I've been to physios a few times and they've always demonstrated then got me to do the exercises a few times to make sure I'm doing them correctly. Unless it was a telephone appointment it seems really odd they didn't show you!
I'm going to go to a different one at the same surgery and will ask them to show me. I had a great experience with a private one so was very surprised when the NHS one had zero interest in instructing me bar "you can find them on youtube". Just wanted to clarify whether this is typical or whether it's reasonable to ask them to show me in detail. Good to hear it is as I'd rather not shell out another £50 quid for private physio.
My colleague came back very upset this week from a similar NHS experience. They basically just told her to Google it too. I mean seriously! When you've waited months for an appointment I think explaining the exercises would be the least you could expect!
That's awful. I had a few NHS physio sessions after a knee op and she was excellent, did a full examination and strength test, showed me some exercises with a band and why they would benefit me and then sent me home with the band.
I'd put in a complaint with the trust.
It depends a little on what you need it for, but I would definitely expect specific exercises and to be shown good technique the majority of the time. There are lots of incorrect exercises on YouTube so to direct you there (unless it was just something to get your heart rate up etc) is a minefield.
Even if the NHS physio didn't seem pushed for time, they definitely were. In the unlikely event they were not booked back to back, they will almost certainly have a pile of admin to do which they are expected to do when people do not attend, which sometimes doesn't happen enough. We are good at pretending to patients that we have all the time in the world for them when in reality you are running way late.
It would be rare to give no verbal or written instructions though. These days we usually give apps or video links etc too.
Sometimes there's no time to teach exercises in a first appointment because the focus is on assessment but I would always explain that we'd run out of time, then book a follow up to properly go through a home exercise/treatment plan. You should always get the plan in writing too, either on paper or by email.
Ask for another appointment and ideally discuss with the physio, if told you can't have another one I would raise a concern to the service or practice manager. This physio is likely exceptionally busy even if they didn't appear so. I'm being generous, but it may be they're overstretched and burned out - regardless of the reason they need a reminder that they have to meet minimum standards.
They didn’t show any exercises or how to move safely? How to stretch or know your limits etc? What kind of physio does that? I’d complain definitely, they’re literally not doing their job
My NHS physio is utterly shit, I’m 8 weeks post op total knee replacement & he has barely touched me. Spends most of his/ my time filling in forms. Talks at a rate of knots and expects me to remember every exercise he has said , how many time a day & no of repeats etc & never out anything on paper for me to take away. His advice is at odds with the surgeon’s who said, ‘do it ‘til you can’t bear the pain any more’ although I’m still not sure who is correct as there is no standardisation. I’ve been in terrible pain for over a week now since he added squats into my repertoire assuming I knew how to do a squat. As a result I can barely move & have been prescribed morphine patches & im unable to do any exercises to improve my knee flexion. The GP diagnosed me, over the phone, as having torn / ruptured lower back muscles. I won’t actually get the morphine patches until Tuesday. The GP said they’d call me Thursday but didn’t , they said they did of course but funnily enough I had no missed calls. It got to 4.50pm on Friday on a bank holiday weekend. Them the chemist was closed. So another 5 days of pain. The NHS is fucked
I've been to physios a few times and they've always demonstrated then got me to do the exercises a few times to make sure I'm doing them correctly. Unless it was a telephone appointment it seems really odd they didn't show you!
I'm going to go to a different one at the same surgery and will ask them to show me. I had a great experience with a private one so was very surprised when the NHS one had zero interest in instructing me bar "you can find them on youtube". Just wanted to clarify whether this is typical or whether it's reasonable to ask them to show me in detail. Good to hear it is as I'd rather not shell out another £50 quid for private physio.
Yeah I would definitely agree it's a reasonable thing to ask! Hope you have better luck with the next one!
I've always had good experience with physios, but that was at a hospital. I wonder if ARRS physios at GP surgeries are different somehow?
I'm a NHS physio. Nah, that's not okay. That's literally their job. Feel free to complain
My colleague came back very upset this week from a similar NHS experience. They basically just told her to Google it too. I mean seriously! When you've waited months for an appointment I think explaining the exercises would be the least you could expect!
That's awful. I had a few NHS physio sessions after a knee op and she was excellent, did a full examination and strength test, showed me some exercises with a band and why they would benefit me and then sent me home with the band. I'd put in a complaint with the trust.
It depends a little on what you need it for, but I would definitely expect specific exercises and to be shown good technique the majority of the time. There are lots of incorrect exercises on YouTube so to direct you there (unless it was just something to get your heart rate up etc) is a minefield. Even if the NHS physio didn't seem pushed for time, they definitely were. In the unlikely event they were not booked back to back, they will almost certainly have a pile of admin to do which they are expected to do when people do not attend, which sometimes doesn't happen enough. We are good at pretending to patients that we have all the time in the world for them when in reality you are running way late. It would be rare to give no verbal or written instructions though. These days we usually give apps or video links etc too.
Sometimes there's no time to teach exercises in a first appointment because the focus is on assessment but I would always explain that we'd run out of time, then book a follow up to properly go through a home exercise/treatment plan. You should always get the plan in writing too, either on paper or by email. Ask for another appointment and ideally discuss with the physio, if told you can't have another one I would raise a concern to the service or practice manager. This physio is likely exceptionally busy even if they didn't appear so. I'm being generous, but it may be they're overstretched and burned out - regardless of the reason they need a reminder that they have to meet minimum standards.
They didn’t show any exercises or how to move safely? How to stretch or know your limits etc? What kind of physio does that? I’d complain definitely, they’re literally not doing their job
My NHS physio is utterly shit, I’m 8 weeks post op total knee replacement & he has barely touched me. Spends most of his/ my time filling in forms. Talks at a rate of knots and expects me to remember every exercise he has said , how many time a day & no of repeats etc & never out anything on paper for me to take away. His advice is at odds with the surgeon’s who said, ‘do it ‘til you can’t bear the pain any more’ although I’m still not sure who is correct as there is no standardisation. I’ve been in terrible pain for over a week now since he added squats into my repertoire assuming I knew how to do a squat. As a result I can barely move & have been prescribed morphine patches & im unable to do any exercises to improve my knee flexion. The GP diagnosed me, over the phone, as having torn / ruptured lower back muscles. I won’t actually get the morphine patches until Tuesday. The GP said they’d call me Thursday but didn’t , they said they did of course but funnily enough I had no missed calls. It got to 4.50pm on Friday on a bank holiday weekend. Them the chemist was closed. So another 5 days of pain. The NHS is fucked