Frequently Asked Questions
If you have suffered an injury or are in any sort of pain or discomfort seeing the team at Goldfields Physio is wise. Don’t let those aches, pains or niggles impact your life or become a bigger issue or a major injury.
We know it can sometimes be a daunting experience to seek treatment for an injury if you’ve never seen a physiotherapist before and don’t know what to expect.
Here we answer some common FAQs, to put your mind at ease before seeing us for the first time.
With injuries, early intervention and fast treatment is advised, as it helps to prevent a small issue from turning into a larger one.
Early treatment also optimises recovery times as the right treatments and preventative measures can be put in place. We recommend not delaying treatment and are happy to help you arrange an appointment at our clinic as soon as possible.
All of our physiotherapists and allied health professionals are all qualified and nationally registered to treat patients without medical referral. If you are able to claim a rebate for physiotherapy or exercise physiology services from a private health fund, this is possible without a medical referral.
A medical referral from your general practitioner is necessary only if:
You have been injured at work and your case is being managed by Workcover; or
Your treatment is covered by Veterans Affairs; or
You are claiming your treatment expenses through a 3rd party claim
You are seeking treatment through the Medicare Chronic Condition Management Program.
Yes, payment is required on the same day of service at Goldfields Physio. Payments can be made by cash, credit and EFTPOS. Our facility is equipped with HICAPS.
This depends on your condition and your comfort is important to us.
For neck and back problems your physiotherapist will require you to remove your shirt. A singlet may make you more comfortable for these types of assessments.
For hip and leg complaints the physiotherapist is likely to ask you to remove your trousers. Shorts are recommended.
For women’s health physiotherapy appropriate draping and coverage will be provided.
For pre-employment and functional capacity testing it is recommended that you wear gym or loose comfortable clothing and appropriate footwear.
Your first appointment will generally take place in the treatment room. To begin with, your physiotherapist will ask you a series of questions about your medical history, previous injuries and your current symptoms. The physiotherapist will gather as much information as possible and then assess you so they can diagnose the problem and determine the best course of treatment. It’s important to remember that the best sort of treatment may not be hands on, it may in fact be a series of exercises or alterations to your workstation.
The appointment should take up to 40 minutes.
This varies significantly from person to person, depending on the nature and severity of your problem. Your therapist will devise a treatment plan tailored specifically for you, which is designed to give you the best possible outcome. They’ll advise you on how many sessions they think you’ll need. This could change as your treatment progresses, depending on how well you respond to it.
This depends on what the problem is. Physiotherapists are trained in a wide variety of different techniques, and your physiotherapist will decide which methods are the most appropriate for you.
Some of the most common treatments include:
Manual therapy (stretching, resistance and joint manipulation)
Massage
Trigger point therapy (applying direct pressure to the problem area)
Acupuncture or dry needling
Posture correction
Exercises and stretches
Your treatment plan is likely to involve a combination of some or all of these techniques. It could also involve other treatments such as hydrotherapy or acupuncture.
Yes, you can. It’s your body, and if there’s any element of your treatment program that you feel uncomfortable with or would prefer not to try, you need to tell your therapist. None of the treatments they suggest are compulsory.
Yes, your treatment plan will include a number of exercises for you to do at home between sessions. These will play an important part in the speed and extent of your recovery. It’s important to be committed and remember to do them as often as your treatment plan suggests.
We have provided more detailed information on our services within this website. We encouraged you to explore our services pages and conditions we treat pages to gain more information.
If you still have questions or would like to know more, please contact us, and our team will be happy to answer any more questions you may have.