When to see a Physiotherapist

As Physiotherapists we help patients with all manner of injuries from head to toe. The services I am bringing to Romsey focus on injuries that are specifically stopping you from exercising or undertaking the sports and activities you like to do. I treat a wide variety of soft tissue injuries including muscle strains, ligament sprains, soft tissue damage and post surgical rehabilitation.

With most injuries the ideal time to see a Physio is a few days after sustaining the injury. In the very early (acute) stages the best thing to do for most injuries is to rest and utilise ice if you feel the area is inflamed. Ice works on the principle of vasoconstriction which reduces the permeability of blood vessels and therefore restricts inflammation. Ice also has a pain relieving effect. You can tell an area is inflamed if it looks swollen/puffy, is hot to touch or emitting constant discomfort. In Romsey we are also fortunate to have a cryotherapy facility, Cryofix, that have a full body chamber that produces a systemic (whole body) cooling effect rather than just the local area you are targeting. It also reduces the tissue temperature further and keeps it there for longer. If you are in severe pain or suspect more significant damage then a trip to A&E initially will be your best course of action to clear certain injuries such as a fracture.

The ideal time to then assess and progress your treatment with a Physio is in the sub acute phase 5-10 days after the injury. This is because we can get a much more accurate picture on what injury you have sustained. When the area is very inflamed in the early stages it is hard to accurately assess the issue, sometimes even scans at this stage aren't effective at diagnosing an injury. If you wait too long before seeing a Physio then you may have adopted a number of compensatory techniques that also need addressing. There is an optimal time to rest and resting for too long can be as problematic as carrying on to exercise with an injury.

How long we will then work together very much depends on the injury. From one session and a bit of advice and treatment for something simple or a couple of sessions a week over a few month period for something much more complex. I will also talk through with you what the recommended treatments and timescale for your injury are to give you an expectation of the process.

Chronic injuries are little more tricky! For example you play tennis and you can continue to play but after every session the back of your heel hurts for a few days. This has been going on for a period of months but you have finally decided to see someone. The issue will have come on over time and be chronic and the treatments and timescale needed to reverse this also will need to take time to take effect. So unfortunately that age old advice - the sooner you see someone the better, rings true with this one.

If you are unsure whether your injury is right for Physiotherapy or if you are at the right stage I am always happy to discuss openly and honestly if it looks like Physiotherapy is right for you.

Tom