Are you wondering how physio consultations via video call can work for you when you're injured? Isn’t the physio supposed to poke and prod your injury to get a diagnosis and then massage you to make things better? In this article, I explain how we safely and accurately assess, diagnose, and treat patients' injuries via video call and what you can expect from such a consultation.
In this article:
Quick overview of the booking and consultation process
Select your consultation type.
Select your physiotherapist.
Pick a date and a time for your video consultation.
Pay with a debit/credit card or PayPal.
You'll receive a booking confirmation email containing the details for your meeting.
Download the Zoom app on the device you plan to use for the video call.
Test if you can connect to the meeting by clicking on the link in your booking confirmation email – you can do this as many times as you like.
Ten minutes before your meeting is due to start, connect to the meeting by clicking on the Zoom link in your booking confirmation email.
Your physio will join the call at the time of the meeting.
You'll receive a written treatment plan with videos of the exercises (if relevant) after the meeting.
👉 We usually email the reports shortly after the consultation, but they can sometimes get blocked by the email providers and end up in your Spam folder. If 24 hours have passed since your appointment and there's no trace of it in your Spam folder, please contact info@sports-injury-physio.com.
How we diagnose injuries via video call
We're often asked how we can diagnose an injury if we're not in the same room as the patient. Don't we have to use our hands to assess it? In truth, touching a patient doesn't add much to the diagnosis.
No single test for diagnosing injuries is 100% accurate. To make a diagnosis, a physiotherapist or doctor has to combine information from the following:
Really listening to the patient. We have an in-depth discussion about how the injury started, how it reacts to different activities during the day, what their medical history is, any medication they may be taking, what sports or activities they are currently doing (including the nature of their job), and what they want to be able to do once they’ve recovered. We allow 45 minutes of consultation time when we see a patient for the first time so that we can really get to grips with their circumstances.
Movement tests and stretches. These are easily done online; the video feed allows us to demonstrate the movements and observe how the patient performs them.
Pressing around the injured area if necessary to further confirm the diagnosis. We guide our patients on how to do this.
Scans. These are only necessary if we cannot diagnose the injury with the methods explained above.
👉 We always refer patients to their doctor or hospital emergency department if we suspect that they have a serious injury that requires treatment that we can't safely offer.
How does online treatment work? Don't you have to touch me?
Physiotherapy is incorrectly seen as being mainly massage therapy. Massage can be helpful for short-term pain relief (if it is done correctly), but it will not fix your injury nor prevent it from returning.
An injured muscle, tendon, or joint usually means that the body part in question cannot deal with the forces and loads placed on it by your normal daily activities and sport as well as before. The only way to restore its strength, endurance, and load tolerance is by following an exercise plan that starts at the right level for your specific injury and circumstances and then progresses in line with how the injury is healing and what your end goals are.
We easily and effectively provide these bespoke plans to our patients via video call. More on this below.
What to expect during your video consultation
These are the steps we follow to ensure an accurate diagnosis and to create a treatment plan that is designed around your needs:
We get to understand the history of your problem, exactly as we would do in a clinic, by asking you questions.
Following that, we ask you to do a series of tests and movements, and we watch you doing them on-screen. These tests and movements are exactly the same as we use during in-person consultations in a clinic.
To see all the areas of your body that we need to assess, we may ask you to move your camera/phone/laptop around. It is best to be in a room with little or no interruptions, like it would be in a clinic, and you will need enough space to sit, stand, and lie down.
We demonstrate the rehab exercises we’re prescribing, and then it’s your turn to do them on-screen so we can check that you're doing them correctly.
After the appointment, you will receive a report on your injury and what we have discussed during the assessment. This will include your personalised exercise programme with pictures and/or videos and a training/activity plan for the next few weeks.
👉 If you have a complex injury or have a lot to discuss, you physiotherapist will prioritise the most important steps to provide a basic treatment plan to start with. They will then continue your assessment and add more components to your treatment plan in the follow-up consultations.
What you'll need
A mobile phone, laptop (with webcam), tablet, or similar for the video call. It works best if your device can be moved around during the session, e.g. placed on the floor.
A stable Internet connection – Make sure you are connected to a reliable Wi-Fi network to avoid interruptions.
A quiet environment where you won’t be interrupted.
Space to lie down, sit, and stand – Your physio will likely ask you to perform movement tests.
Comfortable, loose clothing – Your physio won't ask you to undress, but might want to see the injured area to assess things like swelling (if necessary).
Preferable but not a necessity
A portable chair, e.g. a dining table chair or desk chair
Pen and paper
A ruler or measuring tape
Some wall space
Your body is very good at healing itself as long as you provide the correct environment. Online physio lends itself perfectly to treating injuries as we help you to help your body do just that with expert advice and a tailor-made exercise prescription.
Why not ask us if your condition is suitable for treatment online?
More about us
We're all UK Chartered Physiotherapists with Master’s Degrees related to Sports & Exercise Medicine. But at Sports Injury Physio we don't just value qualifications; all of us also have a wealth of experience working with athletes across a broad variety of sports, ranging from recreationally active people to professional athletes. You can meet the team here.
