HI! So glad you’ve decided to take control of your injury, niggle, issue, pain in the backside! It can be a frustrating process of trying to decide what to do and one or more of these thoughts may cross your mind:

“Will it go away on it’s own?
Maybe I’ll just ignore it for awhile and hope it goes away…

I’ll just do more mobility at the gym, that will help.

I’ll just train through it!

I’m scared it’s something that will stop me from ___________!

I don’t want someone telling me can’t do ___________ anymore!”

 

Don’t worry! You’re not alone in thinking any of these things. And I’ve probably had one or more of these cross my mind as well in the past.

But, I’m here to help you! Part of my job (and the part that I love the most!) is trying to find out what’s actually CAUSING the problem in the first place. Most injuries (unless traumatic – like a car accident, workplace accident etc) don’t just “happen”. There is a reason that you feel pain and I like to get to the root of the problem because this is what is going to get you better and KEEP you there!

 

So, I like to sit down and ask you some questions at the start to try and figure this all out. This will help guide my assessment and testing. With a good history of the problem and a solid assessment, I like to try give you an idea of what the problem may be. Sometimes this may require more testing or investigations. I will do my best to explain what I think is going on, in terms that you can understand. Sometimes, you may get to witness my epic “stick man” diagrams (or not so epic).

 

Then we move onto treatment (the fun part!). This can involve dry needling/western acupuncture, manual therapy, massage, movement correction and exercise. My aim is to have you leave moving better than when you came in. If appropriate, you will also get 1-3 exercises or mobility exercises I would like you to do in order to keep improving. This is important! Unless you really love me and want to come in all the time, I suggest being compliant with your homework.

 

So that’s it! Your first visit is over. Now depending on the nature of your injury and how long you’ve had it will dictate how many sessions you need. Everyone responds differently so I don’t make you buy a “plan” or ask you to come in multiple times a week (unless you need to). My goal is make you feel better, move better and understand your body a bit better.