Welcome to “What we CAN do”. This post is inspired by the “What you CAN do!” video posted below  from The Pain Truth Program depicting what Stephen Hawking and W. Mitchell were able to do despite having a disability.

I will be posting fun and pleasurable activities we can do to keep our sanity and enjoy social distancing through this covid-19 pandemic.  “Don’t allow our pain, disability, or situation to define us. We must focus on the activities that we are able to do.”- Bahram Jam

Art Therapy

Art Therapy can be a great tool to help with chronic pain.  If you have pain that is lasting more than 3 months, then your nervous system may have become overly sensitive because it perceives it is still in danger even when there is no longer actual damage to your tissue.  Pain is crucial for our survival because it is our body alarm system to danger and stress.  However, our body cannot distinguish between physical and emotional stress.  To effectively treat the pain, we must remove the feeling of danger or stress by focusing on enjoyable things in life.  There are numerous scientific studies which conclude that art therapy can improve one’s quality of life by reducing pain, suffering, depression, and anxiety.

Incorporate art into your daily routine to build up your resilience to danger and stress or do it the next time you feel that the pain is coming on.  Sometimes you may need to take your pain medication and that is ok as well.  

OPTION A: Learn to draw (from a book, youtube, or phone application) and decorate your office or window.

OPTION B: Learn to paint virtually with “YAYMAKER” or from a Youtube channel, such as “WOW Art”. 

“Don’t allow our pain, disability, or situation to define us. We must focus on the activities that we are able to do.”– Bahram Jam 

Finding a Physiotherapy clinic in Brampton is not that difficult to do.  In fact a simple search for Physiotherapy clinic in Brampton and you are given pages upon pages of results.  This amount of choice can make it difficult to make a decision.  So you have to ask yourself, what qualities make up a good physiotherapy clinic?   How do I know I will be getting quality service?  These are great questions that we will dive deep into later in the article.

Before moving on there is one very important thing you need to know before selecting a physiotherapy clinic.  No matter what clinic that you attend you must always make sure that the physiotherapist you are seeing is registered.  What does that mean?  It means that they are a member of the college of physiotherapists of Ontario and are qualified to use the term physiotherapist.  By making sure your Brampton physiotherapist is registered you know that they have gone through the appropriate training.  The other benefit of seeing a registered physiotherapist in Brampton is that only those who are registered are recognized by your insurance company.  That means if you have physiotherapy benefits you will only get your money back if you see a registered physiotherapist.  Otherwise you may be responsible for paying the bill.  So if a clinic states they provide “physiotherapy services” you need to ask immediately are your physiotherapists registered.  An easier way to determine if your physiotherapist is registered is to look them up on the College of Physiotherapist of Ontario website.  By clicking here you can search their name to see if they are registered.  Every year registered physiotherapists are required to renew their license with the college so if they are on this list they are registered.  Do your research.

How to find a physiotherapy clinic for my condition

Although all physiotherapists go through similar training when they are in school, their out of school training can be much different.  For example you can have a physiotherapist who specializes in sports injuries, or one that has extra training in treating spinal cord injuries.  If you are looking for a specific type of treatment you can search for a physiotherapist that specializes in your condition.  Simply click here and it will take you to the Ontario Physiotherapy association where you can type in your condition and be matched with a physiotherapist in Brampton.  Just because a physiotherapist is qualified to treat a condition, doesn’t mean they have the resources or experience to do so.

Okay so now you have identified which Physiotherapy clinic in Brampton have registered physiotherapists and which ones treat the condition you have.  Now what? You are still left with a handful of clinics that you believe can help you but how do you decide now.  Here are a few tips that can help you narrow down your selection.

1. Is the person answering the phone friendly and helpful?

You do not want to be dealing with a clinic whose front desk is not helpful and welcoming.  I mean you are already in pain, you may feel anxious and stressed and maybe even a little fearful.  Your physiotherapist may be great but if the front desk is not welcoming or helpful this could be a deciding factor for you going forward.

2. Do they offer the hours that suit your schedule

some clinics offer evening and early morning appointments that can be helpful if you work shift work.  So always check to see if the hours are compatible

3. Do they have an appointment available in a reasonable time frame?

If your injury can’t wait and the clinic you are looking into can’t get you in for another 3 weeks this may be a wasted opportunity for recovery.  If your injury is not urgent and the clinic is checking off all your boxes then it may be worth the wait.

4. Is your physiotherapist available on the days you are

Although some people don’t mind seeing another physiotherapist during their care, others prefer to see the same therapist each time.  By seeing the same physiotherapist each time you build trust and know what to expect with each session.  This is a personal preference however as long as the other physiotherapist taking care of you is following your plan

5. Ask how long will you with your physiotherapist during your sessions

Some clinics employ physiotherapy assistants and although they can be great at assisting the physiotherapist, they do not have the same education and skill set as a physiotherapist.  Therefore, the more time you are able to spend with your physiotherapist, the better quality care you are receiving.

Conclusion

After gathering all your answers you should be able to narrow your search down to one or two clinics.  From there I would suggest going to visit the clinic and then choose based on how you feel when you enter the clinic.  Follow this process when looking for a physiotherapy clinic in Brampton and you should be more than happy with the quality of care that you receive. If you want to learn more about our physiotherapist click here to read their bios.  Thanks for reading and we hope you found this guide helpful.