📍 350 Scott St, Unit #115, St. Catharines · No Referral Needed 📞 905-581-2380 ✉️ info@carefirstphysio.ca
Your Recovery Matters — Because We Genuinely Care

Physiotherapy in St. Catharines That Gets You Back to Your Best

Whether it's a shoulder that's been nagging since spring, a back that seized up loading the car, or a knee that won't let you finish the Waterfront Trail anymore, our physiotherapists in St. Catharines find out why it's happening and build a plan around it. No referral needed. No guesswork.

Book Your Appointment See What We Treat
✔ Direct Insurance Billing ✔ Open Monday to Saturday ✔ Free On-Site Parking ✔ No Referral Required
Registered physiotherapist treating a patient at Care First Physiotherapy in St. Catharines

Built Around One Patient at a Time

A Physiotherapy Clinic on Scott Street, Built Around One Patient at a Time

Care First Physiotherapy opened on Scott Street in St. Catharines to do one thing properly: treat people, not schedules. If you've been searching for physio in St. Catharines and finding the same crowded rooms everywhere, this is the physiotherapy clinic in St. Catharines built the other way.

You won't be handed a sheet of exercises and left in a corner with a heat pack while your physiotherapist runs three other rooms. Your appointment is your appointment. A registered physiotherapist assesses you, treats you with their hands, and explains what's actually happening in language that makes sense.

That approach matters more than it sounds. Most of the people who walk into our St. Catharines physiotherapy clinic have already tried something. Rest. Ice. A brace from the drugstore. Maybe a few sessions somewhere that felt rushed.

The reason the pain came back is usually that nobody looked past the sore spot. A knee that hurts on the stairs is frequently a hip problem. Heel pain that flares in the morning often traces to calf tightness and the way your foot loads when you walk. Neck pain that won't shift after a fender-bender on the QEW needs a different plan than neck pain from eight hours at a desk in a Glendale Avenue office.

We're centrally located in the north end of St. Catharines, a few minutes from Fairview Mall and easy to reach from Grantham, Facer, Lakeport, Port Dalhousie and Merritton. Free parking is right outside the door, which matters when you're limping.

What We Offer

Our Physiotherapy Services in St. Catharines

We do more than hands-on physio. Having shockwave therapy, custom orthotics, bracing and compression fitting in the same building means we can treat the problem and supply what supports it — without sending you across the city and waiting three weeks for an appointment somewhere else.

Physiotherapy treatment session in St. Catharines

Physiotherapy

Assessment, hands-on treatment and a progressive exercise plan built for your body and your goals. The foundation of everything else we do.

Learn about physiotherapy →
Shockwave therapy treatment for tendon pain in St. Catharines

Shockwave Therapy

For tendon pain that hasn't responded to anything else — plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, Achilles and calcific shoulder tendinopathy. No needles, no downtime.

Learn about shockwave →
Custom foot orthotics fitting in St. Catharines

Custom Foot Orthotics

Cast, prescribed and fitted here by a registered physiotherapist after a full gait assessment. Not a scanner in a shoe store. Covered by most plans.

Learn about orthotics →
Medical compression stocking fitting in St. Catharines

Compression Stockings

Professionally measured, graduated compression for swelling, varicose veins, post-surgical recovery, pregnancy and long shifts on your feet.

Learn about compression →
Sports injury rehabilitation at a St. Catharines physiotherapy clinic

Sports Therapy

Injury treatment plus the part most clinics skip: proper return-to-sport testing, so you go back when your body is ready, not when the calendar says so.

Learn about sports therapy →
Custom knee brace fitting in St. Catharines

Braces & Splints

Knee braces, wrist splints, ankle supports and post-operative bracing, fitted properly. A brace that doesn't fit is a brace that doesn't work.

Learn about braces →
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Specialized Programs

Care That Goes Past the Standard Session

Four programs we run that are hard to find elsewhere in Niagara.

Vertigo and vestibular rehabilitation in St. Catharines

Vertigo & Vestibular Rehab

If the room spins when you roll over in bed, that's often BPPV — one of the most satisfying things we treat. Many patients improve within one to three visits.
Active Release Technique treatment in St. Catharines

Active Release Technique

A hands-on soft-tissue method that works through the tissue while you move it. For scar tissue, chronic tightness and nerve entrapments massage alone won't shift.
Hands-on manual therapy in St. Catharines

Hands-On Manual Therapy

Joint mobilization, soft-tissue release and mobility work, then exercise to hold the change. Manual therapy without follow-up loading wears off by the weekend.
In-home physiotherapy in St. Catharines

In-Home Physiotherapy

If getting to the clinic is the barrier, we come to you anywhere in St. Catharines and the surrounding Niagara communities. Common after surgery or a fall.

What Brings People In

Conditions We Treat at Our St. Catharines Clinic

Most people who book with us are dealing with one of these. Click through to see how we assess and treat each one, and roughly how long recovery tends to take.

ConditionWhat it usually looks like
Low back pain & sciaticaPain lifting, sitting or standing up. Leg pain, numbness or a foot that feels weak.
Neck pain & whiplashStiffness turning your head, headaches from the base of the skull, pain that started after a collision.
Shoulder painTrouble reaching overhead or behind your back, pain sleeping on that side, rotator cuff or frozen shoulder.
Knee painPain on stairs, swelling after activity, arthritis, ACL or meniscus injury, post-surgical stiffness.
Ankle & foot painSharp heel pain in the first steps of the morning, repeated ankle sprains, Achilles pain.
Elbow painTennis elbow, golfer's elbow, pain gripping or lifting a kettle.
Nerve injury & pinched nervesPins and needles, numbness, burning, weakness in a hand or foot.
See All Conditions We Treat

How People Pay

Whatever Brought You Here, We Handle the Paperwork

The billing side of physiotherapy confuses almost everyone, and it shouldn't be the reason someone puts off treatment. Here's how the four main routes work in Ontario.

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Extended Health Benefits

Most work plans cover physiotherapy. We bill your insurer directly where the plan allows, so you pay only whatever portion is left over.

Check direct billing →
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Car Accident Patients

Ontario auto insurance covers physiotherapy regardless of fault. We submit the OCF-18 treatment plan and bill your insurer. You don't pay out of pocket.

Car accident physio →
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Work Injury / WSIB

Injured at work with an active WSIB claim? We assess you quickly and bill WSIB directly. Bring your claim number — or we'll walk you through getting one.

WSIB physiotherapy →
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Paying Privately

No benefits? No problem, and no penalty. Our fees are published so you know the cost before you call. Most Ontario adults aren't covered by OHIP for physio.

See our fees →

Your First Appointment

What Actually Happens at Your First Visit

Nobody enjoys walking into a clinic without knowing what's coming. Here's the whole thing, start to finish. Your first appointment is longer than the ones that follow, because the history and the physical examination take time to do properly.

1

We listen first, for longer than you expect

When did it start, what makes it worse, what have you already tried, what do you need to get back to. We ask about your work, sleep, sport and history, because all four change the answer.

2

A physical assessment that tests, not guesses

We measure range of motion, test strength, check how you move, and run specific orthopaedic tests that rule conditions in or out. If you need imaging, we tell you plainly.

3

Treatment starts on day one

You don't leave the first session with only a diagnosis. Hands-on treatment begins immediately — manual therapy, soft-tissue work, dry needling if appropriate, or shockwave.

4

You leave with a plan and a number

How many visits we expect, what each involves, and what you're doing between sessions. Two to four exercises you'll actually do — not a twelve-page printout that goes in a drawer.

5

We reassess and adjust

If you're not progressing the way we expected by visit three or four, we change the plan or refer you on. Repeating the same treatment for six weeks and hoping is not a plan.

What to bring: Your insurance information, your WSIB or auto-insurance claim number if either applies, comfortable clothing you can move in, and any imaging reports or specialist letters you have.

The Care First Difference

Why St. Catharines Patients Choose Care First Physiotherapy

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One-on-one time in a private room

Your session is with your physiotherapist in a private treatment room — not shared between three patients on a rotating timer.

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Direct billing to most insurers

We submit the claim so you're not chasing reimbursement. Bring your card to the first visit and we'll confirm coverage before you commit to a plan.

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Open six days a week

Monday to Friday 10 AM–7 PM, Saturday 10 AM–3 PM. Evening and Saturday slots exist for shift workers and anyone who can't take time off.

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Free parking right outside

On-site parking at 350 Scott Street. No meters, no circling, no hill to climb from a distant lot.

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Treatment and supply in one place

Shockwave, custom orthotics, bracing and compression fitting are all here. Fewer referrals, fewer waits, one clinical team who knows your file.

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Registered physiotherapists, always

Every therapist is registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario — a protected title you can verify on the College's public register. We encourage it.

Service Area

Serving St. Catharines and the Wider Niagara Region

Our clinic sits at 350 Scott Street, Unit 115, in the north end of St. Catharines. That puts us within a short drive of Grantham, Facer, Lakeport, Port Dalhousie, Western Hill, Merritton and the downtown core, and roughly ten minutes from the Welland Canal corridor.

We also see patients travelling in from Thorold, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fonthill, Welland, Niagara Falls, Lincoln, Vineland, Beamsville and Grimsby. If you're coming from further out, ask about combining a longer treatment block into a single visit so the drive is worth it.

For patients who can't travel, our in-home physiotherapy service covers St. Catharines and the surrounding Niagara communities. Our physio clinic in St. Catharines, Ontario is set up so that the drive is the only inconvenience.

Good to Know

Frequently Asked Questions About Physiotherapy in St. Catharines

No. In Ontario you can book directly with a registered physiotherapist without a doctor's referral. Some extended health plans still require a referral before they reimburse you, so it's worth checking your policy before your first visit. We can help you figure out what your plan needs.

Private physiotherapy in St. Catharines generally runs $90–$130 for an initial assessment and $75–$110 per follow-up across the local market. Most extended health plans cover a large portion, and we bill your insurer directly where possible. Call the clinic for our current fees before you book. See our fees →

For most adults, no. OHIP stopped covering physiotherapy for the general population in 1994. OHIP-funded physiotherapy is still available through designated Community Physiotherapy Clinics for specific groups: people 65 and older, people under 19, those receiving Ontario Works or ODSP, and patients recently discharged from hospital. Everyone else uses extended health benefits, auto insurance, WSIB, or pays privately.

Most people need between 6 and 12 visits, though it depends heavily on the condition. A straightforward ankle sprain might take 4–6. A rotator cuff problem or post-surgical knee often runs 10–16 over several months. You'll get an estimated number at the end of your first assessment, and we reassess it as you progress rather than selling you a package up front.

We keep a small number of slots open each day for urgent cases, particularly acute back pain, fresh sprains and post-accident assessments. Call us and we'll tell you honestly what's available today. We're not a walk-in clinic, so a quick phone call saves you a wasted trip.

Yes to both. For motor vehicle accidents we submit the OCF-18 treatment plan directly to your auto insurer under Ontario's Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule, and you pay nothing out of pocket. For workplace injuries we treat active WSIB claims and bill WSIB directly. Bring your claim number to your first appointment if you have one.

Yes. We're open Saturday from 10 AM to 3 PM, and until 7 PM Monday to Friday. The evening and weekend hours exist because most people can't take a weekday afternoon off work.

Book Physiotherapy in St. Catharines Today

If something has been hurting for more than two weeks, it's unlikely to sort itself out on its own. The people who recover fastest are almost always the ones who came in early, before the compensation patterns set in and a simple problem turned into three connected ones.

Call us, or send the form and we'll get back to you the same business day. No referral needed to book.

📍 Address: 350 Scott St, Unit #115, St. Catharines, ON L2N 6T4

📞 Phone: 905-581-2380

🕒 Hours: Mon–Fri 10 AM–7 PM · Sat 10 AM–3 PM · Sun closed

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