Why Would I See a Physiotherapist?

A physiotherapist assesses how your body moves and functions.

Depending on the problem, this might involve looking at:

• Movement and mobility.
• Muscle strength.
• Joint function.
• Balance and coordination.
• Walking or running.
• Sporting movements.
• Your current exercise capacity.
• The activities that aggravate or improve your symptoms.

From there, your physio can explain what they think is contributing to the problem and develop a treatment and rehabilitation plan with you.

Treatment may include exercise, advice, load management, manual therapy and strategies to help you gradually return to normal activity.

People see physiotherapists for a wide range of problems, including:

• Back and neck pain.
• Knee, hip, shoulder, ankle and foot pain.
• Muscle and tendon injuries.
• Ligament sprains.
• Headaches with a musculoskeletal component.
• Osteoarthritis.
• Sporting injuries.
• Running-related injuries.
• Rehabilitation after fractures or surgery.
• Persistent or recurring pain.
• Reduced strength or mobility.
• Difficulty returning to exercise after injury.

Physiotherapy can also be useful when there is no obvious injury but something simply does not feel right during work, exercise or sport.

No.

Working out what is contributing to the problem is part of the assessment.

People often come to us because they are unsure whether their pain is coming from a muscle, tendon, joint, nerve or something else.

Your physiotherapist will take a detailed history, assess the area and explain what they think is most likely happening.

If your presentation does not appear appropriate for physiotherapy alone, we can also help guide you towards further medical assessment or investigation.

For most private physiotherapy appointments, you can book directly with a physiotherapist without seeing your GP first.

Some funding arrangements, insurance schemes or Medicare programs may require a referral or additional paperwork.

If you are unsure, contact our team before your appointment and we can help clarify what you need.

Your first appointment should be more than a quick look at the painful area.

We will usually start by talking through:

• When the problem started.
• What your symptoms feel like.
• What makes them better or worse.
• Previous injuries or treatment.
• Your work and exercise demands.
• What you want to be able to return to.

Your physiotherapist will then complete a physical assessment appropriate to your problem.

Most importantly, you should leave the appointment with a clearer understanding of what is happening and what the plan is from there.

Often, yes.

Exercise is one of the most useful tools we have for improving strength, mobility and physical capacity.

That does not mean handing you a long list of generic exercises.

A useful rehabilitation program should be targeted towards the things that are currently limiting you and should change as your capacity improves.

For some people this might mean two or three simple exercises at home. For others, particularly after surgery or when returning to sport, rehabilitation may eventually become much more demanding.

It can.

Manual therapy, massage and other hands-on techniques can sometimes help reduce pain or improve movement in the short term.

However, they are usually only one part of treatment.

For many injuries, long-term improvement depends more on gradually restoring movement, strength and tolerance to activity than repeatedly treating a sore area.

Our approach is therefore based on what is likely to help you achieve your goal rather than using the same treatment for every patient.

Usually not.

Many common musculoskeletal problems can be assessed without an X-ray, ultrasound or MRI.

Imaging can be useful in certain situations, but scans also commonly show changes that are present in people who have no pain at all.

Your physiotherapist can help determine whether imaging is likely to add useful information and, where appropriate, recommend further medical investigation.

Yes.

Physiotherapists commonly help people prepare for and recover from orthopaedic surgery.

Rehabilitation may involve restoring movement, rebuilding strength, improving walking and gradually returning to work, exercise or sport.

The exact program will depend on the procedure, your surgeon's recommendations and your individual goals.

Definitely not.

We work with people across a wide range of ages and activity levels.

That might mean helping someone get back to walking comfortably, managing knee osteoarthritis, returning to the gym after surgery or helping an athlete return to competition.

For sporting injuries and return-to-sport rehabilitation, you can also learn more about our Sports Physiotherapy services.

There is no standard number.

Some problems need only a small amount of guidance and a clear plan. Others require rehabilitation over several weeks or months.

The number of appointments can depend on:

• The type and severity of the injury.
• How long symptoms have been present.
• Your current physical capacity.
• Your goals.
• Whether surgery has been involved.
• How quickly rehabilitation can safely progress.

We aim to make each appointment useful rather than booking treatment simply for the sake of continuing treatment.