Questions Relating To Physiotherapy

SERVICES

Angus Physiotherapy offers specialist physiotherapy assessment and treatment for musculoskeletal and orthopaedic problems. We are here to answer any questions you have about all things physiotherapy, your first visit or making an appointment.

What Is Physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy helps restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. Physiotherapists help people through movement and exercise, manual therapy, education and advice (Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, 2018). Physiotherapy is a protected title and only people who are members of The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) are allowed to practice in the UK. The HCPC regulate the profession and ensure standards of practice are met. All our Physiotherapists are also Chartered, which means they are members of The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

What Types Of Problems Can Physiotherapy Help?

While there are many sub-specialties of physiotherapy, we focus on treating musculoskeletal problems – that means injuries affecting bones, joints, muscles and nerves (with a particular expertise in Sport).

Is Physiotherapy Massage?

Physiotherapy incorporates of a range of treatments, with massage therapy being one of many treatment methods that can be used to help achieve your goals.

Physiotherapist v Osteopath v Chiropractor?

We all treat injuries but go about it slightly differently. A physiotherapist will analyse movement, then will use a hands-on approach of soft tissue/manual therapy combined with exercise and advice to treat a problem. A Chiropractor and Osteopath will generally be more joint focussed and include more manipulative therapy to treat a problem. All are effective but go about treatment a slightly different way.

Why See A Physiotherapist?

Physiotherapy is a science-based profession and takes a ‘whole person’ approach to health and well-being, which includes the patient’s general lifestyle. Lots of people will injure themselves on a day to day basis. Some people’s symptoms will resolve over time whilst others will continue due to abnormal overload due to movement dysfunction. Our job as physiotherapists is to analyse movement, identify any abnormal loading/movement dysfunction of the body, and then use our plethora of tools to fix the problems and work with individuals to reach their goals.

Can I Choose To Be Seen By A Particular Physiotherapist?

Certainly. If someone has been recommended to you, please let us know and we can investigate their diary availability for you

Your First Visit

TREATMENT

What Can I Expect On My First Visit?

The first visit usually lasts approximately 40 minutes. Your physiotherapist will begin by asking you some questions about the injury such as how the problem started, what aggravates the pain and what kind of activities you are finding difficult. It can sometimes be useful to write down anything you remember or have noticed about the problem as this makes it easier for us to help you. The physiotherapist will then examine the injury and will explain what he or she is doing as they are going along. Following treatment the physiotherapist will take time to discuss the findings with you and can show you the tissues involved on diagrams if you wish. One of the most important parts of the initial session at our clinics is making sure you fully understand what tissues we think you have injured including any factors we may have identified which may impact on injury healing. At the first appointment we will try our best to give you a realistic number of treatment sessions we think you will need and how often you are likely to need to attend. There are often a number of things we can show you to try to assist with the best recovery. If we think that physiotherapy is not indicated for your injury we will also discuss this with you at the first appointment.

What Should I Bring To My First Session?

Please bring along shorts with you if you have a lower limb complaint so we can assess it fully. If you have a shoulder/back issue we will need to ask you to remove your top so we can examine the area fully. Females may want to wear a vest top. If you are using Private Health insurance and would like us to invoice them for your treatment we will need you to bring along your details and any authorisation numbers to your first appointment,

Questions Relating To Medical Insurance

MEDICAL INSURANCE

What Do I Have To Do if I Want To Use My Private Medical Insurance?

We are registered with a number of major insurance companies. They all work slightly differently, therefore if you would like to use your insurance you need to contact them ahead of your appointment. You will need to check if physiotherapy and your problem are covered under your policy, if there is an excess to pay, and if there is a financial limit. This is important to ascertain before treatment starts to ensure we are operating within the parameters of your policy, and let us know how we can best help you.

I Have An Excess On My Policy Or A Treatment Limit, What Do I Do?

We will invoice the insurance company for your treatment. If you have not paid an excess on the claim we have invoiced the insurance company for, they will contact us. We will then invoice you for the excess amount. Please check what this is before you start treatment so you know what to expect. You need to know if there are any limits on your policy so we can ensure we are operating within the limits of your policy. If you have already used some of your limit seeing a different therapist or profession please contact the insurance company to check what you have remaining ahead of commencing treatment. This ensures there are no surprises later.

General Questions

GENERAL

Is There Car Parking?

There is free car parking outside all our locations, with disabled parking available at our David Lloyd Clinic. All our clinics are wheelchair accessible and there are disabled toilets.

How Can I Pay For My Treatment?

You pay for any treatment after your appointment unless your private medical insurance is being invoiced for your session. You can by cash or card. We have the ability to take card payments at all our clinics.

How Do I Make An Appointment?

To make an appointment, call us on 07710557210 or email [email protected]. You can self refer and do not need to see a doctor prior to coming in for treatment. If you are concerned about your pain control then please consult a pharmacist or GP first. If you are medically unwell then we advise seeing your GP first to ensure physiotherapy is appropriate.