Physiotherapy

What is Physiotherapy?

If you’re on this page we’re going to assume you’re here because a pain, injury or functional issue has been bothering you, or maybe someone has told you that you need to see a Physio?

Some of the things that might lead you to a Physio are:

• Some nagging back pain that won’t go away.
• A clicky shoulder that’s beginning to worry you.
• You’ve noticed that your balance or strength is not what it used to be.
• You recently had a knee / hip replacement and you need to go through rehabilitation.
• You sprained your ankle playing footy on the weekend and want to check how serious it is.

Physiotherapy is an evidence-based health science that can help you with all of the above + much more. As Physiotherapists we are trained to assess what is causing the pain, so if you haven’t already been told what’s going on we are here to help you get to the bottom of it.

The Assessment

A good assessment, and the one we’ll provide at Formotion, will be thorough and will aim to get to know you, your goals and your specific context. It’ll start with a conversation about you and your health, and will include a whole lot of listening. We’ll then go into more physical testing, which might include gentle pressing to see what and where things hurt, or to check if anything looks unstable. We may look at how you move, test movements in your joints as well as perform strength tests. If we’re still unsure, we may refer you for an X-ray or MRI, or chat to your GP about sending you for a different kind of scan or test.

The Treatment

This will then guide our treatment, which again will be individualised to you. Our “Physio Toolbox” contains a range of things like massage, dry needling, exercises, stretches as well as education around posture, health and movement. Not all of these will be appropriate for you or your condition, which is why a good assessment and accurate diagnosis is so important.

Good physiotherapy takes into account your specific diagnosis, as well as your goals (getting back to running, lifting your kids without wincing, sleeping through the night pain-free), and what's realistic given your work, your schedule, and your life. We’ll let you know why we have or haven’t chosen a specific kind of treatment, however if there is something you really do want we take that into account too. We know that sometimes you just want someone to get into your back and that’s ok, as long as we don’t think it’ll cause more harm!

At Formotion, the plan you’re given will consider all of this, and you’ll walk away with a clear plan delivered through our app software, which will include videos and a written summary of what we discussed. We’ve moved beyond the generic stick-figure handouts here!

The Follow Ups & Your Progress

It's easy to keep booking appointments indefinitely without ever really knowing if you're improving. Good physiotherapy sets clear, measurable goals early on and checks progress against them regularly, how far you can move, how much load you can tolerate, how your pain is trending. If things aren't progressing the way they should, the plan changes. You shouldn't be left wondering whether you're actually getting better.

We also know our own scope. If your issue is not progressing, or needs further imaging, a specialist opinion, or input from your GP, we will say so and refer you on, rather than continuing treatment that isn't going to resolve the real problem.

Putting you in control of your recovery

The goal of good physiotherapy isn't to keep you coming back forever, it's to get you moving well, understanding your body, and feeling equipped to manage things yourself, with a home program and self-management strategies that make sense for your life. You should walk away more capable, not more dependent.

This is what underpins our treatment style at Formotion. Our goal with all of our clients is to have you walking away feeling better, but to also feel more empowered for the future in the case of more pain or injury that life undoubtedly likes to throw our way!