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A New Era in Rehabilitation

​Pictured above: The Gray Centre team is utilizing and investing in state-of-the-art technology such as the Exoskeleton pictured here, to foster discovery and improve outcomes for people living with mobility and activity dysfunction.


By: Kelsi Break, Communication Consultant, St. Joseph's Health Care London

We were born to move yet this precious gift of mobility can easily be stolen by illness, injury, disease or the natural ageing process.

Currently more than 2.5 million Canadians suffer from mobility impairment with devastating consequences to their physical, mental and emotional well-being. To tackle this growing and complex research and care need, St. Joseph's Health Care London has developed a unique, coordinated approach with the launch of The Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity at Parkwood Institute. Learn more.

Through the Gray Centre, teams of medical professionals, researchers, educators and industry experts have been brought together to develop, test and deliver innovative new treatments in rehabilitation for a wide variety of diseases and conditions that impact activity and mobility.

"As Southwestern Ontario's regional leader in rehabilitation, St. Joseph's Parkwood Institute is uniquely positioned to lead this work," says Roy Butler, St. Joseph's President and CEO. "We combined our expertise with a generous $7.5 million donation from William (Bill) and Lynne Gray and family to St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation to establish the Gray Centre. During our first official year we have built a roster of mobility and activity experts who are working together to foster discovery"

While each Gray Centre scientist, educator and health care provider has a unique area of expertise, they all align with at least one of the centre's 10 core areas of focus:

  • Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury     

    Acquired or traumatic brain injuries can have profound consequences on activity and mobility. These injuries can decrease a person's ability to be physically active and carry out daily activities as they did before.

    • What are we doing? Mobility and activity experts at the Gray Centre are working to understand how specific brain injuries impact mobility and activity, how to quickly identify patients with long-term brain injury rehabilitation needs, and how best to treat them. 

  • Mobility and Brain Health

    There is a direct link between mobility, cognition and brain health. For example, physical activity has been shown to help memory, thinking and mental health disorders. As well, early diagnosis of dementia can be aided by studying how a person walks.

    • What are we doing? Gray Centre clinicians and scientists are advancing the understanding of the link between mobility and brain health through research on physical therapies and using careful assessment of gait to make an early diagnosis of dementia. 

  • Neuromuscular Dysfunction

    The neuromuscular system is made up of nerves which provide signals to the muscles that then move the body. Damage or disease can compromise the function of the neuromuscular system, resulting in activity and mobility dysfunction.

    • What are we doing? Researchers at the Gray Centre are looking at how to preserve function of the neuromuscular system in the face of disease and the natural aging process. Collaborating with surgical colleagues, they are studying novel surgical procedures to repair damage to nerves after a trauma. 

  • Spinal Cord Injury

    The spinal cord is the neural highway of the body, transmitting signals from the brain to the muscles, thereby enabling movement. Injuries to the spinal cord, through trauma or disease, disrupts these signals often times resulting in paralysis.

    • What are we doing? Through testing new therapies, experts at the Gray Centre are helping patients with spinal cord injury maximize their recovery and develop new strategies to help them be as independent as possible. 

  • Stroke  

    A stroke is caused when blood to part of the brain is reduced or blocked, depriving cells of the oxygen and nutrients they need to function and survive. The iconic feature of stroke is paralysis on one side of the body and balance difficulties that affect mobility and activity.

    • What are we doing? Scientists at the Gray Centre are testing new therapies to improve recovery from paralysis. The team has also developed the most comprehensive synthesis of stroke rehabilitation research in the world. 

  • Amputation

    The partial or complete loss of a limb frequently leads to mobility and activity challenges. Dexterity and balance are often compromised, new gait patterns might need to be learned and activities of daily living become difficult.

    • What are we doing? A Gray Centre team is testing ways for patients with amputations to safely use prosthetics at home and in the community. The team is also studying how limb loss impacts cognitive function and mental health. 

  • Balance, Gait and Falls

    Poor balance and weakness increase the risk of falling, which can often result in serious injury. Each year, 33 per cent of older adults over age 70 will experience a fall. Preventing falls is paramount to the health of older adults and the diagnosis and treatment of balance and gait problems requires a specialized approach.

    • What are we doing? Through clinical trials, the Gray Centre is identifying ways to evaluate and treat people with balance challenges and weakness, and creating leading edge, individually tailored programs to prevent falls. 

  • Chronic Pain

    Chronic pain often impairs a person's mobility, function and quality of life. Due to a number of musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, an estimated 7.6 million, or one in four Canadians aged 15 and older, live with chronic pain.

    • What are we doing? Gray Centre researchers and clinicians are studying the factors that impact chronic pain development and progression and exploring chronic pain management approaches for various diseases and conditions.  

  • Adults with Childhood Onset Conditions

    Being born with, or developing, a physical disability in early childhood can have a significant impact on mobility and activity throughout a person's life. Those with childhood conditions, such as cerebral palsy, often suffer weakness, spasticity, fatigue and pain, limiting their ability to participate in physical activity.

    • What are we doing?  Considering the unique needs of adults with childhood onset physical disabilities, the Gray Centre is developing a unique program of assessments and interventions to maximize physical function, mental health and quality of life.