What happens at a first physiotherapy appointment in Kelowna

Before your visit

You can book a physiotherapist directly in British Columbia, without a doctor's referral. Some extended health plans still ask for one before they reimburse, so check your plan before the first visit if you intend to claim.

Wear or bring loose clothing you can move in, so the area that is bothering you can be seen and tested. If you are coming after a car accident, bring your ICBC claim number. It also helps to think ahead about when the problem started, what makes it better or worse, and any medications you take.

The assessment

Physiotherapy starts with working out why something is not moving the way it should. Your physiotherapist asks what happened, what you need to get back to, and how the problem behaves through the day. Then they assess the joint, the tissue around it and how you load it, through movement testing and a hands-on examination.

By the end you should have a plain-language explanation of what they think is going on and what the plan is. If what they find needs a doctor's opinion or imaging, a good physiotherapist will tell you and can write to your doctor.

Treatment and your home programme

The initial visit at Back in Health includes treatment, not just assessment. That usually means hands-on work combined with the start of a progressive exercise plan you can realistically keep up with. You leave with a short home programme, because what you do between visits matters as much as the visit itself.

Depending on what is found, treatment may include IMS (intramuscular stimulation), a needling technique offered by one of our physiotherapists as part of a physiotherapy appointment.

Follow-ups and video appointments

Follow-ups can be booked as a 30-minute focused session for $100, an extended 45-minute session for $135, or a virtual appointment by video for education and exercise progression. Video works well for check-ins on an injury that has already been assessed; you need a camera, such as a laptop webcam or phone.

How many visits you need depends on what is going on. Your physiotherapist should be able to tell you what they expect and why.

Physiotherapy at Back in Health

Physiotherapy is at our Kirschner Road clinic, #120-1815 Kirschner Rd, which has free parking and a movement studio. Both physiotherapists have postgraduate manual therapy training: Becky Maranda has more than twenty-five years in physiotherapy, with craniosacral and visceral work, and Tess Mihell offers IMS and has a yoga teaching background. The initial visit is 45 minutes and $135. We direct bill most extended health plans and accept ICBC claims; we do not currently accept WCB or WorkSafeBC.