Services

Physiotherapy

The goal is to restore mobility and function following injury, surgery or illness, and during periods of disability.

Physiotherapists

Physiotherapists are primary health care professionals with specialized skills to assess, diagnose and treat problems related to mobility and movement.

With physiotherapy, the goal is to restore mobility and function following injury, surgery or illness, and during periods of disability. Physiotherapists use their hands (manual therapy), along with other modalities such as therapeutic exercise and electical stimulation, to reduce pain and restore muscle strength, flexibility, balance, endurance and power.

Incontinence and pelvic pain treatment

While all practicing physiotherapists in Ontario are university educated and are registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, only physiotherapists with advanced training are able to perform the required internal assessment and treatment in conditions like urinary incontinence (involuntary leakage of urine) and chronic pelvic pain conditions (pain in the lower abdomen, pubic region, or tailbone).

Approximately 1 in every 3-4 women will report urinary incontinence at some point in her life. About 1 in 3 men experience urinary incontinence after prostate surgery. Pelvic pain conditions can include a number of diagnoses (including interstitial cystitis, endometriosis, chronic prostatitis and many others), and occur in both women and men.

With improved scientific research into these conditions, both the medical community and the general public are beginning to understand that incontinence and pelvic pain are not a normal part of childbearing and aging. There is also strong evidence that physiotherapy, not surgery, should be the first-line treatment whenever possible. The subject is not as taboo as it once was, and physiotherapy has been shown to be an effective treatment approach.

The physiotherapy approach to incontinence and chronic pelvic pain is similar to the approach to rehabilitation of a sprained ankle or chronic low back pain. Manual therapy (i.e. trigger point release, local massage, joint mobilization, etc.), functional strengthening, and pain management are cornerstones of treatment. Client privacy and dignity are respected at all times.

Treatment also focuses on education of self-management and prevention strategies. Most clients will receive some form of 'homework' to complete between sessions. This helps to encourage independence, optimize recovery, and build skills to be able to minimize symptoms at work, rest and play.

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Last Modified 25 February, 2011 12:50 PM