Allied Physiotherapy in North Vancouver

Physiotherapists will carry out a detailed assessment to identify the underlying cause and the structures involved in your condition and create an individualized management plan based on your goals in order to restore full function. Our physiotherapists focus on manual therapy, a hands-on approach to treating musculoskeletal conditions. This can include joint mobilizations, soft tissue techniques, exercises, and stretches, along with modalities such as ultrasound, laser, TENS, interferential current, or traction).

Dry needling is essentially any form of needling that doesn’t involve an injection. Acupuncture is based on energy channels throughout the body that have set points. IMS is a form of needling that is based on palpation to find the tight areas within a muscle.

Massage therapy utilizes manual therapy techniques to address musculoskeletal dysfunction or discomfort while providing patient education and addressing the importance of exercise therapy. Massage therapists primarily use manual therapy modalities to treat their patients and prescribe exercises to be completed at home. In comparison, physiotherapists often use both manual therapy and electrical therapy modalities to treat their patients and incorporate time into their treatment sessions to practice prescribed exercises with them.

There is a lot of overlap between physiotherapy and massage therapy. Massage therapists tend to focus primarily on muscle manipulation to improve tissue movement, range of motion, and restore movement. Some massage therapists will provide you with home exercises. Physiotherapists more commonly use mobilization techniques (moving the joints), with some physiotherapists being trained to provide manipulations. Our physiotherapists also use massage techniques to loosen muscles and electrical therapies to decrease swelling and improve blood flow and tissue healing as well as exercises to heal and restore movement. Massage therapists primarily use manual therapy modalities to treat their patients and prescribe exercises to be completed at home. In comparison, physiotherapists often use both manual therapy and electrical therapy modalities to treat their patients and incorporate time into their treatment sessions to practice prescribed exercises with them.

There is a lot of overlap between a chiropractor and a physiotherapist. Both work with muscles and joints. However, the main difference between the two is that a chiropractor traditionally uses manipulations (cracking the joints), whereas a physiotherapist more commonly uses mobilization techniques (moving the joints), with some physiotherapists being trained to provide manipulations. Our physiotherapists also use massage techniques to loosen muscles and electrical therapies to decrease swelling and improve blood flow and tissue healing as well as exercises to heal and restore movement.

You can come in for treatment immediately after the injury. The treatment will be modified to the stage of injury and healing to promote a faster recovery.

Kinesiology is an exercise session with a kinesiologist – an exercise specialist with a thorough understanding of the human body and injuries. The sessions are customized to help you achieve your goals and functional needs with respect to lifestyle, work, and sport.

You do not need a doctor’s referral to come in for a private physiotherapy visit. However, extended medical plans may require you to have a referral depending on your plan. If your claim is ICBC or WCB related, you will be required to see a doctor for treatment and at that point, that doctor may write you a referral. For ICBC, referrals are needed to get additional approval.

Shockwave therapy is a form of treatment used for long term pain, commonly in the shoulder and Achilles tendon. It emits intense energy waves that penetrate the tissues and help to break down scar tissue, increase circulation, encourage damaged tissue to regenerate, speed up recovery, and reduce chronic pain. There are no known long-term side effects, however, short-term discomfort may be felt during or after the treatment.