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Dr. Shawn Thistle

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Profile of Dr. Shawn Thistle Toronto

Dr. Shawn Thistle B. Kin. (Hons.), D.C., D.Ac, ART®, C.S.C.S
Dr. Shawn Thistle SHAPE Toronto
Dr. Shawn Thistle

Shawn is a clinic director at SHAPE Health and Wellness Centres Toronto, where he helps clients achieve optimal health by relieving their pain, strengthening their bodies, and revolutionizing their lifestyles through integrated implementation of evidence-based treatment and training protocols.

Dr. Thistle graduated (magna cum laude) from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto and holds an Honours Degree (summa cum laude) in Kinesiology from McMaster University. He also holds a certificate in Contemporary Medical Acupuncture from McMaster University, and is a Certified Active Release Techniques (ART®) Provider.

As a complement to his manual medicine and acupuncture training, Shawn is also certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association NSCA-USA, and has been involved in fitness and competitive sport-specific training since high-school.

Shawn believes strongly in educating clients in all aspects of health and fitness. His diverse background and skill set allow him to administer effective integrated treatment and therapy to assist in the areas of pain management, acute-injury care, post-surgical rehabilitation, functional training and rehabilitation, weight loss and balanced nutrition, increasing muscle mass, improving athletic performance, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, stress management and sport-specific personal training.

Shawn enjoys working closely with each client throughout their therapy and training program, instilling knowledge of how the body responds to therapy and exercise as progress is made in achieving health and personal fitness goals.

Shawn has pursued his passion for educating by becoming a part-time faculty member in the Department of Clinical Education at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, where he continues to facilitate a small-group clinical education course for third year students and lectures in the Dept. of Orthopedics.

Dr. Thistle has been featured on CBC television, and as part of the SHAPE team in articles in Toronto Life, Flare Magazine, Toronto Sun and Canadian Chiropractor. He also contributes articles to Canadian Chiropractor Magazine and numerous online newsletters and publications related to health care and chiropractic.

Research Review Service Shawn is the Founder and President of Research Review Service Inc., which assists busy practitioners to integrate current, relevant evidence into their practice. As a practicing clinician himself, Shawn provides practical insight into the application of scientific research to clinical practice and patient care. As the volume of evidence-based information grows, the field practitioner is faced with a daunting task of staying abreast of emerging information. It is designed to help bridge this gap by providing weekly reviews of current scientific articles as an online subscription service for practicing clinicians and students in these disciplines:
  • chiropractic
  • physiotherapy
  • acupuncture
  • athletic & massage therapy

POSITIONS CURRENTLY HELD:
  • Associate Clinic Director - SHAPE Health and Wellness Centres, Toronto
  • Faculty - Dept. Clinical Education, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto
    Lecturer - Dept. of Orthopedics, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto
  • Founder & President of Research Review Service Inc.

EDUCATION:

  • 2008: ART® Active Release Techniques - Peripheral Nerve Entrapment (Course)
  • 2007: ART® Active Release Techniques - Recertification
  • 2006: ART® Active Release Techniques - Upper Extremity
  • 2006: ART® Active Release Techniques - Spine
  • 2005: ART® Active Release Techniques - Lower Extremity
  • 2004: McMaster Contemporary Medical Acupuncture Program
  • 2001: C.S.C.S. (Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist) National Strength & Conditioning Assoc., USA
  • 2000 - 2004: Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, Ontario - Doctor of Chiropractic (magna cum laude)
  • 1996 - 2000: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario - Honors Bachelor of Kinesiology (summa cum laude) - majored in exercise physiology, nutrition, & rehabilitation

AWARDS:
  • 2004 Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto; "Gilbert H. Yong Memorial Award" for highest academic standing in fourth year of study
  • 2004 Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto; "Stephane Julien Memorial Award" chosen by the 4th year graduating class for demonstrating great dedication to helping other students in academics and technique during 4 years at CMCC
  • 2004 Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto; "Hoskins/Sommacal Clinic Proficiency Award" presented by CMCC to an intern from the HK Lee Clinic who has shown outstanding proficiency in Clinical Education
  • 2002 International Association of Chiropractic Colleges Student Research Award, Burroughs Wellcome Fund Research Award (CIHR), for project entitled: "Chiropractic Post-Graduate Education: A compilation of chiropractic certification/specialty programmes" presented at the 2004 ACC-RAC Research Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - March, 2004
  • 2002 The Orthotic Group Excellence in Biomechanics Scholarship

PUBLICATIONS:
  • Dr. Shawn Thistle, Acupuncture in Health-Care; The Popularity of Acupuncture in the Health-Care Marketplace. Canadian Chiropractor Magazine June/July, 2006
  • Dr. Shawn Thistle, Integrated Therapy and Training; A New Approach to Health and Fitness. Chiropractic For Life; Well Now Inc. July, 2005
  • Thistle SM, Grod JP & Crowther ER. Chiropractic Postgraduate Education: A Compilation of Chiropractic Certification/Specialty Programs. The Journal of Chiropractic Education 2004; 18(1): 86 [abstract]

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
  • delegate: Research Symposium, (CMCC) Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Friday, Feb. 1, 2008, Toronto
  • delegate: Fusion of Stabilization and Mobilization with Dr. Stu McGill (University of Waterloo) and Dr. Kim Ross (CMCC) Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Sept. 23-24, 2006, Toronto
  • delegate: Functional Reactivation: From Developmental Kinesiology to Functional Fitness with Dr. Craig Liebenson. Candian Memorial Chiropractic College, Feb. 25-26, 2006, Toronto
  • delegate: Advances in Sports Medicine: Leading Edge Update. Michener Institute, course GH700, Oct. 15, 2005, Toronto
  • delegate: Sport Sciences Seminar, presented by the College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences (Canada), May 28, 2005, Toronto
  • delegate: Record Keeping Seminar, presented by the College of Chiropractors of Ontario, Sept. 10, 2005, Toronto
  • delegate: Assessment and Treatment of the Lower Extremity - presented by the College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences (Canada), May 8-9, 2004, Toronto
  • delegate and presenter: Association of Chiropractic Colleges - Research Agenda Conference (ACC-RAC), Mar. 11-14, 2004, Las Vegas, NV
  • member: National Strength and Conditioning Association
  • delegate: OCA/CMCC Annual Conference and Trade Show Track 2: Radiology Review - Advanced Imaging for the Spine and Extremities as it Relates to Chiropractic Practice, Oct. 3-5, 2003, Toronto
  • delegate: Third Canadian Integrative Medicine Grand Round - Fibromyalgia - Mt. Sinai Hospital, Sept. 30, 2003, Toronto
  • delegate: Whiplash & Neck Pain Research, Management and Legislation - Conference and AGM, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and the Canadian Society of Chiropractic Evaluators, Apr. 5, 2003, Toronto
  • delegate: Society of Weight-Training Injury Specialists (SWIS) 4th annual International Weight-Training Injury Symposium, Sept. 13-15, 2002, Toronto
  • delegate: workshop - Whiplash, Insights & Perspectives - Canadian Society of Chiropractic Evaluators (CSCE), May 4, 2002, Toronto
  • delegate: 2 sessions - Nutrition and Natural Medicine in the Prevention and Management of Degenerative Diseases - (Dr. James Meschino DC, MSc), Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College's Continuing Education Dept., 2001, Toronto
  • delegate: Society of Weight-Training Injury Specialists (SWIS) 3rd annual Weight-Training Injury Symposium, Nov. 16-18, 2001 Toronto
 
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THERAPY

ART®
Chiropractic
Manual Medicine
Medical Acupuncture
Pain Management

TRAINING

Activation
Stabilization
Injury Prevention
Rehabilitation
Sport Training
Strength Training
Conditioning

LIFESTYLE

Balanced Nutrition
Ergonomics
Relaxation
Stress Reduction
Time Management

TESTIMONIALS

"The second I crossed the finish line at The 2008 Sarasota International Marathon, I felt I had just conquered the world! Not only did I  finish but I placed 17th in my age group out of 90 competitors. I was happy to accomplish something I had worked so hard for these past 6 months. One week prior to the race, I had to put a halt to my training and was terrified I was not going to be able to compete as a result of my knees suddenly telling me enough was enough! I could barely manage to walk, let alone make it through my long runs leading up to the race. My 18km run the week before the race turned into a 1km run because the pain was so excruciating!  I contacted SHAPE, and Shawn came to my rescue!! He was able to quickly dive in and get at the area bothering me, while at the same time explaining why I was feeling the pain and what to do to avoid it in future. I made it through the race, with hopefully many more to come! Without Shawn and his outstanding ability to alleviate pain through ART®, I may not have made it through my warm up on race day! He was genuinely concerned about my injury and determined to do whatever possible to make sure I was able to compete. He is my new HERO! The dedication, hard work and great knowledge is greatly appreciated!
Jess H."