Physiotherapy can help you maintain and regain flexibility, reduce pain, and improve your overall health. Costs for this service can be significant, however; there are ways to reduce what you pay out of pocket. Additionally, for many patients, they may be able to return to work and improve their quality of life, making the cost an investment with great returns.
Generally, you can expect to pay around $75 to $100 for an initial consultation and then varying rates for each additional session after this. Here we will look at some of the factors that can affect your total cost, some ways to reduce your costs, and if physiotherapy is worth it for you.
Initial Costs of Physiotherapy
Your physiotherapy treatment will begin with a consultation where your therapist will assess your injury or condition and begin devising a personalized plan for your treatment. As mentioned above, you can expect this to cost between $75 and $100. The session should last around an hour and at the end of it, you will have a better understanding of what your course of treatment will be.
Factors that Will Affect the Cost of Physiotherapy in Toronto
Length of Initial Examination: Most initial exams will take an hour, however; if you have extensive injuries or multiple conditions, you may require a more in depth exam. This may also require x rays and other tests prior to beginning physiotherapy. Some of these other tests and pre-exam needs may be covered by your health plan or insurer.
How Many Sessions You Require: Typically, physiotherapy treatment consists of an initial consultation followed by a set number of sessions. Throughout the sessions, your progress is analyzed. If you have reached your goals, your doctor may only prescribe infrequent followup sessions such as monthly massage therapy and/or prescribe you at-home exercises to do. However, you may require additional time with the therapists if your pain, injuries, or flexibility have not improved sufficiently.
Type of Physical Therapy: There are several main types of physical therapy including sports therapy, orthopedic, and therapy specifically for older adults and children. Generally, sports therapy and geriatric physiotherapy are the most costly while pediatric tends to be less and orthopedic falls in the middle.
Here are some general guidelines for cost:
- Sports Therapy: With sports therapy, there is an emphasis on regaining strength after an injury, and/or improving health to help prevent injuries. Typically, sports therapy for a specific injury will cost around $800. This will include an initial consultation and several follow up sessions and possibly massage therapy.
- Orthopedic: Orthopedic therapy is among the most likely and common for adults. This branch of physiotherapy deals with strains and pains associated with poor posture, back and neck injuries, post-surgery recovery and a variety of other common conditions and injuries.
- Geriatric and Pediatric: These two types of therapy focus on injuries that are common in the elderly or in children. Costs will vary widely depending on exactly what is needed. Geriatric tends to be the most expensive because elderly people often need in-home treatment which is more costly:
- Other Costs Guidelines: For individual therapy sessions which will help you improve mobility, you will pay per session somewhere in the range of $200 to $500. Massage therapy may also be needed but is considerably less expensive, typically ranging from $30 to $60 depending on the length of the session.
Your Available Insurance and Tax Status: Certain deductions can be taken to reduce the costs of your physical therapy and some insurers may partially cover costs as well. We will cover this in more detail in the next section.
Where You Receive Therapy: Depending on specialty and location, therapists may charge higher or lower rates. While it may be tempting to search out the lowest cost per session provider, this may not always result in savings. A therapist who does not specialize in your type of injury or has less experience may charge less per session but you may need more sessions to achieve the same results as you would with less from a more qualified therapist.
Help with Paying for Physiotherapy
While physiotherapy is an important part of regaining and maintaining your health, it can get expensive. Fortunately, there are a few ways to save on the cost of physiotherapy.
Health Savings Account: If you own an incorporated business, you can count your therapy as a pre-tax expense meaning you will not be charged taxes on the money that is put towards therapy. Do this by using your Health Spending Account (HSA). This can also save you money on a variety of other services that are typically out of pocket costs. For example, dentistry, massage therapy, and eyecare.
Medical Expense Tax Credit (METC): For those who are unable to use an HSA, you can still benefit from the METC. This tax credit will be applied to any taxes that you owe. However, note that this tax credit cannot be refunded, meaning if you do not owe taxes, you will not receive additional money from the METC.
Insurance: In some cases, your physiotherapy may be covered by your insurance. This is not always the case and you should discuss this with your insurance provider prior to your first appointment.
Is Physiotherapy Worth it?
For many patients, physiotherapy is more than worth the cost since it can often improve your quality of life and possibly help you avoid more invasive measures. With the personalized stretching, massage, and exercises of physiotherapy, you may be able to regain flexibility and reduce pain without needing surgery.
Additionally, those who can regain function in a knee, shoulder, neck or other body part will often not only improve their quality of life, they may be able to return to work and/or save money on items like mobility aids. Overall, physiotherapy is a good choice compared to the alternative of not getting help.
Getting Started with Physiotherapy
Many therapists will work with you to develop a payment plan, discounted rate, or help you find ways to make the therapy more affordable. At BCML, our team of therapists is here to help you get the therapy you need at the best price possible. Contact us today at 416-929-1900 to schedule a consultation.