Preparing for your first appointment.
What do I bring to my first appointment?
Please arrive a few minutes before your first appointment, to allow time to locate parking and complete some paperwork before we begin.
Please bring:
- Any x-rays you may have
- A referral, if you need one
Insurance Clients (WC MV EPC VA):
Please bring a referral, information related to your injury, and contact details of your insurance or work contact person.
What should I wear?
Please wear, or bring, appropriate clothing to allow a comprehensive examination of your musculoskeletal system (shorts if back or lower body problem and singlet type top if neck or upper body problem).
What happens at the first consultation?
During the first consultation (25 – 50 minutes), you will have the opportunity to:
- Explain your problem
- Clarify your level of pain and disability
- Identify how the pain or loss of function started and its current status
- Identify what you think triggers or aggravates your problem
- Describe relevant medical problems or past surgery
- Discuss your goals
Helen will then:
- Assess your movement limitations and pain
- Identify your musculoskeletal strengths, imbalances and weaknesses
- Determine the underlying biomechanical features contributing to your problem
- Explain her diagnosis and what it means for you
- Design an individual care plan for you which accommodates your goals and needs
- Reduce your pain via gentle joint mobilisation, massage or active movement techniques
- Teach you postural, pain relieving or movement retraining exercises
- Provide advice on home care to facilitate natural healing
- At follow up consultations (up to 30 minutes), Helen will evaluate your progress, modify treatment, answer questions and help you develop a maintenance or rehabilitation plan.
- What can I expect when I receive treatment?
Helen will use a combination of precise; gentle ‘hands-on’ manual therapy, posture and movement retraining and soft tissue massage and stretches depending on your problem
- Treatment techniques are derived from high quality research.
- Each treatment is specifically tailored to the source of your problem
- Treatment also takes into account your needs, goals, social and work factors, and lifestyle and travel time
- You will normally leave the clinic with less pain, freer movement and a feeling of empowerment.
Please inform Helen if:
- You have a pacemaker
- Have suffered from a blood clot, stroke or thrombosis
- Are suffering from diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis
- Have been, or are, taking cortisone
- Have had cancer at any time or are concerned you may have now.
- Have lost significant weight for no reason
- Are taking Warfarin (blood thinners) or any other medication that may affect your care.
- Feel Dizzy, have blurred vision or loss of balance
Registration Form
If you have made an appointment, please take the time to fill out this online form.