Patient Centre FAQ

Physiotherapy in the simplest terms is ‘treatment’ of the human bodies motion and stability systems. That is the treatment of the muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, and even bone through various hands on or exercise techniques to improve the way the body moves and feels. Physiotherapy can help anybody who is suffering from aches, pains or discomfort due to injury, chronic conditions, or even bad posture. Physiotherapists at Pure Life accomplish this through excellent diagnostics, proven manual therapy techniques, and exercise protocols.

During your first visit you can expect the following:

• Plan to be 15 minutes early to complete any relevant paperwork
• After registration you will be taken to a treatment room
• You will be seen for the initial evaluation by the therapist.

The therapist will then review the following with you:

• Your medical history.
• Your current problems/complaints.
• What you plan to achieve from therapy.
• Medications, tests, and procedures related to your health.

The therapist will then perform a physical examination with you. This may include tests, and hands on procedures.

The therapist will then formulate a list of problems you are having, and how to treat those problems. A plan is subsequently developed with the patient’s input. This includes how many times you should see the therapist per week, how many weeks you will need therapy, home programs, patient education, short-term/long-term goals, and what is expected after discharge from therapy. This plan is created with input from you, your therapist, and your doctor.

Your carecard, benefits number (if applicable) and your payment information.If you are covered by Workers’ Compensation, bring your claim number and your case manager’s contact information. If your insurance company requires the clinic and/or the therapist to fill out some information, bring along the insurance form.

Appropriately clothing (don’t worry we have extra in case you show up in jeans!)

Physiotherapy is direct access, meaning that in the majority of cases you need not have a referral. For ICBC, you will have to have a Doctor’s referral. Note that some extended health benefit plan insurance companies still require a doctor’s referral for reimbursement of physiotherapy treatments. It is the responsibility of the patient to check their coverage. Although Work safe allows you to commence Physiotherapy without a Doctor’s referral, you may be guided by your case worker to see a Doctor before commencing treatment.

You should wear loose fitting clothing so you can expose the area that we will be evaluating and treating. For example, if you have a knee problem, it is best to wear shorts. For a shoulder problem, a tank top is a good choice, and for low back problems, wear a loose fitting shirt and pants, again so we can perform a thorough examination. Get These Tips

Treatment sessions typically last 30 to 60 minutes per visit.
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This is highly variable. You may need one visit or you may need months of care. It depends on your diagnosis, the severity of your injury, your past medical history, etc. You will be re-evaluated on a monthly basis and when you see your doctor, we will provide you with a progress report with our recommendations.

You will be evaluated by one of our licensed physiotherapists and he/she will also treat you during subsequent visits. Depending on the services you require you may see other team members like the Massage therapist. You may also complete exercises prescribed by the Physiotherapist with the Exercise Therapist who implements and monitors your program in the gym.

We offer a FREE consultation for all of our services with recommendations specifically for you. This allows you to find out if our approach is what you are looking for.We offer hands on therapy to get you results faster

Our state of the art Functional Exercise gym means you can work on rehabilitating your injury while strengthening and conditioning to get active and return to an active lifestyle faster.

We provide the MOST cutting edge and unique and unique solutions to a variety of problems that may be affecting your daily activities… Guaranteed!

Surprisingly statistics show that only 20% of people seek Physiotherapy for their problems, while 80% of the population can benefit from Physiotherapy services.Physiotherapy will help any individual with problems with pain, poor joint mobility, weakness, nagging injuries, and poor performance in daily activities or sport.

Our physiotherapists apply various techniques to treat you including manual therapy, sports therapy and exercise, and various other treatment protocols.

Our patients can expect to improve their balance, their endurance, their strength and their coordination, which will help them stay active every day.

A Manual Therapist acquires advanced knowledge and skills in clinical biomechanics, pathology, assessment and feel of joint movement, soft tissue flexibility, nerve mobility and muscle recruitment.

A massage received at a spa mainly includes generalized relaxation. The emphasis is put on ambiance and relaxation methods used with soft techniques to create a more profound experience.A massage received in a physiotherapy clinic is for customers who have often been referred due to illness, injury or post surgically. Based on the person’s goals, ailments, medical history, and stress- or pain-related problem areas, a Massage therapists will provide special techniques for elderly clients that they would not use for athletes for example. They would use approaches for clients with injuries that would not be appropriate for clients seeking relaxation. There are also some forms of massage that are given solely to one type of client, for example prenatal massage and infant massage.

As an accepted part of many physical rehabilitation programs, massage therapy has also proven beneficial for many chronic conditions, including low back pain, arthritis, bursitis, fatigue, and many more. And, as many millions will attest, massage also helps relieve the stress and tension of everyday living.

Certainly. In an average pain free population, some people present with disc pathology on MRI. This is why it is so important to treat the clinical signs and symptoms of the patient and not the radiology finding. Disc problems present in many different ways. Some patients will have back pain only, others will have leg pain from nerve irritation and others will have both. No recipe exists for treatment and everyone’s condition must be treated individually. Physiotherapy is often very helpful for patients presenting with disc problems. Only those with severe, unrelenting symptoms and with positive neurological findings that are not responding to conservative treatment may need to have surgery. There should always be a trial of conservative treatment prior to any surgical decision and physiotherapy is a very good and safe option. You may also be a candidate for Spinal Decompression.

Again, Yes! Cervicogenic or neck headaches can mimic migraines or can trigger migraines in migraine sufferers, this can become a condition called chronic daily headache. Many headaches have a mechanical component to them that is often related to the neck. These type of headaches are called cervicogenic headaches. Often Cervicogenic headaches present with a mechanical dysfunction of the top 2 joints in the neck. Manual therapists, have the tools to assess and treat the various factors that can contribute to headaches. These treatments often help decrease the intensity and frequency of headaches Get These Tips

Not necessarily. For many patients, one of the primary objectives is pain relief. This is frequently accomplished with hands-on techniques, modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and/or heat or cold therapy. Movement often provides pain relief as well. Your therapist will provide you with the appropriate exercises not only for pain relief but to recover range of motion, strength, and endurance.In some cases, physiotherapy techniques can be uncomfortable. For example, recovering knee range of motion after total knee replacement or shoulder range of motion after shoulder surgery may be painful. We will take action steps to reduce the discomfort that you may potentially experience at every step. Get These Tips

In most cases, private health insurance will cover your treatment of physiotherapy, osteopathy, massage therapy and other therapies. You must pay for your session following each session. A receipt will be issued. You will need to send the original receipts to your insurance company to be reimbursed along with the physician’s referral (some insurance companies do not request a physician referral). Cheques, Visa, Master Card, Interact debit and Cash are accepted. You can talk to our receptionist so we can help you clarify the process.

Almost everyone will benefit from exercise. Our therapists will outline a return to work or activity plan or provide you options for continued intermittent care. Some may choose to continue with a gym exercise program. Others will complete their rehabilitation and return to normal daily activities. It is important that you communicate your goals to your therapist, so he/she can develop a custom program for you.

Flare ups are not uncommon. If you have a flare up (exacerbation), give us a call. We may suggest you come back to see us, return to your doctor, or simply modify your daily activities or exercise routine.

You can book on line right now. Otherwise you can request an appointment within 24-48 hours, unless it is an injury that has just occurred, we will see you within a few hours if possible.

We are known for getting results and making a positive impact on our patients lives. Visit the Testimonials section of this website to see for yourself.