Want the best Physiotherapy in Toronto? Then quit searching for the best Physiotherapist.

Who offers the best physiotherapy in Toronto? Or anywhere else for that matter?

I know lots of therapists who are great at what they do (including my lovely wife), but I’ll never meet the best Physiotherapist in Toronto (sorry Lindsay) – because the best Physiotherapist for me and my needs right now is likely not the same as for you and yours.

But assuming the ‘best Physiotherapist’ does exist, and I find them, that still doesn’t mean that I’m going to get the ‘best physiotherapy’ that I could, or even good physiotherapy for that matter.

Here’s why: a fantastically talented therapist can come across as a real dud if the clinic care model they operate within hinders how they deliver my care, or if I simply can’t make it in to the clinic to see them when I should.

So, finding the ‘best Physiotherapist’ is neither possible nor necessarily a good idea, but making an educated choice of physiotherapy clinic is – and this can significantly increase the chance that you will have a great experience.

So without further ado, here are the 5 most important criteria for finding the best physiotherapy in Toronto (for you):

The 5 Criteria for Finding the Best Physiotherapy in Toronto (for You):

1. Does the clinic’s model of care prioritize face-time with your Physiotherapist?

Since you are looking for physiotherapy, it goes without saying that you’re looking for the care and advice of a Physiotherapist. But depending on where you go for physiotherapy this isn’t necessarily what you’re going to get, and here’s why: Physiotherapists are expensive.

Clinics need to manage costs to ensure their profitability and thus their sustainability.

The easiest way to decrease costs is to use a clinic model of care that somehow reduces the amount of time each patient spends with their Registered Physiotherapist.

Many clinics, including the largest and most financially successful physiotherapy companies in Ontario, use one or more of these three popular cost-saving strategies designed to reduce the amount of physiotherapy each patient receives in each session:

1. Double-booking Physiotherapists so that they treat two (or more) patients at the same time by bouncing back and forth between them.
2. Using support staff such as Athletic Therapists/Kinesiologists/Physiotherapy Assistants or other staff to deliver care in place of the Physiotherapist.
3. Using shorter assessments and visits (such as 20 minute follow-ups), that are billed at rates that are proportionately greater than longer appointments.

Having less face-time with your physiotherapist means receiving less physiotherapy.

Is this ‘diluted-care’ approach to physiotherapy necessarily a bad thing for patients? No. Reducing face-time can be more cost-effective for the patient as well, assuming the rates they are charged are correspondingly less, that they respond well to the therapy they do receive, and that they wouldn’t have had better results or a faster rehabilitation (resulting in less visits) if they were treated at a clinic that offers exclusively 1-on-1 physiotherapy.

There are also some rehabilitation activities that do not require the expertise of a Physiotherapist 100% of the time, and so could be delivered more cost-effectively by less-trained support staff. The best example is observing a patient perform an exercise therapy routine that they have been prescribed (although arguably this could be delivered even more economically to the patient in the form of a home-exercise program that they can do on their own).

This diluted-care model of physiotherapy has also made coverage more cost-effective for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and OHIP, which does still cover physiotherapy care under certain conditions.

Both WSIB and OHIP insurance schemes reimburse for physiotherapy at rates that are far below the industry average, but which the diluted-care model can (somehow) still find profit in.

This presumably results in more people having at least some coverage, which is a good thing. But this is a double-edged sword. In doing so, these companies are perpetuating a second-tier physiotherapy offering for WSIB and OHIP claimants, a market that only these same companies can service. Is this beneficial for patients?

When making your decision between physiotherapy providers, keep in mind that the amount of face-time with your physiotherapist is one area where clinics can differ considerably, and this may have an impact on your care.

Since you’re looking for the best physiotherapy for you, how much face-time you may want with your therapist is also up to you. If cost-savings is a high-priority for you (like it is for most people), keep in mind that physiotherapy should be delivered to you on YOUR terms – talk to your Physiotherapist about your financial and other constraints so that they can create a rehabilitation program that works for you. This should include home-exercise programming and other education and advice that you can take with you to continue your rehabilitation on your own, for free.

2. Does the clinic’s model of care emphasize exercise therapy?

Having read countless clinical studies of physiotherapy interventions, for a multitude of conditions and injuries, I can report that by far the most effective physiotherapy intervention used (other than perhaps patient education) is exercise therapy.

Incorporating a personalized exercise program in your therapy, including exercises that you can do at home, is typically a critical component to ensuring that you receive the most effective rehabilitation possible. This might not always be seen as the best strategy to help the clinic’s bottom-line, but empowering patients to take ownership of their rehabilitation and giving them the tools to do so can help a clinic build a strong reputation in the community. Physiotherapy should be delivered as a partnership between therapist and patient.

Selecting a clinic that prioritizes this clinical intervention will increase the chances that you’ll receive the best physiotherapy that you can.

3. Does the clinic have the appropriate expertise to treat your condition?

If you own a Subaru like me, you probably wouldn’t take it to a mechanic that specializes in European cars. Of course you could, and they may do a great job, but choosing a service provider that has taken extra courses or received extra certification related to your specific area of need definitely increases the chances that you will have the best rehabilitation outcome possible.

4. Is the clinic convenient for you?

Location and hours. It goes without saying that the best predictor of how well you will respond to physiotherapy is how well you will follow your program of care. This includes attending sessions with your Physiotherapist.

5. Patient reviews… but not the way you think

The value of consumer reviews for any product or service is questionable, and this includes physiotherapy. Any reviews or testimonials that appear on a clinic’s website should be disregarded entirely, while reviews that appear on third party websites should be taken with a hefty grain of salt.

Here’s why: good reviews are just too easy to get, and business owners can ALWAYS find satisfied customers to write them. So the best use of customer reviews is to identify which clinic NOT to go to, rather than to help you find a good one. Bad customer reviews can offer insight into the types of problems that could arise at the clinic, and how the therapist and owner(s) might deal with them.

You can skip your search for the best Physiotherapist

Searching for the best Physiotherapist or the best physiotherapy clinic is futile, and could even be detrimental to your care. But with a little bit of effort and consideration, you can significantly increase your chances of finding the best physiotherapy in Toronto – for you.