Physiotherapy assessments Q & A Q. What is the purpose of a physiotherapy assessment?
A. To ascertain and measure the extent and the cause and source of the pain and disability which the patient is experiencing.
Q. Why is determination of the true level pain or disability important to a physiotherapist ?
A. In simple terms you need to know what is wrong and why it is wrong before you can resolve the problem. Physiotherapists are experts in determining what the patient can or cannot actually do.
The assessment will involve:
- Taking a full history of the injury/pain
- Obtaining relevant past medical history from the patient
- A full physical examination of the musculo-skeletal system
- The examination includes the use of objective measurement of functional capacity and range of active movement.
- The area of pain and referred pain are recorded. This enables the therapist to monitor the response to treatment and different techniques which may be employed in the rehabilitation process.
- Physiotherapists are particularly skilled in ascertaining particular areas/or origins of the pain.
- Palpation (touch) and the patient's reaction to palpation are key factors in determination of the nature and extent of the patient's problem.
- During the course of an assessment (which will take up to 1 hour) the therapist will be continuously checking the response to investigation of the extent and nature of the injury. It is hard for patients with no genuine symptoms to maintain a consistent response during this assessment.
- The findings of the assessment are recorded in a format for review by the treating therapist to check inconsistencies in response.
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