Our online virtual appointments at goPhysio have now been part of what we do since March 2020. These appointments offer reassurance, expert advice and guidance and allow your treatment to continue without delay to your recovery.
‘Telehealth’ has become somewhat a buzzword over the last year. Telehealth or virtual or online appointments, is the provision of health-related services and information via telecommunication technologies. While It may seem a strange idea to carry out physiotherapy consultations online, rather than in person, in this unprecedented times whether you’re practising social distancing, shielding or in isolation, it allows remote patient-therapist contact, monitoring, care, advice, intervention and education to continue, without delay, to your recovery.
At goPhysio we are now offering online video consultations, so you can continue to receive treatment at home.
With the latest official #StayAtHome advice, the logistics of leaving the house to attend a face to face appointment may be a little more tricky.
Although we remain fully open for face to face care, this option may not be advisable or the best choice for everyone.
Our ultimate aim is to continue to provide people with MSK injuries and symptoms treatment and support at home throughout these uncertain times. So, we offer you a range of ways in which you can access the help you need. This also takes significant pressure off the overstretched NHS and local GP services.
goPhysio’s Director, Fiona, noticed the initial uptake for tele-health during this pandemic was a little slow.
Even on Monday this week people were calling around, asking if we were open. We explained the decision we had made at the end of last week to support social distancing, but there was reluctance to try a ‘virtual’ service.
March 2020
However, as we have experienced the increasing and decreasing restrictions, people’s behaviours and expectations have started to change and demand for this service has grown.
There are many benefits to online consultations.
Despite the complete disruption and unprecedented circumstances we are facing, people are still in pain and getting injuries. NHS MSK services have understandably been considerably scaled back and GP appointments have to be prioritised.
So, we want to make sure we are still here to help you when you need us. We believe we still have a very important role to play in keeping people active, moving and healthy. We want to help make sure that our invaluable key workers are still able to do their work. By being able to provide tailored, individualised and realtime support, education and advice, we can help ease your pain and with recovery from your injury, albeit in a slightly modified way.
Paul Baker Clinical director at gophysio is realistic about the benefits of tele-health.
Virtual appointments won’t be as effective as traditional hands-on therapy and treatments for everyone. It will however provide a great alternative option to manage, maintain and improve your MSK injuries and pain helping you live an active life, pain & injury free’.
Most importantly, it will help provide reassurance and support when people need it and may be feeling isolated, alone and without their normal support networks in place.
Virtual appointments are particularly useful for patients who want:
- An accurate diagnosis and exercise plan.
- Reassurance and injury advice.
- Progression of exercises.
Whether you’ve suffered a relapse of your sciatica or need post-operative guidance and advice, I advise you to get in touch with us on 023 8025 3317 and we can realistically discuss your prognosis and whether tele-health would be helpful for you.
You can book your online consultation here or call us on 023 8025 3317
#MoveWithgoPhysio