Online Physiotherapy… “How does that work?” I hear you say! Although many of us rightly associate physiotherapy with a hands-on approach, it can still be highly effective when delivered remotely online.

Yes, that’s right, under the guidance of a Physiotherapist, hands-on therapy can be replaced with education and self-management techniques that can be completed at home via a friendly online approach.

What to Expect with an Online Physiotherapy Session?

A typical online physiotherapy session will involve a subjective assessment. This is where the physio will take an in-depth history of your complaint(s) and ask specific questions to ensure any serious conditions are ruled out. This part of the consultation will be similar to that carried out in a clinical setting, except it will be conducted via a secure video connection.

Once all the relevant information is collected, the objective examination will be conducted. This is where the therapist will guide you through relevant functional movements, a postural screening, range of motion and special diagnostic tests.

The therapist will observe you move and will be able to see the quality of your movement and assess whether there is room for improvement.

Also, the session gives you the opportunity to explain what hurts and what doesn’t. The therapist will get an idea of your movement preference at this time of injury/pain. These movement tests also can help provide a clearer picture of what might be going on.

Exercise prescription to practice on your own in between sessions

The therapist will then discuss these findings with you, offer reassurance and talk about interventions and things that you can do at home to facilitate your recovery and most likely prescribe some exercises, which will be emailed to you via our exercise programming tool (it’s easy to access and follow).

If your programme requires equipment, the therapist will recommend where to purchase these items affordably or give you alternatives that you may be able to find around your home!

Once you have had some time to start your home programme, the physio will arrange another follow-up video consultation in order to review your programme, make sure you’re happy with it and check to see if you could do with some progressions.

This will also give us the opportunity to reassess these movements/tests, check for improvements and it gives you an opportunity to ask any further questions.

This will ensure the effectiveness of your home programme which will aid your recovery.
Article written by Physiotherapist Abi Onuoha (MSc MCSP)

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At Nordic Balance, we want to help you feel your best, no matter the situation. As well as online personal training and virtual classes, we are now offering remote, online physiotherapy.

We are offering an initial 15-minute consultation via video chat for free. This will enable our team to understand if and how they can help you.

Find out more about online physiotherapy and remote classes on offer at Nordic Balance.

We are also offering free remote physio sessions and classes to support NHS staff during this time. Contact our team to find out more.