If you're struggling with a stiff neck, aching back, or weak knees daily and find that it is compromising the quality of your life, consulting a physiotherapist may be in your best interest. It's an excellent form of physical therapy that can evaluate and treat musculoskeletal problems like the following:
- Joint, muscle, and nerve pain
- Migraine and headaches
- Repetitive strain injury
- Whiplash
- Arthritis
- Sports or accident injuries
- Respiratory conditions
Who Can Consult with a Physiotherapist?
Physiotherapy can benefit people of all ages and abilities - from babies, pregnant women, the elderly, to athletes. You also don't need a doctor's referral to set up an appointment, making it highly accessible to the general public.
Seeing as the recent COVID-19 outbreak has put millions of facilities and businesses on quarantine to curb the spread, many are shifting to digital solutions. In that sense, physiotherapy consultations can also be conducted online and are just as effective as physical meetings, which covers the same topics:
What to Expect in a Physiotherapy Consultation
Assessment of Your Condition
Whether it's an online or physical consultation, your first appointment with your physiotherapist will always involve a thorough assessment of your condition. Before starting on any physical tests, expect to answer a series of health questions, all of which are related to your conditions and medical history.
Some variables that will impact your diagnosis and rehabilitation plan includes the following:
- Age
- Body build
- Pain response
- Trend of pain
- Sleep pattern
- Duration of pain
- Mechanism
- Previous medical history
- Work
- Sport
- Goals
- Medications
- Previous treatment
How to Prepare For Your First Physiotherapy Consultation
Questions about your health should already be sent beforehand so that the physiotherapist can have a deeper analysis of your history, allowing both of you to discuss with full awareness of your first consultation.
With that in mind, after going through your condition and history together, the next step is to prepare for a physical examination. Be sure to wear loose, comfortable clothing so that no other factors can restrict your movement.
What to Expect in the Physical Examination
As for the physical examination, it can vary depending on your source of pain. You may be asked to walk short distances so physiotherapists can evaluate your gait, along with some quick exercises that can help show your level of mobility.
If you're doing online consultations, the physiotherapist will likely send video tutorials so you can better visualize how to follow the recommended exercises for your examination. Speaking of which, you may also need to remove your clothing, especially if it is covering the area of pain.
After examining your condition, your physiotherapist will create an outline containing the proposed treatment that suits your needs.
The Bottom Line
Preparing for your first appointment and following all the instructions is critical if you want to ensure you get a comprehensive treatment plan that is effective for your condition. The guide above should help you with what to expect so you can make the most of your consultation.
If you're looking for physiotherapy in Brisbane, get in touch with us today to see how we can help! We can help you personalize your physiotherapy treatment plan.
