Physiotherapy (Why you should Start Working with a Physio)

Do I need to see a physio?

While most people have heard of physiotherapy, there are still plenty who don’t know exactly what a physiotherapist does. If you are in pain and you’ve never had physiotherapy before, or if you have had a bad experience in the past, it can be difficult to know who to turn to for advice. You might be concerned whether it will make your pain worse, or will it even work?

What is Physiotherapy?

“Physiotherapists are primary health care professionals with a significant role in health promotion and treatment of injury and disease.

They combine their in-depth knowledge of the body and how it works with specialized hands-on clinical skills to assess, diagnose and treat symptoms of illness, injury or disability.

All physiotherapists registered to practise in Canada are qualified to provide safe and effective physiotherapy. They have met national entry-level education and practice standards, and have successfully passed a standardized physiotherapy competence examination prior to being registered with the college of physiotherapists in their province/territory.

More than 20,000 registered physiotherapists work in Canada, in private clinics, general and rehabilitation hospitals, community health centres, residential care and assisted-living facilities, home visit agencies, workplaces, and schools.”

-Canadian Physiotherapy Association

Why Physiotherapy?

Whether you are a nurse that experiences every-day low back pain, a senior looking to increase their energy through health, a student wanting to improve their posture, a motor vehicle accident patient, or an elite athlete looking for an intensive training and injury prevention program, physiotherapists can assess your situation and collaborate with you in order help you get to your best.

Physiotherapy, especially at Westcoast SCI, is about making Smart Choice Investments in yourself. By choosing to approach your health journey with intention, expertise, and an open mind, you set yourself up to have increased energy, improved health, and a better life for a better you!

Ways Your Care Will Vary:

• Frequency of treatment & length of treatment

  • Dependent on need of care

  • Usually front-loaded with a goal of full recovery & prevention

• Methodologies

  • Manual therapies (massage, joint mobilizations, etc)

  • Stimulations (Acupuncture, IMS, Estim, thermal, ultrasound, etc)

  • Functional/strength & conditioning exercises

  • Education & Psychosocial factors (ie motivation, beliefs, etc)

  • Other modalities

How to Start Physiotherapy?

We’ll walk you through the process of starting Physio at Westcoast SCI:

Every appointment is 1:1, for 45 minutes or an hour, with one of our passionate, sharp, world-class physiotherapists. Our diverse team hails from all over the world (Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, Czechia) with a variety of specialties on top of their highly skilled general practice (running physiology, IMS, and ergonomics are just a few). Our physiotherapists are extremely passionate, knowledgeable, driven, and you-focused. They are all very unique and personable people that listen and tune into how you are feeling, with a holistic, flexible approach. Unlike most other clinics, we focus on active-based physio (rehab AND prevention), and take a highly personalized, in-depth approach to YOUR care, all to give you treatment that doesn’t give you a “cookie-cutter-quick-fix”, but helps you learn, strengthen, grow, and understand your body.

When you arrive at either of our clinics, you’ll be greeted by our customer experience team at front desk. You can feel free to grab a drink of water, have a chat, and feel at home in our clinic.

Checklist of things you’ll need:

• Book an appointment (online, over the phone, or in person at either our Vancouver or POCO Clinics)

• Give us Insurance Information, if applicable

• You! (bring workout gear if you have it)

Your first appointment will often go over your situation and you and your physiotherapist will discuss a plan (and goals) for your treatment that will highly vary depending on your situation. Following appointments will go through your treatment plan, which will adapt to your progress and situation as it develops. Often, your physiotherapist will prescribe exercises or advice to implement when you’re in between appointments. As treatment brings you back up to normal, we like to use a preventative approach that emphasizes strength and conditioning to make you the healthiest you!

We wish you all the best in your health journey and hope to see you in the clinic soon!