JR Justesen
PT, FCAMPT, CGIMS
Physiotherapist & Owner
As the new owner of Trimetrics Physiotherapy, Clinical Pilates and Complementary Health, my goal is to maintain both the culture and model of care delivery that Siobhan and the team have created here over the past two decades.
As a clinician I believe in the BioPsychoSocial model of health care. What is this model that has been around for 3 decades but is more recently spoken of these days as the NEW way?
The “bio” portion refers to our biology; this includes our hormonal health, gut health and microbiome diversity, nutritional status and more. Our internal health status can have a profound impact on injury recovery, concussion recovery and chronic pain. This biological domain also includes our human nervous system, muscular and skeletal systems, tissues, and cells right down to the biochemistry of every molecule in the body.
The “psycho” portion refers to our psychology. This includes changes within our nervous systems called neuroplasticity, and these changes can be for the better or, the worse. This includes mindset and the concept of emotional resilience to pain, hardship and other life challenges.
The “social” portion refers to a person’s social supports and work environment. In a concussion injury, for example, many people have headaches. Still, it is how YOUR headaches affect your life, your work, your family, and it is YOUR biology that makes your headaches unique and specific to you.
So this term, biopsychosocial, is both a fancy word to describe three critical portions of being human, and also strings together the three portions because each of them is intimately linked to and inseparable from the others.
Physiotherapy as a profession is in a unique position to influence client behaviour perhaps more so than any other health professional. We spend the time getting to know and understand our clients, and we have the clinical knowledge and expertise to understand the root cause of many conditions. In this way, physiotherapy is a profession best suited to the biopsychosocial model of care.
I’ve had a wonderful career that has taken me from the clinic to the fields of professional soccer, to caring for the son of a dictator, to biomechanics research, to writing ebooks on nutrition and frozen shoulder, to the creation of a concussion treatment program.
My clinical passion is to help people with complex injuries and conditions and to take on each case as a unique situation with unique solutions.
As the Clinical Director at Trimetrics I view my primary role as that of supporting all members of the team so that their needs are met personally and professionally. With this foundation, the team can best serve and support the North Shore community to the best of their abilities.
Outside of clinical life, I sit on the board of directors of the Physiotherapy Association of British Columbia where I advocate for the physiotherapy profession across the province and am also working to improve nutrition education in the physiotherapy curriculum. I also sit on the University of Victoria’s Health Sciences Advisory Committee, where we oversee the health science courses delivered through the university.
My wife Renee and I have been married 33 years and we’re parents to 3 outstanding sons who have grown to become fine young men.
I’m looking forward to meeting you all!
