Physiotherapy in Brampton

MedRehab Group Brampton is a physiotherapy clinic at 10 Earlsbridge Boulevard, Unit 4, at the corner of Chinguacousy Road in northwest Brampton. It is the group's busiest clinic and the one most Mount Pleasant, Fletcher's Meadow and Snelgrove patients use, with six registered physiotherapists, five registered massage therapists and a chiropractor under one roof, open seven days a week.

Physiotherapy at the Earlsbridge clinic

Physiotherapy is most of what happens here. Half of all visits are physiotherapy treatment, and a further one in six are new assessments, so the team sees a steady mix of back pain and neck pain, shoulder and knee injuries, post-operative rehab, sports injuries from the local leagues and fields, and pain after car accidents or work injuries. Your first appointment is a one-to-one assessment with a registered physiotherapist: history, movement testing, a working diagnosis in plain language, and a plan you agree together.

Treatment draws on what the assessment shows rather than a fixed menu. That usually means hands-on manual therapy (joint mobilisation, soft-tissue work), a progressive exercise programme you can do at home or in the clinic gym, education about the problem and how to manage flare-ups, and, where they help, electrotherapy, ultrasound, heat and ice. Dedicated one-to-one sessions are available for people who want longer hands-on time, and those make up about one visit in ten at this clinic. Physiotherapists here also provide dry needling where they are rostered for it with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario.

What we treat at Earlsbridge

Sports injuries are a bigger share of the work here than at any other MedRehab Group clinic, and ankle sprains are the classic one. They are also the injury people most often shrug off. In court and field sports, well over half of ankle sprains are repeat sprains, and about four in ten people who sprain an ankle go on to develop chronic instability. A short block of balance and strength work after the first sprain is what breaks that cycle. Alongside sport, the physiotherapists treat low back and neck pain, shoulder and knee problems, rehab after surgery and fractures, and injuries from car accidents and work.

Sport is the flavour of this clinic, not the limit of it. The physiotherapists at Earlsbridge treat:

• Low back pain, sciatica and neck pain
• Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand injuries
• Hip, knee, ankle and foot pain
• Sports injuries and return to play
• Tendon problems such as tennis elbow and Achilles pain
• Recovery after surgery and fractures
• Arthritis and joint stiffness
• Injuries from car accidents and work
• Headaches with a neck component
• Balance problems and fall prevention

How treatment works

Every plan starts with a diagnosis you understand. From there the physiotherapist combines hands-on treatment (joint mobilisation, soft-tissue release), a progressive exercise programme that changes as you improve, and education on load, pacing and flare-ups. Laser therapy, ultrasound, electrotherapy and dry needling are used where they add something to that, not as a substitute for it. Custom orthotics are made on site when foot mechanics are part of the problem. You will always know why a treatment is on your plan and what it is meant to change.

Your first visit

Come as early as you can. In a Spine study of more than 32,000 people with new low back pain, those who saw a physiotherapist within two weeks were far less likely to need advanced imaging, injections, surgery or opioids over the following 18 months than those who waited (Fritz et al., 2012). The first appointment is a one-to-one assessment: your history, a look at how you move, testing of the painful area, and a working diagnosis in plain language. New assessments are about one visit in six at this clinic, so the process is well practised. You leave with a plan, a first exercise, and an honest estimate of how many visits it should take.

Also at this clinic

Because the clinic is shared, your physiotherapist can hand you across the hall rather than across town. Registered massage therapy is the second most-booked service, with Harpreet Kaur, Judith Recolcolin, Michael Aguilera, Preet Rana and Sakshi Kanda on the team. Chiropractic care is provided by Dr. Jamaal Coke, DC. Combining the three under one plan is common for people with long-standing back or neck pain.

Hours, parking and getting here

Open Monday 10am to 7pm, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9am to 7pm, Thursday 9am to 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday 9am to 3pm. There is free parking at the door. Brampton Transit routes along Chinguacousy Road and Sandalwood Parkway stop within a short walk.

Paying for physiotherapy

About two thirds of visits here are billed to an insurer. The clinic bills most extended health plans directly, handles WSIB claims for workplace injuries and works with your auto insurer after a car accident. If you are paying privately, ask reception for current fees before your first visit.