Forte Physical Therapy

Call Directions Website Contact the practice

Forte Physical Therapy A physical therapy and human performance clinic in the North End of Halifax. We use movement and manual therapy to help you get and stay healthy

Treating all people interested in moving better, getting stronger, decreasing pain, or improving performance.

09/16/2026

The right training starts with the right assessment.

Our Youth Excellence Program pairs a full physiotherapy assessment with individualized programming and coach-led group training, so young athletes (ages 12–18) build real strength while staying healthy enough to use it.

Movement screening. Injury history. Sport-specific loading. Then group sessions available 6x/week to put it into practice.

Physio + performance, under one roof. That’s the Forte difference.

DM or email us at [email protected] to get started.

Whether you’re new to Forte or you’ve been a regular in our classes, personal training gives you something the group set...
09/08/2026

Whether you’re new to Forte or you’ve been a regular in our classes, personal training gives you something the group setting can’t: a coach’s full attention on your goals, your technique, and your pace. It’s a great way to get comfortable with our coaches and space if you haven’t trained with us before, and just as valuable if you’re already a member looking to fine-tune something specific. For a limited time, we’re making that one-on-one time more accessible.

*PERSONAL TRAINING INTRO OFFER*
5 Personal Training Sessions (60 min each)
$450 $300 (33% discount)
*For a limited time only*

There are lots of ways to put these sessions to work:
• Dial in your training. Refine your technique, figure out what you can actually lift, or troubleshoot an exercise you’ve avoided because it hurts or just doesn’t feel right.
• Add some individual attention. Spread your sessions out, even once or twice a month, to work on specific goals and complement your regular classes.
• Get back into it. If you’ve been away from training, use personal training to rebuild some confidence and momentum before jumping back into classes.
• Give someone a great introduction to Forte. The 5-pack can also be purchased as a gift, giving someone a comfortable way to get familiar with training, our coaches and the Forte environment before joining classes.

Whether you use all 5 sessions in a few weeks or spread them out, the goal is the same: more individualized coaching to help you get more out of your training.
Claim This Offer through the Forte Performance App or send us a DM!

07/22/2026

CONCUSSED? Here’s the road back to sport. Save this. ⬇️
Rushing back after a concussion is one of the biggest risk factors for prolonged recovery and re-injury. Current best practice (Amsterdam 2022 International Consensus on Concussion in Sport, BJSM 2023 + Parachute Canada 2024) supports a graduated, symptom-guided return — NOT strict rest, and NEVER same-day return to play.
Our 6-step Return-to-Sport progression:
1️⃣ Full head & neck assessment by a physiotherapist — rule out red flags and cervical spine injury first. The neck is involved more often than you think.
2️⃣ Full tolerance of daily activities (ADLs) — school, work, screens, walking — without symptom flare-ups.
3️⃣ Pass the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test — graded exertion testing tells us your brain and cardiovascular system can handle exercise, and guides safe sub-symptom training zones.
4️⃣ Low-risk, sport-specific drills — running, skating, throwing. Individual work, zero head-impact risk.
5️⃣ Non-contact practice + change-of-direction drills — full intensity, complex movement, cognitive load. Still no contact.
6️⃣ Full-contact practice — only after medical clearance. Tolerate this fully before game day.
⏱️ THE RULES: ▪️ Each step must be tolerated for 24–48 hrs before progressing ▪️ Soonest possible full return = 7–14 days. Many take longer — and that’s normal. Severity dictates the timeline, not the calendar. ▪️ Mild, brief symptom increase (

07/14/2026

DO NOT make these 3 mistakes after your concussion if you want to recover and return to sport ASAP.
#1 DO NOT get woken up through the night.
This is outdated advice that can actually disrupt your recovery.
Sleep is when your brain heals — interrupting it works against you.
💤 Practical tip: Aim for a consistent sleep schedule. Most people need 1-2 extra hours per night after a concussion — somewhere in the range of 8-10 hours is reasonable for most adults. Avoid screens for at least 1 hour before bed. Quality and consistency matter more than simply sleeping as long as possible.

#2 DO NOT sit in a dark room and avoid all effort.
After 24-48 hours of initial rest, continued isolation and avoidance is no longer recommended — and can actually prolong recovery.
Your brain recovers better with gradual, graded re-exposure to normal activity.
📱 Practical tip: Return to normal daily life as tolerated, taking breaks when symptoms spike and letting them settle before continuing. Limit screens during the first 48 hours specifically — after that, use them at a level that doesn’t worsen your symptoms.

#3 DO NOT avoid all exercise.
After 24-48 hours of relative rest, light aerobic exercise has been shown to improve recovery timelines compared to strict rest.
🚴 Practical tip: Start with walking or stationary cycling at around 55% of your max heart rate, progressing toward 70% as tolerated.The rule of thumb: stop or reduce intensity if your symptoms worsen by more than 2 out of 10 and don’t settle within an hour after finishing. Don’t exercise if your resting symptoms are already severe (7/10 or higher).

06/26/2026

The Forte Youth Excellence Program was created by Drew Stratton a former professional and varsity athlete turned physiotherapist who knows exactly what it takes to train hard and stay healthy doing it.

That’s the difference. YEP isn’t a generic group workout. It starts with a real physiotherapy assessment: movement, mobility, injury history, training load, so every athlete gets a plan built for their body and sport, not a template.

Then they move into coach-led group training sessions (following their individual program), available 6 days a week, with progress tracking and testing the whole way through.

The result: stronger, faster, more resilient athletes who train smarter, not just harder.

DM or Email us at [email protected] to secure your spot.

RECOVER. TRAIN. THRIVE.

06/26/2026

🏀 A great euro step isn’t just about the footwork.
🧠 It’s about knowing when to use it, selling the move, and reading the defender. Basketball IQ comes first.
💥 Once that decision is made, though, your body has to absorb force on one leg, control momentum, and rapidly produce force in a new direction. That takes strength, power, stability, coordination, and single-leg control. This movement is not without risk - it’s the exact position and joint angle that puts the most strain on the ACL.
🏋️ At FORTE we build the physical qualities behind the euro step with heavy bilateral lifts like deadlifts, squats, and calf raises, then progress to explosive and single-leg work that develops lateral force control, momentum management, and rapid force production.
📈 The exercises shown here are just a snapshot of a few sessions. Good programming is much more than exercise selection. Volume, intensity, tempo, range of motion, and progression all matter just as much.
🎯 The goal isn’t to get better at deadlifts (although that’s fun too)
The goal is to make moments like this more explosive on the court and safer for the athlete.
🥇 At FORTE we have integrated strength and conditioning and physiotherapy all under one roof. We understand the positions your sport puts you in, how to assess whether you’re ready for them, and how to build the physical qualities to succeed in them.

06/17/2026

🚨 Do NOT return to sport after a shoulder dislocation until you pass these 5 tests.
This applies to non-surgical shoulder dislocations.
Feeling better ≠ being ready. Athletes who return too soon after a first-time shoulder dislocation have some of the highest re-injury rates in sports medicine.
Before testing, we want:
✅ Full, pain-free shoulder ROM
✅ Negative apprehension testing
The 5 tests:
1️⃣ Timeline
• Minimum 12 weeks post-injury before RTS testing
2️⃣ Rotator Cuff Strength @ 90° Abduction
• IR >30% BW
• ER >20% BW
• 95-100% symmetry
3️⃣ Countermovement Push-Up
• Tolerated pain-free
• ≥90% symmetry in peak power
• ≥90% symmetry in braking impulse
4️⃣ Upper Body Strength & Power
• Push Press: Males >75% BW, Females >50% BW
• Med Ball Throws: ≥90% symmetry
• Drop Catch Rows: Males >60% BW, Females >40% BW
5️⃣ Sport-Specific Testing
• Progress from controlled drills → reactive drills → full-intensity sport
Returning safely requires more than pain-free movement. Your shoulder must prove it can produce force, absorb force, and tolerate the specific demands of your sport.

06/10/2026

Avoiding leg extensions after ACL surgery is outdated advice.

The concern is that leg extensions place too much strain on the ACL graft. However, research shows there is little to no ACL strain between 90° and ~45° of knee flexion, with meaningful strain only occurring near full extension.

Studies have also shown that leg extensions produce only about 3.8% ACL strain, compared to up to 14% during normal walking, an activity commonly started immediately after surgery.

Most importantly, patients who perform appropriately prescribed leg extensions early after ACL reconstruction demonstrate better quadriceps strength and functional outcomes, without increased graft laxity.

Why does this matter? Quadriceps weakness remains the biggest deficit after ACL surgery. While squats, split squats, and step-ups are valuable, they allow compensation from other muscle groups. Leg extensions provide a direct, measurable way to load the quadriceps, especially during the early stages of rehab when strength loss occurs rapidly.

The goal isn’t just to protect the graft. It’s to restore strength, function, and long-term outcomes. Current evidence suggests leg extensions can play an important role in doing exactly that.

06/01/2026

Do NOT rush into ACL surgery before attempting the Delaware-Oslo Coper Criteria.

The Delaware-Oslo Coper Criteria is a screening tool used to determine whether an individual may be able to return to a Level 1 sport without ACL reconstruction surgery.

Before being classified as a potential coper, you must first complete a minimum of 5 weeks of neuromuscular and strength training. In some cases, it can take up to 1 year to meet the classification criteria.

To be classified as a coper, you must achieve:

✅ Greater than 80% on the Knee Outcome Survey (KOS)

✅ Less than or equal to 1 episode of knee giving way during activity
This demonstrates the ability to maintain knee stability despite ACL deficiency.

✅ Greater than 60% on the Global Rating Scale of Knee Function

✅ Greater than 80% limb symmetry on hop testing
This demonstrates the injured knee can perform at a majority of the capacity of the uninjured side.

Important: Passing the Delaware-Oslo Coper Criteria does NOT mean you are ready to return to sport. It simply determines whether you qualify to continue progressing through rehabilitation with the goal of returning to a Level 1 sport.

For sports such as soccer, football, and basketball, athletes should still progress through comprehensive return-to-sport rehabilitation and demonstrate:

- Greater than 90% quadriceps strength symmetry
- Drop jump RSI > 1.3 m/s
- Single-leg drop jump RSI > 0.5 m/s
- Triple hop distance > 2.7x body height for men and > 2.5x body height for women. AND Greater than 90% limb symmetry index.
- Tolerance to full-speed reactive change-of-direction drills in a sport-specific environment

At any point, episodes of instability or knee giving way may result in reclassification as a non-coper.

Whether you ultimately return without surgery or proceed with ACL reconstruction, completing high-quality rehabilitation is essential. If surgery is required, you will enter the procedure stronger, more prepared, and with a better foundation for recovery.

Work closely with a physiotherapist experienced in strength & conditioning and return-to-sport testing to determine the best path for your individual situation.

05/22/2026

Do not return to sport after ACL surgery until you pass these 5 milestones 👇

1️⃣ Minimum 9 months post-op
Returning before 9 months = up to 7x higher re-rupture risk ⚠️

2️⃣ Quad strength symmetry ≥90%
Less than 90% symmetry = 1/3 chance of re-tearing ‼️
PLUS: strength should be >0.7x bodyweight per leg to avoid “false symmetry” from a weak uninvolved side.

3️⃣ Triple Hop Test Distance
Men: ≥2.8x body height distance
Women: ≥2.5x body height distance
AND ≥90% limb symmetry index.

4️⃣ Reactive Strength Testing
Double leg drop jump RSI >1.3 m/s
Single leg drop jump RSI >0.5 m/s
Your knee needs to absorb + produce force quickly for cutting, sprinting, and change of direction.

5️⃣ Sport-specific change of direction testing
You should be able to perform reactive 90° and 180° cuts/pivots with NO pain, instability, or hesitation.

Kyritsis et al (2016) found that athletes that did not meet objective functional discharge criteria had a 4x greater ACL re-rupture rate.

ACL return-to-sport decisions should be based on objective testing not JUST timelines.

Address

5553 Bloomfield Street
Halifax, NS
B3K1S7

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 7pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 7pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+19022190324

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Forte Physical Therapy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Forte Physical Therapy:

Shortcuts

Sponsored

Share

Category