Carrie Smith, Kemptville Physiotherapy Centre
What a strange time we find ourselves living in at the moment. A few months ago, we would never have predicted that most of civilization would be shut down and that even the Olympics would be cancelled. Strange times, indeed!
In these days of unpredictability and anxiety, it’s difficult to know what to do. Appointments are cancelled, businesses are closed, and hand sanitizer is more important than gold! We would like to take this opportunity to let you know what’s happening in the physiotherapy world.
Physiotherapy has been deemed an “essential service” and Kemptville Physiotherapy Centre remains open. Physiotherapists are allowed to asses and treat emergencies and acute injuries. Our role in this health care crisis is to take some pressure off of the hospital by assessing new injuries and limiting the number of people requiring emergency care at the hospital.
If you have suffered a recent injury or accident, a physiotherapist can perform a detailed examination and will let you know if you need to go to the hospital, or if your injury can be managed without a hospital visit. Most injuries don’t require a hospital visit and can be managed with treatments in the clinic or even at home.
At Kemptville Physiotherapy Centre, we have implemented a new TeleHealth Physio service. Clients can have a video call (through Zoom) with their physiotherapist. The physiotherapist can talk to you about your problem, watch how you move, and help come up with some solutions that you can implement at home. We have gotten quite creative in how to test your strength through a video call! For clients who are self-isolating, this is a safe and effective way to help you deal with your injury. A little education goes a long way, and insurance companies are covering tele-health appointments.
Please note, you do NOT need a referral from your doctor to see a physiotherapist, whether it’s in the clinic or online! Clients have “direct access” to physiotherapists, which means you can by-pass your doctor’s office. If you have an acute injury and you are able to come into the clinic, we are happy to book you an appointment to assess your injury and get you started on your road to recovery. You might as well be doing some rehab exercises while you binge-watch Netflix!
Over the last few weeks we have been able to assess and treat acute injuries from car accidents to gardening injuries! Help us keep the hospital open for those who are sick, and if your back goes “out” or you sprain an ankle, give us a call. Although we are seeing fewer sport injuries since everything has been cancelled, we are seeing more “Do-it-yourself” injuries, as people are trying to get things done around their homes…which doesn’t always work out!
You can book an in-clinic or tele-health physiotherapy appointment by calling 613-258-7661 or booking online through www.kemptvillephysio.com
