Wait times for spinal therapy drop significantly, Manitoba health minister says

Manitobans should have an easier time getting help for back pain than they did in 2022, the province says.

Health minister Audrey Gordon announced Wednesday that wait times for those looking to see a therapist at the Provincial Spine Assessment Clinic are down 60 percent over the past eight months — due in part to the addition of four new physical therapists and the opening of a satellite clinic in Brandon.

Those changes have helped the wait times drop from 147 days to 55, and means they’re also able to see more than 2.5 times as many patients per month than they were last summer, Gordon said.

“Investing in the expansion of services has allowed clinicians at the Provincial Spine Assessment Clinic to reach more patients, reduce wait times and open a satellite clinic in Brandon so patients in the Westman region don’t have to travel to Winnipeg for care—all of which gets patients the care they need closer to home.”

The minister said clinic officials are hoping to continue reducing wait times in the coming months.

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