If your first physio appointment is approaching, or you’re thinking of booking one, you may be feeling apprehensive or not sure what to expect.
You might be concerned that your painful back or shoulder will be pulled and wrenched, causing more pain and stress.
The truth of the matter is there’s no need for anxiety, as a fully qualified physiotherapist will assess the treatment best suited to your needs and talk you through the entire process.
Let’s run through what a typical first visit would involve with a physiotherapist in Coffs Harbour.
Getting to know you
Physiotherapy treats injuries, post-surgical stresses, and various conditions affecting muscles, ligaments, bones, nerves, and our cardiovascular system. At your first session, your physiotherapist will likely ask questions that help formulate your situation and goals, such as:
- Where you are experiencing your pain and any other symptoms?
- What is the type and extent of the pain and what caused the problem to begin with? It might have been a sports injury, an accident, putting too much strain on a muscle, or you may not be aware of the cause.
- How does the pain limit you in everyday life and work?
- What is your general health and lifestyle? For example, are your day-to-day activities largely physical, or are your days spent mostly immobile like in an office?
Your first session is your opportunity to outline to the therapist just how your pain affects you and the result you’d like to achieve.
Getting to know your pain
They will also assess your strength and the level of pain you experience from various movements. While it’s important to visually observe how the pain limits your activity, a physiotherapist doesn’t need to push you beyond your limit to gauge the extent of the injury and the treatment required.
Physiotherapists recognise that any soft tissue massaging or mobility practices could cause some discomfort. These can be moderated to be within your level of tolerance, and you are made as relaxed and comfortable as possible.
Outlining a plan
What are your goals? Reducing pain, getting as active as you can, improving your all-around health and strength are usually the main points of focus.
From the assessment in your first physiotherapy session in Coffs Harbour, our experienced and highly qualified physios will discuss and create a plan to achieve those outcomes as soon as possible.
Aspects of a plan can include:
- A timeframe for your recovery.
- The frequency of your visits to your physiotherapist.
- A set of exercises specifically targeted to your injury. The cause of your pain can sometimes originate in another part of your body. Our method searches for that origin point and we then use biomechanics (movement patterns) combined with your mind to devise a solution.
- A daily schedule for the exercises to be done at home.
Contact us
Our highly skilled physiotherapists in Coffs Harbour are dedicated to putting you at ease from your first appointment and forging a plan to reach your individual goals as soon as possible.
Give us a call or book an appointment here with us now to get started on your journey.