This Fernie physio clinic fills a critical gap in concussion care

The owner of Ridgeline Physio takes a fitness-forward approach to get Elk Valley clients back in motion

— Photo courtesy of Ridgeline Physio

There’s no doubt about it, Ridgeline Physio is redefining physiotherapy care in Fernie, B.C. When Emily Fisher decided to open the clinic, she brought with her a passion for outdoor adventure, a commitment to evidence-based care, and a deep desire to fill a gap in concussion and vestibular treatment within the region. With a fitness-forward approach and a strong focus on injury prevention, Emily and her team offer personalized, hands-on care that empowers patients to take charge of their recovery and long-term health.

Since opening Ridgeline Physio, Emily has become a driving force in the local health and wellness community, offering workshops, partnering with local organizations, and championing innovative services like bike fitting and adaptive recreation. She took the time to share her inspiration, approach to patient care, and vision for the future with us.

- Photo courtesy of Ridgeline Physio

What inspired you to open your physiotherapy clinic in Fernie?

My husband and I had wanted to move to the Kootenays for a long time. When he secured a job working as a paramedic in Fernie, it finally gave us the opportunity to make the dream a reality.

Having a close family member who has suffered from a poorly treated concussion, I learned how debilitating a concussion can be even before I started my physiotherapy career. When I moved here, there was only one concussion/vestibular practitioner in Fernie, and nobody in the rest of the Elk Valley. I wanted to create a space where we have multiple practitioners who treat concussions and vestibular conditions. This way we can provide better resources to the community as well as a supportive work environment where practitioners can learn from each other and problem solve together. This ultimately leads to the best patient care possible.

I also highly value fitness-forward rehab that focuses on education. In other clinics I’ve worked at, I’ve seen patients struggle to reach their long-term goals because they are stuck in a loop of treatment and relapse, or struggle to complete their physio programs at home. At Ridgeline, we offer a range of appointment lengths from 30-60 minutes, but our standard is 45 minutes. Compared to traditional 30-minute sessions, this gives us the time to go through full workouts and/or give really in-depth education to our patients. On top of that, we focus on injury prevention so our patients can get healthy and stay healthy.

What are your long-term goals for the clinic?

My goal is to continue to be a leader in concussion care through evidence-based treatment and grow to provide a multidisciplinary concussion/vertigo team in the Elk Valley. Further, I would love to be able to provide more community-based programming.

I would love to expand the injury prevention and long-term health side of our services to be able to provide kinesiologist-led and physio-supported fitness/strength programming that combines fitness and education. Groups that would benefit from this kind of programming could include sports teams, older adults, individuals with chronic health conditions and individuals with disabilities.

I also hope to be able to provide and/or collaborate with local groups/businesses in our community on adaptive outdoor recreation experiences for people with varying injuries and/or abilities.

Part of expanding of course, is finding the right people to build the team. We are currently on the lookout for passionate healthcare practitioners in any discipline who want to make a home in Fernie. If that sounds like you, please reach out!

- Photo courtesy of Ridgeline Physio

What conditions do you see most often in your practice, and how do you approach them?

We have three main areas we treat in our practice: Musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries, concussions and vertigo. We see all sorts of MSK injuries come in, but during ski season we definitely see a lot of knee injuries!

For MSK injuries we take an active rehab approach, using a bio-psycho-social model. An active approach to rehab means we prioritize movement, which gives the patient the tools to help themselves. While we do perform hands-on techniques, we emphasize a fitness-forward approach that includes a lot of education. This allows our patients to take what they learn in session and apply it to the rest of their lives.

A bio-psycho-social model means that we use a holistic approach to rehab. Of course, this includes looking at a specific injury as well as things such as injury history and posture. It also takes into account the bigger picture including mental health, sleep, diet, support systems, stressors, and home and work environments. This allows us to make more informed recommendations to each patient about diagnosis, prognosis and treatment options. 

For concussion care, we use a multi-systems approach.  We assess the neck, autonomic nervous system, vision, vestibular system, mental health, cognition, and headaches.  After determining which systems are impacted and to what extent, we develop a clinical profile for each patient. This approach allows us to prioritize treatments and referrals according to what will have the biggest impact.

What advice would you give to office workers to prevent injury from prolonged sitting?

Move often, take breaks, and get an ergonomic assessment done for your desk setup. People demonize poor posture, especially at work, but the reality is that poor posture isn’t really the problem. The problem is lack of movement. Any position will irritate your body if you stay in it too long, including what we call “perfect posture.” Physios like to use the term “motion is lotion”.  We have natural pumps in our joints that are activated by motion. Movement helps circulate nutrients and pushes waste products out. The most helpful movements to do are those that are opposite your working position. For example, if you sit all day in a slouched position, leaning back and opening your arms out to the side and up overhead can be really helpful.

- Photo courtesy of Ridgeline Physio

How do you engage with the local community to promote health and wellness?

We love giving back to the community by providing free education and workshops. Most recently, we led a session for the doctors in Fernie and the Elk Valley on the updates in best-practice concussion care. Sessions like this help ensure a high standard of care for our community in a rapidly evolving field.

We have also provided free concussion care clinics and injury prevention clinics to groups in Fernie including Fernie Ski Patrol, Fernie Alpine Resort Health and Safety Committee, GoByBike Week, Fernie Freestyle Team and the Fernie secondary school teachers.

For the public, we have provided free workshops on topics such as menopause, concussion management and osteoarthritis. If anyone is interested in having us come talk to your group/team about any of the topics you’ve seen here, or any other related health/wellness subject, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Are there any community events or workshops you plan to offer at your clinic?

As winter is coming, we have workshops on injury prevention for skiers as well as concussion recognition and care sessions planned for some of the groups we talked about above.  We don’t currently have any public sessions coming up, but we definitely plan on offering them again. Spots for these clinics will be limited, so keep your eye on our instagram @ridgelinephysio.fernie or email us at [email protected] to get on our email list!  Again, if you are part of a group that would benefit from one of these sessions please reach out.

What do you think are the most common misconceptions about physiotherapy?

I think the most common misconception is that all we treat is musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries. All physiotherapists are trained to treat MSK injuries, but we can also help patients with injury prevention, and most of us also have specialized training to treat other areas as well. Specialty services we offer at Ridgeline Physio include bike fitting, vestibular rehabilitation and concussion care.

People often don’t realize that their vertigo or concussion symptoms are treatable, and therefore have been suffering with dizziness or other symptoms for years before they come to see us. 

Concussion symptoms are actually very treatable. While treatment is effective at any stage of a concussion, the best time to seek treatment is within ten days of a concussion. When concussion care is started in this timeframe, the likelihood of persistent concussion symptoms is reduced by almost 50%. We do everything in our power to see new concussion patients within this timeframe. If you are booking online and don't see an opening within that time frame, call us and we will do our best to get you booked in as soon as possible. 

Bike fitting is also a really interesting emerging area in physiotherapy. Because physiotherapists are movement specialists, we have the ability to do an in-depth assessment of your body, your bike and how they work together. Anyone who recently purchased a new bike, wants to improve their performance, or has riding-related discomfort/pain can benefit from this service. Bike fitting can often be claimed on insurance and can be done on any type of bike including mountain, road, gravel, touring, e-bikes, etc.

- Photo courtesy of Ridgeline Physio

What is your favourite part about being a physiotherapist in Fernie, and what keeps you motivated in your work?

My favourite part of being a physiotherapist in Fernie is that I get to work with people who are passionate about living in the mountains! Most people who live in Fernie are here because they love to have fun in the mountains, and the team here at Ridgeline is here for the same reason. I have a background in competitive mountain biking, field hockey and alpine ski racing, and I worked as a guide/outdoor educator for 11 years before I became a physiotherapist.

I love that I can take my passion for sports, outdoor recreation and mentorship/leadership and apply them to my job. I get to help people continue to do the things they love and celebrate their wins with them. It is extremely rewarding to be able to support my community and staff team to live their lives to their fullest in our amazing little mountain town!