Frequently Asked Questions

Sport Medicine is more appropriately called “Sport and Exercise Medicine” or even “Activity Medicine” because it applies to many different types of people who are active – not just competitive athletes. Sport Medicine is a focused area of medicine that involves the diagnosis and treatment physical activity-related injuries and conditions. For example, sport medicine encompasses injuries to muscles, tendons, nerves, ligaments, bones and joints, as well as conditions such as exercise-induced asthma, osteoarthritis and post-concussion syndrome. Sports Medicine is especially concerned with non-surgical treatment approaches and requires in-depth understanding of anatomy, biomechanics, nutrition, exercise physiology, exercise technique, exercise prescription, as well as psychology and internal medicine. Sport Medicine also encompasses treatment modalities such as specialized injections.

To be a Sport Medicine physician in Ontario, you must first be a Medical Doctor registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Most sport medicine physicians are Family Physicians who have specialized training and certification in the field of sport and exercise medicine. However, other sport medicine physicians have a background as Pediatricians, Physiatrists or Orthopedic Surgeons. Specialized training for a sports medicine physician ideally involves post-graduate year of residency training (or “fellowship”) specific to sport medicine. Sport Medicine certification includes the rigorous practical examination administered by the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM). If a physician successfully completes this exam, he or she will gain the designation of “Diploma of Sport and Exercise Medicine” after his or her name, abbreviated as “Dip SEM”. Also, the College of Family Physicians of Canada offers a Certificate of Added Competency in Sport and Exercise Medicine (shown by the designation of “CCFP (SEM)” after the physician’s name. In addition, the Ontario Ministry of Health offers a review process in which they allow qualified physicians to describe their practice as being a “Focused Practice in Sport and Exercise Medicine”.

No. Physiotherapists can say that they are “Sport Physiotherapists” who diagnose and treat “Sport Injuries” or that they offer “Sport Physiotherapy.” They must follow their provincial colleges’ rules on making these kinds of claims. Chiropractors can say that they are “Sport Chiropractors” and must follow their provincial colleges’ rules on making these claims. However, if you claim to be a “Sport Medicine Physician” in Canada, you must be a Medical Doctor (designated by an MD beside your name) and you should have the “Dip SEM” credential as recognized by the Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine, and/or additional credentials as described above. Any credible clinic that says it offers “Sport Medicine” services should have a medical doctor with the appropriate credential and training working at its facility.

Yes. GRSM offers Sport Medicine consultations. Our Sport Medicine Physicians have been certified by the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM), and have appropriate additional certifications from their regulatory organizations.

Under most circumstances, the sport medicine physicians at GRSM require a referral from a family medicine physician, general practitioner, emergency medicine doctor or other physician. GRSM sport medicine physicians greatly value the opinion of the referring physician as well as the supporting information that is provided in the referral (e.g., most family physicians send a comprehensive background about the patient’s medical history and tests/investigations which could have a significant impact on the patient’s treatment). Also, the referring physician plays a very important role in determining whether or not the patient’s condition is appropriate to be assessed by a sports medicine physician.
For consultations with the orthopaedic surgeon or the pediatric sports medicine physician, a referral from another physician is always required.

GRSM is a multi-disciplinary Sport Medicine facility.  This means that we use a team approach in all that we do, and offer

• Sport Medicine
• Physiotherapy
• Chiropractic
• Athletic Therapy
• Massage Therapy
• Custom Foot Orthotics
• Bracing
• Nutritional Counseling & Services.

If you are a Canadian resident, your provincial health plan (OHIP in Ontario) covers consultations with our Sport Medicine Doctors. Other services like Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, Athletic Therapy, Massage Therapy and orthotic services are not covered by OHIP.  Our fees for these services are due at each visit.  Most extended health insurance plans or benefits programs include coverage for these services. We accept cash, VISA, Mastercard or debit.  We can also bill many insurance plans directly.

GRSM is able to bill directly to the following insurance companies for Physiotherapy and Chiropractic visits:

• Sunlife
• Manulife/OTIP
• Greenshield
• Great-West Life
• Bluecross
• Manion
• Industrial Alliance
• Johnson Inc.
• Claim Secure

Please Note:
– Your plan must allow for direct billing (not all plans permit direct billing).
– It is the responsibility of the patient to review specific insurance requirements including whether a medical referral is required by insurance and specific coverage information.

Contact your Employee Benefits or Human Resource Department to determine what extended health care benefits are. Don’t forget to ask how much coverage you have for various services. Most plans have an annual deductible or co-payment amount that the employee must pay.

Contact your Employee Benefits or Human Resource Department to determine what extended health care benefits are. Don’t forget to ask how much coverage you have for various services.  Most plans have an annual deductible or co-payment amount that the employee must pay.

Appointments may be made in person or by calling (519) 622-4529 (Cambridge) or (519) 571-7111 (Kitchener-South) or (519) 804-9164 (Kitchener-Downtown). You can also fill out our online form and one of our staff will call you.  Click here to Request an Appointment.  Remember: Please give us at least 24-hours notice if you need to cancel, so we can give that time to another patient.

Our clinics are generally open Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Our Cambridge and Kitchener-South clinics offer Saturdays morning appointments for select services.  We are closed on Sundays.  There may be slight variations for each clinic, please click here for details at each location.

We define a sport or exercise injury as any injury or condition that prohibits you from participating in your regular sport, fitness or recreational activity. You may or may not have become injured during your activity. Work-related injuries are not sport injuries.

Our Sport Medicine Clinic strives to keep active people active. Although many of our patients are elite athletes, a number of our patients enjoy being active for recreational reasons and are looking for general good health and fitness. Our patients are of all ages and participate in a variety of activities from walking programs to more physically aggressive activities. If your injury is keeping you from your regular activity, then Grand River Sports Medicine Centre can help you.

The waiting period may vary depending on season, day of the week and time of day (evening appointments are in high demand). You can use the following guidelines for non-acute injuries.
We strive to treat acute injuries within 48 hours of patient contact at the clinic.
Physiotherapist/Chiropractic/Massage Therapist – usually within one week.

An acute injury is an injury that has occurred within 2-3 days.  A Chronic injury is an injury that may have occurred weeks, months or years in the past but continues for cause pain and discomfort. By quickly managing an injury in the acute stage, you may be able to avoid chronic complications.

You can book an appointment directly with a physiotherapist. Call (519) 622-4529 for the Cambridge clinic or (519) 571-7111 for the Kitchener-South clinic or (519) 804-9164 for the Kitchener-Downtown clinic. You can also fill out our online form.  Please note that many insurance companies will not pay for your extended health claim without a physician’s referral. 

Your first physiotherapy appointment usually takes 60 minutes and will include assessment and treatment.  After that, treatments can last between 30 to 45 minutes.  Click here to find out more detail and What to Expect in your physiotherapy appointments.

Shorts should be worn for lower extremity (below the waist) injuries and tank tops are preferred for upper extremity (above the waist) injuries. We have washrooms and a change room if you need them, and your valuables can be locked safely at the reception desk.

Our Cambridge facility has a private lot beside the building where our clients can park for free. You can also find public parking along George Street, as well as at the Public Library across the street. At Kitchener, the Forest Glen Plaza has a large parking lot with plenty of free parking. 

Work-related injuries going through WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board) cannot be seen at GRSM clinics. 

Yes. All of the physiotherapists at GRSM are registered to practice in Ontario.

Please feel free to call or email us with your questions.