7 Mistakes To Avoid When Working With Your Physio

 In Exercise and Health

7 Mistakes To Avoid When Working With Your Physio

When working with your physiotherapist it is crucial that you give yourself the best chance possible at getting the outcome that you have engaged your physiotherapist to help you achieve. Over the last nine years of clinical practice and having delivered in excess of 25,000 physiotherapy consultations, I have observed many mistakes that clients have made (consciously or otherwise) when working with their physiotherapist. Sadly these mistakes ultimately result in a less than optimal outcome, and a failure to arrive at their target. The goal and outcome sought by the client initially is a best only partially achieved.

There are seven mistakes that people can make when working with their physio. Any one of these mistakes will reduce the chances and likelihood of getting a complete and remarkable result from physiotherapy.

Ensure you get the result you need by avoiding these 7 mistakes.

The mistakes are:

1.       Not making your expectations clear to your physiotherapist

A physiotherapy process is every bit about managing patient expectations as it is about managing the symptoms and condition. If your expectations are not explicitly made known to the treating physiotherapist than you may be heading toward a ‘disappointing’ outcome. Disappointment is always the result of unmet expectations. Whilst the responsibility predominantly rests with your physiotherapist to discover your expectations you as the patient also share a role in ensuring that your expectations are known and are most importantly realistic.  Some people’s expectations are based purely around a reduction or resolution of symptoms, while other’s people’s expectations centre on addressing all injury contributory factors and returning to full physical health in a set period of time.

2.       Listening to friends, family members, or neighbours

Some clients will pay their physiotherapist for their expertise and advice yet defer to their next door neighbor as the ultimate authority with regards to their rehabilitation. Unfortunately the familiarity and trust we may have with our neighbours (or close friends and family) does not always translate into the best physiotherapy advice. It’s not uncommon to hear of a client bouncing from one health practitioner to another purely on the advice or recommendation of a friend to ‘try this person as they are really good’. Clear and transparent communication between physiotherapist and client is paramount if the neighbor effect is to not override the physiotherapist’s advice and treatment plan.

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3.       Expecting quick fixes to have long lasting effects.

Getting you out of pain is just that-resolving the pain, and getting on top of the symptoms. There is a large difference between resolving pain and full and complete rehabilitation. Most people with an injury get physiotherapy up until their pain starts to go away. At this point they may cease mistakenly believing that the treatment they have had will do the trick. Actually, most of the time it doesn’t. And when it doesn’t that can cost you thousands in further care required for an injury, not to mention the lost time, and health concerns such as weight gain with inactivity that being in pain ca bring. But don’t worry! We’ve got a new way of offering physiotherapy that will get you back doing what you love to do for as long as you like.  This will take care of the frustration and the concern that your days of doing what you love for recreation may be over.

4.       Expecting full fix too quickly not understanding the time frame for true rehabilitation.

Take heed of your physio’s advice regarding time-frames to correct your condition. If you do not acknowledge the required time frame you will be disappointed if things are moving quickly enough for you.

5.       Failing to invest in maintaining your body

Once you are out of pain and have rehabilitated your injury be sure to take heed of any recommendations that your physio gives you about maintaining your body. Maintenance is required for some conditions and it will be a whole lot less time consuming and cheaper than having to deal with a recurrence of your injury.

6.       Self-discharging prematurely from your physiotherapy program

Many people mistake being out of pain as being fully rehabilitated and ‘fixed’. The absence of pain is a poor indicator of your progress. Premature self -discharge will heighten your likelihood of experiencing a recurrence of your injury or further pain.

 

Many people mistake being out of pain as being fully rehabilitated and ‘fixed’ #physio #pogo Click To Tweet

7.       Letting your limiting beliefs get in the way

Sometimes thoughts are ingrained at a deep cerebral level. These thoughts are often erroneous and not founded in logic or science. An example is a lower back pain sufferer who now believes that will ‘always now have a bad back’.

Brad Beer physiotherapist gold coast

 

 

 

 

 

Brad Beer (APAM)

Physiotherapist, Author ‘You CAN Run Pain Free!‘, Founder POGO Physio

discover-recover-physio gold coast

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Showing 4 comments
  • Ann Shelton
    Reply

    Thank you for this info it is very informative and helpful to understand my treatment. Regards Ann

    • Brad Beer
      Reply

      Glad you found it helpful Ann

  • M.Anna Domaneschi
    Reply

    I was very happy with the result of the first visit.

    • Brad Beer
      Reply

      That’s great.

      How are you going with the journey to crossing your Physio Finish Line™ with us?

      Regards Brad Beer

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