What To Expect From A Sports Therapy Assessment Session

The beginning of a session will typically involve you filling out an ‘Information Form’ and potentially an ‘Incidence Sheet’. The Information Form is completed to be able to get in touch with you, and it usually includes information relating to your Next-of-Kin and emergency details. The Incidence sheet is filled in to gain your perspective of the injury; when the pain started, how it feels, has it been getting better/ worse/ stayed the same etc. In any case, the first session is likely to include a lot of discussion so that the Sports Therapist is better able to understand the situation.

Posture and alignment are very important sections of injury assessment, and they can tell a lot about the ache’s and pain’s which are happening. Even if you are suffering from an Ankle injury, it is likely that you will be asked to stand up so the ST can evaluate your Spine and Hip alignment.

Once the injury background has been established, you will then move onto assessing the movement of the joint or body part injured. Each professional will have their own way and technique of assessment, but they will likely assess the joint or body part Actively, Passively and Against Resistance.

Active assessment involves you (the patient) completing the motion on your own. This segment tests whether there is mechanical dysfunction, mental blockage, or a combination of both.

The Active assessment can then be compared to Passive assessment which involves the Therapist/ Professional taking control of the joint/ body part and creating the same motions as before, but this time, pushing and holding as far as possible before pain/ discomfort begins.

The Resisted section is to assess the strength and function of the surrounding muscles. Again, there are different techniques to assess strength, but most will ask you to either push against their hand/ arm or hold the joint in a certain place whilst an external force is applied against it.

Another common assessment aspect is Palpation. This involves the professional feeling the joint/ body part, trying to physically feel a deformity or irregularity. For this section, you may be asked to remove clothing to expose the area being palpated (with reason) so that they do not interfere with the assessment. It is therefore recommended to attend the session in clothing which is easy to remove or exposes the area to a good degree.

The professional may also be inclined to assess the joint’s and body parts above and below the area of discomfort. This is normal practice to rule-out any compensations which your body may have created.

From this point, if the problem is clear to see and diagnose then you may be told what is wrong and what you are required to do from that point forward. For more complex situations, it may require looking back through notes and research before an accurate diagnosis or working hypothesis can be provided.

Following each session, whether it is just the first session or a regular treatment session, you may feel tired and achy. These can be normal experiences as your body is being worked on and put through it’s paces to heal a certain way, but if you are at all worried then there is no harm in checking with whoever you went to see.

Dominic Burchett

BSc (Hons) Sports Therapist

https://www.thephysiocompany.com/what-to-expect-from-your-appointment

https://equilibriumsportstherapy.co.uk/what-to-expect/