Dr. Meena Sran is the president of the Physiotherapy Association of British Columbia. She practises at Movement Essentials Physiotherapy and the BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre, both in Vancouver. A postdoctoral fellow at SFU, Sran has advanced skills in treating spinal injuries and pain, as well as in the prevention and management of osteoporosis. She completed her bachelor of science degree in physical therapy at UBC in 1995, and obtained a master’s of physiotherapy studies at the University of Queensland in Australia in 1998. She finished her PhD at UBC in 2005.

What do physiotherapists do?

“Physiotherapists have an advanced understanding of how the body moves, what keeps it from moving well, and how to restore mobility. Physiotherapists are skilled in the assessment and hands-on management of a broad range of conditions that affect the musculoskeletal, circulatory, respiratory, and nervous systems.”

What are the benefits of physiotherapy?

“The primary benefit of physiotherapy is regaining or improving your function, enabling you to be active, and to meet your personal goals, which ultimately improves your quality of life. Physiotherapy benefits include decreasing pain, improving joint mobility, increasing strength, balance, coordination, and cardiorespiratory functions.”

Which medical or physical conditions require physiotherapy?

“Back and neck pain, arthritic joints, sports injuries, osteoporosis, stroke, brain injury, spinal-cord and nerve injury, breast cancer, pre- and post-surgical conditions, children with conditions that may influence their development, people who are at high risk of falling…that’s just to name a few conditions.”

What are the procedures involved?

“In terms of the treatments that they use, there’s a huge variety of things depending on the diagnosis and the individual treatment needs of the patient. Some examples include corrective techniques to improve heart, lung function, cardiac conditioning; manual therapy interventions to reduce pain and stiff necks; posture training; gait retraining or how you walk; techniques to improve movement coordination and balance; pain-management techniques or modalities….and a big part of what we do is therapeutic exercise.”

Is physiotherapy for all ages?

“Yes. We work across the life span.”

How many British Columbians need physiotherapy?

“Since 1996, repeated Mustel Group research has shown that over 54 percent of adult British Columbians have had physiotherapy. It’s difficult to know how many need physiotherapy that aren’t getting it. There are currently 200 vacant positions for physiotherapists in B.C. with the majority of those being in hospitals. There’s also an issue around access. The B.C. government doesn’t cover the full cost of a private physiotherapy treatment for any resident. The government’s coverage for individuals of low incomes is still less than half the cost of a typical physiotherapy treatment session.”

Health tips?

“One would be staying fit, including maintaining your muscle strength and balance to protect your joints, improve your mobility, and decrease your chances of injury. Maintaining a healthy body weight is also important by incorporating regular exercise into your life. Exercise combined with diet is effective as a weight-loss and weight-management strategy.”