Overview
Our physiotherapists treat musculoskeletal/orthopaedic conditions and related pain. We treat clients of all ages (5 to 93 years of age), with activity levels that range from sedentary to extreme (including professional and elite amateur athletes). Some of our clients have sports injuries, but many do not. We treat clients following motor vehicle accidents (MVA). Unfortunately, we do not treat WSIB clients, you can learn why on our FAQ page.
Our physiotherapists have pursued continuing education and post-graduate training for many years. This advanced training and expertise has allowed us to develop some specialty programs to treat clients who are suffering from chronic pain, concussion, vestibular dysfunction, women’s (including pre and post-partum) pelvic region health and men’s pelvic region health. We also offer advanced rehabilitation following many orthopaedic surgeries and/or fractures.
For a detailed list of conditions that we treat, click here. It is difficult to list all the different names for conditions that we treat – however, this list is our best effort to do this.
The general list of conditions we treat includes:
- muscle and tendon pain and injuries (strains, tears, tendinitis, tendinosus, tendinopathy, peritendonitis, contusions, lacerations, ruptures, muscle pain/myofascial pain)
- joint pain, injuries or conditions (joint sprains, stiff joints, joint pain, osteoarthritis, bursitis, neck pain, cervical pain, thoracic pain, mid back pain, lumbar spine pain, low back pain, mechanical low back pain)
- ligament injuries (ligament sprains, tears)
- peripheral nerve injuries and/or nerve pain
- chronic pain/central sensitization
- vestibular problems and vertigo (including benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV)
- concussion (including post concussion syndrome)
- pediatric growth plate conditions (Osgoode Schlatter’s, Sinding–Larsen–Johansson, Sinding-Larsen, Sever’s, Perthes, etc)
- overuse syndromes (patello-femoral pain syndrome, Osgoode Schlatter’s, shoulder impingement syndrome, iliotibial band syndrome, compartment syndrome, medial tibial stress syndrome, etc)
- Rehabilitation following Orthopaedic surgery (including arthroscopic, joint replacement, ligament reconstruction, tendon repair, post immobilization, and open reduction internal fixation/ORIF following fracture, microdiscectomy, fusion)
Spine/Trunk/Head
Many conditions that cause pain in the spine/trunk/head are the result of too much movement occurring at a particular part of the spine (for example, at C5/6 in the neck, or at L5/S1 in the low back). Treatment results are improved if dysfunctional, non-painful areas (stiff but not sore) above or below the painful area are assessed and treated.
Arms and Legs (Upper Body and Lower Extremities)
Similar to the spine/trunk/head, many upper body and lower body conditions are affected by multiple joints/areas. For example, patello-femoral knee pain (PFPS, anterior knee pain), the most common knee condition we see, is often poorly treated because imbalances and decreased stability and strength in the foot, ankle, and hip are not addressed. See the ‘Learn’ section for a research update on anterior knee pain (PFPS).
Pain and Your Brain
Pain is unique. No two people will have the exact same pain. Pain is also 100% real, regardless of the cause of the pain. The role of pain in rehabilitation is an important consideration in your treatment.
Every part of our body, from the top of our skull to the tips of our toes are connected to our brain. The brain is ALWAYS involved when we have pain. Many treatment plans are incomplete if they don’t include treatments to address our brains. See the ‘Learn’ section for further information on this topic.
Our understanding of pain, and how to help people with pain has improved immensely over the past few years. Unfortunately, this new paradigm shift in understanding, assessing, and treating pain is new to many health professionals. It has still not been incorporated into most formal education programs for health care professionals. It is essential that if you have chronic pain (pain that has persisted for more than 3 months), you should see a health care professional who really understands pain and is familiar with the new, non-invasive treatment methods (pain neuroscience education, graded motor imagery).
Tendinopathy (Tendinitis, Tendinosus, etc)
Tendinopathy, tendinitis, and tendinosus are terms that create a great deal of confusion. They are also very common, and something we treat every day. It is very important that your health care practitioners are up to date with the latest research on tendon pain, injuries, and conditions.
See our Blog Post or learn section on Tendinopathy for further information to clarify the differences between tendinitis, tendinosus, and tendinopathy.
CONDITIONS WE DO NOT TREAT
Upper motor neuron injuries, including stroke, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries. For these injuries, we would recommend finding a clinic that specializes in treating these conditions.