Vital Life Physiotherapy Clinic is a brand new, bright, and modern clinic that contains a fully equipped exercise gym. We only utilize the latest color touch screen modalities so that the clinic can provide the most cutting-edge physiotherapy services. Located right at ground level for easy access, we offer a wide variety of treatments such as shockwave, laser and acupuncture. Please see below for a full detail of all the services that we have to offer!
| Physiotherapy | |
|---|---|
| Initial Assessment | 100 |
| Subsequent sessions | 95 |
| Initial Assessment Multiple area (3 or more areas) | 130 |
| Subsequent sessions Multiple area (3 or more areas) | 125 |
| Acupuncture, Gunn IMS & Shockwave Therapy | |
|---|---|
| Initial Acupuncture | 120 |
| Subsequent Acupuncture | 115 |
| Initial Gunn IMS | 120 |
| Subsequent Gunn IMS | 115 |
| Initial Shockwave Therapy Treatment | 120 |
| Subsequent Shockwave Therapy Treatment | 115 |
| Registered Massage Therapy | |
|---|---|
| Initial Assessment – 90 minutes | 180 |
| Initial Assessment – 75 minutes | 150 |
| Initial Assessment – 60 minutes | 120 |
| Subsequent – 90 Minutes | 180 |
| Subsequent – 75 minutes | 150 |
| Subsequent – 60 minutes | 120 |
| Subsequent – 45 minutes | 95 |
| Subsequent – 30 minutes | 65 |
| ICBC, WCB & MSP | |
|---|---|
| ICBC Physio & RMT | 0 |
| ICBC user fee for specialty services (Shockwave, Acu/IMS) | 30 |
| ICBC user fee for RMT (past 45 minute regular treatment, $15 increments per every 15 minutes) | 15 |
| WCB | 0 |
| MSP user fee (10 sessions per calendar year) | 65 |
| MSP Shockwave Therapy/Acupuncture/IMS | 85 |
| MSP Multiple Area (3 or more areas) | 95 |
| Kinesiology | |
|---|---|
| Initial Assessment – Active Exercise | 110 |
| Subsequent sessions – Active Exercise | 110 |
| ICBC – Active Rehab | 0 |
| Vestibular Therapy | |
|---|---|
| Initial Assessment Vestibular Therapy | 145 |
| Subsequent sessions Vestibular Therapy | 145 |
| Registered Dietician | |
|---|---|
| Initial Consultation | 170 |
| Follow up Consult | 120 |
| Concussion Therapy | |
|---|---|
| Initial Assessment Concussion Therapy | 145 |
| Subsequent sessions Concussion Therapy | 145 |
How to book a treatment:
Book through the JaneApp by making an account (the sign up process only takes a few seconds) and selecting the type of service you’d like done (you can view the practitioners schedules to see when their next availability is – particularly convenient if you have a busy schedule or specific times when you are available)
Call into the clinic to discuss available times & the type of treatment you are seeking. ( if you are coming in under a new ICBC or WSBC claim you must call into the clinic so that we are able to get all of your claim information & ensure that you are approved to come in/that we can direct bill for you)
What if I have to cancel?
Our clinic does have a 24 hour cancellation policy for all cancellations that are not related to illness/emergency. Our cancellation policy is outlined in our intake forms, and every patient is required to sign off on it prior to coming in for treatment. If you do cancel your appointment within the 24 hour period, or if you fail to show up to your appointment without notifying the clinic there is a $50 fee. This fee goes directly to the practitioner that you would have been seeing, as late cancellations/no-shows leave a gap in their schedule where we could have booked in another patient.
Do you need a referral:
We do not require patients to have referrals in order to book in.
However, if you happen to have a referral you are welcome to bring it with you to your appointment and we will upload it into your chart.
Does having a referral mean my fees are covered:
Unfortunately, no. Just because you have a referral from a GP or specialist, it does not mean that the costs of your appointment are covered. The only exception to this is if you are a post-surgical patient that has a referral from Vancouver Coastal Health. This referral will cover 12 sessions of physiotherapy which we will bill directly to Vancouver Coastal Health at the end of the 12 sessions. Unfortunately, if you are a post-surgical patient that has a referral through Fraser Health or Island Health they do not cover the costs of these services.
Billing information
ICBC: – Our clinic offers direct billing to ICBC as long as you currently have an open claim and have approval to attend either/or Physiotherapy, Kinesiology, and Massage Therapy. If you are unsure if you have approval or what your current approval is, we can submit a request through ICBC to obtain that information.
MSP: – If you are covered under premium MSP (which is different than the standard MSP that everyone has), you are allotted 10 sessions in a calendar year to attend sessions under physiotherapy at a subsidized rate of $65.00 (this is for a standard physio session, if you are getting shockwave, IMS or acupuncture done the subsidized rate is $85.00). MSP covers a fixed rate of $23.00 per session which they pay to us directly. → Keep in mind that these 10 sessions include any other treatments that are being billed under MSP.
Worksafe (WSBC): – Our clinic offers direct billing to WSBC as long as you currently have an open claim as well as approval. If your claim is pending and you are coming in for an initial assessment within 6 weeks of your injury date we are able to bill directly to WSBC, however we will not be able to bill follow up appointments until your claim is switched from pending to approved. During this time, you are able to come in for follow up appointments but they will need to be paid privately and under no circumstances can these sessions be billed to extended insurance. Once the claim switches from pending to approved, we can reimburse you for the sessions that were paid privately, and can direct bill to WSBC for future appointments.
Private Insurance: – Our clinic offers direct billing to a wide variety of major insurance companies. We do occasionally come across smaller insurance providers that we are not registered with, therefore we are unable to bill to them, but in that case we will provide you with a receipt so you can submit it yourself. For the majority of patients, their insurance provider will pay the clinic directly and we will charge the patient the difference (if there is one). However, depending on each individual’s plan there are times that the insurance provider pays the insured member directly, in this case, we would charge the patient in full and the insurance provider would reimburse them for their eligible amount.
If we do run into difficulties submitting to an insurance provider, we will do our best to exhaust the options available to us to determine what the issue is. But again, each plan is specific to each individual and we are fairly limited in what information we can access on your behalf.
Private Appointment: If an appointment is booked privately with no insurance plan attached, the patient will be responsible for paying for the appointment in full. Some patients prefer to pay in full and submit to their insurance provider themselves, if this is the case, we will provide you with a copy of your receipt.
Treatments we offer:
Physiotherapy
A “whole person” approach to health and wellbeing, physiotherapy helps to restore, maintain, or improve physical function when someone is affected by injury, illness, or disability. Patients are encouraged to be an active participant in their own care, through education, awareness, and empowerment.
A variety of treatment options are available depending on the patient, including but not limited to manual therapy, laser, ultrasound, electric therapy, taping and active exercise. Treatment time and frequency will be dependent on each individual injury. Physiotherapy is commonly used to treat sports injuries, chronic pain, vertigo, concussion, motor vehicle injuries, and workplace injuries.
Shockwave Therapy
We are proud to be one of the first clinics offering shockwave therapy in Port Coquitlam.
A non-invasive solution for chronic musculoskeletal pain, shockwave therapy uses high energy acoustic pulses to promote healing as well as reparative and regenerative processes. It is the ideal treatment for shoulder, lower back, and Achilles tendon pain as well as tendonitis, epicondylitis, and trigger points. It is not recommended for acute injuries, with the exception of muscles spasms.
Shockwave has an analgesic effect and can decrease muscle tension and inhibit spasms. However, patients will feel slight discomfort during the treatment session due to its ability to increase collagen production, improve metabolism, and create new blood vessels by initiating an inflammation process.
A typical treatment will require at least 3 to 5 sessions.
Acupuncture
A treatment rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is a needle insertion technique that is highly effective in promoting healing, decreasing pain, and increasing overall functions.
The needle points are selected with a focus on the restoration of your body’s nervous system balance and inhibiting nociceptive (pain) pathways.
Physiotherapists use acupuncture for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain by combining their knowledge of acupuncture with learned anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology.
Typically, the treatment will take effect after 4 to 6 sessions with select treatments showing an immediate effect.
Gunn IMS (Intramuscular Nerve Stimulation)
A needling technique developed by Dr. Chan Gunn and grounded in Western Medical Science, IMS is used for acute and chronic neuropathic pain. It involves the insertion of fine acupuncture needles into muscles that have contracted and become shortened.
The method is used to treat neuropathic pain. The needle itself is inserted directly into the muscles to achieve relaxation, decreasing its constant bombardment on the nervous system.
Depending on the injury, IMS can be effective after one treatment, but can sometimes take up to 7 or 8 sessions at one week intervals.
Vestibular Therapy
The inner ear contains one of the major balance systems in our body. Sometimes, when the crystals in the inner ear have moved to a place where they are not supposed to be, you can experience severe vertigo (spinning of yourself or the room) or dizziness (feeling off balance, like on a rocking boat).
This issue is known as BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo).
We often also treat patients suffering from cervicogenic dizziness, created from tension in the neck and upper shoulder area.
Our staff physiotherapist is trained to properly assess and treat both BPPV and cervicogenic dizziness.
Concussion Therapy
A concussion is a very commonly misdiagnosed problem that involves, but is not limited to, sports, a fall from any height, and motor vehicle accidents.
Although most frequently associated with a blow to the head, your skull does not need to have an impact on a surface for you to get a concussion. The condition simply requires a sudden change of direction of your head, for example, a very intense whiplash.
A concussion is essentially a bruise on your brain. The symptoms present in a variety of ways depending on the person, but typically include dizziness, lightheadedness, headache, fatigue, or sensitivity to light, sound, smells and stress.
Recovery can range anywhere from a few weeks up to a year or longer due to the complexity of the specific concussion.
A physiotherapist can help assess and treat your concussion symptoms by educating you about management and gentle exercises.
Post Surgical Rehab
Most common types of orthopedic surgeries are total hip and total knee replacements. However, physiotherapists can deal with any kind of post-surgery dysfunctions.
We will create a personalized rehabilitation plan that will help you manage pain, improve mobility and range of motion, and increase strength. We will get you back to doing the things you love.
Spinal Decompression
A safe, effective, and non-invasion treatment, spinal decompression involves the gentle traction of the neck or lower back to decrease tension in the discs, joints, and muscular tissues around the spine. It is an ideal treatment for herniated or bulging discs, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, sciatic leg pain, and spondylosis. The treatment is performed in the supine position.
Depending on symptoms and severity, decompression may be needed once to three times a week.
Kinesiology
An exercise-based rehabilitation therapy, kinesiology is typically structured as a one-on-one exercise session that contains exercises that are specifically prescribed by a kinesiologist or physiotherapist to help with your injury recovery. Most commonly used to treat MVA injuries, our active rehab program is also often used for patients who may need reconditioning due to significant absence from physical activities due to surgery, pregnancy, etc.
Exercise is best done at least 3 times a week. Patients are encouraged to do more active exercises on their own, outside of the active rehab sessions, as guided by their therapist.
Cold Laser
A non-heating pain free therapy, laser therapy makes use of intense beams of pure lights of specific wavelengths to activate localized energy cells to promote healing and decrease inflammation as well as provide relief from acute and chronic pain. Eye protection is used during treatment as a precaution, but there is no radiation associated with the treatment.
Laser therapy has a cumulative effect, therefore it is generally best to receive laser twice a week for the duration of the treatment.
Therapeutic Ultrasound
Therapeutic Ultrasound is a painless modality used to treat injuries of all kinds. High frequency sound waves are sent into the soft tissues to help to decrease the inflammation and expedite the healing process. Due to its gentle nature and available settings, pulsed ultrasound can be used on an acute injury that is very sensitive while continuous ultrasound is utilized on a chronic injury that is not very irritable.
Registered Massage Therapy
A manual therapy involving the manipulation of soft tissue, massage is commonly used to reduce pain, promote overall wellness, reduce stress and anxiety, rehabilitate injuries, release tension, and promote relaxation. Sessions are typically 45 to 60 minutes long. Certain massage techniques can be a bit uncomfortable, but generally the patients will feel more relaxed after the treatment.
Registered Dietician Service
Our Registered Dietitian provides nutrition assessment and consultation to individuals who require support in general nutrition, health, weight management, and various common chronic diseases (ie heart health, high cholesterol/ hypercholesterolemia/dyslipidemia, high blood pressure/hypertension, glucose intolerance, and low blood sugar/hypoglycemia).
Other nutrition services include food intake/diet analysis, grocery tours, menu assessment, menu planning, and corporate presentation/workshop.
Tele-nutrition consultation via Skype or equivalent is available upon request.