Who it usually suits, in short.
TECAR tends to suit people dealing with long-standing muscle tightness, stubborn tendon problems, and joint stiffness, where gentle warmth deep in the tissue helps the area relax and move more freely. It is most useful once an injury has settled past its early, acutely painful stage, and it works as a warm-up step before the active rehab that actually rebuilds you. It is always one part of a wider physiotherapy plan, never a standalone fix, and whether it fits you is decided at your assessment.
People who often get the most from it.
TECAR uses a radiofrequency current at around 500 kHz to create a deep, comfortable warmth inside muscle, tendon, and joint tissue. That warmth tends to help most in situations where stiffness, tightness, and reduced blood flow are holding back progress. The groups below are the ones we most often consider it for.
- People with chronic muscle guarding and stiffness, where muscles around an old problem have stayed tight and tender for a long time. The warmth can help them relax enough to move and stretch more comfortably.
- People with long-standing tendon problems, often called chronic tendinopathy. Here TECAR is useful as a pre-loading step, meaning it warms and prepares the tendon before the strengthening exercises that do the real rebuilding. You can read more about TECAR for tendon problems.
- People with osteoarthritis stiffness, where a warm, looser joint is easier and less painful to move, so the warmth can make exercise more tolerable.
- People with frozen shoulder who are in the stiffness phase, where the shoulder has become tight and hard to move. Gentle warmth can help the area tolerate the slow, steady movement work that recovery needs.
- People recovering from sports injuries that are past the acute phase, meaning the early swollen and very painful stage has passed and the focus has shifted to getting moving and rebuilding.
- People in post-surgical recovery, but only once their surgeon or physiotherapist has cleared them for this kind of treatment and the wound has healed.
When TECAR is not the right tool.
TECAR is not the answer to every problem. If an injury is brand new and the area is hot, swollen, and very painful, the early days are usually about calming things down rather than adding warmth, so TECAR often waits until that stage has passed. It is also not a shortcut. It does not replace the strengthening and movement work that rebuilds a body, so anyone hoping to skip the exercises will be disappointed.
Separately, there are health situations where TECAR should not be used at all, or only with great care. These include having a cardiac pacemaker or another implanted electronic device, being pregnant, and having active cancer in the area being treated, among others. This is only a snapshot. For the full list of who must avoid TECAR or be cautious, please read is TECAR safe, which sets out the contraindications in full.
- A brand new injury that is still hot, swollen, and very painful.
- Anyone hoping for a passive fix that lets them skip active rehab.
- Anyone with a pacemaker or implanted electronic device, who is pregnant, or who has active cancer in the treatment area. See the safety page for the complete list.
- Anyone whose surgeon has not yet cleared them after an operation.
It is always decided in person, and always paired with rehab.
No online list can tell you for certain whether TECAR is right for you. The lists above are a guide to the kinds of problems it tends to help, but suitability is decided case by case at your assessment by a physiotherapist registered with the College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia. They review your full history, examine the area, and check for anything that would make TECAR unsuitable before deciding whether to include it.
It also helps to remember what TECAR is for. It is an adjunct, which means a helper that sits inside a wider physiotherapy plan. It is always paired with active rehab, the hands-on treatment and exercises that build strength and change how you move. The warmth can make that active work more comfortable and easier to start, but the rehab is what does the lasting work. Medstar Sport Physio and Health is the only clinic in the Metro Vancouver area offering TECAR, and we use it as one tool within full physiotherapy care. For general health information you can also read HealthLinkBC. If you ever have symptoms that feel like an emergency, call 911 or go to Lions Gate Hospital.
The practical next step.
If you think TECAR might help, the next step is simple. Book a physiotherapy assessment. In British Columbia you do not need a doctor's referral to see a physiotherapist, so you can arrange it yourself. At the assessment the physiotherapist will examine you, talk through your goals, and tell you honestly whether TECAR fits your plan. You can book online through our Jane App page or call the clinic on (604) 988-5411. We are at 1325 Marine Drive in North Vancouver. Many extended health plans help cover physiotherapy, so it is worth checking the cost side too on TECAR cost and insurance.
Common questions.
Do I need a doctor's referral to be assessed for TECAR?+
No. In British Columbia you can see a physiotherapist directly, without a referral from a doctor. You book an assessment, the physiotherapist examines you, and together you agree on a plan. If TECAR fits that plan, it is added in. If it does not, they use other tools instead.
Is TECAR a treatment on its own, or part of something bigger?+
It is part of something bigger. TECAR is an adjunct, which means it sits inside a wider physiotherapy plan rather than replacing it. It is paired with hands-on treatment and an active rehab program of exercises. On its own it does not rebuild strength or change how you move, so we always combine it with the active work that does.
I have an old, long-standing injury. Is it too late for TECAR?+
Long-standing problems are often where TECAR is most useful. It tends to suit chronic muscle tightness, stubborn tendon problems, and joint stiffness that has been around a while. The physiotherapist will examine the area and tell you honestly whether it is a sensible option for your situation.
How do I find out if I am a good fit?+
Book an assessment. A physiotherapist registered with the College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia reviews your history, examines the area, and checks for anything that would make TECAR unsuitable. Suitability is decided case by case, in person, never assumed from a list online.
If TECAR is not right for me, can physiotherapy still help?+
Almost always, yes. TECAR is one tool among many. If it is not the right fit, the physiotherapist simply chooses a different part of the physiotherapy toolkit, such as hands-on treatment, exercise, or other approaches suited to your problem. Being unsuitable for TECAR does not mean you are out of options.
Related reading
The only TECAR on the North Shore