What do Physios Actually do and what should I expect from my first session!?

I’m sure before you book a physio session you are not 100% sure of the answer to this!? With this in mind lets discuss!

 

What to expect from my Physio session?

The first thing you will get asked to do is fill in a medical history form, just like at the doctors. We ask these questions because your medical history may give us clues, and help us to diagnose more accurately. Accurate diagnosis of your pain will help us to direct you towards the best treatment option.

 

 

1. SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT

The first part of an assessment is a quick chat, otherwise known as the subjective! Believe it or not this is the most important part of any assessment we do. WHY?? Because most injuries come with nice little clues for us to fine when quizzing you:

 

• Runners knee– runners knee tends to present as pain in the knee cap when going down stairs but also when sitting down with your knees bent. Obviously running is another clue!

 

• Tennis Elbow– Erm….. ok that’s an obvious starting point but it will present as pain with any gripping. It will normally be more painful when sticking your middle finger in the air and resisting its movement but maybe don’t try this in public.

 

• Back pain– Back pain can be complex and have many different causes so the chat we have helps us to narrow down the search. Symptoms and onset of a muscle strain may be different to that of a compressed and irritated joint or a disc hernia.

The Subjective Assessment is also vital for helping Physios rule out other pathology that can cause pain and may need referral back to your GP or your local hospital. This may be a hernia, a DVT, a fracture, a rheumatological condition such as rheumatoid arthritis or even cancer.

 

        2. OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT

Once we narrowed down the list of possible pain sources, we can plan what we are going to assess with our Objective assessment.

The Objective assessment may include:

The fundamentals of Physio are based around movement and exercise rehabilitation. Exercises are the key to unlocking your body’s potential and will pretty much always be a part of your treatment.

C. EDUCATION

Another key point in injury management is Education! We can’t expect to get someone to do our rehab exercises without first understanding why they are doing them. If you understand why your Physio exercises are helpful you are much more likely to do them consistently. Randomly doing a physio’s exercises with no clue why will affect the outcome.

So… In answer to what Physios do, we assess (with a combination of quizzing and hands on assessments) and then figure out the most appropriate treatment plan. We can help with a wide range of issues and injuries from neck pain and headaches to sciatica and sporting injuries.

For more information on how Physiotherapy can help you give us a call on 01799530650 or email INFO@REFORMPHYSIO.CO.UK