Helpful ways to help your family deal with injuries

We play just about any sport we can! As our two boys grow, their pursuits are becoming more and more adventurous. Lately, they’ve been setting up large jumps in the backyard to test their mountain biking skills. We’ve had our fair share of bruises and skinned knees and elbows.

And it’s not just the kids. For us adults, the pandemic has meant closed gyms, inactive sports teams, and postponed physical activities, which has led us to other recreational pursuits, leaving us with a few bumps and bruises. Or for some, the pandemic has led to a total decline in activity. Many parents in the province have been struggling with ways to keep active and fit themselves, never mind keeping the kids active and fit. Even as services reopen, it isn’t always easy to pick up where we left off with our fitness goals.

As a physiotherapist, I’m fortunate that I can help with my family’s physicals strains and pain. But for many British Columbians, visiting a physiotherapy clinic can be stressful during a pandemic. Masks, physical distancing, and other important safety measures are all necessary. But they can make appointments more challenging, especially with children.

This is where virtual care is revolutionizing Canadian health care. Virtual care, or telehealth, allows you to connect directly with health care providers, from the comfort of home. In the case of physiotherapists, we use video chat to support our patients. From sprained joints, concussions, to muscular strains, your virtual care physiotherapist can provide you the same excellent level of care over a digital platform as in-person. 

So how does it work? All you need is your laptop or phone and an Internet connection. Over video, a skilled physiotherapist will lead you through the assessment process. If the appointment is for your child, the physiotherapist will have you help your child do the movements and tests required for a comprehensive assessment. This helps reduce fear and increases the child’s confidence to return to movement, leading to faster recovery. The physiotherapist will then work with you on a treatment plan. Often that will include exercises that you can complete at home using common household items. I recently walked a client through shoulder exercises using a can of soup!

For me, providing virtual care has been a great experience with fantastic results. I believe it’s important to give Canadians alternative ways to access health care during the pandemic and beyond. The technology required is secure and easy to use. We utilize a video platform with enhanced privacy and security features. It’s been a great way to help kids and families without the worries of protective equipment or physical distancing.

If you are new to physiotherapy, you can find a qualified physiotherapist who is offering virtual care online. A great resource for this is Lumino Health. You can see which physiotherapists offer virtual care and see ratings, cost information, and more. Appointment requests and bookings are available directly from many profiles. You can also learn about sports injuries and other reasons to see a physiotherapist. Working with the right physiotherapist can help you overcome fitness challenges and reach your goals for an active lifestyle.

Krista Clarke has been a member of the CBI Health Duncan clinical team for 17 years. She spent the last 17 years honing her skills in manual therapy focusing on specific joint mobilization techniques in combination with soft tissue techniques and exercise prescription. Over the last few months, Krista has become an enthusiastic adopter of telehealth/virtual care, efficiently and safely delivering care to her clients to help achieve their goals.