Physiotherapy can help with decreasing pain, increasing range of motion, reducing disability and improving quality of life. Ultimate Care physiotherapists strive to help you understand your condition and gain back your level of function. The therapies that we use are designed based on a detailed examination that identifies the underlying cause. With a detailed explanation and follow up of the therapeutic program designed specifically to your condition, you will be able to effectively resolve your problem and maintain an ultimate level of function and participation.

Designing a therapeutic program that suits your condition takes into consideration several aspects that include but are not limited to:

• General well-being
• Life style.
• Level of pain.
• Prevention of recurrence of the condition.

At Ultimate Care Physiotherapy, we use a wide range of treatment techniques and approaches that include but are not limited to:

• Electrotherapy modalities (Ultrasound, TENS, Laser Therapy, Heat, Electrical neuromuscular stimulation (ENMS/IFC)
• Dry Needling
• Movement and exercise
• Manual therapy
• Taping

Initial assessments can last for up to 1 hour. Follow up sessions are ranging from 30 – 40 minutes/session.

You do not need a family doctor referral to see a physiotherapist. However, if you have an extended health benefits plan, you should contact your provider as medical referral may be required to authorize reimbursement of treatment charges.

Your physiotherapist will discuss with you any pain you may have during or after your treatment session.  You may feel a bit sore after your appointment for the first few days. This may be due to using muscles that you haven’t used for a while, mobilizing stiff joints or stretching of tissues. Usually, this pain settles, however if you continue experiencing it, you need to discuss it with your physio for modification of your treatment plan.

You are more than welcome to have someone to accompany you during your treatment. In some cases, a companion is compulsory, such as for children or someone with special needs.

In most of the cases, physiotherapy is considered extremely effective. Research suggests that physiotherapy significantly improves the rehabilitation and recovery of a wide range of conditions, as well as preventing chronicity or further injuries.

Payment can be taken by cash, or by debit/credit cards. We have a direct claim option for those wishing to utilize their extended health insurance policy. With direct billing, we charge the insurance company directly, so you wouldn’t need to reclaim the charges.

Yes, you can pay with private medical insurance, you will need your insurance company details and your authorization code. We do direct billing to major private medical insurance companies, including Alberta Blue Cross, Medavie Blue Cross, Green Shield Canada, SSQ Financial Group, CINUP, Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance, Cowan, Desjardins Insurance, First Canadian, Great-West Life, Industrial Alliance, Johnson Inc., Johnston Group Inc., Manulife Financial, Maximum Benefit and Sun Life Financial. Please be advised that many policies require an annual excess to be paid so you may have to finance part of the cost yourself.  You can check that by reviewing your policy or speaking directly to the company.  Ultimate Care Physiotherapy & Massage Clinic submits claims directly to your insurance company.  If there is a shortfall, you should be informed by your insurance company and we will send you an invoice for the outstanding amount. If you have a benefit plan not listed yet or doesn’t allow direct billing, you will be eligible to submit your invoice to them for reimbursement – if you have physiotherapy coverage.

Your physiotherapy treatment is tailored to your individual needs, so it is not possible to advise in advance how many sessions will be required. At the first appointment your physiotherapist will suggest the number of treatments you will require based on your assessment findings.

You can be assured at Ultimate Care Physiotherapy & Massage Clinic that you will not be over or under-treated. We will never continue treating beyond the point that is necessary and will teach you how to take steps to help prevent needing future treatment.

Yes, you can stop your treatment at any time. However, it is highly recommended that you complete the planned treatment course as some effects are temporary and require repeated sessions to have a long-term impact.

If you feel the treatment is not achieving the results you anticipate, discuss this with your physiotherapist as they may be able to offer alternative treatment options or modify your program to help achieve your desired results.

If you stop treatment you are welcome to return to physiotherapy when this suits you. If this period is longer than 6 weeks the physiotherapist will need to reassess your condition before recommending treatment.

Ultimate Care Physiotherapy & Massage clinic therapists are fully qualified physio and massage therapists who are registered with Physiotherapy Alberta College and with Registered Massage Therapy of Alberta, respectively. They have the word registered before their name. This indicates that they have completed the national written and clinical exams before becoming licensed Physiotherapists or massage therapists. In addition, our registered therapists are governed by the regulatory body (Physiotherapy Alberta College) and Registered Massage Therapist of Alberta that ensures a high standard of practice from their members.

Ongoing post graduate professional training is also in place for Ultimate Care Physiotherapy & Massage clinic therapists. This ensures they are updated on changes in clinical practice that may be recommended by recent research and studies.

We offer our services to children with musculoskeletal problems and frequently see teenagers with such issues. However, we do ask that all patients under 16 years of age are accompanied into the treatment room by an adult, preferably a family member. Some forms may need to be signed by an adult on the behalf of children

If you have been given any of the following, please bring them with you to your first attendance. Referral form or letter of insurance (claim forms/numbers), information regarding your condition (scans / X-ray reports), any supports, appliances, walking aids or exercise sheets issued by any other health practitioner.

Please give 24 hours’ notice where possible for cancellations. We reserve the right to charge for all or part of the treatment costs for appointments cancelled within less than 24 hours or for those patients who do not show up. For those patients who have been referred for treatment by a third party, i.e. occupational health department, GP, solicitor, or for those claiming through a medical insurance company, cancellations within 24 hours and non-attendances will be counted towards your treatment allocation and may be charged for appropriately. In some cases, there may be a cancellation fee to pay directly to the clinic.

Please call if you will be late for an appointment, we will do our best to accommodate you if possible.

Always try being on time. We try to see all our patients on time or within a few minutes of their scheduled time. Being late may result in a shortened treatment session or a re-scheduling of your appointment.

It is expected that you will be sent home with an exercise program designed for your condition. This is to reinforce the benefits of the treatment you have received at the clinic and to achieve further improvement. Your commitment to perform the exercises as instructed to you is crucial for achieving your goal of cure.

Ultimate Care Physiotherapy & Massage clinic will provide physiotherapy assessment and treatment in the comfort of your own home, or home care facilities like senior homes or even hospitals. We will visit you at your convenience. We provide day, evening and weekend flexible appointments. On our first visit the physiotherapist will take a detailed history of your presenting condition and your full medical history including your medication. The initial assessment and treatment will take about 1 hour. Providing your consent, the physiotherapist will look at your posture, alignment and range of movement and continue to assess appropriately.

Your cooperation and willingness to commit to home exercise programs and the advices you are given for your daily activities are very crucial to the success of your treatment plan and for achieving your goal of cure.

It happens very rarely that very few patients may experience progression of their symptoms for a short time before they improve. It is also common to have some post treatment soreness following physical intervention, i.e. manipulation, mobilization, stretches and frictions. You may also experience some discomfort after any exercises that you have been given in the early stages of your treatment program.  However, we would not expect that there will be a severe increase in symptoms following treatment and, if this is the case, you should contact the clinic for advice.

Be sure to explain to your therapist that you have had a significant increase in symptoms that you are concerned about. Your therapist will advise you on how to reduce your symptoms, he can also modify your treatment program accordingly.

You need to speak to your car insurance company to arrange for you to have physiotherapy and authorize the sessions allowed. Please share the information of our clinic with your insurance company and ask them to contact us. Once they authorize your treatment sessions, we will bill them directly.

This is a common question that is asked frequently in clinical practice as well as outside of the clinic. There are some similarities and some differences between dry needling and acupuncture.  Although both look similar there are fundamental differences which lead to very different results in the effects of dry needling and acupuncture on pain and conditions being treated.

In case of sports injury, you must do sports Injuries First Aid (Muscle Strains/Sprains), Which includes:

• Protect: Stop Activity
  Rest: Avoid stressing the injury
  Ice: As soon as possible and until swelling subsides
  Compression: With bandage/tub grip
  Elevate: Injury above level of heart
• Physiotherapy can help to promote effective healing.
• Seek medical advice if the condition is serious or pain is severe

With the application of an acupuncture/ dry needle, the polymodal-type receptors become activated, so brief pain may be felt in the area. However, by inserting these needles into myofascial trigger points or tender regions of a muscle, pain increase can lead to increasing the pain threshold, with a consequent decrease in pain. The muscle itself will decrease in tone as a result.

A myofascial trigger point is defined as a hyperirritable, localised, palpable nodule that rests on a tight band of muscle. The literature suggests that dry needling can reduce short-term pain sensitivity.

Overall, the main effect of acupuncture or dry needle therapy is to decrease the resting tone of the muscle, to relax it, and to increase your pain threshold so to decrease the pain felt. It is an effective treatment for myofascial trigger points or general musculoskeletal pain. It helps in the reduction of painful symptoms. It will also aid osteopathic and/or other manual therapies and, with an additional exercise prescription set by your practitioner, help to get you prepared to challenge the world again!

When you visit Ultimate Care Physiotherapy & Massage Clinic, you will experience a unique and pro-active treatment service with a physiotherapist/massage therapist interested in your individualized treatment. You will be welcomed to our clinic by the friendly clinic environment and cheerful staff.

At Ultimate Care Physiotherapy & Massage Clinic, what makes us different from other physiotherapy and massage clinics is

• Our clinicians will always advise you of the lowest cost option for your individual condition or injury.
• Friendly and courteous staff.
• Convenient appointment times.
• Prompt service, we will never keep you waiting for a long period of time.
• Professional but comfortable atmosphere.
• Comfortable treatment rooms fully equipped with all the physiotherapy and massage therapy equipment.
• Convenient location with a plenty of free parking spots.
• Over two decades of experience.
• Consultant, GP, insurance and rehabilitation company referrals.
• Direct claim procedure.
• Lunch time and weekends appointments.

Dry needling uses fine needles that are inserted into the skin, fascia (tissue that surrounds the muscles and separates muscle compartments), deep muscles, tendons, and sometimes the joints and bones. When your practitioner inserts the needle, a twitch may be observed, or a sensation felt in that specific region that may radiate to a different area (this is not dangerous – it is part of the treatment!). The length of time the needles are left in varies from individual to individual depending on how quickly the client’s body responds. The duration is also based on the practitioner examining the treated area of muscle and looking at its tone.

The main aim of dry needling is to relax the muscle from increased tone, which is often the most common complaint seen in the clinic.

Dry needling has an electrophysiological basis and results in the following changes which are all evidence based and form the main reaction to dry needling techniques: 

• Disruption of the motor end plate
• Restore levels of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), substance P and Hydrogen ions (i.e. chemicals that cause pain).
• Promotes normal acetyl-choline levels
• May stimulate platelet derived growth factor (promoting the healing response)
• Quietens spontaneous motor activity related to abnormal acetyl-choline

Acupuncture also uses fine needles that are inserted into the skin, but they are inserted into specific meridians (channels). A part of Chinese traditional medicine, these channels are thought to relate to certain organs in the body. Needles are inserted to around 1mm deep, which is not too deep, unlike dry needling. Often clients may feel a sensation as the needle passes through the skin, but this is usually no more than a slight sting.

• The main aim is to stimulate the flow of chi (energy) around the body. It is believed by the Chinese tradition that blockage of the chi pathways can lead to pain and discomfort.
•  The reason why you feel the sting with dry needling/acupuncture
• A practitioner will look for the area in the muscle that is painful (often caused by a myofascial trigger point – a stressed muscle that forms a knot, which in turn causes pain). In the muscles, there are special receptors called nociceptors (no-c-cep-tors). There are various types of these nociceptors and the one that is associated with this pain is the polymodal type. These types of receptors become activated when the needle enters that particular painful spot on the muscle and sensitizes it.