What you should consider when choosing a rehabilitation professional.
Musculoskeletal Service Providers
Any medical conditions involving the assessment and or treatment of bone, muscle, tendons, ligaments, and/or cartilage falls within the scope of Musculoskeletal Services. There are many different musculoskeletal service providers from which to choose from, and clients may choose to seek treatment from a number of different service
providers at the same time.
Typical regulated musculoskeletal service providers include:
- physicians
- physiotherapists
- chiropractors
- massage therapists
- chiropodists
Non-regulated providers include:
- athletic therapists
- certified pedorthists
- orthotists
- osteopaths
There will be some similarities, but also a tremendous amount of variability in the services and expertise offered by different service providers. There is also variability in the services and expertise of a particular group of providers (e.g. physical therapists).
Some clients will choose to work with one provider, while some clients will choose to work with multiple providers. When working with multiple providers, the client will need understand the goals and objectives of the various assessments and treatment plans, to ensure they are complimentary.
Click here for more information about regulated health professions in Ontario.
Click here here for a list of Colleges Legislated under the Regulated Health Professions Act (1991)
Physiotherapists
Every physiotherapist practices in a unique way. Their clinical skills are influenced by their education, experience, and their problem solving ability. Every physiotherapist will also have a unique combination of interpersonal skills, values, beliefs, and biases. The integration of their clinical skills and their personality will determine the manner in which each individual practitioner interacts with their patients/clients.
Many of their hands-on techniques (assessment and treatment techniques) are heavily influenced by the individual skills of the practitioner. The actual content of the assessment, treatment recommendations, education and explanations, treatment techniques, prognosis and exercise prescription (flexibility, neurodynamic, strength, endurance, power, technique, agility, balance, proprioception, etc) will therefore vary from one practitioner to another.
Visit the How We Help, How We Do It, and Who We Are sections, as well as the Assessment and Treatment sections of this site to learn more about how we work with and help our clients.