If you have been injured at work in Ontario, physiotherapy is covered by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and you cannot be billed for it — under WSIB rules, a health professional treating an approved workplace injury bills the WSIB directly rather than charging the injured person. Your extended health benefits are not touched, and there is no deductible or co-pay.

One thing to know up front: FIT Physiotherapy does not take WSIB claims directly. Our partner clinic, Spectrum Physiotherapy, is set up for WSIB patients and shares ownership with our clinic. If your injury is going through WSIB, they are the right place to start, and we are happy to point you in that direction.

This page explains how the WSIB process works so you know what to expect either way, and covers when FIT Physiotherapy may still be the right fit for a work-related injury.

Getting started: the three forms

There are three reports involved in a WSIB claim, and you are only responsible for one of them.

• Form 7 — your employer’s report of injury. Ontario employers are required to report workplace injuries to the WSIB.
• Form 6 — your own report, the Worker’s Report of Injury or Disease. This is the one you complete.
• Form 8 — the health professional’s report, completed by whoever treats you.

Report the injury to your employer as soon as you can, and note the date you reported it. You do not need a doctor’s referral to see a physiotherapist in Ontario — physiotherapy is direct-access here — though documentation from a physician can support your claim.

The Musculoskeletal Program of Care

Most workplace physiotherapy in Ontario is now delivered through a single framework. Since May 2023, the WSIB’s musculoskeletal program of care has been the mandatory first line of care for suitable musculoskeletal injuries, replacing the separate low back, shoulder and fracture programs that came before it.

It runs as an eight-week program in two four-week blocks. Block one includes the initial assessment plus four weeks of treatment and is pre-approved where there is a single zone of injury, meaning treatment can begin while a claim is still pending rather than waiting for approval. Block two requires the claim to be approved first. Where more time is needed to support a safe return to work, a supplementary block can be requested with WSIB approval.

Who the program is for

The WSIB’s admission criteria cover people who:

• Have a pending or allowed claim for a single zone of injury, or an allowed claim for multiple zones
• Are within eight weeks of the date of their workplace injury
• Have injured a muscle, tendon, ligament, fascia or intra-articular structure with mild to moderate (Grade I or Grade II) damage, or sustained a fracture that did not require surgery

That eight-week window matters. It is the most common reason people fall outside the program — not the severity of the injury, but the delay in starting. If you have been putting off reporting something, this is the reason not to.

What WSIB treatment involves

The program is built around active rehabilitation rather than passive treatment. The WSIB’s recommended interventions include education about your injury, pain and self-management strategies, activity modification, exercise therapy, manual therapy, and adjunct modalities where appropriate.

Return to work is part of the design rather than a separate stage that follows recovery. In many cases modified or reduced duties allow a return before full recovery, and staying connected to work during recovery is generally associated with better outcomes than waiting until you feel entirely back to normal.

When FIT Physiotherapy can help

Not every work-related injury goes through WSIB. You may be dealing with:

• Discomfort that has built up gradually through your job — desk posture, repetitive tasks, driving — with no single incident to report
• An injury you have chosen to treat through your extended health benefits rather than open a claim
• Ongoing symptoms after a WSIB claim has closed
• Self-employment or work not covered by WSIB

In these situations we can assess and treat you directly, and we bill most insurers directly. Work-related problems we commonly see include low back strain from lifting and twisting, shoulder injuries from overhead or repetitive reaching, neck and upper back pain from sustained desk or driving postures, and repetitive strain through the wrist, elbow and forearm.

Gradual-onset problems are often left far too long precisely because there was no dramatic moment to point to. If work-related discomfort has persisted for several weeks, it is worth having assessed.

Questions people ask

Does a WSIB claim use up my extended health benefits? No. A WSIB claim does not draw on your employer’s private insurance.

Do I need a doctor’s referral? Not to see a physiotherapist. Physiotherapy is direct-access in Ontario.

What if my injury is older than eight weeks? Contact the WSIB directly. You may still have entitlement to care outside the musculoskeletal program of care, and their Clinical Expert Line can advise on the right pathway.

What if my claim is denied? You have the right to object to a WSIB decision. In the meantime you may choose to continue treatment privately, and many extended health plans cover physiotherapy.

Not sure which route applies?

Call our Newmarket clinic at (905) 235-5360 or get in touch here. If your situation is a WSIB matter we will point you toward Spectrum Physiotherapy, and if it is one we can treat directly we will explain what that would involve. Either way you will get a straight answer before committing to anything.

You may also want to read about our physiotherapy services, physiotherapy for back pain, and what happens at your first visit. We support patients across Newmarket and the surrounding York Region.