Did you know? In a national poll conducted by the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, 54% of Canadians age 18 and over believe they are less physically mobile now than they were 10 years ago.

Physiotherapists are Body Specialists who can help you to move again. We are university educated, trained and experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of muscle and joint injuries, such as whiplash following a car accident, ligament sprains or weakness of the pelvic floor muscles. We are an essential part of your primary health care team.

After proper assessment and diagnosis of your condition, your Cross Roads Physiotherapist will develop an individualized treatment plan using the following treatment approaches:

Manual Therapy (Mobilization and Manipulation)
We apply this hands-on treatment to joints of the spine and extremities as a means to restore movement and alleviate stiffness. This also has a positive impact on the movement of soft tissues surrounding the joints including muscles, ligaments and nerves.

Exercise Therapy
The key to regaining independent function and to prevent the return of symptoms in your daily life is to learn how to help yourself. We will teach you a customized exercise program that will correct muscle imbalances, and improve posture, coordination and flexibility. Our clinic has a gym space housing the equipment that you may need during exercise such as Theraband, Bosu balls and balance discs. Success requires your active participation in exercise therapy.

Electro-Physical Agents
This term refers to modalities which we use to address your acute pain and/or any active inflammation in your joints and soft tissues. Modalities may include: the use of ice or heat, ultrasound, laser and electrical therapies such as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Interferential Current Stimulation. Electrical muscle stimulation is also used to train a very weak muscle to contract.

Acupuncture
Our physiotherapists are trained in acupuncture, combining Eastern and Western medical philosophies to treat muscle and joint injury in a more holistic way.  Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine needles through the skin and tissues at specific acupuncture points on the body.  It provides pain relief and relaxation, and promotes healing.  For many, it is successfully used as an alternative or a complementary treatment to pain medication.

Education on Return to Optimal Function
We provide counseling on how to prevent re-injury and how to return to activity.  Physiotherapists look at the whole picture of health and balance your goals for therapy with your body’s stage of recovery.  Examples of this include advice on the ergonomics of your work station, or advice on how to return to running following foot pain.

Other Services:
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy: Treatment of Female Urinary Incontinence
Many women believe that urinary incontinence (the involuntary loss of urine) is a normal part of the aging process.  In fact, it is not normal and may be a symptom of further pelvic floor dysfunction.  Incontinence may be a consequence of pelvic floor muscle weakness, pelvic organ prolapse, overactive bladder and other conditions.  Physiotherapy for incontinence is a comprehensive treatment that retrains the pelvic floor muscles to contract in an optimal way, teaches behavioral techniques to change voiding habits, and examines environmental and dietary factors which impact bladder health. It is a highly effective and conservative way of treating incontinence.  Women who require surgical treatment may still benefit from physiotherapy to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and improve the outcome of surgery.

Direct Access to Physiotherapy:
Physiotherapists are primary health care providers.  A referral is not required from your doctor to see a physiotherapist unless ICBC or WCB is involved.  Some extended health care plans may require a doctor’s referral for physiotherapy in order to receive reimbursement.

Want more information? Please visit our Physiotherapy FAQs page.