How effective is physiotherapy?
Physiotherapists measure their clinical effectiveness by the same standards applied to other health professionals, including doctors and nurses. This is done through independent research to prove that physiotherapy works. For example, studies show that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation, led by physiotherapists, results in a reduction of sudden death rates after a heart attack by 25 per cent. There is also strong evidence that physiotherapy is an effective treatment for back pain. To ensure physiotherapists in Ontario apply equally high standards, the Collage of Physiotherapists of Ontario, the professional body regulating all physiotherapists, circulates guidelines based on research and evidence based practice to all its members.