Eric Bennett tells us about his introduction to physio for the jaw, and his love of games

Why physio?

I knew I wanted to be a physio pretty early on, in high school! Initially, I thought I would want to work with kids, but I wasn’t sure in what capacity. In high school, I really loved biology and PE; it turns out, if you combine the two, you get kinesiology. With these interests, plus my own experience receiving physio, I realized I could work with kids in a physio context.

I started my kin degree at the University of Fraser Valley in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, and did a lot of volunteering with physios, as well as a pediatric physio. I really enjoyed working with that population, but it wasn’t without its challenges; parents could be a bit tricky to navigate.

I continued with my physio education at UBC and loved every minute of it! It was such a fun experience. I engaged in several extracurricular activities there, including the Physical Therapy Student Society, where I was president. It was fun to be surrounded by people doing the same thing. 

After graduating, I was able to start practicing in the Mission area, where I worked for two years. When I met my now husband, we moved to Port Moody, and I decided to move clinics and work part-time in Vancouver, and split my remaining time with another clinic in Coquitlam. My husband got his residency placement in Victoria a few years later, and that’s what brought us to Vancouver Island. I started at Arbutus in September 2025, so everything is very new.

How are you feeling about all the newness?

I feel like if I were moving from Victoria to Vancouver, it would be a lot. But moving to the Island, it’s been so calm. Vancouver is busy, but here, everyone seems to have a work-life balance. I haven’t found it too overwhelming, it’s been exciting! We live in Vic West, which is just across the bridge from downtown. We love being in proximity to the downtown vibe, but separate from it.

What’s your favourite thing about Victoria so far?

We love the walkability! I only need to use my car for work; otherwise, we walk everywhere. Our favourite thing to do on a Sunday is to grab a game and sit and hang out at a local brewery. Our favourite right now is Whistle Buoy, or Swift Brewing (when you’re there, it feels like you’re sitting on the set of ‘That 70s Show’).

We also take lots of walks up toward Esquimalt; walking along the ocean never gets old. Often, we see otters swimming at the docks; I’d never seen one in the wild in my life, and they’re there all the time!

What are your favourite games?

We are big game people! I am a very competitive human. My husband and I like to play Monopoly, cribbage, Phase 10, or Ticket to Ride. It’s so fun! When Settlers of Catan was a big thing, there was a time when my family played it three times in a row: that is five hours of Catan!

I’m a big Seahawks fan as well. My dad is a 49ers fan, and we’ve been to quite a few games between those two teams! It’s a big rivalry in our family.

Where did your interest in TMJ issues stem from?

It’s a good question, because jaws were never something I thought about being a physio for. But it just so happened that the “queen” of jaw physios – Maria – worked at the first clinic I practiced at, and she offered to run a two-day course, so I, along with some other physios, took it. It was fascinating; I didn’t realize the jaw had so many components to it. Now, I really love working with the jaw. 

Easily one of the most rewarding demographics to work with is people who experience jaw pain or who have extreme myofascial tension (trismus, or lockjaw). A lot of people don’t know how debilitating it can be until they talk about it or experience it themselves.

What is also interesting about working with the jaw is how many other conditions that are not obviously jaw-related refer back to this area of the body. Tinnitus is one of them. It can be relieved by working with the jaw, which is not necessarily intuitive. This is one of the most satisfying parts of working as a physio: helping clients make connections between the pain they’re experiencing and where it’s coming from and why. I’m proud when I can communicate a complex idea and make it make sense for them.

How do you educate your clients?

I’m super visual! I’ll draw or pull out pictures. And I’m a sucker for a good metaphor. One that I refer to often is relating nerves in our bodies to garden hoses. The hose is the nerve; a kink in the hose could represent a nerve injury. I can’t recall when I started using metaphors to help visualize a client’s injury, but it works really well.

I also use Instagram, for example, to help keep my exercises exciting for my clients. I think there can be some skepticism around using social media, especially in the world of health, because there is a lot of bad information out there. And, it can be problematic if a person is trying things they see on social media without first being assessed. But as a physio who assesses people all the time, I’m able to review content and understand how it could be useful for my specific clients. I try to act as a filter to help them find the right information.

Of course, I do love a good research article for my own education! And, I appreciate connecting with colleagues or past mentors. That’s truly the best way to find new research and information. I know that I can always reach out to past mentors; everybody wants to help each other and progress collectively.

How do you stay active?

I recently picked up swimming! I want to find something I can do inside. On a sunny day, I like to get out for a hike or a jog. And, I like to golf! The calmness of it is what draws me to the sport.

Tell us more about your work with facial-neuromuscular retraining

This is a type of physio that is done with people who have experienced Bell’s Palsy or Ramsay Hunt Syndrome and need to retrain their facial muscles. I happened to work alongside Susan Rankan (the queen of facial palsy physio across Canada, I would say) at one of my past clinics, and she suggested I should try it out. It’s an adjunct to TMJ work, and I loved it immediately! It’s rewarding in a very niche way. Up until recently, there haven’t been very many of us across BC who do facial retraining. We just had a meeting with all of the facial retraining physios across BC, there’s only nine of us!

After Bell’s Palsy or other neurological conditions, half of a person’s face is paralyzed. Most of the time (85%), people fully recover, but some people get synkinesis: they try to smile, but their whole face responds instead. Every person has 21 muscles on each side of their face, so it takes a lot of work (and patience) to regenerate and wake up those nerves.

I had a client come in recently who is recovering from Bell’s Palsy. She was in Europe not too long ago and finally felt comfortable having her photo taken, which was a huge win for her.

There is a huge connection between the physical work of physio and a person’s mental health. When things improve, it can feel like a big sigh of relief! We often hear this from clients when they come in, saying, “I feel so much better!” And I feel so much relief for them in that moment that I myself will often let out an actual exhale.