By the time you arrive for your Initial Assessment you will already have provided us with some background information which helps us to get a headstart in understanding the problem and planning your Assessment.
The first thing we do in the assessment is to ask you some questions about the problem you are presenting with so we really can understand the mechanism of the injury, whether that be a specific incident or a gradual onset.
Then we will ask you about your past injuries and medical history as this can often guide us to where there could be an underlying cause that might have led to the problems you are currently facing. Sometimes this process can be quite quick and easy as there isn’t much back history. Alternatively, if you’ve been having problems for a long time and there are lots of past injuries or ongoing problems then it takes a bit longer.
Once we have a good understanding of the history we move on to the physical assessment. This will often include more than one body part, particularly if it’s a back or neck problem. We need to be able to see your body and the way you move, so we ask you to wear comfortable stretchy clothes, shorts underneath and a vest top. If you feel uncomfortable about this just let us know and we will always try to work around it.
Once we have completed this part of the assessment we will be able to answer the following 4 questions:
We will explain this to you in a way that’s easy to understand and answer any questions you have at this point.
We will then discuss a plan of action with you to get you from where you currently are to where you want to be. We will explain how that’s going to work and approximately how long it will take and how many sessions will be needed.
If there is time during this first session we will get you started on your journey so you can feel some improvement straight away. We will also teach you some strategies to help you be successful in your life in the days ahead, because life doesn’t stop just because you are in pain.
We will be giving you exercises and strategies to use at home in between your sessions and we ask for your full commitment to these. The exercises generally don’t need any specific equipment and we make them very specific to you and your situation. The more you can do yourself the quicker we can move through the outcomes we have set in your plan and get you to that Dream Outcome, whatever that looks like for you.
We will ask you to book in some, if not all, of your sessions at the end of this Initial Assessment. This ensures you get the appointments when it’s appropriate to the plan we have put in place together. We know life happens but we ask for your commitment to stick to the schedule of appointments as best you can.
By the end of this first session we hope you will leave feeling physically better than when you came in, but probably more importantly, that you feel confident in the plan we have made together and more positive and excited about getting started on being able to get back to your normal self and beyond!
If, after your assessment, we think Physio is not appropriate or what you need at this time, we will tell you. We will also try and guide you to the right person or service that you need, whether this is an onward referral to a Consultant or possibly back to your GP.
If you’re not sure Physio is what you need, or have any questions that you would like to discuss before booking, please let us know and one of our Team will be really happy to speak with you.
