“People can do more than they give themselves credit for, in terms of the impact they can have on their pain with just small changes and it’s cool to see because it’s not always an exact science but … you change just something small and it can have a huge impact on the rest of their day and the rest of their life.” –  Daniel Sedran, owner of First Line Physiotherapy

First Line Physiotherapy is a brand new business in the Marketo District BIA and the owner of the clinic, Daniel Sedran, is a passionate physiotherapist who is ready to help people in the community rediscover the joy of the movement.

First Line Physiotherapy offers physiotherapy by Daniel himself and he is currently seeking out a massage therapist to join the clinic. Daniel has been a registered physiotherapist for a year and a half and previously worked at a clinic downtown but he always had the goal of opening his own practice. He said the first lockdown in the pandemic allowed him to plan out his business and on November 2, he opened his doors to the public.

While Daniel is a new business in the Dufferin-Lawrence area, he is no stranger to the community. His father grew up in the area and he has been a long-time physician in the neighbourhood which meant Daniel spent a lot of time in North York. At First Line Physiotherapy, Daniel stays close to his family roots; he has his mother, sister and girlfriend helping out in the front of the clinic.

Growing up, Daniel was always passionate about movement, exercise, physical health and nutrition which led him to complete his undergrad in kinesiology and work in a nursing home as a physio assistant. He said it took him a couple of years of applying to physiotherapy programs to be accepted but he always worked his way towards this career path.

“I’m really happy with where it ended up especially having the opportunity now to open up on my own and [create] something that I can be proud of and that people can have a good experience at,” said Daniel.

During the first lockdown when physiotherapy clinics were closed, Daniel said that resulted in a lot of people unable to receive the care that they needed. He is grateful he can keep his doors open throughout the second lockdown period because, for certain patients, the progress they make and the treatment they receive at the clinic can affect how they can function at work or home.

The clinic is spacing out appointment times to allow for proper cleaning and sanitation between patients as well as conducting an intensive screening process of questions and taking temperatures to keep people safe. Daniel said the clinic offers virtual visits for patients who aren’t comfortable receiving in-person care but it is important patients practice self-management and make sure they are doing the treatment on their own time.

Physiotherapy is for anyone who is experiencing some kind of injury or pain. Daniel said through hands-on treatments, strategies and exercises, people can begin to move better and be free from everyday aches and pains. Above all, when people take care of their overall health in terms of their sleep, nutrition and movement, they are less likely to develop chronic pain and experience injuries over time.

According to Daniel, the biggest benefit of physiotherapy is getting back to some kind of movement, especially now with the winter season and the pandemic, people are working from home and moving their bodies less.

“Our bodies like to move. We like to be active and that’s not even going to the gym and doing high-level activity but just going about our day-to-day tasks and walking around,” explained Daniel. “I really believe that when we are not moving, that’s when we start to experience pain and injuries … and helping [someone] find in themselves the way that they can move and like to move, I think that’s the biggest benefit that [physio] can bring.”

Physiotherapy is a natural way to try and create forward progress with someone’s condition. Sometimes, medications or surgeries are necessary to treat injuries or pain but Daniel said there are natural ways of moving, exercising and treatments that can make a significant impact on whether or not someone needs to seek out medication.

Daniel said rarely will something happen in a physiotherapy setting that will make an injury worse which is why he recommends patients to try physiotherapy for treatment, especially if they have benefits through work and don’t take advantage of it.

Searching for a physiotherapy clinic online can be overwhelming due to the large volume of different clinics, practitioners and physio treatments available. Daniel recommends paying close attention to the first interaction with the clinic either in-person or over the phone, clients should feel immediately welcomed by the staff and comfortable sharing the details of their injury and lifestyle.

He said one of the biggest misconceptions about physiotherapy is that it’s a very passive treatment. Some physiotherapy services will hook patients up to a machine or put heat or ice on their injury and then send them home and the problem doesn’t get any better.

“I think from people who have that kind of experience where they go for physiotherapy and their injury might not get better, especially might not get better quickly, their misconception can be that it just doesn’t work [or] that physiotherapy as a whole isn’t something for them, where I think it depends on the injury and it depends what they’re experiencing,” said Daniel.

Patience is key when it comes to receiving physiotherapy treatment. People often think that the pain relief is immediate after doing one session or one visit but these injuries take time to heal and patience makes a big difference in the recovery time.

“I like seeing people in person and I like being able to treat people … but when someone feels confident enough to manage their injury on their own, I feel like I’ve done my job and that’s super rewarding,” said Daniel.

Daniel provides patients with strategies and exercises they can do at home to manage their pain and ideally, get to the point where they don’t need to come to the clinic for treatment continuously. Daniel emphasizes, in his own personal philosophy of practice, people being able to grow and understand how they can manage their condition on their own.

“People can do more than they give themselves credit for, in terms of the impact they can have on their pain with just small changes and it’s cool to see because it’s not always an exact science but sometimes you find that specific activity … that is causing someone’s pain and you change just something small and it can have a huge impact on the rest of their day and the rest of their life,” explained Daniel.

Now that the clinic is open, Daniel wants to create a welcoming atmosphere with a team of people who share the same philosophy of care and who all want the best for the people in the community. In the future, he hopes to see multiple people working at the clinic simultaneously (hopefully within six feet of each other) and have space where patients feel comfortable coming in and spending time.

For more information on First Line Physiotherapy clinic, visit their website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.