Fairway Physiotherapy

We have been proud to serve you and your patients over the past two years. Currently, we have 4 physiotherapists, an orthopaedic manual physiotherapist (RCAMPT) and two registered massage therapists practicing to continue to serve you better. We also offer medical consultation with an independent orthopaedic specialist. We have grown quickly over the past two years, and continue to expand our training, services and flexible clinical hours to meet the unique health care demands in Thunder Bay. Additionally, our site is a recognized teaching facility for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) for medical students and residents. We also serve as a training site for entry-level physiotherapists, massage therapists, athletic therapists and kinesiologists.

Our Unique Services
Our therapists have pursued advanced training in Orthopaedic Manual Physiotherapy and Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), better known as “McKenzie Therapy.” We also offer certified acupuncture services with senior clinicians. Our clinicians are also trained in Mulligan therapy, Butler neurodynamic training and advanced temporomandibular joint (TMJ) assessment and treatment methods. We offer consultative services for breath-by-breath Metabolic Analaysis with an independent kinesiologist and massage therapy services from a single point of access. Please refer to the Services section of our website for a detailed description of our clinic’s services.

The Golf Links Community Clinic is an accessible, single floor facility, allowing ease of patient access. We provide services to and bill through: extended health benefits plans, WSIB, motor vehicle accident insurers, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and through employer-sponsored programs.

What should you expect when referring your patient to our clinic for assessment?

Patients are typically assessed for up to an hour long with the physiotherapist. This involves a thorough history taking, with specific focus on the medical history. Evidence-based outcome measures and questionnaires are administered depending on the site of injury. Patients are initially screened for appropriateness of therapy and if additional medical investigation is thought to be required, you are contacted or provided with an assessment report immediately if this is the case.

A detailed manual therapy and/or repetitive movement analysis is then conducted. Often, the result is an immediate option for patient home management, and patients are typically provided with initial pain control activities on their first consultation. Typically, formal treatment begins on the next visit.

The findings of the assessment are then discussed with the patient. Goals for therapy and a plan of care are then established in consultation with the patient. If the physiotherapist feels that an additional referral or special investigation is required, this is then detailed in the assessment letter to you and other health care practitioners currently involved in the Circle of Care. The patient is usually seen again with 24-48 hours of the assessment to begin treatment.

What should you and your patient expect from orthopaedic manual physiotherapy treatment?

This is directly related to the type(s) of dysfunction identified by yourself from your original referral and the findings of the physiotherapy examination. We provide one-on-one physiotherapy care through every step of your patient’s recovery. This typically involves:

1. Patient education and postural re-training;
2. Hands-on joint mobilizations, soft tissue mobilizations and fascial work;
3. Self-treatment and pain control techniques to maintain the treatment effect;
4. Muscle / motor control re-education and stabilization training;
5. Acupuncture (certified) for myofascial pain control;
6. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic modalities [electrophysical agents]

Treatment sessions are at a minimum 20 minutes with the physiotherapist. Patients are often in the clinic for up to 45 minutes though, depending on the nature of the injury and the program of care.

We use the best available evidence in developing our patient treatment plans and welcome additional suggestions for care at every phase in the recovery process. We are happy to consult with you even prior to your referral to determine if your patient may benefit from physiotherapy services. For a detailed description of individual services that we offer, please visit the Services section of our website.

Physiotherapy Research Forum
Our goal is to not only provide you and your patients with exceptional physiotherapy care, but also to provide you with physiotherapy research updates regarding new treatment techniques and evolving options for injury management by manual physiotherapists. We know that you manage busy practices yourselves, and as such offer the following information updates to keep the changes in our profession’s capabilities at the forefront when considering rehabilitation options for your patients. The following section is maintained monthly in order to bring this information to you – please visit us again for new postings.