Relieve Your Pain. Start Feeling Better In As Few As 3 Visits.
Physiotherapy is what you do when your body is not performing the way it needs to. It is a healthcare profession that understands how important movement is to your quality of life. Sprinting down the soccer field after knee surgery, returning to exercises postpartum, or being able to pick up your grandchildren without back pain are just a few examples of how your movement matters.
Our bodies are so adaptable, but whether from a sudden or chronic injury or being diagnosed with a chronic disease, you need the guidance of a trusted healthcare professional. Physiotherapy is there for you every step of the way. Your physiotherapist will go through a thorough assessment, provide a tailored treatment plan, and coach you through specific exercises to get you from where you are to where you need to be.
Don’t let pain, stiffness, or weakness get in the way of you living your best life. Your time spent in physiotherapy will leave you feeling more hopeful, strong, resilient, and ready to face your day.
Tell us what hurts, and we will treat your pain in the shortest time possible. Get effective treatment for your condition in less than 30 minutes so you can get back to doing what you live… pain-free.
Get a personalized care plan so you can feel better in as few as 3 visits. We use advanced therapy techniques proven to ease pain, accelerate recovery, improve mobility and overall health.
Our award winning team of licensed physiotherapists, chiropractors, registered massage therapists are professionals and experts in human anatomy and biomechanics. You will get the perfect care plan to target the root of your pain so you can get back to doing what you love, everyday!
This appointment is your opportunity to tell us what hurts and discover whether physiotherapy or chiropractic care is a good fit for you! During this session, you will talk with a physiotherapist or chiropractor on a phone call (or online) and create the right care plan specifically for your pain. There is no obligation, this session is only to find out if physiotherapy or chiropractic care can help you getting back to doing the things you love in life.
Improve the way your body moves so you can continue to do the things you love. PainHero is Canada’s largest network of physiotherapists, chiropractors, and registered massage therapists. Our mission is to make it easy for you to find the top clinics in your community. We handpick the top clinics using our 50 point inspection based on patient reviews, complaints, and patient outcomes.
Whether you’re seeking pain relief or preventative care, you can expect our patient-centric approach to be new and different from any healthcare experience you’ve had before. Perhaps even life-changing.
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If you have an injury that affects your muscles, a physiotherapist will be able to help. And since your body’s systems are all intertwined, injuries to bones and tendons also affect your muscles, range of motion, and flexibility. That’s why, even for something like a broken arm, physiotherapy often gets prescribed as part of your recovery treatment plan.
Use this page to learn the basics of how physiotherapy can help you recover from an injury so you can get back to living the lifestyle you love.
Physiotherapists use natural techniques to actually strengthen the body to address its core mechanical issues. We don’t prescribe pills and meds that only mask the problem. We get to the root cause of the problem, and then we empower you to treat it.
Most physiotherapy works like a partnership. The patient comes in, and after a treatment plan is developed, they learn a series of exercises and other techniques to start using. Then, with the combined efforts of doing some exercises on your own and others at the physiotherapy clinic with the help of your physiotherapist, you will push through pain barriers until your body’s functionality gets restored.
Some of the techniques used by physiotherapists include:
It’s tough to put a price tag on living a healthy life with your body fully functioning as it was designed. Many people needlessly live with pain that hinders their quality of life and in some cases, prevents them from doing things they need or really want to do.
With physiotherapy treatment, they find that they do not have to keep living that way. Some of the primary benefits of getting treatment from a physiotherapist are:
Find out whether physiotherapy or chiropractic care can help you get
back to doing the things you love in life. No obligations.
Would you believe there are 21 different physiotherapy specializations? That’s because the human body is a complex and incredible machine.
Depending on your injury, you may need to work with a very particular type of physiotherapist. For instance, if you have a concussion or traumatic brain injury, your diagnosis and rehabilitation process will be very different than if you injure your shoulder playing hockey. And that’s very different from developing a repetitive posture injury from sitting too long every day, or a hand injury from typing all day.
Then, there are kids, pregnant and post-partum women, broken bones, sports injuries – the list goes on. Whatever injury you have, there is a specialist that can help you.
Orthopedic physiotherapy is the branch of physiotherapy that helps people reduce their pain or recover from an injury that is occurring to the bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and/or nervous system. If you have an injury or condition that involves the skeleton (bones), muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia, an Orthopedic physiotherapist can help you.
You’re probably going to be hearing a lot about cardio-respiratory physiotherapy in the next few months. As people are recovering from COVID-19, cardio-respiratory physiotherapists will be of the utmost importance. This branch of physiotherapy is one that specializes in the prevention, rehabilitation, and compensation of clients with diseases and injuries in the heart and lungs.
You should also see a cardio-respiratory physiotherapist if you have problems like asthma, chest infections and trauma. They can also help if you are preparing or recovering from major surgery, or if you’re suffering from respiratory conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF) and post-myocardial infarction (MI).
Pediatric Physiotherapist tips courtesy of All About Kids Rehabilitation Clinic.
Sports physiotherapy is a specialization that primarily deals with preventing injury and rehabilitating patients and athletes who participate in sports activities.
Sport physiotherapists can help athletes in many ways. They help with increasing physical strength, helping your body relax, improving joint & muscle flexibility, and preventing & treating injuries. They are you’re go-to for anything sports related!
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Sports Physiotherapy tips courtesy of Craven Sports Clinic
Women’s health physiotherapists use therapeutic treatment to help all disorders affecting the pelvis, pelvic floor, and after-birth care. They can help with many different conditions, including incontinence, prolapse, pelvic pain and constipation to name a few.
There is growing evidence that physiotherapy can alleviate, and in many cases cure these symptoms. Most women don’t even know these services exist, so if you suffer from any of the above – a women’s health physiotherapist can help you.
Under the umbrella of Women’s Health, there are physiotherapists who primarily focus on the pelvic floor. These physiotherapists help women rehabilitate their pelvic floor muscles. These muscles can be weakened by childbirth, surgery, heavy lifting, being overweight, constipation or menopause.
The pelvic floor muscles support the womb (uterus), bladder and bowel (colon), forming a ‘sling’ from the pubic bone at the front to the tailbone at the back. If the muscles are weak, this can affect bladder and bowel control, resulting in incontinence (leakage) or prolapse. Visit a pelvic floor physiotherapist to get help with these symptoms.
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Pelvic Health tips courtesy of The Cheerful Pelvis
Neuro physiotherapy aims at treating patients who suffer from problems that affect the nervous system. Neuro physiotherapy is a multitude of intervention techniques aimed at rehabilitating patients with very specific disorders and traumas.
Neuro Physiotherapists can treat:
There are three things that keep you stable in this world – your visual system, your proprioceptive system, and your vestibular system. Think of these three things like legs on a stool – if one leg is missing or wobbly, your entire balance is thrown off.
Vestibular (or vertigo) physiotherapists help retrain this system so that you can regain your balance and get rid of dizziness. They use a variety of different equipment and exercises to recalibrate your system. This therapy is great if you’re experiencing dizziness, unsteadiness, or vertigo after a head injury or illness.
There are many ways that a physiotherapist can help you after experiencing a concussion. It is such a common injury these days that there are now physiotherapists that specialize in treating them.
Concussion treatment can involve manual therapy, coordination exercises, exercises to strengthen neck muscles, and myofascial release.
Vestibular exercises for concussion recovery courtesy of Maximum Physiotherapy
A hand physiotherapist usually has special training (Certified Hand Therapist), and extensive knowledge and experience when it comes to rehabilitation of the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder.
Hand physiotherapy treatment may include splinting, wound care, management of swelling and scars, exercises, normalization of sensation, and education to facilitate a safe and timely return to work and daily activities.
Before and after demonstration of impact of hand physiotherapy courtesy of Active Recovery Physiotherapy Clinic
If you’ve ever had foot pain, then you know that it is almost impossible to ignore. Your activities of daily living are always impacted, and it can be a real downer.
Are you a runner? Do you wear orthotics? Have you had surgery on your feet? If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, then you should definitely seek out a physiotherapist who has training and experience with feet and foot pain.
Foot Exercises tips courtesy of Tom Swales
Just like foot pain, shoulder pain can really impact your everyday activities. Shoulder pain physiotherapists will focus on the upper extremities and your mobility, range of motion, and any muscle imbalances. They have a detailed knowledge of the upper body, and really understand how all muscles cooperate together.
If you’re experiencing shoulder pain from an injury (or sometimes from just sleeping wrong), then it will be worth visiting a physiotherapist that can put together a comprehensive rotator cuff and shoulder conditioning program.
Shoulder pain tips courtesy of Tom Swales
Physiotherapists are found in abundance in hospitals – but many people don’t know that they are especially needed in the ICU (intensive care unit). For patients who are unable to move, or who have been in serious accidents, physiotherapists can help reposition patients and help gain their mobility back.
With the global pandemic of COVID-19, virtual physiotherapists have seen exponential growth in the need of their services. Virtual physiotherapy was certainly an option before the pandemic, but it has really made clinics shift to offering this option to clients to accommodate the public. Typically these physiotherapists are extremely good at verbal communication and have a high level of knowledge that allows them to fully explain your condition (instead of using manual therapy).
Regardless of the pandemic, virtual physiotherapy is an excellent option if you are unable to leave your home to go to a clinic, or if you live in a remote part of the world where physiotherapy is hard to access. Luckily, most clinics now have an online physiotherapist on staff so they should be easy to find if you should need one.
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Telerehab tips courtesy of SOS Physiotherapy Clinic
A mobile physiotherapist typically sees clients in their home, in a hospital, at their work or somewhere like a community center or pool. Mobile physiotherapists are able to see the day-to-day obstacles that clients are dealing with and make it really easy for their client to get treatment if they’re immobile – plus there is no traffic, parking, or busy clinic to deal with.
Did you know that back pain is one of the most common conditions that clients use physiotherapy for?! At some point in your life, you will experience back pain – either from an injury, your posture, or a spine condition. You’ll want to see a back pain physiotherapist at this point. They can use manual therapy, stretching, modalities such as ice/heat, shockwave treatment, TENs machines, ultrasound treatment, and strengthening to get you back to feeling your best.
Back pain physiotherapists are also quite knowledgeable in your neck and shoulder positioning, as well as posture assessments and sleeping assessments. They recognize that all of these things can play a huge role in your back health!
Quick exercise on how to strengthen your back, courtesy of Tom Swales
Just like back pain, knee pain is one of the main issues we see clients for. In fact, 10% of men and 13% of women will experience knee osteoarthritis. Knee pain is the most common condition, but we often see clients who have had total knee replacements, or have experienced a significant accident/injury to their knees.
Knee pain Physiotherapists can help in a similar way that back pain physiotherapists can – by using different modalities with a combination of manual therapy, myofascial release and strengthening exercises.
Quick tips on how to stay active with knee pain courtesy of Easthill Physiotherapy Clinic
As we age, there are many common physical problems ranging from sore joints and reduced mobility to back pain and even more serious diseases like Osteoporosis, MS, and Parkinson’s. Many seniors begrudgingly accept these aches and pains as an inevitable part of aging and learn to live with it, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
That’s where geriatric physiotherapy comes in! Regular appointments with a physiotherapist can help seniors regain their independence and have them feeling years younger.
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy involves the treatment of disorders that affect how you move – how your muscles and joints work together. Whether it’s your feet, ankles and legs, your hands, arms and shoulders, or your backs and necks – an injury that makes it painful or difficult to move can have a big impact on your life.
(Please note: this is a big umbrella term – as many of the physiotherapists spoken of in this article technically fall under this definition)
Quick explanation (in the caption) on musculoskeletal conditions courtesy of Human Integrated Performance
A rehabilitation consultant generally provides vocational rehab consultations and case management services. Typically, these consultants work for private companies that are contracted by the province (ie. ICBC in British Columbia) to provide efficient services that meet legal requirements. Their responsibilities are to manage a client caseload, make assessments of the vocational ability of each client, address any special accommodation they need at their job, and assist them with returning to work.
Rehab consultants can be physiotherapists or occupational therapists and they can help you utilize further resources to help you remain at your job if you are injured or diagnosed with a condition that prevents you from working.
That wraps up 20 types of physiotherapists, just leaving number 21. This one is easy – the best physiotherapist is the one that is knowledgeable about your condition, communicates effectively, and who you feel you can trust. Simply put, don’t be afraid to try several physiotherapists – not all will be the right fit for you.
This is a very common question, because both physiotherapy and chiropractic care deal with pain management, both use natural, non-surgical remedies to address root causes, and both can treat many of the same conditions.
But there are some significant differences between physiotherapy and chiropractic care, two primary ones in particular.
First, they look for root causes in different places. Chiropractors, in general, work with the spinal column and the nervous system. Whereas physiotherapists will engage with a variety of methods to address a specific area of the body. Not all injuries can be treated by both specialists.
Second, chiropractors use manipulations to make subtle changes to joints and nerves that help relieve the pain and restore the body’s proper function. A manipulation means they adjust something within your body, often part of the spinal column, to correct something that is out of alignment and causing problems elsewhere in the body.
Physiotherapists, on the other hand, use mobilizations and exercises that you have to go home and do, in partnership with the clinician.
Book a consult to learn whether your condition requires physiotherapy, or chiropractic care.
The better question is, who has the ability to get injured?
Physiotherapy is for anyone who has a muscular, skeletal, or tendon injury that is reducing their quality of life, and that can be treated with targeted exercises.
Common types of people who seek physiotherapy treatment include:
For example, because children are still developing, their struggles with movement, balance, and coordination are different from adults, and so are the treatments. Plus, working with kids requires its own skillset, just on a relational level.
For those two reasons, paediatric physiotherapy has become its own specialty. There are at least seven physical conditions and limitations your child may be struggling with that actually can be treated.
For instance, some children struggle to break free from ‘toe walking.’ For some reason, they didn’t quite learn to walk properly as a baby, and their faulty technique has stuck with them as they’ve grown. This condition is treatable with physiotherapy.
While there remains an endless supply of creativity in how people manage to injure themselves, there are some common injuries that physiotherapists see frequently. Here are a few:
Back injuries can occur almost without warning. All it takes is lifting something the wrong way, and you can end up on the couch for weeks. Maybe the box was heavier than you thought. Maybe you leaned over a bit more than you should have. Maybe you forgot to ‘lift with your legs.’ Or, maybe you work in a job that makes your back earn its money every day, and sometimes it just gets overworked.
The causes are many, but the solutions are often found with the help of a physiotherapist. And if a physiotherapist can help heal your back, this is definitely preferred over getting surgery – both in terms of cost and quality of life, as well as in effectiveness, because back surgeries often still fail to correct the problem.
The same can be said for shoulder injuries and knee injuries. A lot of times these injuries happen because you do something you don’t normally do, and you overestimate your body’s capability. That’s one reason we see so many middle-aged people using physiotherapy for treatment.
Quick stretches to combat back pain courtesy of Nobleton Physiotherapy
For knee injuries, physiotherapists often recommend a knee brace as part of their treatment and restoration plan. Knee braces can help reduce pain and control swelling, among other things.
This is most common form of injury many physiotherapists deal with, especially in today’s world where many people have shifted to working from home. For people who sit at computers all day, small problems with their posture can cause injuries to their back, hands, wrists, forearms, and sometimes other areas as well.
The good news is, there are some exercises you can do yourself to help limit more serious injuries caused by too much sitting. If you can discipline yourself to consistently do some of these, then you can reduce the chances you’ll need to get help from a physiotherapist.
The only problem with this is, if your workstation isn’t set up well, these injuries will continue to re-occur. So unless you want to do these exercises for the rest of your life, you should also consider making small adjustments to your workspace so your posture can improve. The first step is easy. If you are working on a computer while sitting on your couch or bed all day, or at the kitchen table, stop!
You will minimize injury by using a real desk and a real desk chair. But, even that needs to be set up a certain way to reduce repetitive injuries.
You’ll also want to change your habits if you’re sitting too long without a break. Injuries caused by poor posture and improper workstation setups can be debilitating if left unchecked for too long. But the good news is, you can also treat them relatively easily if you take some simple steps and then commit to some basic exercises to repair the damage.
3 exercises to help combat poor posture and muscular imbalances caused by prolonged sitting, courtesy of Easthill Physiotherapy Clinic
If you’ve never heard of this, there’s a good chance you are either a man, or have never had children or been close to someone who has. During childbirth, sometimes the mother’s body doesn’t quite return to normal ‘down there.’However, while that’s the most common application of pelvic floor physiotherapy, the little-known truth is that anyone – including men – can come to need help with their pelvic floor. For men or women suffering from bladder and bowel problems, often pelvic floor physiotherapy is the path to treatment that actually heals their bodies.
Nevertheless, it’s hard to talk about pelvic floor physiotherapy for too long without making a few jokes. And that is best left to the physiotherapists themselves.
Lifestyle tips for bladder and pelvic health courtesy of Proactive Pelvic Health
No, you don’t get tennis elbow only from playing tennis.
Tennis elbow is a very painful form of tendinitis that can occur both from repetitive motion and from sudden wrong movement that pressures the tendons and supporting muscles connecting the arm to the bone.
Again, like many other injuries discussed on this page, physiotherapy treatment for tennis elbow really does work. If you click the link above, you’ll read about one patient, a nurse, who couldn’t even go kayaking because her elbow hurt so bad, particularly when she had to grip or twist, which you do a lot on a kayak.
After some physiotherapy treatment, she was able to go kayaking again, free of discomfort.
Check out this tennis elbow diagram and explanation courtesy of OPTSC
These are too numerous to list out, but we see sports injuries from youth, from professional athletes, from active people who exercise on their own, and from amateur competitors. We also see them from runners, bikers, and people who do marathons and triathlons.
For these injuries, if the person wants to resume their active lifestyle again, they must go through the physiotherapy process to restore their muscles and tendons to their full functionality.
One such athlete who has consistently gotten treatment left this review on Momentum’s Instagram page.
“I would highly recommend Momentum Physical Therapy. I have been a client for over 6 years! As an amateur age group triathlete I have benefitted greatly from their dedication to getting you back to your former athletic ability following injury or to just keep your body moving after completing rehab. By the end of your treatment, the PT team has set you up to maintain your body and help prevent injury going forward.”
The costs of physiotherapy depend on a lot of factors. But even before considering those, you must also consider the cost of doing nothing. If you have a repetitive motion injury, or you had surgery and your muscles have hurt everyday since, what will happen if you let that go for another ten years?
It may one day lead to an even worse condition that requires costly surgery or other treatments to remedy. Dealing with it now can save you money later – not to mention that you’ll get to enjoy your life a whole lot more as well.
So, costs are tricky because the cost of doing nothing can sometimes end up much greater – and not just in monetary terms.
Aside from that, costs also depend on insurance coverage. Some insurers cover physiotherapy, some do not. Some cover a certain number of treatments per year. There’s also worker’s compensation. And then you can sometimes just pay out of pocket.
Generally, you will be charged for the initial assessment and for each ongoing treatment session. Prices for these tend to range from $105 to $180 for the assessment, and from $75 to $140 for treatment sessions.
The REAL question you should be asking yourself is, what is the cost of not going to physiotherapy?
I think that you would find it surprising that just one in ten Canadians seek the advice of a physiotherapist. Yes only 10% of the population are seeking out the professional advice of a physiotherapist.
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident (MVA) in Alberta, you are entitled to accident benefits coverage under the Motor Vehicles Act, regardless of whether you were at fault. The amount of coverage that you receive will depend on the type of injury that you have sustained.
If you have been in a car accident you should contact your insurance company to let them know. Then book an appointment immediately with a physiotherapist to get an early assessment.
The good news is that you don’t have to seek approval of the insurer to get an assessment. The physiotherapy clinic will bill the automobile insurer directly so you can focus on recovering and not on administrative hassles.
Treatment length is usually 10 – 12 weeks for car accident injuries. There is a large variance and you may only require a couple of visits or you may require years of treatment depending on the extent of your injuries. Under Section B Accident Benefits your insurance company is required to cover all reasonable expenses incurred within 2 years from the date of the accident for necessary physiotherapy and other medical services that are essential for rehabilitation.
Injured at work? Then you may be eligible to have your entire treatment covered by WCB.
If you have injured yourself at work, you and your employer need to fill out a WCB claim. You can then go for an assessment at an approved WCB physiotherapy clinic. The initial physiotherapy examination and first treatment will be paid for by WCB.
Further physiotherapy treatment is only approved once the claim is accepted. If approved, the WCB may authorize physiotherapy treatment for up to six weeks. That means you won’t be required to pay anything out of your own pocket and your treatment will be free.
There is limited coverage from Alberta Health Services for physiotherapy.
An assessment at a clinic that provides provincial funding is required to determine if you are eligible. To find AHS-funded physiotherapy services, visit Alberta Health Service’s website and search for “physiotherapy.”
This program provides early, limited intervention (3-7 visits) for patients that have had a recent decline in their function following musculoskeletal (i.e. muscle/joint) injury or surgery. Physiotherapy treatment and teaching will be offered to help decrease pain, increase strength and flexibility and manage daily activities.
Physiotherapy is normally included in employer or purchased health benefit plans. Coverage varies from plan to plan and can range from $500 to unlimited so you need to look into the details of your health coverage. Some insurers require a referral from a doctor to access your physiotherapy coverage.
Most clinics offer direct billing so they will manage the administration of reimbursement for you so you can focus your efforts on your treatment, instead of managing paperwork.
Direct billing is the physiotherapy clinic taking on the tedious task of submitting your claim to your insurance company for you.
Take advantage of the clinics that provide this service for you. It is a huge time saver for you and you won’t have to submit claims after every visit. The insurance company pays the physiotherapy clinic directly for your treatment. Depending on your health care coverage, only part of your treatment may be covered so you will need to pay for the portion that the insurance doesn’t pay for.
If none of the above funded options are available to you, then you will have to pay out of your own pocket.
Prices will vary depending on the type of assessment, injury and time that is required. Physiotherapists that have taken additional education and require certification for specialized skills will charge more per visit.
Assessments: $105 to $180
Treatments: $75 – $140
You will always be told the cost of the services when you book your first appointment, then the therapist will give you a detailed treatment plan including expectations and costs after your initial assessment.
Just because you’ve staying at home, doesn’t mean you have to live with pain. You may be stuck at home, but you should still be able to enjoy the extra time with your family, sleep comfortably, and not have to deal with chronic pain. We want to help you.
Using secured online technology, you can have a video treatment (just like FaceTime or Skype) with one of our experienced therapists who can help you feel better faster – all from home.
Get the same expert advice and care you’d get in clinic from the comfort of your own home or office.
Tell us what hurts, and we will show you how to treat with live video. It's as easy as talking to your family on facetime.
Get a personalized plan of care so you can feel better in as little as 3 treatments. Your guided video visits (& regular check-ins) will ensure you are doing all the exercises and self-treatment tips correctly.
Video treatments are covered by most employer and auto insurance plans with minimal out of pocket fees. Pay very little to nothing for your recovery.
Your privacy and security are assured, even more so than if you were back in our clinic.
Physiotherapy reduces pain by treating it at the source. Most muscular and tendon pain is caused by real physical issues. Pills and meds can’t fix that problem. By using targeted exercises, other treatment methods and sometimes technology, a patient can very often help their body heal itself as long as they commit to their treatment plan for long enough.
It depends on the injury. Some injuries, like muscle injuries, can take 6-8 weeks. Serious and chronic injuries can take several months, whereas minor injuries might only need a few sessions. Some injuries can be treated at home with free exercises, so you may never need to see an actual physiotherapist.
If you’ve had a serious injury or had surgery, usually you should wait until the swelling goes down before starting physiotherapy. If you have a chronic or repetitive motion injury, you should see a physiotherapist as soon as possible.
This appointment is your opportunity to tell us what hurts and discover whether physiotherapy or chiropractic care is a good fit for you! During this session, you will talk with a physiotherapist or chiropractor on a phone call (or online) and create the right care plan specifically for your pain. There is no obligation on this session, it is intended to find out whether physiotherapy or chiropractic care can help you getting back to doing the things you love in life.
