Anna DiMarco Physio

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Canada
Winnipeg, MB
Anna DiMarco Physio

Anna focuses on physiotherapy and the Art and Science of Living Well.

She is particularly interested in the human response to nature, the arts and beauty, and how these topics all meet at the intersection of whole person wellness ... mind, body and soul.

04/23/2026

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be .
---------------Douglas Adams -------------

39'years on this journey and I have never loved it more.

I made it through physio school largely because of my very supportive parents and a couple of acquired friends in week one of first year . We became the "3 muskateers" almost immediately and truly, their friendship and support made life during those years a whole lot more fun.

Thanks and Scott Allan for all the good times and the tears shed and shared !

I almost left the profession twice ...once in the early years when I really struggled with Imposter Syndrome and then immediately following my cancer treatment. (I couldn't trust my own body to be healthy and this bled into not trusting my patients' bodies either ). I actually was hired as a pharmaceutical rep for Fournier but thankfully the big guy from Montreal did not rubber stamp me . He deemed me to be an educator moreso than a salesperson and did not see the potential in me .

I am most grateful to all those peers and employers who have seen the potential in me throughout my career and especially to those who pushed my potential beyond what I may have pushed myself. A big thanks to the original three owners of (Russ Horbal, Laurie Urban, Sam Steinfeld) and more recently, Lisa Mills-Hutton .physiotherapy .

And to my patients/ clients throughout the years who have trusted me on their journey to healing and wellbeing.

I am still learning to human , and "to physiio" ( thanks to perpetually evolving science ) but the biggest lesson has probably already landed and that is to truly love the people you are working with....clients and peers . Clients/ patients especially .

When we love our people , we improve our patient outcomes and we end up loving our work and we minimize the risk of burnout .

The aitalians have a way of expressing this kind of platonic love when they say "Ti voglio bene" . It gets translated as I love you but it's literal meaning is "I want good for you " .

Let's want good for one another . Always. Alll ways .

04/13/2026

Last turtle reel / photo / moment for this year . They continue to serve as a beautiful reminder of the value of slow, consistent efforts .

Maholo for all the moments of peace . Until next year my beautiful Paia friends 🐢

04/04/2026

" A walk in nature brings the soul back home. " (Mary Davis)

Waihee ridge is one of our favorite hikes for its challenging terrain and amazing views .

It was a lot more muddy than we were expecting and with the challenging terrain, there were definitely "bummers" (sliding on ones butt) and "booters" (manitoban for shoe full of water) on the offer during the tricky descent . Many hikers had the muddy backsides and water logged footwear to prove their commitment to taking in all the mountain had to offer .

Gary decided to indulge in both . I avoided both.

Maybe he needed the bummers and booters to get his soul home and I didn't ? 🤣👌

It was definitely a lesson in having good tread on one's footwear.

Sadly my favorite tree on this hike was recently uprooted , but the wild orchids held their own through the recent storms .

03/31/2026

Her beauty will never be fully captured by the camera .

Only quiet presence will reveal the depth of her brilliance before she fades into the darkness .

And only a deep reverence and profound gratitude for her willingness to remain committed to her "role" allows me to remain fully present as she slowly fades into the darkness .

📸 reverse progression of last night's sky show .....a beautiful reminder to pay close attention to those you love before they fully fade away into the darkness . They will always show you their true magnificence if you are able to still yourself in quiet wonder .

03/16/2026

THE POWER OF VALIDATION
This post was inspired by post last week. His post resonated deeply with me as a human who has been on both sides of the treatment curtain and led me to do a bit of a deeper dive into the power of validation.

Validation may be the most powerful communication technique we have as physiotherapists and health care providers in general.
It is an approach that communicates understanding and acceptance of a patient’s experiences, feeling , actions and worries. In a nutshell, validation means we acknowledge, accept and allow space for another person’s emotional feelings and perspectives to exist without judgement.

Validation can help our patients/ clients feel seen, heard, understood and supported, particularly when they are navigating an emotionally charged situation.

There is evidence that validation regulates negative emotions, and is associated with improved patient satisfaction/ experience, builds trust and engagement and may have positive effects on treatment adherence.

Our tendency, when helping someone navigate an emotionally charged situation (loss of identity, decreased physical capacity, unbearable physical pain, etc), is to jump into reassurance and action/problem-solving mode. While reassurance can be helpful….”This is just temporary. Your symptoms will improve over time.” ….it can also feel dismissive at times.

The evidence is clear: we would serve our clients (and ourselves) best if instead, we would pause in validation and…..

How do we offer validation?

We offer validation by:
1. remaining fully present
2. offering an accurate reflection of the situation without judgement
3. paying attention to non-verbal cues of communication (facial expressions, body language, demeanour etc).
4. Normalizing feelings
5. Being truly genuine/authentic

📸 screenshot of post with Louis Gifford’s original quote (which still holds value, when done in the appropriate context

02/14/2026

Lovingkindness meditation (LMK) is an ancient Bhuddist practice that cultivates goodwill towards others. All others. Those we love easily and those we don’t love so easily.

Researchers have been studying the effects of mindfulness and meditation to better understand its impact on the quality of our minds and our lives.

LKM has been scientifically proven to have a multitude of benefits, including but not limited to :

❤️‍🩹 increased self compassion
❤️‍🩹 increased positive emotions, decreased negative emotions
❤️‍🩹decreased chronic pain
❤️‍🩹decreased migraines
❤️‍🩹decreased PTSD
❤️‍🩹activates empathy and emotional processing
❤️‍🩹improved telomere length (slower biological aging)
❤️‍🩹increased pro social behaviour and stronger connections

The process of a LKM starts with offering love and compassion to yourself, and then to someone or many people you easily love, and then to “neutral” people in your life, and then to difficult people or those who make life more difficult, and then to all beings in the world.

LKM may be one way to celebrate the power of love this Valentine’s Day and all year long.

Link to a LKM in my bio. Try it for yourself.

02/05/2026

This quote popped up in my journal this morning and I thought it was appropriate to share at this time.

May you find many slender threads with which to weave yourself a lifeline that saves you from the sorrows of the world.

📸 are a series of things that bring me joy and “the first beautiful thing” I see in the morning, photographed with a full commitment to finding something beautiful each and every day. This little ritual is incredibly life giving and possibly the best use of these intrusive devices we call smart phones.

02/04/2026

Many Canadian organizations are matching donations toda y, thanks to the generosity of sponsors.

I am grateful for the research that helped to improve my survival rate transforming Hodgkin’s Lymphoma from an often fatal disease into one with a five year relative survival rate of approximately 89%.

I am grateful for the tremendous care I received through .mb all those years ago ( 29 years now!) including biweekly chemotherapy treatments for 7months, daily radiation treatments for 3 weeks, weekly bloodwork check ins, repeat medical follow ups monthly, CT SCANS on a regular basis and counselling for the diagnosis and treatment induced PTSD.

Please consider making a donation today to one of your favorite Canadian Cancer charities. Many of them have generous sponsors who are matching donations made today.

📸 is taken in 1997, 32 year old me on a good day (no chemo that week), rocking the shaved head do as best as I could while out for dinner at family friend’s home.

02/01/2026

The “and people” was my personal edit. The quote is attributed to photographer Kristin Martz.

As I celebrate the day I first became a mama, and my first born’s birthday, I am reminded of this absolute truth.

Nothing has brought me closer to who I am and how I show up in life than my role as a mama has.

Happy Birthday Nic! Thank you for choosing me as your mama. I love you to the moon and back.

01/18/2026

Journalling…..I am intermittently reminding you (and myself) of the power of the written word.

The act of journalling engages our brains in a unique fashion, engaging a complex network of brain regions, each contributing to its powerful impact on mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Studies suggest that putting feelings into words may help with cognitive reappraisal, potentially reframing a situation to reduce its emotional impact (Lieberman et al, 2011).

Journalling encourages introspection, allowing for improved self understanding, self awareness and hopefully self compassion.

Research does suggest that journalling can help us accept rather than judge our experiences , resulting in fewer negative emotions in response to stressors (Ford et al, 2018).

Do you journal ? If not, what’s preventing you from test driving this incredibly accessible tool for wellbeing ?

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”…..William Wordsworth.

01/05/2026

Love at first sight .

I met Mo as a patient when I was 25 years old . She was 46 years old .

I immediately fell in love with her British accent, her quirky storytelling and her great wit as we worked through her subjective history and objective assessment ....despite the fact that she was my 7pm "new patient" at the end of an exhausting patient care day.

Despite the age gap (she was essentially my mamma's age ) , we became fast friends and she soon found herself a new physio.

I am grateful that Mo stepped into that clinic 36 years ago and swept me into her larger than life little world .

Point of post : let yourself fall in love with people that immediately speak your language and touch your soul . Regardless of demographics and circumstances . Your life will be richer for it.

📸 series of our dinner tonight , between many good laughs and a few heart felt tears and lots of good quality chocolate

📸 a few things around her home that reveal a little bit about who she is , including her "ring for chocolate" bell and her wall of framed sheep art and Mo being spontaneous Mo ....leaping from the dinner table to drinki water upside down for her hiccups

01/01/2026

As you welcome in the New Year….

May you land softly and gently into the hope and promise of new beginnings.

Without big expectations for “self improvement” or transformation.

Without setting forth new goals for yourself, but perhaps a few simple little intentions instead ?

Maybe it’s enough to just remember to breathe deeply and intentionally every now and then, to let your inner dialogue be as kind as your outer dialogue, to drink enough water to keep things moving well and to find a few moments of silence and/ or solitude in each day.

Address

Winnipeg, MB
R3P0N5

Website

http://www.tuxedophysiotherapy.com/

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Tuxedo Physiotherapy

Tuxedo Physiotherapy (formerly Anna DiMarco Physical Therapy) has been providing quality care since 2003. We are a physiotherapist-owned and managed rehabilitation clinic located in the heart of Tuxedo. We offer orthopaedic/musculoskeletal physiotherapy, acupuncture treatment for pain, occupational therapy and massage therapy.

We will conduct a thorough assessment of your particular situation and provide you with a customized treatment plan to address your personal needs. We are dedicated professionals with a firm commitment towards listening with empathy, acting with integrity and providing quality care. We will provide effective, evidence-based services in a comfortable environment and empower you with the knowledge to live well and stay strong.