If you’ve never been to a physiotherapist before it can be a daunting experience.
History taking
At the initial consultation we will get to know about you and your injury. You will be asked about how sustained your injury/what was happening around the time you started experiencing your symptoms. It’s also helpful to know what activities aggravate and alleviate your pain.
We are equally interested in what activities are important to you and how your injury might be holding you back. This information is crucial to enable us to tailor our assessment and treatment to your needs as well as to help us understand you better as a person. It is our standard practice to ask questions about your work life, exercise history and future goals in order to provide a personalised treatment plan.
Examination
We will assess your area of concern through physical examination and by guiding you through various movements. It’s important to be aware that some of these movements or positions may be uncomfortable, however this is all in the interest of making a clear diagnosis. You can be assured that it is not our aim to push you beyond your limits.
Clothing
In order to optimise our examination, it’s helpful if you wear comfortable, loose clothing that enables us to examine you thoroughly. For example shorts if you have a knee concern or a singlet for a shoulder problem.
Treatment
In our clinic we employ both hands-on treatment as well as exercise therapy. In the first session we will likely dedicate time towards a number of soft tissue massage or mobilisation techniques with the aim of reducing pain and increasing movement.
The next steps
You can expect to leave your first consult with some homework! It is our aim to empower you with the right knowledge and steps to improve yourself – your involvement is integral to recovery and getting you back to doing what you love.
