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How many physiotherapy sessions does WCB cover?
WCB Alberta initially authorizes up to 8 physiotherapy treatments over 4 weeks for soft-tissue injuries and concussions, and up to 16 treatments over 8 weeks after a fracture or surgery. The assessment counts as the first visit. More can be approved after a WCB physiotherapy consultant reviews your progress, and you pay nothing for covered treatment.
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The short answer
The numbers come from WCB Alberta’s own community treatment procedure, which sets the initial authorization every physiotherapy clinic in the province works to:
- Soft-tissue injuries, concussion and other non-fracture injuries: up to 8 treatments over 4 weeks.
- Fractures and surgical injuries: up to 16 treatments over 8 weeks.
- Extensions: further treatment requires a review by a WCB physiotherapy consultant or a return-to-work assessment.
Source: WCB Alberta, Community treatments procedure, current contract period to December 31, 2027. These are maximums, not targets. Many people are discharged before the authorized number is used.
Here is how a WCB physiotherapy claim actually works, from the day you are hurt to the day you are back at work.
Step 1: report the injury
Tell your employer the same day if you can, and file a Worker’s Report of Injury (form C060) with WCB Alberta online or by phone. Your employer and your doctor file their own reports. WCB will assign a claim number and decide whether the claim is accepted.
You do not have to wait for the decision to start physiotherapy. WCB pays for the initial assessment and the first treatment while a claim is pending, so a clinic can see you as soon as the injury has been reported.
Step 2: book an assessment
You do not need a doctor’s referral for WCB physiotherapy, and you can choose any physiotherapy clinic. Bring your claim number if you have one, your employer’s name, the date of injury and a description of how it happened. If you have seen a doctor, bring any paperwork they gave you.
The first visit is a full assessment: what was injured, how it limits you, and what your job demands. It also produces the initial report that WCB uses to confirm the diagnosis and authorize treatment, which is why the assessment counts as the first of the authorized visits.
Step 3: what the clinic sends WCB
Your physiotherapist reports to WCB at set points: an initial assessment report after the first visit, a progress report part way through the authorized period, and a discharge or progress report at the end of it. These reports describe your injury, your functional progress and your readiness for work. You are entitled to know what is being reported, and we go through each report with you before it is sent.
These reports are what WCB’s case manager relies on to approve extensions and to plan your return to work, so attending consistently and telling your physiotherapist how work tasks feel matters more than it does for a private claim.
Step 4: if you need more treatment
If you are improving but not yet ready for your full duties when the authorized treatments run out, your physiotherapist requests an extension with a progress report that shows measured change and a plan. WCB routes the request to a physiotherapy consultant or arranges a return-to-work assessment. We submit the request before your authorized visits run out so that, in most cases, there is no gap in your treatment. If you are not improving, the consultant may recommend a different program instead, such as a work-conditioning or multidisciplinary program, which WCB arranges.
Return to work and modified duties
From the first report onward, your physiotherapist describes what you can safely do now: lifting limits, standing or sitting tolerance, overhead work, driving. WCB and your employer use that description to set modified duties, and the plan is updated as you progress. Returning to some work early, with limits, is part of treatment rather than a sign it has ended. Our return-to-work program describes how we build job-specific conditioning into the final weeks of a claim.
Contracted and non-contracted clinics, and what is not covered
Next Step is a WCB Alberta contracted physiotherapy provider. That means we bill WCB directly, report on WCB’s schedule, and can book your assessment as soon as the injury has been reported. WCB also authorizes treatment at non-contracted clinics; the authorization numbers above are the same either way.
What WCB does not pay for. Treatment for an injury WCB has not accepted as work-related, visits beyond the authorized plan without an approved extension, and treatment for a pre-existing condition that is unrelated to the work injury. If a claim is denied you can appeal, and treatment given during the pending period is still paid. If you want to continue treatment outside the authorized plan, it moves to your extended health benefits or private payment; see our fee page and direct billing page.
To book, call (587) 855-4559 or use the online booking form. No referral is needed.
Clinically reviewed by Roopreet Kaur, Registered Physiotherapist, Next Step Physio & Neurorehab Clinic. Last reviewed October 2026.
FAQ
Coverage
Do I pay anything for WCB physiotherapy?
No. For authorized treatment on an accepted claim, WCB Alberta pays the clinic directly and there is no charge to you.
How many physiotherapy sessions does WCB cover?
Initially up to 8 treatments over 4 weeks for soft-tissue injuries and concussion, or up to 16 over 8 weeks after a fracture or surgery. The assessment counts as the first treatment. Extensions are approved after a WCB physiotherapy consultant review.
What happens if my claim is denied?
You can appeal through WCB Alberta. The assessment and first treatment given while the claim was pending are still paid by WCB.
Getting started
Do I need a doctor's note for WCB physiotherapy?
No. You need a reported injury and, ideally, a claim number. The physiotherapist assesses you directly and sends the report to WCB.
Can I choose my own physiotherapy clinic for a WCB claim?
Yes. Workers in Alberta choose their own physiotherapy provider.
How soon after a work injury should I start physiotherapy?
As soon as the injury has been reported. WCB covers the assessment and first treatment even before the claim decision is made.
