The Low-Down about Physiotherapy: A Patient’s Perspective

Written by one of our very own Patients.

I am probably an anomaly. I had been adjusted by chiropractors and gone for a massage appointment or two, I had even tried cosmetic acupuncture (yes – needles in the face!) but I had never delved into the world of physiotherapy. So just like all the other end of year rehab goers I booked a December physiotherapy initial assessment at Rebalance Sports Medicine to finally have someone help me get to the bottom of my knee pain.

I was impressed right from the start! The receptionists were friendly and helpful. My physiotherapist, Heather Imrie, called me in right on time and the place was modern and clean. So we were definitely off to a great start.

I was given the opportunity to explain what had brought me in to see a physiotherapist. I explained that I had an annoying dull knee ache that was stopping me from squatting and running over 5k! Heather took a thorough history–aggravating factors, pain patterns, previous treatments, previous injuries, medical conditions, and an overview of my general health/nutrition. After talking for a bit, Heather got a good sense of who I am and had a very detailed picture about my knee pain. We then moved to the physical assessment portion of my visit. I was asked to move this way and that way. She guided me along the way and watched me perform a number of poses and movements. I felt very comfortable and relaxed as there was no judgement of any of my limitations. She explained what she was finding as we went along and helped me to see how I could be moving better with a few simple exercises and some physiotherapy treatment.

Heather spoke very clearly, informing me of what was causing my body to react so poorly to movements that I had never had problems with before. She diagnosed me with patellofemoral syndrome which was a relief because there was something that could be done to correct this awfully painful condition. I learned that this condition is caused by muscle imbalances throughout my legs leading to poor tracking of my knee cap along the grooves of my knees. This issue was probably building up during all those years of long distance running, hockey, soccer and weight lifting without stretching and attending to my imbalances.

Heather described her treatment plan to me and gave me a general overview of the timeline and what commitment I would be required to make to get my knees back to normal again. It all made good sense to me. I had been used to more passive treatments in the past (chiro and massage) but now I would be responsible for doing a few exercises at home so that I could get better faster. This approach really jived with me. Heather started a bit of treatment at my assessment to get things going but assured me that she would continue to build on these techniques at my next session. Heather would be working on mobilizations, stretches, and prescriptive strengthening exercises with me throughout the duration of my time at Rebalance. Mobilization and stretching occurred through a series of movements and hands on tissue work to relieve the tension in the areas of my body that were guarding and compensating for my injury. Last but not least, Heather taught me some strengthening exercises. Now I consider myself a pretty strong individual especially for my size and stature. But I was shocked at just how weak I was doing these simple and small movements. I felt the burn right away and boy did I feel it the day after!

Overall, my experience with physiotherapy has been wonderful! It was definitely better than I expected. Heather is very knowledgeable and helped me gain a better understanding of my body, my muscles and my imbalances. Thankfully, I am fixable and I will be back to running long distances in no time. I am confident again and thankful that I decided to give physiotherapy a try.