Question 1

What is multidisciplinary chronic pain care?

Accepted Answer

Multidisciplinary care means more than one profession works together on the same plan for the same patient. For chronic pain this is physiotherapy as the lead, with registered massage therapy, kinesiology, acupuncture, IMS or counselling added where they contribute. The 2021 NICE guideline for chronic primary pain supports combining supervised exercise with psychological therapy and other evidence-based options, which is the shape of a multidisciplinary plan at Launch Rehab.

Question 2

Who coordinates a multidisciplinary chronic pain plan at Launch Rehab?

Accepted Answer

Your physiotherapist does. Chronic pain care at Launch Rehab is physiotherapy-led: the physiotherapist keeps the arc of the plan, and recommends when and why to add RMT, kinesiology, acupuncture, IMS or counselling. All five studios (Lougheed, Coquitlam, Richmond, New Westminster and North Burnaby) run under this model. Each studio has its own roster, so the exact mix of professions on site varies by location.

Question 3

Do I pay for every appointment separately?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each session (physiotherapy, RMT, kinesiology, acupuncture, counselling, chiropractic) is a separate booking and a separate bill. Most extended health plans cover each of these professions with its own per-year limit, which is one of the reasons the multidisciplinary approach is often insurance-friendly rather than more expensive. We direct-bill most insurers up to your plan limit; current session prices are on our rates page.

Question 4

How do you decide what to add first?

Accepted Answer

The decision is based on what physiotherapy alone has not reached. If sleep and mood are flat but function is slowly returning, counselling is often first. If a muscle group stays guarded between visits, RMT is first. If pain modulation is the gap, IMS or acupuncture is first. If the issue is capacity to work and extended rehab, kinesiology is first. Your physiotherapist will name the specific gap rather than suggesting a generic add-on.

Question 5

Will the different clinicians actually talk to each other?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with your written consent. Launch Rehab clinicians share updates on your plan under the privacy policies on the site. In practice this is a brief internal note or a short conversation between appointments, not a case conference. If you prefer that two clinicians not share information, say so at the first visit and we will respect it; the care is still delivered, just without the coordination layer.

Question 6

Is multidisciplinary care covered by ICBC?

Accepted Answer

ICBC covers physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, kinesiology and counselling for accepted post-crash claims, each profession up to its own pre-approved allowance, with no referral needed for the pre-approved visits. If your chronic pain started after a car crash and the claim is still open, this is a very common path. The ICBC physiotherapy hub on the site has the current details.

Question 7

Is multidisciplinary care covered by WorkSafeBC?

Accepted Answer

WorkSafeBC covers physiotherapy, RMT, kinesiology, acupuncture and counselling for accepted work-related injuries, with different approval processes for each. Kinesiology after an accepted claim is a particularly common WorkSafeBC pathway, where it continues the active rehab after physiotherapy visits are reducing. The WorkSafeBC physiotherapy hub on the site has the current details.

Question 8

What if physiotherapy alone has worked so far?

Accepted Answer

Then the plan does not need multidisciplinary care, and we do not recommend it. The marker for adding more is a flat response or a clear second input (sleep, mood, work capacity, pain modulation) that physiotherapy alone cannot address. Adding clinicians who are not doing a specific job wastes your time and money and complicates the schedule. Simple is better when simple is working.

Question 9

Can I combine care at Launch Rehab with specialist care elsewhere?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your Launch physiotherapist will coordinate with a family doctor, a specialist, a pain clinic, or another allied-health provider you already see, with your consent. Launch Rehab is a community rehab clinic, not a tertiary pain centre; some patients need both at different points in their care. We will tell you plainly if a case is one that should be reviewed somewhere else.

One plan, more than one professional.

What is multidisciplinary chronic pain care?

When one profession is not enough

Who is added to a chronic pain plan, and why

Clinicians talk to each other, with your consent

Delivered under general physiotherapy at every Launch Rehab studio.

Lougheed

Coquitlam

Richmond

New Westminster

North Burnaby

Common questions.

Who coordinates a multidisciplinary chronic pain plan at Launch Rehab?

Do I pay for every appointment separately?

How do you decide what to add first?

Will the different clinicians actually talk to each other?

Is multidisciplinary care covered by ICBC?

Is multidisciplinary care covered by WorkSafeBC?

What if physiotherapy alone has worked so far?

Can I combine care at Launch Rehab with specialist care elsewhere?

Where the facts on this page come from.

More chronic pain guides.

Graded exposure and pacing

Pain neuroscience education

Book a chronic pain assessment.