What to expect during your low back pain assessment

Your appointment is one-on-one and tailored to your symptoms. Together, we’ll:

1. Talk about how your back pain started
2. Check how you move — bending, lifting, walking
3. Identify irritated joints, discs, nerves, or muscles
4. Build a treatment plan to reduce pain and restore movement
5. If we determine that imaging or a specialist consultation may be helpful, we coordinate it through your primary care provider.

We have Advanced Practice Practitioners who have extensive training and experience in assessing Low Back Pain for our patients in Markham and Stouffville.

We work with the Practice Lead at Markham Stouffville Hospital

We work closely with Markham Stouffville Hospital

If your back pain needs care beyond physiotherapy, we collaborate with the Practice Lead at Markham Stouffville Hospital and your Primary Care Physician to guide the next steps.

This can include:

• Specialist consultations
• Diagnostic imaging (X-ray, MRI)
• Referral to rheumatology, physiatry, or pain specialists
• Exercise therapy or multidisciplinary support

You’re never navigating your pain alone. Our team coordinates your care.

FAQs RAC-LBP in Markham and Stouffville

What the Rapid Access Clinic (RAC-LBP) means for you

The Rapid Access Clinic is an Ontario program designed to provide individuals with low back pain with faster access to advanced assessments. At The Physio Spot, several of our physiotherapists are trained as Advanced Practice Practitioners (APPs), which means you can be assessed more quickly and receive a clear plan for next steps.

During your assessment, we:

• Review your symptoms and medical history

• Perform a detailed movement and spine assessment

• Rule out serious causes of back pain

• Explain what’s causing your pain in simple terms

• Recommend treatment, exercises, or further testing if needed

You’ll leave understanding what’s happening, why it hurts, and how to get better.

Why people come to us for lower back pain

Lower back pain can stop you in your tracks. We’re here to help you move again.

If you’re dealing with sudden stiffness, a sharp pinch when you bend, or pain that makes it hard to stand, you’re not alone. Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people visit us in Markham and Stouffville.

Our physiotherapists assess your movement, identify what’s driving your pain, and create a plan to help you feel better, often starting in your first session.

Do I have to go through this program if I have low back pain?

• We develop a hypothesis based on what we see

If I want to go through the RAC program for my low back pain, how do I do it?

• You can ask your Primary Care Physician to refer your to the RAC program for Low Back Pain. You will be geo-matched to the closest available Advanced Practice Practitioner.

How long are the Physiotherapy Assessments?

• These Assessments are for patients with more complex low back pain and usually take about an hour to complete.

Is there any treatment involved?

• The treatment plan varies and may include an exercise prescription, expedited referrals to specialists, or expedited access to diagnostic imaging.

Can you help me even if my back pain is severe?

• Absolutely. Many patients come to us when they can’t bend, lift, sit, or stand without pain. Early assessment makes recovery easier.