Eric Lowe ’08

Jean Bigelow, Alumni Liaison

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Eric to catch up with him after he finished with his last patient at the GNS Physiotherapy Clinic. Eric looks back on his time at GNS with fond memories. An IB student (allowing him to go straight into some secondyear courses at university), Eric studied kinesiology at UBC. His best memories of GNS centre around his participation in sports including being a member of two provincial-winning soccer teams (2005 and 2007), captaining the rugby team, and playing on the basketball team. Out of school, he was an active baseball player, playing for the Victoria Mariners Baseball Organization. At GNS Eric made lifelong friends with whom he still keeps in regular contact and that he considers to be his closest friends today.

provided him with some great opportunities to work in sports such as a five-year stint as the head physio for the UBC men’s baseball team, working with the Canadian men’s field hockey team as they prepared for the Rio 2016 Olympics, working as a member of the host medical team for the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championships, and working as the physio for the Odlum Brown ATP challenger event (helping many big-name Canadian tennis players).

Returning to Victoria, Eric accepted a full-time position at RebalanceMD. He was excited to learn that many of his colleagues have chosen to place their children at GNS. In the fall of 2022, he opened the GNS Physiotherapy Clinic, located in the Scott Fitness Centre at the Pemberton Woods Campus, to help serve the staff and students of the GNS community. That’s what he was doing the day we met. I had a few questions for him.

Eric met and started dating his future wife Monica Grundmann ‘09 at GNS. Together, they moved to Vancouver and attended UBC, eventually getting married in 2019. Eric and Monica moved back to Victoria in the Spring of 2021 and welcomed their son, Cooper, in the fall of 2021. They are happy to be back in Victoria, living in their old neighbourhood and close to both sets of grandparents!

Eric’s love of sports fueled his interest in the human body and eventually led him to begin pursuing a career in Physiotherapy. Upon completing his undergrad in Kinesiology, he was accepted into the Master of Physiotherapy program at UBC. Physiotherapy has

What made you want to start this clinic?

I was working in a similar setting in Vancouver, and I knew this model works. After seeing the Scott Fitness Centre I thought it was a good opportunity to reach out and see if the school was interested in my clinic proposal. I had already been seeing so many youth athletes and high school students at my other clinic, so I know the main barrier to receiving treatment is finding a time that works around the student’s busy schedules and the parents’ work schedules. This clinic helps solve that problem as students can access services in a convenient and timely way. I also see it as a way for me to give back to the school that I have so many fond memories of.

How have things been going?

Things have been going really well, I am seeing a pretty even split between students and staff. Starting this last October, I feel the clinic has been steadily gaining momentum, with more people hearing of the clinic and knowing these services exist in such a convenient manner, I am confident that it will continue to grow.

What types of patients have you been seeing?

I’m seeing a wide range of things from acute injuries to chronic conditions. Although most patients are coming to see me with a specific injury, preventative physiotherapy plays an important role with our student-athletes.

What is Physiotherapy?

Physiotherapists are movement and exercise specialists. During a session, I will take a detailed health history and find out the client’s goals and why they decided to seek out physiotherapy services. Next, I will perform a physical assessment where I observe how you move and see if there are any restrictions or pain with specific movements and test your strength. Finally, I will perform a treatment consisting primarily of manual therapy, education and exercise. Other treatments I may provide if necessary are dry needling/acupuncture or taping.

Who should be seeking your services?

Physiotherapy can be beneficial for many people at any stage of their health and physical activity journey. It is a common misconception that you have to have an injury to seek physiotherapy, but I see many patients for preventative reasons. Whether you are a national or provincial level athlete, weekend warrior or just thinking about getting back into a physical activity routine—physiotherapy can be beneficial for you.

What has been the best part of the clinic so far?

It has been great to be so warmly welcomed back into the GNS community! I have always looked back so fondly on my time at GNS; it is an institution that provided me with so much. The friends I made at the school are still my best friends today. And of course, I met my wife while going to GNS. It has also been great to reconnect with so many of my former teachers from the school!

What are your clinical interests?

While I am happy to treat anyone who wants to seek out my services, I have a special interest in treating youth athletes, especially baseball players and overhead athletes. I also enjoy treating patients post-operatively such as ACL reconstruction or shoulder surgery and providing safe return to sport guidance.

What are your goals for this clinic?

Ideally, I’d like to expand the hours of the clinic to service the GNS community four to five days per week.

What are your goals for your career?

Clinic ownership has always interested me, but with a young family, working full-time at Rebalance and running this clinic—this is good for now.