Your first Physiotherapy Session
Your first visit with a Physiotherapist will involve us asking you some questions and listening to your story regarding the history of your injury or condition. We will also take a detailed medical history. This allows your Physiotherapist to gain a better understanding of you and your problem and helps direct the physio assessment. This is the cornerstone of being able to make an accurate diagnosis, which will direct your physiotherapy treatment plan and optimise your recovery. So, forgive all the questions, but it is so important that we get to the bottom of what is wrong!
It’s not necessary to have a GP referral to attend IONA Physiotherapy but if you already have a letter from your GP, consultant or other health professional as well as any written reports from any scans and investigations related to your problem, do take them with you so that your Physiotherapist can understand the background of your issue better.
Wear loose, comfortable clothes that you can move well in and that you feel comfortable in. This also allows your Physiotherapist to assess your injured area or condition better, e.g. shorts for a knee, ankle or foot problem; a vest/loose top for back, shoulder or arm problem.
If you have an injury or pain in your feet, please bring a selection of the shoes that you wear most often. We may need to look at your footwear to see if it is contributing to the problem. Also, if you need orthotics, it is helpful if you have the shoes that you wear most often with you on the day of your appointment.
If you are attending as a result of a sporting injury, it can be useful to bring in your usual sporting equipment, e.g. for runners, bringing in your usual pair of runner shoes; for a tennis player, your tennis shoes and racket, etc. It can also be of benefit to take a video of yourself in action, playing your sport, so that we can have a look at your usual technique and biomechanics. Remember, when taking the video, do what you usually do for the camera and not what you think you should do! Seeing you in action gives us a wealth of information about your biomechanics, movement patterns and technique which may be contributing to your injury.
If this is your first visit, it is helpful if you can arrive 5-10 minutes before your appointment time, so that you can fill in any necessary paper work before you are called in for your appointment.
