FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW OFTEN WILL MY CHILD NEED PHYSIOTHERAPY?
This is dependent on a few different factors, such as your child's age, type of injury or condition, severity of their presentation, functional limitations and the goals they/you would like to achieve.
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Your physiotherapist may advise that you have regular reviews if your child presents with an acute injury, or they may provide you with a home exercise programme to work on before attending your next follow-up appointment and progressing treatment. For conditions that are more long term your physiotherapist will discuss the frequency of appointments that would be beneficial for your child and explore how this can fit into your family's lifestyle and routine.
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Your physiotherapist will always discuss and adjust the frequency of appointments with you, in order to suit your child's needs.
WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING TO MY PHYSIOTHERAPY APPOINTMENT?
To allow us to complete an effective and thorough assessment, we may require your child to partially undress in order for us to visually see the affected area, conduct certain manual therapy techniques and any massage therapy. This of course will only be done with a parent present and with full parental consent. With this in mind, please ensure your child attends their appointment wearing loose-fitting clothes - it is always a good idea to bring a pair of shorts to your appointment if you would like your physiotherapist to assess lower limbs.
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If your child is of a young age you may also want to bring something that relaxes them such as a dummy or their favourite comforter, as this will help focus their attention and keep them calm.
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It is also always very useful when parents bring any clinic reports or investigation results with them if they have them to hand, as this makes the assessment process easier, however it is not essential.
DO I NEED A DOCTOR'S REFERRAL?
No you do not need a doctor's referral to be seen at RVCP. If you wish to book an assessment give us a call or head over to our contact us page and complete the the online form and we will get in touch with you to discuss your requirements.
WHAT AGES DO YOU TREAT?
As a general rule we treat children from birth to 16 years, however some children with certain childhood conditions may still require oversight from a paediatric physiotherapist past this age due to the specialised nature of these conditions. If this is not the case, it may be more appropriate for the patient to be seen by an adult physiotherapist, of which we have a number of recommendations.
HOW QUICKLY WILL MY CHILD BE SEEN?
This is dependent on your own availability and the location of which you need to be seen, however at RVCP we aim to provide an appointment within 48-72 hours from the time you contact us.
AFTER THE FIRST APPOINTMENT, HOW LONG DO TREATMENT SESSIONS LAST?
The length of any subsequent treatment sessions depends on your child's presentation, the condition being treated and their exercise tolerance - some children tire quickly and benefit from more regular but shorter treatment sessions, whereas other children may need slightly longer sessions of up to an hour or more to maximise the physiotherapy treatment effects.
CAN MY CHILD RECEIVE PRIVATE PHYSIOTHERAPY IF WE ARE ALREADY SEEINGÂ AN NHS PHYSIOTHERAPIST?
Yes. It is that simple. We can provide private sessions for your child whilst they await their NHS appointments, or we can provide them treatment in addition to their established NHS appointments. Our clinicians liaise regularly with various different NHS disciplines such as other physiotherapists, occupational therapists, respiratory nurses, consultants and GPs. It is generally advised that each service your child is under is made aware of who is providing treatment and what stage they are currently at - this allows all healthcare professionals to ensure treatment is effective, efficient and limits any potential therapy crossover.
WHAT CONDITIONS DO YOU TREAT?
Head over to our What We Offer page to see a list of conditions we assess and treat. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the conditions listed, or how your child may or may not fit into these brackets, then please don't hesitate to contact us for further info.