Did you recently receive a letter from Manulife or Sunlife regarding changes to your osteopathy coverage? The following information applies to you:

If your extended health insurance plan includes osteopathy services (typically referred to as "osteopath benefit") then receipts from all of the Osteopathic Manual Practitioners at Ottawa Osteopathy & Sports Therapy will be accepted for reimbursement, according to your plan's policies.  All of our Osteopathic Manual Practitioners are members of the Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners (OAO).  In the province of Ontario, the OAO has the highest educational and professional requirements for membership, and as such it is recognized by all insurance companies offering coverage for osteopathy services.

How is Osteopathy regulated in Ontario? Do all osteopathic manual practitioners follow the same educational training?

Osteopathy is not regulated in the province of Ontario, so it is important to verify the professional training of the practitioner you are seeing. The Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners, (OAO), promotes the highest standard of osteopathic education and training, as well as the highest, safest standard of ethical, osteopathic practice in the province.

The OAO adheres to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) established minimum criteria for professional training to safely and effectively deliver osteopathic services. They are as follows:

• 4200 hours of professional training/education

• 1000 hours of supervised practice (included in 4200 hours)

At Ottawa Osteopathy & Sports Therapy, all of our osteopathic manual practitioners are members in good standing with the OAO and follow the WHO criteria.

Are all osteopathic manual practitioners the same?

No. Some osteopathic educational programs graduate their students with significantly less training than recommended by the WHO. As a result, they have a smaller set of treatment protocols and techniques but may still use the term osteopathy.

A prerequisite for entry into the osteopathy program recognized by the OAO is a degree in science (physiotherapy, athletic therapy, massage therapy, etc) or equivalent. The combined education of the degree in science and the professional diploma in osteopathy allows for a deeper understanding of pathophysiology (injury causes) and a larger number of manual therapy skills & treatment techniques.

All of our osteopathic manual practitioners possess both a prerequisite degree in science (physiotherapy, athletic therapy, etc.) and have completed the OAO-required osteopathic education, giving them the highest educational standards in the province of Ontario.


 Note: Osteopathic manual practitioners are not medical doctors. For any medical emergency please consult your physician or visit your nearest emergency room.

(For Physicians and Nurse Practitioners only)

As part of our commitment to providing the most up-to-date evidence-based spine assessments, we are once again offering this continuing education course to the sport medicine fellows completing the University of Ottawa Sport and Exercise Medicine Program. We are opening this up to local physicians in the sport medicine community, primary care physicians and nurse practitioners.

This course is being offered to create a greater understanding of effective spine assessments and best-practice treatment planning. While the focus is a sport medicine setting, the mechanical tests presented will apply to spinal conditions seen in the general population.

There is no fee for this course. This course may be submitted for non-certified Mainpro credits and this course is not sponsored by any pharmaceutical companies or affiliates.

Date:                                        

Friday, July 18^th, 2025: 12:00pm - 4:30pm

Location: 

1355 Bank St. Suite 402, Ottawa, ON K1H 8K7

Cost:                                         

There is no fee for this course. 

Presenter:

Richard Gregory, CAT(C), D.O.M.P., R.Kin
Certified Athletic Therapist, Osteopathic Manual Practitioner, Registered Kinesiologist. (Read more about the presenter here)

Course Description:

This hands-on presentation will review the relevant anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of spine conditions (including: disc degeneration, osseous foraminal/canal stenosis, acquired foraminal/canal stenosis, vertebral instability, spondylolisthesis/spondylolysis, intra-discal nerve ingrowth, end plate fracture, etc.) We will review pain types associated with each condition and identify key questions for the history taking. Visual and hands-on presentations will demonstrate the appropriate in-clinic special tests related to each pathology. Discussion of each test will include the relative specificity, reliability and validity as they pertain to the different spine pathologies. There will be time for group practice, questions and case studies. A digital copy of the presentation will be provided along with low cost, evidence-based resources for patient education.

There will be discussion of the limitation of supine conventional vs loaded functional MRI. Participants will learn evidence based assessment protocols to guide treatment planning with or without imaging.  

Course Objectives:

Give participants a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of mechanical back pain in sport.

Identify key questions to ask during the history taking.

Learn to quickly recognize dysfunctional spinal curves and movement patterns.

Formulate an index of suspicion/differential diagnosis in a short period of time.

Provide a range of management options for patients including evidence-based self-help books, clinic referral resources and in-person rehabilitation.

Reduce unnecessary imaging requests, emergency room visits, and use of the out-dated term “non-specific low back pain”.

This course registration is full. 

To be put on a wait list or attend this course in the future, please email .

About Our Clinic:

Ottawa Osteopathy & Sports Therapy is currently looking for a full-time registered massage therapist to join our growing and dedicated team. We're a fun group that's serious about evidence-based practice. We are looking for the right candidate to start as soon as possible. We currently have the demand for a full-time RMT practice load working along side five osteopathic manual practitioners, three physiotherapists and a kinesiologist.

Over the last 14 years, our clinic has built a well-respected reputation within the Ottawa community. We have established relationships with family practitioners, multi-practitioner medical clinics, sport medicine physicians, allied health care practitioners and have a very large referral base of over 12,000 patients.

The clinic staff are involved with educational programming with the University of Ottawa’s Sport and Exercise Medicine Program (teaching spine assessment in sport medicine and precepting for osteopathy and physiotherapy) and have spoken at provincial/national/international medical and allied health conferences. Additionally, our staff have been part of many Canadian medical teams in High Performance Sport for national and international events.

Working within a multidisciplinary treatment model, we encourage collateral learning from other practitioners and hold in-clinic, all-staff meetings to review recent research, manual therapy techniques and assessment protocols. Our practice provides quality, personalized services in the areas of injury prevention, treatment and improved performance in sport. A significant portion of our patients also consult for chronic pain, post-surgical rehabilitation and concussions among the usual orthopedic musculoskeletal conditions.

Our in-clinic and virtual services include physiotherapy, osteopathy, athletic therapy, massage therapy, kinesiology, running assessments/gait corrections, running injury prevention, pre-post-natal care, dance medicine and strength and conditioning.

What We Offer:

We offer a flexible schedule, a base salary package for out of town applicants, remuneration commensurate with skills and experience, an educational allowance, support and guidance for continuing education, and a rare opportunity to refine your manual skills. We have a well-established demand for massage therapy based on 10 years of high quality service and relationship building with referrers.

We have private treatment rooms, high quality adjustable tables, a rehabilitation gym, and a full service reception to handle scheduling, billing and provide administrative support. We have online booking and our clinic uses electronic medical records.

Our goal is to help you become the most effective therapist possible by guiding and supporting your professional growth. The successful candidate would be surrounded by experienced professionals with expertise in manual and manipulative therapies, movement assessment and exercise prescription.

The Ideal Candidate:

You have a passion for learning and enjoy helping patients live better lives. You are self-motivated, have the habit of educating patients and providing quality, personalized treatments. You have the ability to foster lasting relationships with patients and repeat referrers. You bring a positive attitude to work and respect your colleagues.

We require up-to-date registration with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario. Some experience working with  sport injuries would be ideal but is not required.

If you have questions about the position, feel free to get in touch. You can read more about our clinic at www.ottawaosteopath.com.

To apply, send your CV and cover letter to Richard Gregory at .

We look forward to hearing from you.

Starting and maintaining a gym routine can be tricky. Busy work weeks, vacations, and keeping up with the kids are just a few obstacles that often get in the way. If you are looking for some motivation or advise to start/stick to a gym routine, have a look below for some helpful tips so you don't lose sight of your fitness goals.

-Realize that the benefits of exercising go beyond weight loss and muscle building. That’s right! Working out can give you a stronger immune system, reduces chronic pain, strengthens bones, relieves constipation, prevents strokes, and since exercising releases endorphins it also improves our moods.

-Don’t get discouraged if you don’t notice results right away. It will take a few weeks or more to begin to notice changes in your body. This should motivate you to continue working out. Think of it this way: each workout is one step closer to your goal than the last workout, so keep it up!

-Can’t get to a gym? Join an online challenge. This option makes it easy to hold yourself accountable for sticking to your fitness routine because it involves inputting your progress into an app, your personal journal, or even social media. Most exercises in these challenges do not require going to a gym, so this is a great option if you are a busy parent or have a crazy work schedule preventing you to get out of the house when it comes time to work out. The challenges come with full body workout guides, pictures and videos. Another benefit is that minimal equipment is needed to complete the workouts, so you end up saving some cash. Another perk is that most challenges come with meal suggestions and recipes. So, while you’re losing weight, you’re gaining some great healthy recipes you can show your friends!

-Write it down. Each time you go to the gym, record it in your agenda. You can also pre-plan your workouts - you are less likely to skip your workout if you've already written it in your calendar. Once you’ve been doing this for a few weeks/months, it is very rewarding to look back to see how many times you’ve gone. This will motivate you to continue going regularly in the future!

- Don’t be intimidated by the regulars. Even they were new to the gym at some point in their lives, so focus on yourself and your goals instead of comparing yourself to others!

-Go straight from work instead of going home first. If you prefer to work out in the evening, it’s easy to leave work with the intention of going to the gym after dinner, but once you’re home and relaxing, it makes it difficult to find the motivation to turn off the TV and get to the gym. Instead, bring your gym bag with you to work and go straight to the gym. You will thank yourself that you got it over with and can spend the rest of the night relaxing.

-Make working out a top priority. There are 24 hours in the day, spend at least 1 of them doing a physical activity. Whether that be an intense cardio session, or a light flow class, your body will thank you for it later.

-Try new activities. Gyms have a wide variety of fitness classes to choose from to make your weekly gym routine fun and exciting. Not to mention, your body will benefit more if you change up your activities throughout the week instead of doing the same routine over and over. Why not try a weight lifting class on a Monday, a cycling class on a Wednesday, and a Pilates class on a Friday? Take a look at the classes that your gym offers and give them a try. You just may surprise yourself and be a Zumba pro!

-Sign up for a boot camp. Boot camps are great because they cost less than having a personal trainer, but you get similar benefits. Think of it as sharing a personal trainer with a small group of people. The classes are scheduled usually 3 X a week, which make it easier to hold yourself accountable for attending. This option is also perfect for beginners because once the camp is over, you can take what you learned in the camp and do those same activities in the gym, and you just may make a new gym buddy at the same time!

Getting started is always the hardest part, but after just a few weeks you will find that it begins to feel like a natural and enjoyable part of your day. Give these tips and tricks a try and don't feel discouraged if you don't succeed right away!