There are many reasons your mobility may be restricted. Maybe you’ve gone through a car accident and received painful head or spinal injuries or whip lash, maybe you are a musician or a factory worker and have suffered repetitive strain injury. Perhaps an old sports injury is giving you trouble or perhaps you have postural problems. Whatever the problem, you don’t have to grin and bear it. Even if you have endured months or years of pain and discomfort, help is at hand. A physiotherapist is trained to restore function to the body and minimize dysfunction. A course of treatment from a highly trained Burnaby physiotherapist can give you lasting relief.
How do you go about finding a great physiotherapist who will restore your body to good working order? We have put together five areas for consideration which should lead to you making an intelligent, educated choice. If you give careful through to each of these five points, you will be on your way to finding a good Burnaby physiotherapist, such as Physio Collective physiotherapy clinic, and securing peace of mind and health in your body.
1. Choose a therapist you are comfortable with who is transparent and ethical.
Arrange an initial consultation with the physiotherapist before you consider having any work done. It is imperative that you find someone you can trust and who you can completely relax with. It would be counterproductive if you felt uncomfortable and anxious during treatments as the whole aim is to get the muscles to start to relax and to begin to work properly again.
The good therapist will explain in detail what will actually take place during treatment, how long it is likely to take and what the cost will be. You should not be left worrying what will happen next, if there will be any pain or discomfort during the procedure and how many sessions you will be required to attend. It may make you feel more at ease if you are treated by a male or a female therapist, and if this is important to you, you should mention this at the initial interview.
2. Qualified and experienced – make sure the physiotherapist knows what he/she is doing.
To become a physiotherapist, a person needs to complete a three or four year degree studying things like anatomy, biochemistry and physiology as well as the three main disciplines of physiotherapy: musculoskeletal, neurological and cardiorespiratory. To complete the qualification, a minimum number of clinical hours at a hospital or clinic have to be undertaken.
As well as this, the physiotherapist needs to be registered with the Physiotherapy Board. This ensures that the therapist complies with a code of conduct, continues their professional development, has acceptable English language standards and has indemnity insurance.
3. Find a therapist whose specialization matches your problem.
A physiotherapist trained for elderly care.
Are you an elderly patient who has muscular pains in the knee, ankle or elbow which could benefit from a course of treatment with a physiotherapist? If so, it would be just as well to look for a therapist who has specialized in aged care. Perhaps you have had issues with mental health. There are physiotherapists who have made a special study of this area.
After they have completed their basic studies, most physiotherapists continue with extra training in one or more specialized areas. Whether it is sports injuries, head and spine injuries, stroke rehabilitation or respiratory problems, there is a physiotherapist who has expertise in that area. It is worth seeking them out.
4. Look for a therapist who is accessible and available.
You need the services of a physiotherapist because you are suffering some sort of pain or immobility. You therefore don’t want to have to travel a long way to get help for your injuries. Finding a physiotherapist who is close to your home or work is the best way to go. If you are traveling by car, you want parking space to be available near the clinic. Perhaps you are unable to drive because of the discomfort you are in. In this case, look for a clinic which is on a bus route or near a railway station.
If you are in pain, you also don’t want to have to wait weeks, even months for relief. Finding a therapist who can offer you an appointment as soon as possible is far preferable to one who is booked out for weeks, if not months in advance.
Where to from here?
If you have followed these five steps, you are probably very close to finding an excellent physiotherapist whose specialties and experience match your particular needs. It is important to make the right decision, as your health and well being depend on it.
