What to expect at your first physiotherapy Appointment

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Up to 55 minutes | £50

Your first appointment is an opportunity for us to get to know you and understand what's been troubling you.

We allow almost an hour for your initial physiotherapy assessment, so there's plenty of time to talk through your concerns without feeling rushed.

We'll ask you about your symptoms, how they started, what makes them better or worse and how they're affecting your everyday life.

We'll also discuss your general health, activities, work and anything else that might be relevant.

Most importantly, we want to understand what you'd like to get back to doing. That might be playing sport, enjoying a walk, working comfortably or simply getting through the day with less pain.

Once we've talked through your symptoms, we'll carry out a physical assessment.

Depending on your problem, this may involve looking at how you move, testing your strength, assessing your joints or performing specific clinical tests.

These tests help us understand what may be contributing to your symptoms and guide our clinical reasoning.

We'll discuss our findings with you, explain what we think is causing your symptoms and talk through the treatment options.

We believe that understanding your problem is an important part of getting better, so we'll always encourage you to ask questions.

Usually, yes!

In most cases, we'll have time to begin treatment during your initial appointment.

However, this depends on the complexity of your problem and how much time is needed to complete a thorough assessment.

Your treatment will be tailored to your individual needs and may include:

• Hands-on therapy, such as joint mobilisation or soft tissue techniques.
• Specific exercises to improve strength, movement and function.
• Advice on managing your symptoms and adapting activities.
• Other treatments, such as shockwave therapy, where clinically appropriate.

We don't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. What works well for one person may not be the right treatment for another.

Our approach to physiotherapy combines clinical assessment, hands-on treatment where appropriate, exercise and education.

We want you to understand your problem and feel confident about what you can do to help yourself.

There's almost always a little homework!

This might be a few simple exercises, advice about modifying certain activities or strategies to help you manage your symptoms between appointments.

We see physiotherapy as a partnership. We'll discuss your options together and agree on a treatment plan that suits your needs, goals and lifestyle.

Before you leave, we'll discuss the next steps.

For some people, this might mean going away with an exercise programme and advice to manage their symptoms independently.

Others may benefit from further physiotherapy sessions to progress their rehabilitation or provide additional treatment.

We'll explain our recommendations and involve you in deciding how best to proceed.

Our aim is to help you make progress, not to book you in for unnecessary appointments.