Five questions you should ask before booking your first physiotherapy appointment

When you’re thinking about booking your first physio appointment it can sometimes be tough to know what to ask. That’s why we compiled this checklist for you, to save you from being lost for words. If you like the answers you hear, it might be time to book a session…
Here are five questions you should ask a clinic before booking your first physiotherapy appointment.

When you come into your first appointment at Spectrum, we always start with a full assessment. The results of your assessment — including how your injury or condition presents and what your goals are — will determine what sort of treatment we prescribe for you.
Thanks to the specialised gym and latest technology available in our London clinic, we are able to offer a wider range of treatment options than most physios. These include our Game Ready Ice/Compression treatment, Shockwave Therapy, Dry Needling, Guided Exercise Therapy, Manual Manipulations, McKenzie Therapy and more.

We will recommend one or a combination of several treatments after your assessment and explain to you exactly how they will help you recover.

How many physiotherapy sessions you will need to come to will entirely depend on why you’re there in the first place. If you’ve come in for a gait assessment and some running tips, you may only need one or two appointments. But if you’re recovering from a major surgery or serious injury, you could need regular physio for an extended period of time.

After we’ve assessed you in your first appointment we’ll be able to give you an indication of how long we may need to see you for — but keep in mind this can change based on how happy you (and we!) are with your progress.

You will always have the option to book the same primary physio at Spectrum each time (as long as they have appointments available when you need them!), but unlike other physio clinics, we do offer a little more than that.

At Spectrum there are no limits to how many therapists you can see in one session, or constraints on session time. We have a multidisciplinary team in our London clinic who are on hand to offer whichever treatment you need, at no extra cost. So, while your appointment may start with your usual physio, if they feel there is someone else in the team with a slightly different skill set or knowledge base that may benefit you, they’ll bring them into your session to ensure you get the best and most relevant treatment possible.

Mostly no, but sometimes yes. Some physio treatment may be a bit uncomfortable or painful, particularly if you’re recovering from a surgery or injury. But we will always do our best to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible, while still treating you effectively. And we encourage you to keep up a steady stream of communication with us, so any unavoidable discomfort is kept within a manageable limit for you.

In the UK, every health insurance policy is different, so you’ll need to speak to your provider to find out if physio is covered for the reason you want. We recommend calling them up before you come into your first appointment, to avoid any nasty surprises!
Have your membership or policy number handy and tell your provider about your accident or injury, then they will give you a treatment authorisation code, which will be valid for a certain number of physio sessions. After these sessions, subject to the terms of your policy, your physiotherapist will generally complete the necessary paperwork for your treatment plan, to allow further sessions to be authorised. This means that at the end of your appointment, we can bill your provider directly and you won’t be out of pocket or need to be reimbursed. Plus, you’ll be set up to be eligible for further funded appointments if required.

Keep in mind that most providers don’t like retrospective bookings (eg; you calling them to claim reimbursement after an appointment you’ve paid for), because what sort of treatment authorisation they offer you can depend on the level of your policy. On occasion, your provider may even ask you to do an e-consult with one of their doctors or physios before authorising you to see an independent physio, or they may require you to get a GP referral before giving you access to your private health care.