At WHSSPC we aim to provide you with the optimal, highest quality physiotherapy management. In order to provide this, our physiotherapy philosophy revolves around spending time with you one on one enabling us to:
We will specifically assess you in order to establish the type and extent of your problem. This may involve specific muscle or joint tests or the examination of a spinal region. Occasionally it will involve the referral for further testing eg X Rays, or assessment by other health professionals eg Sports Physicians or Orthopaedic surgeons.
If you have been referred to us by another health professional, a diagnosis may already have been established. In this instance the aim of your specific assessment is more to establish your status so as to be able to accurately monitor your rehab progress. The forces, stresses and strains of daily living are dispersed through your body and spread over different regions. These vary depending on the activity, whether it is at work or during a recreational pursuit or while playing sport. How we position ourselves (postures) or how we move (movement patterns) will determine how much stress or force is absorbed by each body part. All are linked and dependent on each other.
Consequently it is important to incorporate a general, biomechanical assessment in your examination. The extent of this will depend on your problem and the activities you wish to pursue but it is important to obtain an overall picture of how you use your body.
After your assessment we will establish your diagnosis. In other words, we will establish the type and extent of your problem. Usually this can be done on your first consultation but occasionally may take some further tests to establish accurately. If you have been referred to us by another health professional, a diagnosis may already have been made.
Based on our assessment outcomes and / or information received from other personnel involved in your management, a treatment plan is put in place. This is naturally in close consultation with you and works toward your aims. Generally this plan will involve several key components:
The balance of each of these will vary depending on your type of problem, your aims and your progress and the role of each will be explained to you in detail. With your consent, we will also communicate closely with other members of the team managing you, whether this be your surgeon, return to work coordinator, your coach or your masseur. Rehabilitation and graduated return to activity is usually an exercise in coordination between several personnel all of whom compliment each other, so a high level of consultation and communication is important to achieve the optimal outcome.
In many cases an ongoing maintenance program is required to maintain the outcome you have achieved and minimize the chance of your injury recurring or associated injuries developing. In addition, causative factors for your, or associated injuries are often identified during the assessment and management of your problem. Implementing strategies to minimize their impact will also then become a component of your program.
These may come in the form of a specific strengthening or core stability program, a stretching program, a warm up routine, a specific strapping technique or the use of a specific piece of equipment. The long term benefits will be explained to you, but once set up, a maintenance program is usually then up to you to incorporate it into your routine.
