Clinic Services & Rehab Guide
This guide explains how physical therapy works at our clinic — what each service is for, what to expect from your first visit onward, how to get the most out of your home programme, and how our scheduling and payment policies run. It is a reference document; there is nothing to fill in or return. Session lengths and visit counts below are typical, not promises — your therapist will set the plan that fits you.
Section 1 — How an Episode of Care Works
Physical therapy restores movement, strength and confidence after injury, surgery or a long-standing problem. It is an active treatment: what your therapist does in the clinic sets the conditions, and what you do between visits produces the change. An episode of care runs in five stages.
- Evaluation — a full history, a movement screen, hands-on testing and baseline outcome measures. Usually 45 to 60 minutes.
- Plan of care — your therapist sets goals with you, estimates visit frequency and duration, and explains the reasoning.
- Treatment block — a run of visits combining hands-on work, exercise progression and education, alongside your home programme.
- Re-assessment — normally every four to six visits. We repeat the baseline measures and adjust the plan against real numbers, not impressions.
- Discharge — when goals are met you leave with a maintenance programme and a clear plan for what to do if symptoms return.
Section 2 — Services We Offer
| | |
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| | Diagnosis, baseline measures and building your plan of care |
| | The working session — hands-on work, exercise progression, education |
| | Stiff joints, guarded muscles and painful movement that needs a window to train in |
| | Persistent trigger points and muscle tone that has not responded to hands-on work |
| | Long-standing tendon problems — plantar fascia, Achilles, tennis elbow, gluteal tendon |
| | Recurrent running injuries, return to sport, and walking problems after surgery |
| | Early loading when land-based weight bearing is still too painful or restricted |
| | Programme progression, form checks and follow-up when travel is difficult |
Section 3 — What to Wear and Bring to Your First Visit
- Loose clothing you can move in. For a leg or back problem bring shorts; for a shoulder problem a vest or short sleeves.
- The shoes you actually walk, work or run in — worn soles tell us a great deal.
- Your referral letter, any imaging reports and operative notes.
- A list of your current medications, including anything bought over the counter.
- Your insurance card, authorisation number and photo identification.
- Any brace, splint, orthotic, crutch or walking aid you have been using.
- Arrive ten minutes early so paperwork does not eat into your treatment time.
Section 4 — How Many Visits a Typical Condition Needs
These ranges describe uncomplicated cases in people who do their home programme. Age, prior injuries and how long the problem has been present all move the number.
- Low back pain — 6 to 10 visits over 4 to 8 weeks, with most of the change in the first three weeks.
- Shoulder impingement or rotator-cuff tendinopathy — 8 to 12 visits over 8 to 12 weeks; tendons respond slowly.
- ACL reconstruction — a staged programme of 6 to 9 months, typically 20 to 30 visits, tapering as you take over the gym work.
- Ankle sprain — 4 to 8 visits over 3 to 6 weeks, with balance retraining continuing at home afterwards.
Section 5 — Your Home Exercise Programme
The home programme is where most of your recovery is earned. Three short sessions a week done properly beat seven rushed ones.
- Do the exercises in the order given — the early ones prepare the joint for the later ones.
- Quality over count. Stop a set when the movement pattern breaks down, even if you have reps left.
- Attach the programme to an existing habit — after breakfast, before your evening shower — rather than waiting to find time.
- Note what you actually did, not what you meant to do. Your therapist progresses you from real data.
Soreness during and after exercise is normal and expected. The test is where you are the next day: if the soreness has settled back to your usual baseline within 24 hours, the load was right. If it is still raised after 24 hours, or you are worse than before you started, the dose was too high — halve it and tell your therapist at the next visit. Sharp, catching or radiating pain is never part of the plan; stop and contact us.
Section 6 — When to Contact the Clinic, and When to Seek Urgent Care
Call the clinic — we will adjust the plan:
- Symptoms clearly worse for more than 48 hours after a session.
- A new ache in a different area that appeared after starting the programme.
- You cannot do an exercise as shown, or you are not sure you have the technique right.
- Your medication, surgery date or work duties have changed.
Seek urgent medical care — do not wait for your next appointment:
- Chest pain, breathlessness, or a fast or irregular heartbeat.
- New numbness or weakness in an arm or leg, or loss of bladder or bowel control.
- Severe unremitting night pain, unexplained weight loss, or fever with back pain.
- A hot, swollen, tender calf, or sudden swelling in one limb.
- A fall with an audible pop, immediate swelling, or an inability to weight bear at all.
Section 7 — Cancellation & Late Arrival
- We ask for at least 24 hours notice to cancel or move an appointment; late cancellations and no-shows may be charged.
- Arriving late shortens your session rather than the one after it — we cannot run over into another patient’s time.
- If you are unwell with a fever or an infection, please reschedule; there is no charge for that.
- Repeated gaps of more than three weeks usually mean restarting the plan at a lower level, so tell us early if life gets busy.
Section 8 — Payment, Insurance & Receipts
- Payment or co-pay is taken at each visit; we accept card, bank transfer and cash.
- We will check your benefits before the first visit, but the policy is a contract between you and your insurer — any balance they decline remains payable by you.
- Authorised visit counts are finite. We will tell you when you are within two visits of your limit.
- Itemised receipts and treatment summaries for reimbursement are available on request at any time.
Section 9 — Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a referral from a physician?
In many regions you can book directly with us. Your insurer, however, may still require a referral to reimburse. Check your policy first, and bring the referral if you have one.
Some techniques are uncomfortable while they are being done, and mild soreness for a day afterwards is common. Nothing should be unbearable — tell your therapist and the technique will be changed. Discomfort is negotiable; you are always in control.
Can I keep exercising between visits?
Usually yes, and we would rather you did. Bring your training plan to a visit and we will tell you what to keep, what to modify and what to park for a few weeks.
One missed week is not a setback. Restart at roughly half your previous volume and build back over two or three sessions. Longer gaps are worth a phone call so we can adjust the plan before you return.
This guide is general information about our services and is not a substitute for the individual advice your therapist gives you.