What to expect at the Physio?

A typical session with a physiotherapist is unique to a patient’s needs and their health condition. Treatment also depends on the scope of practice of the physiotherapist.


A typical initial session may involve

  • Assessing and diagnosing the patient’s condition, needs and goals including attaining a detailed medical history to get all the information about your current issue or problem.  The physiotherapist will discuss the findings of the assessment and answer any questions you may have.

  • Working in partnership, you and the physiotherapist will set appropriate goals—whether that's maintaining mobility and independence in aged care to running a marathon.

  • Depending on the location of injury/pain, you may be asked to remove items of clothing to make it easier to visualise the area – dressing in shorts or loose clothing will make you more comfortable and allow the Physiotherapist to access covered areas as required.

  • There are a variety of modalities that Physiotherapists can use to treat pain, stiffness and injury.  They include massage, mobilisation, dry needling and exercise prescription among others.  The physiotherapist will choose the modalities that best suit the issue you describe and present with, to get the best, evidence-based results possible.  Of course, if you are not comfortable with a particular treatment modality you can always opt out and your Physiotherapist will help you choose a different approach.

  • As the session draws to a close, the Physiotherapist with guidance from you will begin to develop a treatment or prevention plan that will take into account your lifestyle, activities, general health in line with your treatment goals, wants and needs.   This may include prescribing exercise and physical aides as necessary.

  • There is a chance that you may feel sore and tender after a session for the first 24-48 hours – be aware that this is absolutely normal and does happen to some people but not everyone.  Generally you will leave feeling better and with a plan of attack in hand.

Follow-up Appointments

  • Once the initial session has been completed you should already be starting to feel some level of improvement when you begin the second session.  Unlike the first session, a brief discussion between you and the Physiotherapist is generally all that is required to ‘catch-up’ on improvements gained before treatment can begin.

  • A condensed assessment will be conducted to gain a measure of progress after which the session will be focused on treatment.

How many sessions will I need?

  • The number of sessions required will depend on a variety of factors including the extent of injury, the structures causing the symptoms, how long they have been present, your fitness level and lifestyle prior to your symptoms and lastly but no less importantly how well you have followed the treatment plan.  Your Physiotherapist will give you a best estimate at the beginning on your rehabilitation process which will be adjust as you progress through the treatment process.