How do I choose a physiotherapist in Ontario?

Check three things. That they are registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, which you can verify yourself on the College's public register before booking. That they have named post-graduate training in what you actually need, since areas like pelvic health are separate certifications rather than part of the licence. And that you will see the same clinician each visit, because a rehabilitation program that changes hands restarts every time it does.

What does MScPT mean?

Master of Science in Physiotherapy. It is the graduate-level entry qualification to the profession in Canada, which is what current training looks like — a physiotherapist entering practice today holds a master's degree rather than a bachelor's. It is not a specialization on its own; it is the base degree that registration is built on.

Is physiotherapy a regulated profession in Ontario?

Yes. Physiotherapy is one of Ontario's regulated health professions, and "physiotherapist" and "physical therapist" are both protected titles. Only someone registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario may use them. The College sets the standard of practice, handles complaints, and publishes a register you can search by name. If you cannot find someone on it, they are not a physiotherapist in Ontario.

Will I see the same physiotherapist at every visit?

Yes. There is one physiotherapist at Essential Health, so the person who assessed you is the person who treats you and the person who decides your progressions. That continuity is the main practical advantage of a single-clinician practice: nothing is re-explained, and no progression is guessed at by someone reading a note.

Do I need a referral to see a physiotherapist in Ontario?

No. Physiotherapy is a direct-access profession here, so you can book without a physician's referral. Book online at essentialchirormt.janeapp.com or call 905-856-2299. Some extended health plans still ask for a doctor's note before they will reimburse, which is a plan rule rather than a provincial one — check your policy before your first visit.

How do I know whether to book physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage therapy or osteopathy?

As a rule of thumb: physiotherapy for load, capacity and return to function; chiropractic for joint mechanics and adjustment; massage therapy for soft-tissue tone and tension; osteopathy for a whole-body pattern that keeps re-forming. If you are wrong, it is a cheap mistake here — all four practise in the same clinic, and the assessment will redirect you in-house rather than send you back out to search again.

Can I ask for a specific physiotherapist, and what if it is not a good fit?

With one physiotherapist on staff, you know before you book exactly who you are seeing, which is more than most clinics can tell you. If the fit is not right, say so — we would rather move you to a different discipline in the clinic, or refer you out, than have you keep attending appointments that are not working.

Does the physiotherapist coordinate with the other practitioners at the clinic?

Yes, and that is a large part of why a single-physiotherapist practice works here. Three chiropractors, six registered massage therapists and an osteopath practise in the same building, your history is on one file, and co-treatment is recommended when the case calls for it. Physiotherapy and massage therapy in particular are often booked on the same day.

Meet the Team

Meet Your Physiotherapist

One physiotherapist, which means the same clinician every visit and no restarting your story.

Ramandeep Singh holds an MScPT, a graduate-level physiotherapy degree, and is registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario. She is the only physiotherapist at the clinic, and that is deliberate rather than a gap: your assessment, your program and your progressions stay with one person who remembers what happened last time. This page is about choosing a physiotherapist — what the credentials mean, what to ask, and how to tell whether physiotherapy is even the right discipline for what you have.

4.9· 407 Google reviews

Book Your Appointment See the roster

One clinician, start to finish.

You are assessed, treated and progressed by the same registered physiotherapist at every visit — not by whoever is free that week.

Experience & Credentials

What the letters after a physiotherapist's name mean.

In Ontario, "physiotherapist" and "physical therapist" are protected titles. Only someone registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario may use them, and the College keeps a public register you can search by name before you book. MScPT means a Master of Science in Physiotherapy — the graduate-level entry route to the profession, which is what current Canadian training looks like. Anything beyond that, such as pelvic floor training or dry needling, is post-graduate certification layered on top of the registration, not part of it.

MScPT: a Master of Science in Physiotherapy, the graduate entry route to the profession in Canada
Registration with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, which makes the title protected and the register public
Pelvic floor physiotherapy certification, for patients of any gender
Post-graduate training in dry needling and acupuncture, layered on top of the physiotherapy licence

Physiotherapy team

registered physiotherapist, so you see the same clinician each visit

Graduate degree

MScPT

Master of Science in Physiotherapy

Regulator

CPO

College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, with a searchable public register

Disciplines on site

physio, chiropractic, massage, osteopathy and psychotherapy under one roof

How We Work

The way our physiotherapist works.

Most advice about choosing a physiotherapist skips the only question that matters: will the person actually be yours. Many clinics rotate you through whoever has the slot, and a rehab program that changes hands every fortnight is a program that quietly restarts every fortnight. Here there is one physiotherapist, so continuity is the default rather than a request you have to make.

The second question worth asking is how much of the appointment is hands-on and how much is loading. Physiotherapy that is only manual therapy leaves the tissue unprepared for what put you there. Physiotherapy that is only an exercise sheet ignores what is currently too irritable to load. The balance between the two should shift as you recover, and you should be told when it is shifting and why.

Assess

Find the driver before building the program.

A first appointment is an assessment. History, the mechanism that produced the problem, and objective testing of movement, strength and control — including the things that do not hurt, because those are often where the cause is. What that finds becomes the plan, and the plan is explained to you rather than handed over.

History, mechanism of injury, and red-flag screening
Objective range, strength and movement-control testing
Assessment of the regions above and below the painful one
A working diagnosis and a plan, both said out loud

Scope

What physiotherapy is the right first call for.

Physiotherapy is the discipline for load, capacity and return to function. Across the caseload here it falls into three tiers.

Sports and orthopedic injuries: tendinopathy, sprains, post-fracture and post-surgical rehabilitation, and getting back to the activity that matters to you.
Pelvic health for all genders: pelvic pain, incontinence, diastasis recti, and pre and postnatal recovery, in a private and clearly explained intake.
Persistent problems that have plateaued: cases where pain has settled but capacity never came back, which is a loading question rather than a pain question.

Guide

The program is yours to run between visits.

The appointment is the smaller part. What changes an outcome is what you do in the days between, so the home program is deliberately short enough to actually do and specific enough to be worth doing. It is progressed on evidence, not on a calendar.

A home program you can complete, not an aspirational list
What good soreness feels like, and what to stop for
Progressions tied to what you can now do, not to a session number
An honest estimate of how long this usually takes

Coordinate

Physiotherapy alongside chiropractic, massage and osteopathy.

One physiotherapist in a clinic of five disciplines is a different proposition from one physiotherapist alone. When a case needs joint work, soft-tissue work, or a whole-body structural read, the other practitioner is down the hall with your history already on file.

Three chiropractors, six RMTs and an osteopath practise in the same clinic
Physiotherapy and massage therapy are frequently booked on the same day
Your history carries across practitioners without being re-taken
Co-treatment is recommended when it helps, and not when it does not

Honest Scope

When a Physiotherapist Isn't the Right First Call

Red flags: see a physician first

Suspected fracture or dislocation, a joint that is hot, swollen and feverish, progressive weakness or numbness, loss of bladder or bowel control with back pain, or chest pain on exertion. Any of these needs medical assessment before physiotherapy, and screening for them is part of the first appointment.

We screen at intake

Every first appointment includes red-flag screening and objective testing before any hands-on treatment or loading. If something is outside physiotherapy scope, you will be told plainly and referred rather than treated around.

When another discipline fits better

Soft-tissue tone and muscular tension often respond faster with a registered massage therapist. Joint mechanics and adjustment belong with a chiropractor. A whole-body pattern that keeps re-forming belongs with an osteopath. All three practise here, and the honest answer is sometimes one of them rather than physiotherapy.

The Roster

Who you will actually see.

One registered physiotherapist, which means the person who assesses you is the person who treats you and the person who progresses you.

Physiotherapist · MScPT

Ramandeep Singh, MScPT

Registered physiotherapist with a Master of Science in Physiotherapy. Certified in pelvic floor physiotherapy for patients of any gender, and trained in dry needling, acupuncture and shockwave therapy. Takes sports and orthopedic injuries, post-surgical rehabilitation, and pelvic health.

Registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
MScPT — Master of Science in Physiotherapy
Pelvic floor physiotherapy certified
Dry needling and acupuncture
Shockwave therapy

Read Ramandeep’s full bio

Physiotherapy at Essential Health is the page for the treatment itself — what an appointment involves, the techniques used, the conditions treated, and what OHIP does and does not cover. This page is about who delivers it and how to choose them.

What They Deliver

Sessions this practitioner performs.

Every service below is delivered by the physiotherapist on this page. Which one you need is settled by the assessment at your first appointment.

Treating a specific concern? Read how we assess and treat sports injuries, pregnancy discomfort, and diastasis recti.

Browse all physiotherapy treatments

What Patients Tell Us

What patients say about our physiotherapist

4.9 stars across 407 Google reviews. The physiotherapy feedback keeps landing on the same two things: an assessment that explains the problem, and a plan the patient can actually follow.

4.9 average · Read all 407 reviews on Google →

“My appointment with Rami - my PT was awesome. She know how to inflict pain with a smile. Rami is a highly experience PT and I truly recommend her!”
robina K.
Google review · 5 stars

Book the Assessment, Not Just an Appointment

One registered physiotherapist at our Woodbridge clinic on Weston Rd, working alongside chiropractic, massage therapy, osteopathy and psychotherapy. Your first visit is an assessment, and what it finds decides the plan. No referral required, and direct billing is available for most major Ontario extended health plans.

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