 1-on-1 appointments with our pelvic floor physiotherapist to practice pushing, positioning, partner support techniques and perineal stretching. We recommend booking these appointments as far in advance as you can due to schedule availability.
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If you have symptoms that have developed in pregnancy, like pelvic pain, hip or back pain, leaking, or you're simply looking for ways to stay active during your pregnancy (yay!), we recommend you book right away.
Birth Essentials: Pelvic Floor Preparation For Labour
Birth Essentials is our 2-night workshop for you and your partner to learn everything you need to know about labour and delivery.
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Does your due date matter? How can I advocate for myself if something goes wrong? How can I manage my labour pain? When do I go to the hospital? What is this going to feel like? What can my partner do to help me? What's an induction and do I need one? Do I have to deliver on my back? Is there anything for pain other than an epidural? How can I avoid perineal tearing?
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If any of these questions sound familiar, Birth Essentials is probably for you! Click the link below to find our next available dates, we recommend attending in your third trimester, ideally at least 3 weeks before your due date.
CONNECT | Postpartum Care
Do I Need Postpartum Care?
Postpartum care is for anyone who has had a baby, whether it was a vaginal delivery or a c-section, complicated or uncomplicated.
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Incredible load is placed on the pelvis and pelvic floor during labor and delivery, and postpartum care is a proactive way to address this by assessing abdominal separation, pelvic floor muscle strength and/or injury, healing of incisions or tears, and looking for early signs of pelvic organ prolapse.
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Postpartum care starts the rehabilitation process after birth, and focuses on setting you on the path back to physical activity after baby.
Postpartum Philosophy At CONNECT
At CONNECT, we know that motherhood is an incredibly important transition that sets the tone for the next several decades of your life (whether you realize it or not): either we work toward rehabbing from birth and establish strong exercise habits as we advance so you're even stronger than you were before, or we don't.
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When we don't rehab and don't establish strong exercise habits, motherhood is the point at which women start losing clinically significant amounts of muscle mass, and this is bad, on basically every level.
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Our goal is to support moms and help them find physical activity that they enjoy for the long term during one of the busiest, most challenging transitions of their lives through 1-on-1 postpartum care and tailored group classes in a safe, welcoming and fun environment.
Postpartum Pathway At CONNECT
Our postpartum care starts with a free, 30-minute virtual check-in with your pelvic floor therapist, approximately 2 weeks after your due date where we go over your delivery, any symptoms or concerns you're having, and provide you with a few simple exercises to start finding your core again.
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At approximately 6-weeks after your due date, we have our first in-person session where we check for ab separation, pelvic floor strength and healing, and pelvic organ prolapse.
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Any time after 6-weeks postpartum you're eligible to start our #NewMomStrong program to begin postpartum exercise.
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We frequently book these appointments in advance based on your due date in order to ensure schedule avaiability
#NewMomStrong
Our Level 1 mom & baby group rehab class, #NewMomStrong is eligible for coverage under extended health benefits as a part of your physiotherapy treatment plan.
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Join 4-6 other moms in this 6-week series where you'll rebuild your breath, core, and pelvic floor, and progress towards functional strengthening exercises and impact, all in a fun environment (and a room full of babies!)
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If you're currently pregnant and know you'd like to join #NewMomStrong, we'd love to add you to our waitlist early so we can ensure we have enough classes on the schedule
#NewMomStrong2.0
Graduates of #NewMomStrong are welcome and encouraged to join our advanced mom & baby class where they will continue to build strength, add impact, and ultimately keep working towards their health and fitness goals.
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This program is designed to help you fall in love with fitness, and find a group of likeminded, supportive women to do it with. We want you to leave with a few more muscles, and a whole bunch of new friends!
CONNECT | Perimenopause
What Is Perimenopause?
Hot flashes, insomnia, menstrual changes, abdominal weight gain, new joint pain, mood swings, forgetfulness, hair and teeth changes, increasing cholesterol, and new or worsening pelvic symptoms (and that's not even an exhaustive list!), all for no reason at all. Sound familiar?
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Perimenopause marks the beginning of our transition into menopause, and can start anywhere from 2 - 10 years before that final menstrual period. Left unchecked, perimenopause can contribute to muscle and bone loss, and joint changes related to inflammation.
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Hormones are *finally* getting their moment, and you deserve a physiotherapist who knows how to take this into account in your treatment plan. A physiotherapist with an active approach to treatment is a must-have on your healthcare team.
Perimenopause At CONNECT
At CONNECT, perimenopause assessment gets a birds-eye-view of the whole picture: physical health, hormones, and lifestyle factors. We completed our physiotherapy assessment to address your concerns and can advocate for hormonal support with the rest of your healthcare team when it seems like a driver of your symptoms. Finally, we focus on filling your wellness bucket by managing your unique lifestyle factors to improve overall health.
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For women in their late 30's to 40's conditions we commonly see and approach with a perimenopause lense include: pelvic conditions (leaking, painful intercourse, pelvic pain or prolapse), frozen shoulder, osteoarthritis, new joint and muscle pain with no known origin, hip pain, and more.​
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Find Your Strength In Perimenopause
At CONNECT, all roads lead to resistance training in perimenopause because it's the #1 way to improve your whole life, from preventing disease to improving quality of life, and we believe it's way more fun to do it with friends.
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Find Your Strength in Perimenopause is a twice-weekly pre-registered drop-in class that's focused on building strength with resistance training, and building muscular strength and endurance with conditioning workouts. Every class features a warm-up, strength session and finishes off with a faster-paced workout of the day.
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Classes run Mondays and Thursdays at 5pm with limited spots available, registering ahead of time is highly recommended
CONNECT | Menopause
What Is Menopause?
Did you know the loss of estrogen in menopause is associated with joint pain, muscle pain, and conditions like frozen shoulder? And that's on top of the loss of bone and muscle mass, and genitourinary symptoms that are already widely known.
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1 in 10 women will leave the workforce due to menopause symptoms, 63% of women report that menopause affects their ability to work, 50% of women will have an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime, women tend to lose at least 10% of their muscle mass in the menopause transition, and that loss of muscle mass is associated with a 60% increased risk of dementia, and significant declines in quality of life and function.
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Women are living longer than men in poorer health, with more frequent hospital and long-term care admissions. Isn't it time we did something about it?
Building Better Menopause
Whether it's new or worsening pelvic floor symptoms, joint or muscle pain, newly diagnosed osteoporosis or osteopenia, or you're noticing that you're having difficulty with things like getting up off the floor, getting up from the toilet, or going up the stairs, we're committed to building better quality of life in menopause.
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Our physiotherapists take an active approach to your care, focusing on gaining range of motion and strength that actually translates into meaningful improvements in your function - no more thin theraband or 2lbs weights.
Barbells4Bones
Barbells4Bones is a revolutionary class where women in menopause lift heavy weights and participate in circuit training to build muscle and bone density and, more importantly, they build confidence and the ability to participate in all of the activities they love.
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Not sure? Just ask the women who are downhill and cross country skiing, riding horses, taking hiking and biking vacations, and living full and independent lives with the strength they've built in this class.
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​Barbells4Bones is more than an exercise class, it's an investment in your health, your independence, and your future.
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Barbells4Bones may be eligible for coverage under extended health benefits.
Barbells4Bones
Our regular Barbells4Bones classes contain a warm up, strength session, and a faster-paced conditioning session to finish off class. Each class is 60-minutes and is lead by a regulated health professional (either a physiotherapist or a kinesiologist, in the case of our Monday classes).
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Every class is tailored to meet the individual needs of the athletes, and takes into account injuries, mobility restrictions, and your own areas of strength and weakness.
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Current class times are:
Monday at 9am, 10am and 11am
Tuesday at 10am and 11am
Thursday at 10am
Friday at 10am and 11am
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Several of our classes are currently waitlisted, contact us to join
Barbells4Bones: Introductory Series
Our 6-week Introductory Series is an opportunity for those who are new to fitness to learn the movements we use in Barbells4Bones, find modifications that work for you, and to gradually increase your fitness so that you're ready to join regular classes.
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This class runs on Mondays at 12pm
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Click the link below to request to join the waitlist for our next Introductory Series
Barbells4Bones: Slow N' Steady
Our Slow N' Steady class is the newest addition to the Barbells4Bones line up. Slow N' Steady is for women with greater mobility restriction, concerns with balance, or who want a smaller, slower paced class to start.
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Lead by a physiotherapist, the Slow N' Steady group has a bigger focus on balance, building functional strength in safe and controlled movements, and ultimately increasing independence in daily tasks.