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Physiotherapy Toronto Blog 

Fix Your Tight Hips

By Athlete's Care on June 04, 2026

Fix Your Tight Hips

Struggling to hit depth in your squats? Feeling restricted during deadlifts? Or spending long hours sitting at a desk each day?

Tight hips can limit mobility, affect lifting mechanics, and contribute to stiffness and discomfort both in and out of the gym. The personal trainers at Athlete's Care Leaside share three simple exercises designed to improve hip mobility, help you move more efficiently, and get more out of your training.

Whether you're looking to improve your squat depth, optimize your deadlift setup, or simply counteract the effects of prolonged sitting, these exercises can be a valuable addition to your routine.

Three Hip Mobility Exercises to Try

1. 90/90 Hip Rotation Stretch


This exercise targets the deep hip rotators and helps improve internal and external hip rotation.

How to perform it:

  • Sit on the floor with both knees bent.
  • Position your legs in a "90-90" setup.
  • Slowly rotate from side to side while keeping your chest upright.
  • Move only as far as comfortable.

Perform: 3x8 reps per side.

2. Dynamic Couch Stretch

Couch Stretch



Tight hip flexors are common among individuals who spend much of the day sitting.

How to perform it:

  • Start in a half-kneeling position.
  • Gently shift your body forward while maintaining an upright posture.
  • Squeeze the glute of the kneeling leg to increase the stretch.

Perform: 3x30 seconds per side.

3. DB Glute Bridges

 

This mobility exercise helps activate glutes, allowing the muscle to contribute to your workout. 

How to perform it:

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent.
  • Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips
  • Relax into the position while breathing deeply.

Perform: 3x10 reps

The Bottom Line

Hip mobility plays an important role in efficient and comfortable movement, whether you’re doing deadlifts, squats, sitting for long periods, or staying active through your regular day-to-day activities. Adding a few targeted mobility exercises to your routine can help reduce stiffness, improve movement quality, and keep you feeling your best.

If you’re struggling with recurring hip tightness, the team at Athlete’s Care can help assess your movement and develop a personalized plan to keep you feeling strong and injury-free.


Click here to learn more about the Personal Training team at Athlete's Care Leaside or book your FREE Personal Training Session.

 

Pickleball Injury Prevention

By Athlete's Care on June 03, 2026

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports, but with its rise in popularity comes an increase in pickleball related injuries. At Athlete’s Care, we commonly see sprains and strains, particularly in the ankles, knees, and other lower-body extremities. These injuries often occur due to slips, trips, falls, sudden changes in direction, lunging, pivoting, and repetitive movements during play.  Fortunately, most pickleball injuries are preventable with the right preparation and training.


Warm Up and Cool Down are Essential

One of the most important injury prevention strategies is completing a warm-up before playing to help activate muscles, improve mobility and prepare the body for movement. After your game, a cool-down afterwards with gentle stretching can help decrease stiffness after activity.

Wear Proper Court Shoes

Wearing proper court shoes is also essential, as they provide traction and lateral stability needed to reduce slips, falls, and ankle injuries. Running shoes, while comfortable, are not designed for the side-to-side movements common in pickleball.

Improve Footwork and Technique

Players should also focus on learning proper footwork and movement patterns to avoid placing unnecessary stress on their joints.

Build Strength and Stability

Strength training plays a key role in preventing pickleball injuries. Exercises that strengthen the ankles, legs, shoulders, core and forearms, enhance joint stability can help the body better handle the demands of the sport. Cross-training activities such as walking, cycling or resistance training can also improve overall fitness and reduce the likelihood of overuse injuries.

Listen to Your Body

Staying hydrated, playing at an appropriate skill level, and listening to your body are equally important. If pain or discomfort develops, taking time to rest and recover can help prevent minor issues from becoming serious injuries.

At Athlete’s Care, our physiotherapy and sports medicine team can help assess, treat, and prevent pickleball injuries so you can continue playing safely.  Click to book an appointment with an Athlete's Care practitioner.  The key to long-term success in pickleball isn’t just playing harder, it’s playing smarter. 

Athlete’s Care is a proud sponsor of the RacquetsUp Expo 2027 - The Global Racquet Sport Industry Summit

 

 

Sources: Azar et al. (2024), Cleveland Clinic, and USA Pickleball.

 

Pickleball Injury Prevention

Runner's Corner: Exercise Spotlight - Split Stance Medicine Ball Punch

By Athlete's Care on April 14, 2026

With race day just around the corner, the focus shifts from building fitness to sharpening race-specific strength; maintaining power, coordination, and efficiency without creating extra fatigue.

The goal is to support controlled speed and stability, especially as fatigue sets in late in the race and form can start to slip.

Exercise to Try: Split-Stance Medicine Ball Punch

2–3 sets of 6–10 reps per side

  • Set up in a split stance (similar to your running stride)

  • Brace through your trunk and hips

  • Punch the medicine ball forward with control, resisting rotation

  • Move smoothly and powerfully, staying tall through the torso

This exercise builds rotational core strength, improves hip-to-trunk control, and reinforces efficient force transfer - key for staying steady and powerful when fatigue creeps in during the final kilometres.

If you’re noticing any niggles, tightness, or lingering issues, now is the time to address them not push through. Our Runner’s Program physiotherapists are specifically trained in working with runners and gait analysis, and can help you fine-tune these final weeks so you arrive at the start line feeling confident and prepared.

Book an appointment with one of our Runner’s Program physiotherapists to address any issues and set yourself up for a strong race day.

Click here to watch Runner's Program Director, Lauren Roberts, walk us through split stance medicine ball punch with Athlete’s Care Toronto Physiotherapist Clement and Registered Massage Therapist, Janelle.  This exercise builds unlateral leg drive and upper-lower body cordination


Toronto Runners Program

 

 

Stretching at Work

By Athlete's Care on January 14, 2026

Is staying healthy at the office one of your New Year’s resolutions? If yes, then incorporating stretching exercises into your workday is a great start.

No matter how well a workstation is designed, problems may arise if attention is not paid to the way the work is done. Working at a computer often involves very few changes in body position. This lack of movement can lead to muscle pain and strain, as well as stiffness. But with a quick few stretches done regularly, you can reduce fatigue and avoid injury.

When doing the stretches, keep in mind the following:

  • Do not bounce while stretching.
  • Only stretch to the point of mild tension, not to the point of feeling pain.
  • Repeat each stretch 2-3 times.
  • Perform the stretches 3 times per day.
  • If you have had any medical conditions, or have had injuries to your neck, shoulders, back or
    arms, check with your healthcare professional before doing these stretches.
  • While stretching, use this opportunity to stand up and move around to prevent stiffness from
    prolonged standing.

Here are some effective, easy-to-do stretching exercises that you can easily perform at your desk:

Shoulder Rolls: Perform the shoulder roll by raising your shoulders to your ears then slowly roll them back. Make these big circles for about 30 seconds. Then do the circles in the other direction for 30 seconds.

Shoulder Stretch: Place your right hand above the left elbow. Then bring your left arm across your body. Do not rotate your body as you stretch. Hold this for about 15 seconds. You will feel tension in the back of your left shoulder. Repeat the stretch with the other arm.

Eye Relaxation: Follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look away from the computer screen for about 20 seconds and focus on a distant object approximately 20 feet away. This will allow you to stretch your eye muscles by making them refocus.

Back Stretch: To do the back stretch, first sit up tall and slowly turn your upper body to the left. Then, place your left arm behind the chair and look over your left shoulder. Hold this for about 15 seconds. Repeat the stretch on the other side.

Neck Stretch: Reach over the head with the left hand then gently pull your head away from the right shoulder. You will feel a nice, easy stretch along the back left side of the neck. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat on the opposite side.

Forearm Stretches: Stretch your right arm out in front of you with the hand turned down, fingers pointed towards the floor. Grab your right hand with the left hand and gently pull the fingers towards the body. Hold for about 15 seconds. Switch arms and repeat this stretch. Now stretch your right arm out in front of you with the hand turned upwards, fingers pointed towards the ceiling. Again, grab your right hand, not your fingers, with the left hand and gently pull the fingers towards you. Hold for 15 seconds. Switch arms and repeat.

Download the stretching at work brochure and post it at your workstation to remind you to do these stretches.

Farzana is a Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomist (CCPE). She provides ergonomics services for Office, Industrial and Service environments including: Ergonomics Risk Assessments (in-person / virtual), Physical Demands Analyses (PDAs), and Ergonomics Training sessions and webinars. To receive more
information about the ergonomics services at Athlete's Care or to request an ergonomics assessment of your workstation, please email ergonomics@athletescare.com.


**Some group insurance providers and/or employers may cover the cost for an ergonomics assessment.
Please check with your group insurance provider and/or employer.