Physiotherapy Won’t
Work For Me!
We often hear from patients
that they have put off seeking treatment following an injury because they have
previously tried physiotherapy and found that it didn’t work. Understandably,
this can lead to a reluctance to invest time and money into future treatments.
While there are never any guarantees in healthcare, in this article we
highlight a few reasons why your treatment may not have worked in the past and
why it may be worth trying again.
1. Your injury
required medical or surgical intervention.
There are a small percentage of injuries that will require more intensive
intervention to heal fully. It is often recomended that physiotherapy be
trialled before attempting more invasive treatments. Your physiotherapist and
medical team often work together to evaluate your injury and decide the best
course of treatment.
2. You need to have a succinct plan for success
While very occasionally, a pain issue can be resolved in 1-2 visits, most
conditions will require at least 5-6 visits for a significant change to be
made. Chronic pain and injuries often need much longer still to make an impact.
There are many reasons for not being able to return for treatment, however one
of the most common reasons physiotherapy fails is a clear explanation of the
problem. Then, there’s simply not enough of a plan with clear goals to be
successful.
At the beginning of treatment your physio should discuss how much time
may be needed for a full and effective treatment program. Once pain and symptoms
have resolved, it is also important to complete a full rehabilitation programme
to help prevent future injuries. Some patients do stop coming when they feel
better but the underlying problem may not have completely resolved, which can
lead to re-occurrence of the problem.
3. Your physiotherapist was simply not
the right fit.
While all physiotherapists are trained to an excellent standard,
occasionally you might find that the physiotherapist didn’t fully understand
your needs and goals. Here at Gav Noble Physiotherapy we use a multi-therapist
approach. This means that in our assessment we all get to know and understand
your needs and goals, and one of the physios may just have a different skill
that they can bring to your treatment.
4.
Your home exercises are too difficult or time consuming.
With our busy modern lives, finding time to complete the exercises can be
difficult. Home exercises are the ‘icing on the cake’ to compliment your
treatment. Here at Gav Noble Physiotherapy our aim is to give you the least
amount of exercises to help your recovery.
We use exercise prescription software that is easily accessable with
videos that are able to be watched so that each exercise can be understood and
performed correctly.
Our physiotherapists are happy to
discuss any concerns you have regarding your treatment, including issues with
previous treatments.
We offer a FREE ‘Discovery’ session at
our clinic, to give you the opportunity to find out how we might just be able to
help you differently!
