Can physiotherapy continue during COVID-19?

As medical centres and treatment providers close their doors during the COVID-19 crisis, how can you get access to the medical treatments you need?

At MacGillivray Law, many of our clients have been injured in a motor vehicle accident and are referred to physiotherapy sessions as part of their treatment. Physiotherapy clinics are now closed across Atlantic Canada, leaving our clients without care.

For those who live in rural communities across Atlantic Canada, inadequate access to healthcare services is an age-old problem. It is not often feasible for injured individuals who live in rural areas to travel long distances for rehabilitation services like physiotherapy.

This problem is now being felt by a much wider audience. Even those who live in the most populous cities are unable to seek rehabilitative services, since medical providers are no longer conducting in-person appointments.

However, timely treatment is essential for those injured in a motor vehicle accident. As Toronto-based physiotherapist Adam Brown states, “in situations of trauma, physiotherapy is most successful if the patient is treated almost immediately after the accident…With every day and week that treatment is delayed, it gets substantially more difficult to restore full mobility in a patient.”

How can I continue my physiotherapy treatments during COVID-19?

Medical professionals such as doctors, physiotherapists, and psychologists are now using technology to offer virtual healthcare services to patients, called “telehealth”. Telehealth involves a patient communicating with their healthcare provider via phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer using a camera and microphone. The healthcare provider gives instructions and assesses the client through the screen.

Healthcare providers such as Lifemark in Halifax have adopted a virtual care model. Lifemark, for example, offers the following services remotely:

• Physiotherapy
• Occupational therapy
• Psychology
• Office ergonomic evaluations
• Vocational assessments
• Exercise therapy

Many physiotherapy clinics are adapting their systems to offer online services during this time. Check with your existing treatment provider to see what virtual services they offer. If your existing physiotherapist does not offer virtual services, we provide a list of physiotherapy clinics across Atlantic Canada that do at the end of this article.

Is virtual care covered by my insurance policy?

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, many insurance companies have extended their policies to include coverage for certain virtual services, including physiotherapy. You should confirm what coverage your specific insurance plan provides when booking an appointment.

Will stopping physio treatment hurt my case?

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, it is important to continue with your prescribed treatment during this time if you are able to. This helps build medical evidence to support your lawsuit, but more importantly, the treatments are necessary for your successful recovery.

We are here to support our existing clients and are fully operational during COVID-19. We are just a call or email away if you have any questions about your case.

If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident at the fault of someone else and you are not already a client, we will do our best to help you. We offer a free consultation by phone or video where you can share your story and we can answer your questions. We not only help our clients with legal matters, but we also ensure that they are receiving appropriate treatment and insurance benefits during the period of their recovery.

Contact us to set up a free consultation.

Virtual physiotherapy clinics

The following are clinics across Atlantic Canada that offer virtual physiotherapy services. This is not an extensive list. If you are interested in participating in virtual physiotherapy sessions, contact your existing physiotherapist or research clinics online.

Nova Scotia

• Atlantic Balance and Dizziness Centre
• Capture Therapeutics by PhysioFirst
• Citadel Physiotherapy
• Classic Physiotherapy and Work Rehabilitation Centres
• KEY Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Centre
• Lifemark
• Nova Spinal Care
• pt Health and Wellness Centre
• Scotia Physiotherapy
• S.R. ProActive
• Windsor Physiotherapy
• Xcel Physiotherapy

Newfoundland & Labrador

• Lifemark
• Premier Athletic Therapy & Sports Medicine
• Proactive Physio

New Brunswick

• Lifemark
• Northside Physiotherapy Clinic
• PhysioFirst
• Range of Motion Physiotherapy
• Rehab1

Prince Edward Island

• Body Works PEI
• CBI Health Group