Justine Chartrand, BMR-PT — Physiotherapist in Winnipeg | Elite Sports Injury Clinics
Justine Chartrand is a registered physiotherapist at Elite Sports Injury Clinics in Bridgwater, Winnipeg, with 13 years of experience in orthopaedic, sports performance, and rehabilitation settings.
She holds a Bachelor of Medical Rehabilitation in Physical Therapy (BMR-PT) from the University of Manitoba and is certified in Acupuncture.
Justine specializes in youth and recreational sports injuries — particularly hockey and softball — knee and hip rehabilitation, post-operative shoulder recovery, and custom orthotics prescription, with a particular focus on keeping athletes engaged and active throughout rehabilitation rather than sidelined.
Credentials & Education
Justine completed her physiotherapy training at the University of Manitoba and has built a broad advanced certification portfolio including:
- Acupuncture
- Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) — Functional Movement Systems
- Custom Orthotics prescription
- Orthopedic Manual Therapy Level 2 Upper Quadrant — CPA Orthopaedic Division
- Orthopedic Manual Therapy Level 2 Lower Quadrant — CPA Orthopaedic Division
- TMJ Rehabilitation
- Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) Pediatric Levels 1 and 2 — Prague School (one of the few certifications in Canada enabling developmentally appropriate physiotherapy for youth athletes)
- Infant Feeding course
Her combination of sports rehabilitation expertise and DNS pediatric training makes her distinctly equipped for the youth athlete population.
Core Techniques
Justine’s clinical toolkit centres on the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) — a standardized movement screen that evaluates how the body moves as a whole system, identifying the dysfunctional movement patterns driving pain and injury rather than treating the painful area in isolation. This is particularly valuable for youth athletes, where pain in one area frequently originates from a mobility or stability deficit elsewhere in the kinetic chain.
Acupuncture — which Justine is certified to deliver — modulates the nervous system’s pain response and reduces muscle hypertonicity by stimulating specific anatomical points, accelerating the recovery window for acute and subacute sports injuries alongside manual therapy.
Justine integrates Orthopedic Manual Therapy Level 2 (upper and lower quadrant) with kettlebell-focused progressive strengthening to bridge the gap between symptom reduction and functional return to sport. Manual therapy — including joint mobilization, manipulation, and soft tissue work — restores joint mechanics and reduces pain to create the movement availability needed for rehabilitation. Kettlebell progressions then load the newly available movement patterns, building the strength, stability, and neuromuscular control required for safe return to hockey, softball, and field and court sports.
Her Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) Pediatric Levels 1 and 2 certification from the Prague School enables developmentally appropriate rehabilitation for youth athletes — ensuring treatment matches the neuromuscular stage of each young patient.
Conditions & Injuries Treated
- Sports injuries in youth and recreational athletes — particularly hockey and softball — with load management, sport-specific rehabilitation, and progressive return-to-play planning
- Knee injuries — ACL rehabilitation, MCL sprains, meniscal conditions, patellofemoral pain syndrome, and knee osteoarthritis; assessment targeting hip strength, lower limb mobility, and neuromuscular control
- Hip injuries — movement-based assessment addressing strength deficits, mobility restrictions, and lumbopelvic control
- Low back pain (acute and chronic) — biopsychosocial, movement-based approach with graded exercise, core and hip strengthening, education, and self-management tools
- Post-operative shoulder rehabilitation — rotator cuff repair, labral repair, shoulder arthroplasty; scapular stability, rotator cuff strengthening, and graduated return to sport
- Custom orthotics — full biomechanical gait and foot-ankle assessment; orthotics fabricated by certified Canadian laboratory
- TMJ dysfunction — jaw pain, clicking, and associated neck involvement
- WCB workplace injuries and MPI motor vehicle accident rehabilitation — in Winnipeg
Justine refers out for neurological conditions, vestibular therapy, and pelvic floor physiotherapy.
Clinical Approach & Philosophy
Justine’s treatment philosophy is to keep things simple, practical, and focused on what matters most to the patient — helping people understand what is going on with their body and getting them back to the physical activities they love. She believes treatment should be a team effort: setting realistic goals that fit the patient’s lifestyle, providing the tools to manage symptoms and prevent recurrence, and building the patient’s own understanding of their body.
A first appointment with Justine begins with a detailed conversation — understanding the injury and how it is affecting daily life, then progressing to a thorough objective assessment that looks at the whole body, not just the painful area. Treatment begins in the first session. Patients leave with a clear plan, specific home exercises, and confidence in the direction of their recovery.
What patients consistently describe about Justine is her patience, the trust and connection she builds, and her focus on education — helping patients understand why they are doing what they are doing, which produces more motivated and more consistent rehabilitation outcomes.
Patient Outcomes
One of Justine’s most memorable recoveries involved a young hockey player who came to her following a concussion alongside mechanical neck and back pain that was affecting her school life, daily function, and confidence about returning to sport.
Justine took a structured, whole-body approach — clear education for the patient and her family, a staged return-to-play plan, graded aerobic activity, and targeted treatment for the neck and back. The patient returned to hockey fully symptom-free with improved mobility, body awareness, and strength — a complex, layered recovery that Justine is particularly proud of.
Personal & Community
Justine grew up in the small town of St. Laurent and has lived in Winnipeg since 2017, currently based in Grande Pointe. Outside the clinic, she is a dedicated sports mom to her eldest daughter — whose main sports are hockey and softball — and parent to two younger children. This has deepened her ability to connect with youth patients and families around communication, motivation, and confidence in sport and recovery.
She personally enjoys strength training and running, which informs her rehabilitation philosophy and allows her to relate to the physical and mental demands her patients face.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Justine Chartrand, treatment approach, and booking.
Justine Chartrand, BMR-PT, is a registered physiotherapist at Elite Sports Injury Clinics in Bridgwater, Winnipeg, with 13 years of experience. She specializes in youth and recreational sports injuries — particularly hockey and softball — knee and hip rehabilitation, post-operative shoulder recovery, and custom orthotics. She holds DNS Pediatric Levels 1 and 2 certification and treats competitive athletes, recreational athletes, youth and pediatric patients, seniors, and WCB and MPI cases.
Yes. Justine Chartrand at Elite Sports Injury Clinics Bridgwater specializes in youth hockey and softball injury rehabilitation, holding DNS Pediatric Level 1 and 2 certification and 13 years of sports physiotherapy experience. Her approach keeps young athletes engaged and active during recovery with sport-specific rehabilitation, load management, and staged return-to-play planning. She works closely with parents to set realistic expectations and support healthy long-term sport development.
Yes. Justine Chartrand is one of the Bridgwater clinic's specialists for custom orthotic assessment and prescription. A full biomechanical gait and foot-ankle assessment determines whether orthotics are appropriate for a patient's condition. Custom orthotics are fabricated from a precise foot cast by a certified Canadian laboratory and are covered under most extended health benefit plans. Book a biomechanical assessment at physiowinnipeg.com.
Justine Chartrand at Elite Sports Injury Clinics Bridgwater assesses knee injuries using functional movement testing, strength evaluation, and special orthopaedic tests to identify the specific condition and its contributors. Treatment combines Orthopedic Manual Therapy Level 2 with progressive quadriceps and gluteal strengthening and staged return to sport. She treats ACL injuries, meniscal conditions, patellofemoral pain, IT band syndrome, knee osteoarthritis, and post-surgical knee rehabilitation.
Justine Chartrand is accepting new patients at Elite Sports Injury Clinics in Bridgwater, Winnipeg. No referral is required. Book online at physiowinnipeg.com or call the Bridgwater clinic. Justine treats sports injuries, knee and hip conditions, shoulder rehabilitation, custom orthotics, TMJ dysfunction, WCB workplace injuries, and MPI motor vehicle accident cases.