Honsberger Physio+ is excited to welcome Andrew Luo to the team!

Andrew is the newest Physiotherapy Resident in Makrham! 

We wanted everyone to get to know Andrew a little better so Robyn took some time to sit down with Andrew and break the ice!

Let's dive in!

Robyn: What excites you most about starting this new role at Honsberger Physio+?

Andrew: I’m most excited about just being able to work as a physiotherapist and take all the skills I have been learning and put them to use. I’m also excited about all the new skills and equipment that I will be able to learn here at Honsberger Physio+.

Robyn: How do you plan on making an impact in the industry?

Andrew: The thing that brought me into this industry was my love for sports, and I have used my time to surround myself with a variety of athletes/sports. Now with Honsberger, I can set myself apart from others specifically with my knowledge of lesser sports like Ultimate Frisbee and Disc Golf and combine that with knowledge on working with more recognized sports, like Football, basketball, and Golf. My goal is to establish new programs, that can reduce injury and improve performance for Ultimate and disc golf athletes, in ways that or tailored more for the individual athlete and their abilities.

Robyn: What do you think your biggest strength as a therapist is?

Andrew: I believe my ability to absorb information is my biggest strength as a therapist. Physiotherapy is constantly changing and evolving and being able to understand what the new trends in treatment techniques or skills are allows me to make sure I have the best possible set of tools to help individuals.

Robyn: What is your favourite wellness tool and why?

Andrew: It’s tough for me to say, because I feel like it depends on what condition is present and the level of ability. But if I had to pick one that I use often, it would be the foam roller. It just has so many uses, and it can be relatively easy to use. If I were only allowed to use a foam roller for all my treatments, I feel like I can make it work for almost anything (to varying levels of success though haha).

Robyn: What is your favourite exercise and why?

Andrew: Just like the last question, this one really depends on the individual’s level of performance. But I would say it would be a tie between single leg hip hinge and bird dogs. Hip hinges are tough for many people and very often done wrong, but I feel like they can tell me a lot about an individual, from their balance, alignment, muscle activation, and strength. Bird dogs are a lot easier but tell me much of the same.

Robyn: How do you stay active and healthy?

Andrew: I enjoy going to the gym regularly to stay fit, but what I love the most is being able to play ultimate frisbee with friends or competitively. In the winter, frisbee is a bit less common, so I also do some drop in volleyball occasionally.

Robyn: What is your biggest goal for 2023?

Andrew: My biggest goal is for 2023 is to establish myself as a recognizable and reliable physiotherapist within the Ultimate Frisbee community here in Toronto. I have been a part of this community for a long time, and I want to use my experiences to help players and improve their performance in ways that other physios who lack the knowledge of the sport may not.

Robyn: What is something you wish your clients knew before coming to see you?

Andrew: I spend a lot of time discussing what I am doing during treatment, explaining techniques, and talking about treatment strategies; but that’s not all I like to talk about! Of course, my number one goal is to make sure you get the best out of your physiotherapy appointment, but I also enjoy talking about sports, movies, shows, and much more. So, if you every get tired of me explaining why you need to stretch your quads for the 100x time, feel free to change up the topic! I won’t take offence to it (but still, stretch your quads please).

Robyn: What is the biggest misconception about Physiotherapy?

Andrew: To me, the biggest misconception is that the more you see a physiotherapist, the better you get. As a physiotherapist, it’s true that we possess the knowledge and skills to help improve your conditioning that cannot be done at home. But the truly effective treatments are the ones that involve what you as the client does at home or outside of visits. Some individuals may benefit from 2 visits a week, but others may recover even quicker with just 1 visit every 2-3 weeks. It depends on each person’s condition and how they respond to treatment.

 To book an appointment with Andrew click here:

To ask him a follow up question, please email andrew@honsbergerphysio.com!

Andrew would love to hear from you!