The conversation
The appointment starts with questions: what the problem is, when it started, what makes it better or worse, how it affects work, sleep and activity, and your general health and medical history. This part matters more than people expect. A good history often points to the cause before the physiotherapist has touched you, and it screens for anything that needs a doctor rather than a physiotherapist.
The assessment
You will be asked to move: bending, turning, walking, squatting, lifting an arm, whatever relates to your problem. The physiotherapist will test strength, flexibility and joint movement, feel the area for tenderness and tension, and may check nerves and reflexes. You may be asked to remove outer clothing so the area can be seen; wear something you can move in and that gives access to the part being assessed.
The explanation
Before treatment, the physiotherapist should tell you what they think is going on, in plain language, and what they propose to do about it. Ask questions here. You should understand what the problem is, why it happened and what the plan is.
Treatment
Most first appointments include hands-on treatment such as joint mobilisation, soft tissue work or stretching, plus the first two or three exercises to start at home. You may also be given advice on activity, posture or workload. Some soreness the next day is normal after hands-on work.
What you leave with
A plan: what the physiotherapist will do, what you will do, roughly how many sessions to expect, and when to review. If imaging, a GP visit or a different therapy would help, they will say so.
At Omnia
First appointments at our Chiswick clinic are 70 minutes, which is longer than most, because a proper assessment plus treatment on the same day does not fit into 30. Our physiotherapists are HCPC registered and can bring in acupuncture, manual therapy or red light therapy where it would help.