Cost of Physiotherapy in Saskatoon
Updated: November 1, 2023
Cost of Physiotherapy in Saskatoon
In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan you can find a mix of both paid (private) and free (public) physiotherapy services. While private (paid) physiotherapy services are available to anyone, you must meet certain eligibility criteria in order to access the free (public) physiotherapy services available in Saskatoon.
Private Physiotherapy Cost in Saskatoon
The majority of physiotherapy services in Saskatoon are delivered by private physiotherapy clinics. Physiotherapy services at private physiotherapy clinics have an associated fee for the services provided.
The price of a private physiotherapy appointment depends on various factors including (but not limited to), the appointment length, how much time is blocked off in the physiotherapist’s schedule for you (both for your appointment and for associated tasks), the physiotherapist’s education or specialty, and other variables. Let’s break these down and give you an idea of what to expect.
1. Physiotherapy Appointment Length
As with many services, the length of the physiotherapy service or appointment influences the value and price of the appointment.
Physiotherapy assessment appointments in Saskatoon are approximately 40-60 minutes in length on average. The length of the assessment varies from clinic to clinic and may even vary depending on the client case.
An approximate price range for standard physiotherapy assessment appointments in Saskatoon is between $95-190.
An approximate price range for speciality physiotherapy assessments in Saskatoon (running assessment, bike assessment, Functional Range Assessments, vestibular assessment, pelvic floor assessment, etc.) is $120-250.
Physiotherapy follow-up appointments (or subsequent appointments) in Saskatoon are approximately 20-60 minutes in length on average. As with assessments, the average length of a follow-up physiotherapy appointment varies from clinic to clinic, and may even vary depending on the client's case.
An approximate price range for 20-40 minute follow up appointments in Saskatoon is $72-95.
An approximate price range for 40-60 minute follow up appointments in Saskatoon is $110-165.
2. Additional Time Reserved
The physiotherapy appointment price may also vary depending on whether your physiotherapist reserves time in their schedule to accomplish tasks associated with your appointment during or after your scheduled appointment. These tasks may include creating your exercise program or charting on your session together.
In some instances, your physiotherapist may reserve a small portion of your appointment to accomplish these tasks and therefore they do not need to block off any extra time outside of your appointment to do these things.
In other instances, your physiotherapist may spend the full appointment time with you and reserve time in addition to your appointment to put these resources together for you and chart on your session together. This requires more time in your physiotherapist’s schedule and therefore may also mean a slightly higher cost for the appointment.
3. Physiotherapy Education & Specialization
It is not uncommon for physiotherapists and physiotherapy clinics to invest a lot of time and money each year in continuing their education to improve their knowledge and the physiotherapy services they offer you.
As physiotherapists and physiotherapy clinics invest more time and money in improving their education and services, the value of their appointments increase and often so do their prices!
If your physiotherapist specializes in a certain area they may also charge more for their time. The well known areas of physiotherapy specialty are pelvic floor physiotherapy and vestibular physiotherapy, however there are others as well. These appointments vary in price but tend to have a higher cost than standard physiotherapy assessment and follow-up appointments.
4. The Economy
As with anything, the economy, the market, inflation, and other macro factors also influence the price of physiotherapy in Saskatoon. As the price of offering physiotherapy services and running a physiotherapy practice or clinic increases, so too does physiotherapy appointment prices!
5. The Physiotherapy Clinic
Each physiotherapy clinic in Saskatoon considers a wide array of factors like the above and chooses a price that fits best for them.
For this reason, it is common and completely normal to see different physiotherapy prices and different physiotherapy clinics. If factors like physiotherapy appointment length, the amount of time reserved in each physiotherapist’s schedule to accomplish tasks for each client, the education/specialty offered by each physiotherapist or clinic, costs associated with running that particular clinic, and other factors vary from clinic to clinic, it only makes sense that the price of physiotherapy appointments at each clinic would vary as well!
If you’d like to learn about a specific physiotherapy clinic’s fee structure, you can do so by visiting their website or contacting that particular clinic.
If you’d like to learn about our fee structure, you can do so by clicking here.
Private Physiotherapy Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use insurance coverage to pay for my private physiotherapy appointments?
If you have an employer-provided and/or a private health benefits plan you may have insurance coverage for physiotherapy. If you do have coverage, you can then use this coverage to pay for your private physiotherapy appointments.
Physiotherapy coverage varies by plan and by the insurance provider, as such we recommend reaching out to your insurance provider to inquire about your physiotherapy coverage.
What if I don’t have insurance coverage for private physiotherapy appointments?
In Saskatoon, physiotherapy services are available to everyone. This includes those that do not have insurance coverage for physiotherapy appointments.
If you do not have any coverage, you can still book an appointment and self-pay.
We know that self-paying for physiotherapy can sound daunting if you are used to having insurance coverage. However, one thing worth considering is that we self-pay and spend a lot of money on things like our cars or even items we don’t need. However, while our cars and many of our belongings are replaceable, you only get ONE body! We like to look at self-paying for health-related services like physiotherapy as an investment in yourself and your body.
What if I am on a budget and do not have private physiotherapy coverage?
If you do not have physiotherapy insurance coverage and are on a budget we recommend discussing this with your physiotherapist.
Your physiotherapist can work with you to create a plan where they can best help and support you and do so while staying within your budget. This may mean less frequent appointments, altering appointment length, making you a comprehensive program that you can do independently at home, or exploring a variety of ways that they can help you without exceeding your budget.
Public (Free) Physiotherapy Services in Saskatoon
A smaller portion of the physiotherapy services in Saskatoon are publicly funded physiotherapy services. These services are available to certain populations in Saskatoon that meet certain criteria and these services are offered at no charge to the patient.
Inpatient Physiotherapy
Hospitals including City Hospital, Royal University Hospital, and St.Paul’s hospital in Saskatoon offer inpatient physiotherapy to patients during their stay at the hospital at no cost to the patient.
Outpatient Physiotherapy
Royal University Hospital and City Hospital in Saskatoon also offer outpatient physiotherapy for specific patient populations. This includes those that have recently undergone certain surgical procedures such as a hip or knee replacement.
You can learn more about the outpatient physiotherapy services offered at each hospital by contacting them directly:
Royal University Hospital: 306-655-2431
Saskatoon City Hospital (post-surgical orthopedic only): 306-655-8208
Rehab Day Services Multidisciplinary Team (for patients over age 18 with amputation, stroke, spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions): 306-655-8825
Community Physiotherapy in Saskatoon
In Saskatoon, we also have community physiotherapy offered by CPAS (Client Patient Access Service). Through the CPAS program patients can access physiotherapy treatment at their home at no cost to them. However, you must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the services offered through CPAS. You can learn more about CPAS here: https://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/locations_services/Services/Client-Patient
Long Term Care Physiotherapy
You may also find physiotherapy services being offered in Long Term Care facilities at no cost to the patient. However, these services are reserved for the patients of these facilities specifically.