FAQ
Q. What happens in the Initial Consultation?
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First we go into a in depth history of your problem, not only how it is affecting you now, but how it started and the path that got you to where you are now. There are clues here that are important to developing your plan.
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We then go into the physical examination, this is a lengthy process.
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We work to probe your issues and identify pain triggers, weakness, and the injury.
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Once the detailed history and examination are complete, we then have an excellent idea of what is causing your problems.
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Next, we go over corrective exercises to address your weakness as well as management strategies to eliminate your pain triggers and desensitise your nervous system.
There is a lot to go through, which is why we allocate 90 minutes for the initial consultation, which is very rare in this industry.
We also value educating you about your condition, by the end of the consult you will have more knowledge about your injury than any other clinician has provided you in the past. One of the main goals of our expert consultations is to educate you about your injury so you can manage it and move on without the pain!
Q. How long will recover take and how many appointments will I need?
Unfortunately, we do not have a crystal ball, the truth is that there are so many factors that influence recovery it’s hard to tell how long it will take, sometimes it can take a few months to desensitise your nervous system and settle your pain down, everyone is different.
We only ask is your give your injury time to recover, but also for you to develop new and healthy habits to avoid your triggers.
There are many interventions that exist today to give immediate pain relief, however they are generally short lived, expensive and in the long term not as effective as building your capacity and learning to avoid your pain triggers.
Q. What if I don’t get better?
We never give up, we will work with you to improve as much as we can, but sometimes further management is needed.
We will guide you to one of our trusted medical specialists for further intervention, which we can then build upon.
Q. What about the McGill Method?
You have likely been referred here after reading or seeing videos of Professor Stuart McGill in Canada.
Nick Adkins is currently the only BackFitPro certified McGill Method Clinician in Victoria and one of five in Australia.
We have adapted the McGill method to work with all injuries, which in a nutshell is:
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In-depth assessment --> remove triggers --> build capacity.
Q. What do I need to bring with me to the Initial Consultation?
Just yourself! If you have a carer or someone to assist you, they are more than welcome to join you.
We recommend wearing loose comfortable attire you can easily move around in.
You can bring in previous imaging results (x-rays, MRI’s etc), but it is not required, they only tell part of your story!
For ease of access, please add Ares Strength Allied Health as a provider with the radiology clinic you had your imaging at.
Q. Do I need a referral?
No referral is needed, however if you are under a third party compensation scheme such as Medicare or Workcover; a GP referral (or case manager approval) is required before you can claim a rebate on our services.