What to expect from my first Physio Appointment
The first thing you will notice is that our care begins way before you walk into your first appointment. Our admin team go to great lengths to ensure the appropriate booking is made and you know how to get to your BPS location, where to park and what to wear to feel comfortable. Our appointments are longer than your average Physio appointment. Our clinical team knows that one on one time is essential to understanding your goals and thoroughly assessing your body.
At BPS you’re not just another shoulder, neck, knee, or lower back that walks through our door; you’re an individual who needs individualised and specific assessment and treatment.
You will also get the sense very quickly that YOU are an active and highly involved part of working out what the problem is and why you are here to see us. We want to know everything about your story so we can work out why you’re body isn’t being the best it can be. We not only want to know all about what’s causing you trouble right now, but we also want to know about your past injuries and niggles, even if you think they’re small and irrelevant.
We then get very detailed. The method of Physiotherapy that we practice is called ConnectTherapy and it’s a very hands-on, specific and movement-based approach to injury assessment and treatment. A key part of the ConnectTherapy assessment is getting you to move. Together, we will identify a movement that is important to you but you can’t do as well as you normally do or want to at the moment. This is called the Meaningful Task Analysis and it helps direct the whole-body assessment we undertake to find the key underlying reason for your pain. We call this the “Driver”.
What does this all mean in simple terms? Basically, we’re going to look at how you move to find out what is moving well, what isn’t moving well, and how the parts that aren’t moving well relate to your injury and pain.
During the assessment, we’ll make a temporary change to help optimise how your body moves. Your responses and experiences to these changes will help guide us in finding out the Drivers of your pain. Once we’ve found the Drivers and support these areas of your body, you will experience less pain, better movement, and a whole new way of living within your own body.
An important part of our treatment involves giving your body options for moving in new ways. Changing the way you move is important for resolving the pain you’re in. There are a number of ways we can treat your body to give you new ways to move; you might need tight muscles or scar tissue release with some hands-on treatment or you may need something different like dry needling to help relieve muscle tension.
For long term change to happen and resolution of your pain to occur, you will need to learn to move in new ways. Learning these new movement patterns takes practice and we will help strengthen these movement patterns by designing and progressing an exercise program that is unique and specific to your needs and goals.
Each injury, body, person, and story is unique. Come and experience a new way of moving, feeling, and being!
How long is a session?
Physiotherapy:
• Initial Appointment – 60 mins
•Follow Up Appointment – 30/45/60 mins
• Real Time Ultrasound Appointment – 30 mins
• Dry Needling Appointment – 30/60 mins
• Massage Appointment – 30/60 mins
Pilates:
• All our Pilates classes; group, private and semi- private are 60 minutes.
Do you take insurance claims (Workers Compensation and Motor Vehicle Claims?)
Yes we do. We will need to gather a little extra information from you at the time of making your appointment, so please let our reception team know, and they will be happy to assist you with this.
Do you take Medicare?
Yes, we do. However, Medicare will only cover physiotherapy treatment under certain circumstances. We require a referral to indicate that your treatment is Medicare approved. Your doctor will issue you with an Enhanced Primary Care Plan (EPC) along with your referral. This allows a maximum of 5 physiotherapy treatments within one calendar year. Anyone with a Medicare card is entitled to one EPC per calendar year.
How do I pay?
We accept Visa, Mastercard, Amex, debit card and cash. If you have private health insurance, please bring your card and we will process the claim via Hicaps at the time of your appointment. This means that you only have to pay the gap. The amount covered by your health fund is determined by your health fund provider and the type of cover you have.
Do I need a referral?
No. Usually you don’t need a referral except in the case of insurance claims or for Medicare/EPC.
Physiotherapists are primary health practitioners; therefore, private patients do not need a doctor’s referral to see us. This also means that a physiotherapist can issue a sick leave certificate.
Will I need to be off work / sport / training for a period of time?
It is incredibly rare that we would stop your training completely. We know that moving bodies need to move to be well. In most cases, movement in some form is good for injury management.
What should I wear?
As we will be moving in most sessions, wearing comfortable clothes you can move in is important. We will provide you with this if what you bring is not appropriate, but as a guide, no dresses or skirts, shorts or gym tights are best. For ladies, sports bras or crop tops that are not to ‘strappy.’ That will make it easier for our clinical team to assess and treat your upper back. Please also bring your running shoes and orthotics if you have them.
Where should I park?
Please refer to our locations on parking specifics for each of our 3 locations.
Is Pilates good for osteoarthritis?
Yes, Pilates is an excellent exercise for sufferers of osteoarthritis. It’s a low impact exercise that focuses on muscle strength, posture, joint movement, and flexibility. Because pilates encourages circulation, it relieves soreness, aches, and pains associated with arthritis.
Does Pilates teach mindfulness?
Not in the same way that yoga and mindfulness classes might, but Pilates does teach mindfulness to a degree. We teach deep breathing techniques and encourage people to focus intently on their body in the present moment, erasing all other chattering thoughts.
What are the benefits of Pilates for Seniors?
Pilates for seniors helps to improve both physical and mental health. It can:
- Tone and strengthen muscles
- Improve flexibility
- Alleviate joint stiffness and soreness
- Improve posture
- Provide stress and anxiety relief
How often should seniors do Pilates?
For a well-rounded exercise routine, we’d suggest a weekly Pilates class combined at home exercise like walking or any other movement activity that you enjoy.