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To give you some idea of what to expect when you are referred for physiotherapy, here are some points which we hope you will find helpful. Please feel free to contact us at any time if you need any further information.

What is physiotherapy?

Your physiotherapist will assess your particular needs at your first attendance and throughout your course of treatment. Physiotherapists use their skills in several areas to help you. This may include one or more of the following:

• Acupuncture
• Diagnostic ultrasound
• Electrotherapy
• Exercise
• Hydrotherapy
• Manual therapy
• Mechanical traction
• Ultrasound-guided injection

Privacy and confidentiality

Depending on the nature of your treatment we will treat you either in an individual, curtained cubicle or a more open area. If you have any concerns about this please let us know in advance.

Wherever you are treated, the content of your treatment session is entirely confidential between you and your therapist. We may share some of this with your referring doctor but only with your permission.

First Appointment

This involves a thorough assessment and can take up to an hour. Your physiotherapist will examine you and will ask you a number of questions about how your problem affects you. After your assessment your physiotherapist will discuss with you a plan of treatment and may ask you to make further appointments.

PLEASE NOTE: Patients under the age of 16yrs must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at their first attendance.

Further appointments

These usually last about 20 minutes. It is important for you to attend regularly or your treatment may not be effective.

Appointment times

We try to offer you appointments at times convenient to you but this may not be possible every time. We aim to always see you promptly so please arrive in plenty of time for your appointment. Staff may not be available to treat you if you are late.

What to wear

If your problem is in your spine, shoulder, hip or knee you may be asked to undress to your underwear for your examination and treatment. You may feel more comfortable bringing shorts to wear.

Students

Sometimes we have physiotherapy students in the department working closely with a senior physiotherapist. If you would rather not be assessed by a student please let us know in advance. This will not affect the care you receive.

If you can’t attend

Please let us know as soon as possible if you can’t keep your appointment. This helps to give us time to offer it to someone else. If you miss an appointment and don’t contact us within 48 hours we will stop your treatment. If you feel you need to continue treatment you will need to see your doctor again for another referral.