What is Physiotherapy (aka Physical Therapy)?

Physiotherapy (aka Physical Therapy) is a health care profession which focuses on assessing, diagnosing and treating symptoms of illness, injury or disability which affect mobility. The human body is a complex system made up of hundreds of bones and joints as well as miles of muscle, tendon, ligament, fascia and nerves all working in balance. When accident or illness affects your body, your Physiotherapist, a university-trained medical professional, can reduce pain and restore mobility.

Have confidence that your health and mobility is in good hands with a Physiotherapist.

Physiotherapists (aka Physical Therapists) are primary health care professionals who diagnose and provide hands-on treatment and exercise prescription to address movement dysfunction. Physiotherapists also plan and implement individual treatment programs to prevent physical disabilities.

Movement dysfunction is any alteration in normal body kinetics that limits effective or efficient body performance. Movement dysfunction may be due to pain, congenital anomalies, disease processes, accident or injury, enforced inactivity, problems secondary to aging, or psychological or social stress. The dysfunction may be manifested in actual or potential impairment related to neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, respiratory or cardiovascular systems.

Physiotherapists are university graduates of an accredited Canadian or International Physiotherapy program and registered with a provincial regulatory college.

What can I expect with Physiotherapy treatments?

Physiotherapists treat the whole body. By integrating targeted therapeutic strategies, interventions, methods and techniques, your Physiotherapist will assess, diagnose and treat symptoms of illness, injury or disability.

The hands-on care Physiotherapists provide varies from person to person with a focus on the individual needs and personal health and lifestyle goals of the client.

Your Physiotherapist assessment may include measures of body functions, strength and weakness testing, and observed or instrumented analysis of gait, posture, balance, joint range of motion, and functional movement.

Your Physiotherapist’s therapeutic treatment plan will involve education, exercise, and manual therapy components. Depending on your condition, this may include mobilization, manual therapy, work hardening, techniques and modalities to reduce pain, acupuncture, corrective techniques to improve heart and lung function and cardiac conditioning, demonstration of therapeutic exercise, and education about your condition, treatment plan and prognosis for getting better.

By combining the principles of evidence-informed practice, evaluative skills, clinical and professional judgment, your Physiotherapist will work closely with you, and often with other health care professionals, to ensure that your health goals are met.

Do Physiotherapists all practice the same?

With ongoing clinical research Physiotherapists continue to develop and apply new techniques to prevent and treat physical injury and disorder.Since the techniques and areas where Physiotherapy can be applied are increasingly diverse, many Physiotherapists will focus their practices on one or more specific clinical practice areas.

All Physiotherapists do have specialized training in biological and basic sciences (i.e. human anatomy, physiology, pathology, immunology, endocrinology, genetics, and pharmacology to name a few). Physiotherapists are also educated in the psychosocial sciences, including cultural anthropology, cognitive and behavioural sciences, social science, learning and education.

Thanks to this broad health science training, Physiotherapists are equipped to tackle the causes of physical health problems, deliver evidence-informed care, actively engage and inform you on all aspects of treatment, and release you in good health as quickly and as therapeutically possible.

However, focusing on specific practice areas often allows a Physiotherapist to optimize their effectiveness and your outcome.

Specific practice areas can include:

Sports Physiotherapy
Sprains, strains, ligament tears and other athletic injuries are a factor in most sports. Physiotherapy benefits from sport specific exercise, taping, bracing, ultrasound or other eletrotherapeutic modalities, acupuncture and icing or heating ensure professional and casual athletes stay in the game without risking more injury.

Orthopaedics/Manual Therapy
For low back pain, neck, knee and shoulder injuries, tendonitis or any other joint or muscle problems, an orthopaedic or manual therapy physiotherapist can help restore strength, comfort and activity.

Physiotherapists treat asthma, emphysema, and bronchial conditions, bypass surgery or heart attack recovery by optimizing heart and lung function.

Geriatric/Chronic Care
Physiotherapists help people with arthritis, heart disease, stroke, or problems getting around by helping joints stay flexible, improving balance, preventing falls and helping manage pain and chronic conditions.

Hand Rehabilitation
Specially trained Physiotherapists assist in recovery from hand injury or disease using exercise, manual therapy, and splinting techniques to promote optimal hand function

Paediatrics
Physiotherapists play a vital role in diagnosing and treating orthopaedic, neurological and respiratory conditions that can impact childhood development such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and developmental delays.

Neurophysiotherapy
Stroke, spinal cord and brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s and other nervous system conditions all respond to specialized techniques which help people re-learn motor skills and improve movement control.

Incontinence Treatment
Many physiotherapists have specialized training in treating bladder and bowel control. They help people with incontinence and pelvic pain or who have had prostate surgery to regain a healthy and active lifestyle. Muscle re-education and stimulation, biofeedback and bladder habit re-training alleviate incontinence, pelvic pain, prostrate post surgical conditions.

Vestibular Rehabilitation

Vestibular rehabilitation aims to reduce symptoms of peripheral vestibular dysfunction such as dizziness, gaze disturbances and balance impairment. There is strong evidence that patients with peripheral vestibular dysfunction can achieve significant improvement in symptoms by following well-designed vestibular rehabilitation programs such as those designed and monitored by Physiotherapists.