We get it… Physiotherapy clinics are everywhere! With such a high density of clinics to choose from, the choice on why should you choose to spend your hard earned dollars at one practice rather than another is a tough one. With large discrepancies in the quality and approach of one Physiotherapist compared to the next, as well as consult time, cost and how your beliefs and expectations align with that of your therapist, this choice becomes even harder.

The purpose of this blog post is reasonably simple…to allow you to find out whether Thrive Physio Plus is the right fit for you. Below we’re going to share with you what our initial consultation entails, our approach to management and why we think we’re the best in the business.

Initial consultations are 45 minutes in duration. We feel 45 minutes is minimum amount of time to converse, discuss, assess, treat and devise a plan for managing your issue. This time frame also allows us to get to know you better – why are you here, what makes you tick and what are your goals and expectations for your visit.  We aim to inform you about your injury and understand the path to functioning at your physical best. We’ve found the best pathway for getting you to 100% starts with you understanding what is going on with your body and how it manifested in the first place. With that comes buy in and an understanding of what can be done to help in the short term and prevent recurrence in the long term.

History

The first step of the consult involves a thorough discussion as to the history of your problem. How long have you had it? How has it progressed since onset? Is it changing locations, nature or frequency? Perhaps the injury was immediate or the result of trauma? Perhaps it’s something that’s been troubling you for a while. Is their lifestyle factors that are contributing to your pain or is it something mechanical we can address? Have you done more hill work, speed work, sitting, driving, bending or lifting?! What is it that has led you to be sitting in front of us.  Essentially, this is your time to lay it all on the line! We want to know everything!

Secondly, outside of being uncomfortable and sore (in a majority of cases, but not all), what has brought you in to see us. What are your goals? Are you aiming to put your shoes on pain free or return to sport? Marathon in 2 weeks or want to be able to lift your grandkids? Everyone has different outcomes they hope to achieve and we want to know them so we can help you reach them. It also allows us to monitor your progress in a meaningful way.

Taking a thorough history is vital in not only understanding your issue, but allowing us to hypothesise exactly what it is that is causing your issues. By the end of our discussion we’ll have a good idea of what’s going on before the assessment even begins.

Treatment

Depending on the acuity and severity of your symptoms on your initial presentation at Thrive Physio Plus, treatment will involve a hybrid of manual therapy and active management. We know there’s a place for hands on in the very short term and can utilise this effectively to help get you moving quicker and getting stronger. Once your symptoms settle, you can expect a strong period of active management to ensure you return to 100% and to reduce the likelihood of your symptoms returning. We have a fully equipped gym at the clinic and if we plan on providing you with exercises at home you can be sure we’ll take you through them before you leave.  

Plan

On completion of your initial consultation, you’ll have a solid understanding of the cause of your pain, how it started, what you should avoid and what will help you in getting back to 100%. We’ll provide this in written form on a handout for you to take home to explain to your family and friends, as well as any home exercises as directed in the session. This could include a timeline of when you’re able to return to certain activities and a list of habits that can be formed to help prevent injury in the future.

Overall, the initial consultation at Thrive Physio Plus is very much a collaborative process. Our hands don’t turn water to wine (unfortunately), we’re here to educate, empower and hold your hand on your journey to feeling 100%.

We hope this post helps shed some light on what your first visit at Thrive Physio Plus entails. As always, if there’s any questions about your body and how we can help, give us a call on 8490 0777 or book online here.