What happens at your initial physiotherapy consultation?
Arriving at Physio-Answers
Your initial appointment is for one hour which allows plenty of time for a comprehensive assessment and initial treatment of your condition.
You need to bring some comfortable clothes that make it easy to examine the affected area. Jeans are not good as they are quite restrictive. Shorts and a vest are appropriate. If you have any reports, investigation results etc then bring them with you. This will help the Physiotherapist understand your problem.
On arrival you will be greeted by our receptionist who will ask you to complete our registration form. If you are claiming through an insurance company we will need your policy details etc.
It is therefore a good idea to arrive a few minutes early to complete the paperwork.
Initial Assessment
When you see the physiotherapist they will initially ask you a variety of questions regarding your symptoms. This information is very important as it starts to give us an idea of what your problem is caused by and how we are going to help it.
For example we need to know when and how it started and how it affects you. What makes the problem better or worse? You will also be asked about your work, lifestyle and general health.
The physiotherapist will then examine you. This may include areas that are not painful but may be contributing to the problem. E.g arm or leg pain may be referred from the spine. The physiotherapist will explain what they are doing and ask you how it feels as they perform different tests.
Rest assured that physiotherapists are not here to make your problem more painful! Our examination will take into consideration your level of pain and the techniques and tests used will be adjusted accordingly.
If you are in a lot of pain we may have to leave some tests to the next appointment and just get on with reducing the pain in the first session.
Understanding Your Treatment
After your assessment the physiotherapist will discuss with you what the problem is and what may have caused it. They will then explain the treatment programme they think is best for you, what we can do to help, how many sessions you will need and what you can do to assist your recovery. This may be exercises or advice about your working positions or your training regime.
We believe that if you understand your problem and why it has occurred then you can contribute to your own recovery.
Finally, if the problem is not appropriate for physiotherapy or if further investigations are necessary then we will advise you accordingly and refer you on as appropriate.
