Grant Hutchings MScPT, CMP, GunnIMS
Registered Physiotherapist
What inspired you to choose physiotherapy as your mission?
As an active, competitive, and reckless young lad, I started getting broken at an early age. Whether it was jumping off things that were way too high, accidentally running full speed in to a goal post, launching off some sweet bike ramps, or trying double flips on the trampoline, I was always finding new and creative ways to hurt myself. My parents had me try a number of treatment types and physio was the first thing that felt like it really worked. As a teen I had physiotherapy in mind for a career but it wasn’t until I had my first sessions of IMS for some painful knots in between my shoulder blades that I knew for sure I wanted to become a physiotherapist.
Where did you get your training?
I graduated from the University of Victoria in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology. In 2013, I graduated from the University of Alberta with a Master of Science in Physical Therapy. Since then I have continued to learn new skills and treatment approaches and have modern training in manual therapy, functional movement, and chronic pain. Additional certifications of mine include:
- GLA:D Canada Certified Therapist – 2023
- Chan Gunn Intramuscular Stimulation (CGIMS) – 2021
- Certified Mulligan Practitioner (CMP) – 2019
- Kinetacore Functional Dry Needling – Advanced Course (FDN/IMS) – 2021
What do you do to stay active?
These days my kids keep me pretty active but I also practice yoga at One Yoga, train kickboxing at Peterec’s Kombat Center, golf at Cedar Hill, Cordova Bay and Highland Pacific golf courses, go for walks around Cadboro Bay, hike up Mt. Doug, and do some regular rehab exercises at home.
What injuries or conditions have you overcome? How did you resolve the challenge?
I have had acute injuries or insidious and persistent pain in pretty much every part of my body at one time or another. I’ve had traumatic injuries to both of my knees, repeated shoulder injuries, back pain, neck pain that would go down my arm, tension headaches, migraines and pain in my hands, feet and ankles. Although I am never 100% pain free, I’m pushing 40 years old and feel the best I ever have. I rarely get migraines anymore, my neck, shoulders, and knees feel strong, my hands no longer hurt while kickboxing, and although my feet tend to be achy, they have good mobility, cramp less, and don’t hold me back from anything athletic or with my daily life. I attribute these healings to minimal but regular rehab exercises, practicing yoga a couple times per week, having occasional IMS treatments, and doing my other preferred physical activities in moderation. I have also learned to listen to my body when it needs rest, be patient, and occasionally persevere through some unplanned adversity.
Which of your life’s accomplishments are you most proud of?
I moved to Vancouver Island from Newfoundland when I was 7 years old. I grew up in Sooke, lived in Metchosin, and played hockey and baseball for different teams all over Greater Victoria. I have worked in child-care, coached hockey schools, and worked in private practice physio in the Western Communities, Gordon Head, View Royal, Esquimalt, Fernwood, and Oak Bay. I have lived Downtown Victoria, did my undergrad at UVIC, and got married in Ladysmith. I still train kickboxing downtown, practice yoga in James Bay, live in Cadboro Bay and go to church in Royal Oak. Vancouver Island is part of my fabric and, cheesy as it sounds, I am most proud to have a community and family here that I am actively involved in and that I love.
What top three goals do you have yet to accomplish?
- I’d like to teach anatomy at UVIC.
- Spend a month or more travelling through Italy with my wife and kids.
- Perfectly fold a fitted sheet.
What is your best advice to stay healthy for life?
Figure out what the most important things in life are to you and prioritize the energy you commit to them accordingly.
Find a physical activity that you love (whatever that is) and don’t overdo it. Getting our weekly dose of physical activity should not be an extra burden to our already busy lives. Finding something you enjoy doing and complimenting it with a few supportive exercises is so much easier to be consistent with.
Eat a balanced diet of mostly unprocessed food, become part of a community, counselling is good, meditation helps, and ground yourself in your spirituality.
What are your words to live by?
“What is there that is not poison? All things are poison and nothing is without poison. Solely the dose determines that a thing is not a poison”
– Paracelsus.“Never, never, never quit.”
– Sir Winston Churchill
