Conditions Treated By Physiotherapists
AMS physiotherapists primarily work in 2 practice areas: orthopedics and neurology.
AMS physiotherapists treat these (and many other) physical conditions:
- Sciatica
- Back pain, lumbar pain
- Tendon sprains
- Muscle strains and tears
- Fractures
- Sports injuries
- Post-surgical rehabilitation
- Stroke rehabilitation
- Balance disorders
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Arthritis
- Tendonitis and tendonopathy
- Bursitis
Physiotherapist Education
Physiotherapy in Canada is a graduate degree (a University Masters Program) requiring a minimum of four years of training and education before being certified to practice as a Physiotherapist.
Physiotherapists spend years studying how the body works and moves, how injuries impact performance, and how to recover and repair injured tissues.
All AMS Clinic Physiotherapists have continued on with post graduate studies in the McKenzie Method® of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy® (MDT), The Mulligan Concept and other fields of physiotherapy to add to this expertise and to become Physiotherapists. Many of the Physiotherapists at AMS have undergraduate degrees and training in Kinesiology, Physical Education, or Athletic Therapy.
Physiotherapists Work With Physicians
The goal of Physiotherapy is to maximize functional independence not through surgery or medication, but by physical mobilizations that promote, maintain and restore physical function and fitness.
The Physiotherapists at AMS Clinic work closely with physicians to manage, heal, and prevent physical problems caused by sport, disability, work related injury, accidents, aging or simply long periods of inactivity. Physiotherapists use a variety of tools and techniques to identify the precise nature of your injury, and to help you heal and recover in the best way possible.
Physiotherapy & Diagnostics
Increasingly, physiotherapy has taken an expanding role in diagnostics. Physiotherapy assessment and diagnosis techniques have proven to help isolate pain sources — even those not shown on MRIs, X-rays, and other tests.
Even physicians rely on physiotherapists to help diagnose many kinds of injuries. A physiotherapist’s education includes extensive training on the diagnosis of physical and movement-related problems.
Physiotherapy Treatments
Most patients find a physiotherapy session a pleasant and relaxing experience. Physiotherapy is a very collaborative form of treatment — the patient is part of the process every step of the way.
Through hands-on treatments the physiotherapist helps improve blood circulation, and mobility in damaged tissues and related structures to help them heal. This can include massage, joint mobilization, stretching, inflammation treatments, or other physical mobilizations that will aid healing and help improve mobility and decrease pain in the affected area.
Your physiotherapist will also create a custom program of movements and/or exercises and other simple at-home treatments that will help strengthen supportive muscles, improve flexibility, and provide more stability during recovery. Programs may also be developed to give you greater ability and improve your performance in sport or in everyday activities.
Most physiotherapy sessions last between 45 minutes and an hour.
How Physiotherapy Heals
Physiotherapy involves hands-on treatments and prescriptive movements that help you heal, strengthen, and increase mobility and comfort.
Physiotherapy aids recovery, helps to manage healing, and even prevents injury while also:
- Enhancing physical strength, mobility, and performance
- Improving and maintaining functional independence
- Preventing, reducing (or eliminating), pain
- Managing physical impairments and disabilities
- Overcoming limits to physical activity
- Promoting overall fitness, mobility, health and wellness
First Physiotherapist Appointments
At a first meeting the physiotherapist will carefully evaluate your condition. They will start with asking you to explain what happened to prompt your visit, and how it has affected your abilities. The physiotherapist will also review any tests or information from physicians or other healthcare providers – and may want to have other tests done.
Most often the physiotherapist will ask you to move in certain ways to uncover exactly which underlying structures need recuperation. They will carefully evaluate your mobility, strength, balance, and other physical abilities to get a clear and details picture of how the impact of injury or illness has affected your functioning and precisely which structures are injured. The physiotherapist will then develop a treatment plan that restores movement and reduce pain or limitations to mobility.
Part Of An Integrated Team
At the AMS clinic, the physiotherapist is also part of an integrated team with other resources at their disposal. In some cases they may have you also work with another treatment provider such as a massage therapist, an acupuncturist, a sports medicine Physician, osteopath, or other healing professional. After diagnosing your problem, the physiotherapist’s goal is to ensure you have the best healing team possible.
Improving Strength & Mobility
Physiotherapists not only treat the condition but also help the patient understand its effect on their function and how to support healing, strengthening, and flexibility. They show patients how to manage their condition independently, how to contribute on their own to healing through specific small regimens of activity, and help the patient to prevent recurrences or further complications. With physiotherapy, each patient is evaluated over time, while the therapist adds or adjusts treatments to suit the current situation. Physiotherapists can also advise you on ways to prevent potential health problems from occurring before they arise.
About Your Physiotherapy Visit
All visits are with a licensed member of the Ordre Professionnel de la Physiothérapie du Québec. Most treatments last between 45 and 60 minutes.
For your first visit, please bring the following:
- Your medicare card
- Your insurance card if you are insured
If you are insured for physiotherapy, but are unsure about your coverage, please call your insurance provider — or we can call for you, just ask!
Also, if you are under a doctors’ care, please bring:
- A list of your medications
- Whatever information your doctor has provided you (if any) like a prescription.
Medical Intake Form
For your safety we will need some general and medical information from you on your first visit. Please arrive ten minutes early if possible. You can also download our first visit form here and fill it out in advance (or just look to see what we need to know).