At your first consultation , we will take a detailed medical history, including information about your lifestyle such as your level of physical activity, your work environment and your diet, together with any relevant past medical history.
In order to ensure a long-term rehabilitation program in addressing your condition we will be just as interested in what is causing your pain and the effect it is having on your health.
After discussing and logging your history, we will examine how you move through various movement screens. You may be asked to remove some of your clothing (it is helpful if you are able to attend your appointment in gym clothes) and perform a series of simple movements. We will assess your mobility by observing your range of movement and carry out specific strength and special tests. It should be noted that, we are trained to recognise when rehabilitation through us won’t help and when to refer a patient to a doctor or other health care professional. We will not begin your treatment until we have assessed you and have a clear understanding of what can be done to help you. All of the assessments findings will be discussed with you, to agree a treatment plan going forward.
After diagnosing the cause of your condition we will propose a treatment program which may consist of one or more of the following techniques:
Postural assessment, correction and advice
Soft tissue techniques (Massage)
Medical Acupuncture
Mobilisation/Manipulation
Electrotherapy
Cryotherapy (hot and cold treatment’s)
Functional and Rehabilitative exercises
You will also be given exercises to do at home and, in some cases, advice as to how to minimise any negative impact of your lifestyle on your condition. This ‘homework’ is the most crucial part of your treatment and should not be ignored. Through exercise rehabilitation we are seeking to promote your body’s ability to self-heal and the exercises are an important part of this process.
In most cases, we would expect to see considerable treatment benefit within two to six sessions, although sometimes a single treatment is sufficient and equally sometimes it may take longer depending on the severity of your injury. We aim to make you feel at ease and will ensure that we communicate effectively with you, so that you fully understand your condition and to answer any questions you may have.
The initial assessment and treatment will last around an hour.