Virtual – A New Era of Physiotherapy

Custom exercise prescriptions

The ability to have a session in your home (or any) environment allows your physiotherapist to provide a plan of care that is relevant to your space. The result? A greater ease of self-management and increased follow-through on exercises.

Exercises are specifically prescribed with your environment’s furniture, walls, and even objects in mind. No equipment necessary! No confusion about how to complete your exercises.

Digital app for exercises, tracking, and support

If you’re like most patients, it can be difficult to remember the exact exercise instructions provided by your physiotherapist. The uncertainty of this can increase the chance of avoiding or simply forgetting to do the exercises.

Because completion of the exercises is arguably one of the most important aspects of your treatment program, it’s crucial to your health and goals that they are completed regularly.

Luckily, The Yellow Room uses a free app called Embodia, to help you with this. Embodia app key features:

• View instructional videos of all of your exercises all in one place
• Set regular exercise reminders
• Track your pain level
• Add notes to an exercise (how it felt, objects used, etc.)
• Make entries into a Progress Diary
• Access health courses sent to you by your practitioner
• Message your practitioner directly in a secure chat

More time to focus on your goals and education

Virtual physiotherapy allows for the sessions to be focused more on the patient’s goals and their connection with the entire body.

While fixation on minute biomechanical faults is more likely to occur with in-clinic physiotherapy, virtual provides distance that allows the practitioner to more easily consider all possibilities.

Virtual care demands that we look at the whole person in pain and not just the ‘bits and pieces’ that don’t work.

Increased patient independence, knowledge, and empowerment

Virtual care is excellent for helping develop self-efficacy and independence in the management of your pain or condition.

The emphasis is on guiding you to be able to better manage your pain by empowering you with the skills and knowledge that you need to do so. After all, we do help to get you there but, you’re the only person that can do your exercises. That’s pretty empowering when you think about it!

Physiotherapy, no matter where life takes you

Tele-rehabilitation allows you to be seen from anywhere. This means fewer and less likely interruptions in care and more progress!

If you are spending a few days, weeks, or even months away from home, as long as you have internet access and a device with a camera, you will be able to see your physiotherapist.

Save time and money with this convenient option

Life gets busy but your health shouldn’t need to take a back seat because of it.

Virtual physiotherapy is convenient and requires less time out of your schedule by cutting out the need to travel all together. It also eliminates the costs and hassles associated with fuel, traffic, parking, or public transit.

No COVID screening or masks required

In terms of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual care allows you to be seen without requiring screening and without masks or hand sanitizer

This means that, regardless of how you are feeling, if you have travelled, or if you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you can still have continuity of care with your physiotherapist.

Available to all Ontario residents

No matter where you live in Ontario, virtual care is an option and offers the opportunity to select a practice whose values and methods speak to you personally, rather than being limited to your local options.

Get the help you need to start living your fullest life without worrying about geography.

Privacy & Security

Privacy and security are top of mind for us, and virtual care is no exception.

We use Zoom Healthcare to ensure your sessions and information are safe and secure.

Zoom Healthcare is compliant with all Canadian privacy and security guidelines and uses the same base Zoom program so requires no additional program downloads. Just click the link in your appointment email and you’ll be taken to your secure online appointment.

Forms & Questionnaires

Once your Assessment is booked, a few questionnaires will become available to you.

To prepare for the initial virtual appointment, we ask that patients please complete ther forms and questionnaires in advance so the 60-minute appointment can be spent doing the assessment and treatment, rather than filling out forms. These forms can be accessed by logging into Embodia.

Additionally, if you have any relevant documentation, it would be a good idea to have it prepared.

Technical Setup

It’s a good idea to test your camera and microphone through Zoom prior to your appointment to ensure no time is wasted.

You can use any device with a camera and Zoom installed: phone, tablet/iPad, or laptop.

The ability to move the camera (and device), or take it with you, is not required but may assist your physiotherapist in their observations of your movement.

You may wish to prepare and test headphones if privacy is a concern at your location.

Attire and Environment

Please wear comfortable clothing, such as shorts and a T-shirt, to your appointment to facilitate easy movement.

To ensure you have enough space around you, you can hold both your arms out sideways and rotate your body (think helicopter). If you can swing your arms without any obstructions, you have enough room!

Connecting with Zoom

At the time of your appointment, there are two options to access the Zoom link and join the virtual appointment:

Using the device of your choosing, open the email confirming your appointment – this email contains a “Join the online consult” button – click or tap this button

Login to your Embodia profile (on tablet or desktop only), go to My Consults, select the appointment, then click or tap the Join Consult button

Payment

Please note, we currently only accept credit or e-transfer for virtual appointments.

• Credit Card
• E-transfer

If your treatment plan includes in-clinic sessions, we also accept checks.

Missed Appointments

For both cancellations under 24 hours and missed appointments, the full appointment fee will be charged.

We ask you to give us as much warning as you can, since late cancellations and no-shows pose a financial strain for us, and also prevent us from assigning appointments to others who need them.