Come prepared
If you haven’t been to see a physiotherapist before, knowing what to wear can be a little confusing. To achieve a comprehensive assessment, we need to be able to see the affected area. For example, if you have rolled your ankle, wearing shorts and removing your shoes allows a full view of the lower leg. For those of you that do not have your own gear with you, don’t worry! We have plenty of shorts and tops at the clinic for you to use.
If you have had a previous investigation such as an X-ray, ultrasound scan, CT or MRI, please bring this along with you. If possible please bring a copy of the report that accompanies these images.
Tell your story
Your Physiotherapist will spend time at the start of the session asking you questions about your injury.
Two little tips for this:
1/. Don’t be afraid to tell the truth! You would be amazed at all the different ways that people injure themselves and this mechanism plays a big role in guiding your diagnosis. Your Physiotherapist will also ask you a lot of questions regarding your past medical history. While it might not seem that this is related, our body is all connected, and it is important that we consider all possible contributing factors.
2/. For those of you that have been to Bend + Mend before you will know that the bowl of Minties sits on the front desk (yum). Help yourself! But remember they make it very hard to talk so don’t make the mistake of eating these at the start of the session.
Make time to do your “homework”
Understandably everyone would love an instant fix when they come to see a physiotherapist. For most injuries the healing process takes a little longer. Your Physiotherapist will prescribe a few exercises that are specific to your condition. These are designed to prolong the response to the treatment session by decreasing pain, strengthening or increasing your range of motion.
Let us know if you haven’t been able to do them or if your finding it to much. We can easily adjust your program to fit in with your busy schedule.
Speak up
Physiotherapists in general love to chat! Sometimes we can get a little carried away trying to explain your condition. If you have any queries or worries, please feel free to ask lots of questions. Part of your recovery is understanding what to expect and what you can avoid or do to help.
Expectations
What would you like to achieve from physiotherapy? This can be as simple as a check-up before returning to the gym or more sport specific such as running a marathon in a certain time.
Setting these expectations and goals on the first session helps your physiotherapist focus on the most relevant to you. If these change at any point, please let us know and we can adapt your treatment accordingly.
Whatever your goal, however small or big, the team at Bend + Mend will do our best to help you achieve them. Don’t hesitate to contact our lovely reception team to book an appointment today.
