1. What should I do if I just had a car or work accident?

If you just had a car or a work accident, you should:

• Consult a doctor and get your injury evaluated. This can be at the hospital emergency or in a private clinic like AMS.
• Ask your doctor to refer you to a multidisciplinary centre where a group of health professionals can take care of all aspects of your injury. The referral can be made directly to AMS and one of our doctors can follow up your injury or if your referring doctor wants to follow you up, we can offer the rehabilitation services.

2. What does AMS offer that is different from any other clinic?

3. Why choose AMS  as your rehabilitation provider?

By choosing AMS as your rehabilitation provider:

• You get rapid access to a medical appointment and follow up.
• You get rapid access to rehabilitation services such as physiotherapy & occupational therapy.
• All insurance documents will be taken care of by our experienced staff.
• All your medical needs will be met under one roof.
• Our rehabilitation services are tailored to individual needs so the badly sprained ankle can benefit as much as the multiple injury car accident victim.

4. What kind of patients are accepted?

5. Who chooses which physiotherapist I go to?

You do. Often times, your physician will give you a recommendation or a listing of physiotherapists in your area, and Sometimes your insurance company will guide you to who is "in network" for your insurance plan. Ultimately, however, the decision as to where you receive your care is up to you. If you have a specific request, you need to let your physician or insurance company know. If we are not in network for your insurance company most plans have out-of-network benefits that will allow you your choice in physical therapy.

6. Does physiotherapy hurt?

In almost all cases - No. "No Pain - No Gain" is not true in most cases. You might develop some more muscle soreness from working muscles that you haven't used or that are weak.

7. How do I arrange an appointment?

Just call us directly to make your first appointment. Our clinic hours and location are explained on our website. Our office staff will get all the necessary information from you and assist you with an appointment.

8. What is my responsibility in physiotherapy?

You are our partner in your recovery. Your physiotherapist cannot do it without you! We ask that all patients and clients cooperate by following through with their home exercise programs and instructions, as this is extremely important in expediting your recovery.

9. What should I bring with me?

For your first visit you will need any paperwork that you downloaded from our website or forms that may have been sent to you. If you have any operative reports, MRI or X-ray results, you may bring those as well. Additionally, if you are utilizing any type of brace, splint, or crutches, those should come with you.

10. Will my insurance cover physiotherapy?

Most insurance companies cover physiotherapy, occupational therapy, acupunture, massage therapy and psychology services. Depending on your specific insurance plan, all or most of these services may or may not be covered.  Please make sure to verify with your insurance company which services you are covered for.

11. What should I expect on my first visit?

On your first visit, your physiotherapist will perform an examination/evaluation to determine what deficits and/or problems you have that can be addressed in physiotherapy. The examination/evaluation involves a thorough history, a systems review, and tests and measures that allow the physiotherapist to get a more specific understanding of your condition. Your physiotherapist will make a clinical judgment as to your diagnosis and prognosis. A treatment program will be developed aimed at resolving the problems identified as well as to attain the goals you set in conjunction with the physiotherapist. Your evaluation will be sent to your doctor within 24 hours so that your physician is always kept up to date with your therapy progression. If any problems or concerns arise, your therapist will contact your doctor directly or one of the AMS doctors to work out a plan to handle it quickly for you.

12. What types of interventions may I receive?

The interventions you receive will depend on what the therapist finds in the examination/evaluation. Our intervention programs include coordination among all people involved in your care (other health care professionals, family, friends, caregivers, and others), communication to ensure a good exchange of information, thorough documentation of the care and services provided, and instruction to you and others involved in your care to promote and optimize our services. Most physiotherapy plans of care will include three categories of interventions: manual therapy component, exercise/ mobility / flexibility and balance component, and third- functional training including patient education. Other interventions might include manual therapy techniques; use of equipment such as supports, orthotics, protection techniques; electrotherapeutic modalities; and mechanical modalities.

13. How long is a typical treatment session?

Children's treatment sessions last 60 minutes to 90 minutes, depending on the age and condition of the child. Adult therapy sessions last 45 minutes to 60 minutes on average, depending on diagnosis.

14. How long is a course of therapy?

It depends upon the diagnosis, the severity of your injury and how dedicated you are to doing your part outside of treatments. Our goal is to not only get rid of your pain but to get you to the point where the likelihood of the pain coming back is significantly reduced.

15. How is my progress measured?

Because your physiotherapist will perform a meticulous examination/evaluation, quantifying and qualifying all the deficits and problems you are presenting with, re-examination to determine progress is possible. You will be reexamined based on your diagnosis as well as on the chronicity of the problem. Additionally, the physiotherapist always needs to be aware of follow-up visits with your physician, if you were referred by one, as a reexamination may be performed so that the physician can be updated at that time. Re-evaluation/progress notes are performed on all patients every 2-4 weeks, with those reports sent directly to the patients doctors to keep them updated on progress, and any issues.

16. What if I have an increase in symptoms?

If you have increased symptoms please call your physiotherapist. When you call the office, please be sure you explain to the office staff that you are having an increase in symptoms. The office staff will pull your chart and contact your physiotherapist or a covering physiotherapist. We will be able to review the information and will give you a call back that same day. After we discuss the case with you, we will be able to give you guidelines as to what would be appropriate to reduce your symptoms, whether you need to come in our office, or if you should contact or follow up with your physician if you were referred by one. It is best to call us prior to calling your physician as if a change in symptoms has occurred, it is important that we fax the physician a report so that she can be up-to-date on your care when you see her for a follow-up visit.

17. I have never had physiotherapy before, how do I know that my treatment is of good quality?

Treatment should include manual hands on care, exercise and balance component and functional training and patient education. Although you may be a little sore after therapy, you should feel an improvement in your ability to perform your activities at home, work or leisure with greater ease, increased tolerance, and improved feeling of well being.

18. Will I need follow-up or maintenance care?

We offer check ups for all our patients 6 months after their completed episode of care. This helps to avoid any problems that may arise from getting worse, and also allows us to help the patient be more independent in their condition.

19. What if I need to return to physiotherapy?

If you have a recurrent problem after your completed episode of care, how/if you will return to physiotherapy will depend on a number of factors. It would depend if it was a re-injury of the same specific problem, how long it has been since you were last in physiotherapy, how long it's been since you saw the physician (if a physician referred you), and many other factors. In general, if you are discharged from physiotherapy and feel the need to return, you should contact the physiotherapist who treated you. He or she will review your chart and call back to discuss with you what should be done, depending on the problem you are having.

20. Is it OK to ask my doctor about physiotherapy?

Absolutely. If you have a problem that you think can be helped with physiotherapy, feel free to give us a call. After discussing with you the specific problem you present with, we can give you a better idea if it is something that is manageable with physiotherapy. You can also give your doctor a call. If he or she is not sure, he or she is welcome to contact us as well. Remember, you do not need a doctor's prescription to see your physiotherapist.  You can simply book your appointment and we will send a progress report back to your doctor.

21. Why should you refer your patient to AMS?

By referring your patient you are:

• Insuring your patient is quickly seen and assessed within 1 day. We offer you, the patient’s treating physician the option of continuing the medical follow-up or transferring the care to one of our dedicated rehab physicians who will guarantee regular follow-up. With either choice your patient can benefit from AMS’s rehab services. If you desire, we will keep you updated regularly on your patient’s progress. We will complete all the necessary paperwork some physicians find to be a burden. Insuring that the patient will be seen by members of a specialized multidisciplinary rehabilitation team including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, acupuncturists and psychologists if necessary.

22. Are Physiotherapists licensed?

Yes, all therapists have to be licensed in the province in that they work. Licenses should be prominently displayed.

23. What should I wear to my physiotherapy appointments?

In general, wear comfortable clothing to physical therapy. If you are presenting with a problem of your cervical spine, upper back or shoulders, the therapist can provide you with a gown as needed to expose these areas. If you are coming for a lower-extremity problem, shorts are important. You can bring clothing with you if you need to change here.

Once you are referred to a multidisciplinary centre like ours: A full physical examination will be done. All CSST or SAAQ paperwork will be taken care of. You can start your therapy right away.