Never Had Physiotherapy Before?

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If you’ve never been to a face-to-face Physiotherapy appointment before, you may not know what to expect. Let us take the guesswork out of a Physiotherapy appointment for you!

Physiotherapy Initial Assessment

An initial physiotherapy assessment typically goes for between 45-60minutes. It’s a chance for your Physiotherapist to get to know you, and for you to get to know your Physiotherapist 😊

We typically start with a detailed history of your symptoms, where on or in the body you are feeling your pain and/or symptoms, what symptoms you have and how they are behaving e.g. are they intermittent or constant. Most importantly your Physiotherapist will want to know when and how the symptoms first started.

Your Physiotherapist will also take a detailed medical history, and explore if your symptoms are affecting your sleep and what your symptoms might be stopping you from doing in your everyday life. If you have any test results such as MRI or X-ray, it’s a great idea to provide these to a clinic before your initial appointment as your Physiotherapist will review these with you during your assessment.

Got questions about your Initial Physiotherapy?

Your initial assessment is a great time to ask questions. Have all your questions ready before you attend your appointment and make sure you leave having had them all answered. Your Physiotherapist may need to consult with your GP or other clinicians to get all the answers (this is called Multidisciplinary Management), and these unanswered questions can be prioritised first thing during your follow-up appointment.

Once all the essential information is gathered in what is known as the ‘Subjective’ assessment, your Physiotherapist will perform the ‘Objective’ assessment which might include active movements performed by you, passive movements performed by your Physiotherapist while you are in a relaxed position, strength testing and palpation. Palpation is where your Physiotherapist will examine the area to feel for signs like heat, or swelling.

The most important part of your appointment is the ‘Planning’ phase. Once the subjective and objective assessments have been completed, your Physiotherapist will detail a diagnosis, and plot a plan forward to help you get back to doing the things you love.

If you would like to chat with a Physiotherapist at MET Phys over the phone, we offer also offer Telehealth appointments. Call the wonderful admin team to find out more about how Physiotherapy can help you get back to doing the things you love.