What can you expect in your first physiotherapy session?

Your first physiotherapy session is called an initial appointment and is divided into three parts:

1. Comprehensive discussion about your condition

This will include questions regarding current symptoms and their impact on your quality of life and activities.

I will ask you about past medical history including injuries, surgeries, coexisting conditions, types of medications you have been taking and your goals for the treatment.

2. Physical examination

For this part of the session it is advisable to wear sports clothes such as leggings, shorts, and a sports bra. However, you may be asked to remove your clothes down to your underwear as this is the best way to assess your posture. If you feel uncomfortable about this, just let me or the clinic know and we can work around this.

You will then be asked to perform certain movements to ascertain your general limitations and pain level.

I will then carry out specific tests to establish what is responsible for your symptoms, whether this be muscles, ligaments, nerves, faulty movement patterns or a combination of all of these.

After this, we will discuss my findings and outline a treatment plan tailored to your needs.

3. Start treatment

At the first session you will get an idea of how the treatment will work. I will start hands-on treatment which will include a combination of manual therapy, muscle energy techniques, trigger points therapy and myofascial release techniques. You will also be given a few exercises and tips which will help you to manage your symptoms at home.

What happens next?

Follow-up:

Depending on how severe your symptoms are and how long you have been having them, to start with it is recommended that you book your appointments weekly until you can manage your symptoms with the exercise programme and advice on posture on your own.

How many sessions do I need?

This depends on the problem you are having and how long you have been experiencing this.

You might need one to three sessions to address muscle tightness and facet joint pain, but recovery from specific conditions may take anything from three months to a year.

If you would like further advice or would like to arrange a physiotherapy session, please contact me.