Did you know that Googling the phrase, “Physio near me,” will generate 196 million results. But how do you go about finding the best physiotherapist for you? We’re here today to give you some helpful tips. I have been the head Physiotherapist at Body Works Physio for over 10 years. As health professionals, our number one goal is helping patients achieve their healthcare goals. So, how do you find a good physiotherapist? How do you choose a clinic?
Location, location, location! What I usually tell future patients is that location is very important. Here at Body Works, we have four convenient locations in Scarborough and Pickering. Why? The reason for this is you want to choose the location that is either close to work or close to your home, so that you’ll be able to consistently attend your treatment. If you’re unable to attend treatments, then it prolongs your recovery. Or worse, you may not be able to achieve your goals.
Comfort is key! The second important thing when you’re looking for a registered physiotherapist, is to make sure you’re comfortable with that therapist. You want to make sure that you have open communication with them and that you feel comfortable asking questions during your assessment and treatment. This way, not only are you learning more about what you’re in for and what your injury is, but also feel like you can talk to your therapist if things aren’t going according to what your expectations are. With clear communication, your physiotherapist will be able to modify the treatment plan based on what your concerns are. If nothing is voiced to us, we don’t know how to change to meet your goals!
Where to start? Start with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario. This regulating body is set up to make sure physiotherapists follow all governing healthcare laws and are accountable to their peers to practice in a fit manner. All of the therapists at Body Works, they’re all registered with the College. This means that all of us have to maintain certain standards that the College sets out. You can also take a look at Google reviews. That way you can get some idea of other patients’ previous experiences and how they progress through their physical therapy treatment plans.
What can you expect? On your first visit and assessment, you should receive a clearly outlined plan of care. A plan of care summarizes what was found during your assessment, what your goals are for therapy, and what treatment approaches you should expect at each visit. Your therapist will also outline how often you would benefit from attending. Also, you want to make sure that your physiotherapist provides you with a home therapeutic exercises, so you’ll be able to continue your recovery at home. Since you spend just a short time with the therapist, we do want you to do some things at home to also facilitate your recovery. Physiotherapists may need to bring in other practitioners into your treatment plan, such as the massage therapists or the chiropractors. And the nice thing about Body Works is we are a multi-disciplinary clinic! Between all of our practitioners there is a large skill set that we offer our patients.
Isn’t any physiotherapist the same as the next? No! While we all have the same training from school, all of us approach treatment differently, based on additional courses that we’ve taken once we’ve graduated. Some physiotherapists have acupuncture, ART, manual therapy, sports injury, etc. There are so many courses out there, so it really depends on what the physiotherapist has decided to take. Once again, that is what is so amazing about having multidisciplinary clinics! You have so much more to choose from for care options. When we provide a treatment plan to the patient after their first assessment, we do take these different skills into consideration and we check whether there are other practitioners that might also be able to help with the recovery.
How do you define success? Here at Body Works, before you leave after your first assessment, you’ll be given a program of care. This means you will be provided with information as to what the proposed treatment plan is going to look like. This is all based on the communication between you and the therapist and what goals that you and your therapist have are focusing on. Instead of working on a long term goal (such as being pain-free or 100% full recovery) there are multiple short term goals that can be met first (such as walking farther, working out, etc). These short term goals need to be achieved before we can get to the end goals. And this is where that communication comes in! This is how you know whether your therapist is listening to you. There’s always that goal setting and that communication that should occur between you and your therapist.
Next step? All of these skills and qualifications we mentioned today are all in the bag for Body Works Physiotherapy clinic. Now you know how important it is to pick a multidisciplinary health care team with registered practitioners at a well reviewed clinic. Looking to find the right fit for you? Body Works is here to help! You can check out our physiotherapy services and treatment options on our website at www.bodyworksphysio.ca, or you can give us a call.
