Post Surgical &
Post Fracture Rehabilitation

Have you had a broken bone, a dislocation of a joint that required medical treatment and immobilization for more than three weeks, or a surgery to a bone, joint, or muscle? We treat all of these types of problems too.

How does it work?

Alberta Health Services covers physiotherapy treatment at our clinic for this type of problem within 12 weeks of the injury date. You are eligible for a one-on-one assessment where we evaluate your condition, establish goals to help us guide you in your recovery, and establish a treatment plan with you. We will begin your treatment and get you started on your home program to get you moving as fast as we can at this time as well. Depending on the diagnosis, you will be eligible for 3 to 4 more sessions after the initial assessment. Your Physiotherapist will outline what you qualify for at this time and help answer any questions you may have.

What types of surgery can be covered?

Arthroscopic surgery of knee, shoulder, hip, ankle, elbow, wrist
ACL reconstruction
Meniscus repair
Labral repairs of hip and shoulder
Rotator cuff repairs
Joint replacement surgery that does not qualify for group sessions (see our Hip and Knee Replacement treatment page)
Back or neck surgery
Fracture repairs
Muscle/Tendon/ligament repairs
Cancer/tumor removal
Carpal tunnel release
Achilles tendon rupture/repair

What types of fractures can be covered?

Any broken bone that has required a cast/full time immobilization provided it is within 12 weeks of the injury.
Any broken bone that has had to be surgically repaired provided again treatment starts within 12 weeks of the injury.

What if I had surgery to remove the hardware after a fracture?

This can be covered as well as long as it is within one year of the original surgery.

Don’t see your problem listed above? Call us at 780-438-0001, and we can answer any of your questions as there are many conditions that may not be specifically listed above.

What does treatment involve?

Usually your treatment will involve hands on techniques to mobilize the stiff joint/ limb and restore your range of motion. Most joints around a fracture or involved in a surgical repair stiffen due to the immobilization. Often your surgeon will have a protocol for things such as a rotator cuff repair or ACL reconstruction of the process they would like us to follow. If your surgeon has not sent one with you, don’t worry, we can obtain this and often have these on hand from years of dealing with these types of surgeries.

Using our well equipped gym you will be doing gentle exercises at first to work on range of motion and basic strengthening as well as balance and conditioning as needed. We will work on correcting your posture, walking pattern, and movement patterns in the gym as well as needed. As you improve, we will progress your exercise program so you may continue in the gym whether it is at a recreation center or at home using similar equipment so the transition is as seamless as possible.

If swelling and pain are an issue we will utilize modalities to help control and improve pain and inflammation as well after you have worked with the physiotherapist and performed any needed exercises.

We will update your home exercises based on what was done in the clinic as well as based on your progress. Our online exercise programs show you how the exercise is to be done using short videos and can be altered “on the fly” giving you immediate updates. No more pages and pages of exercises (unless that is what you want, we can still do that too!) Using this exercise tool you can communicate directly with your therapist if you have concerns or questions about the exercises or your progress at home so you don’t have to wait till you come back to see us.

Will the Alberta Health Services treatment be enough for me?

This is difficult to say as every case is individual. In a lot of cases, it is enough and we space your treatment out to make the best use of these treatments as we can provided you are progressing at the rate you should. However, for many more complicated situations it unfortunately is not enough but does get you going in the right direction quickly towards your goals.

If you still require treatment after AHS coverage is exhausted you would transition to extended health benefits or self pay.

What if it has been longer than 12 weeks?

This depends on the reason why, if there were complications or a medical reason why you were not sent for treatment within the 12 weeks, Alberta Health will evaluate this and decide if you will still be covered. A quick call to our office can help us sort this out ahead of time.

If there is no medical reason why you did not start treatment within the 12 week period (you thought things were going to be ok on their own and now they are not for example). This would not be an acceptable reason for delay and AHS will not cover you. In this case you will have to utilize extended health benefit coverage or pay on your own treatment.

Will you help me get back to my sport or activity?

Yes! Our physiotherapists will help tailor your program towards getting you back to what matters most to you. No matter if it is gardening, hockey, golf, curling, pickle ball, or running a marathon, we will help you get there by selecting the treatment and exercise program that best fits your goal to not only return to your activity but do it safely in a sustainable manner. We will look at the movements required for any activity and make sure you are capable of doing them before you return to activity so there are no surprises.

How do I get started?

The best thing to do is call us at 780-438-0001 so we can book your assessment as soon as we can. You can also book on our website but may have to wait a bit longer so calling is the best option.

Post Surgical & Post Fracture Rehabilitation