Physiotherapy FAQS

How long will it take for me to get better and how many sessions of physiotherapy will I need?

This is entirely determined on an individual basis, and Em will estimate a realistic recommendation based on your initial assessment. Time frames for healing vary greatly and can be influenced by many things such as the severity of the injury, current pain levels, the anatomical structures implicated, adherence to advice and exercise, individual medical history and many other lifestyle factors. Most patients need at least a few follow up sessions after the initial consultation if they wish to gain meaningful change from physiotherapy.

What does a course of physiotherapy sessions look like overall?

A comprehensive course of physiotherapy generally progresses a patient through 3 stages.

1.)   Early rehab: Education plays a big part of the first initial stage, so that patients understand the more about their pain: how to manage pain, gain an understanding of what may be contributing to pain and reducing aggravating causes of pain. It will begin ground work to calm pain, improve mobility and strengthen the areas of the body that may be implicated. This may be through gentle exercises, hands on treatment and advice on how to modify activity at home.

2.)   Mid stage rehab: Once the pain patterns are better understood, the second stage is to begin progressively loading the body through a targeted and tailored exercise program. This will be designed by the physiotherapist, and will have your assessment, individual exercise level and goals in mind.

3.)   End stage rehab: Once showing sufficient strength gains, pain reduction and tolerance to progressive exercise, the final stage is harder rehab: so not only have you treated your injury, but you will build yourself stronger than you were even before the injury! This can greatly vary depending on your individual goals: for those with sports goals, it will include harder exercises and sport-based testing procedures. For those with less impact-based goals it may include advice on general maintenance for an ongoing preventative approach to their health.

How long does each of the stage of physiotherapy last?

This is also entirely determined on an individual basis. A large factor in progress is your own willingness and efforts to engage in the physiotherapy exercises. However, no two patients are ever the same and how quickly a body can adapt to a given stimulus is multifactorial. It can be influenced by things like genetic factors, medical history and lifestyle factors such as sleep levels, exercise experience, diet, stress and smoking/drinking history.

Is it better to do a follow up online or in person?

Whatever works best for you and your schedule! There are of course benefits to both: in-person means the Em is there and can provide hands on treatments and adjustments to your exercises – therefore the best choice for those that are less confident in their execution of exercises. Online of course gives greater flexibility to fit physiotherapy within your schedule, and though hands on will not be possible, Em has years of experiencing demonstrating and verbalising exercises through a virtual setting – therefore a good choice for those confident following verbal/visual instruction. Em will always send a summary of the prescribed exercises (with videos if needed) after all appointments whether online or in-person.

What if my exercises have started to hurt when I do them alone at home?

Sometimes what felt fine when you did them with Em, may feel different once you try them yourself at home. Exercise prescription can sometimes be a trial-and-error process and Em will guide you to find the version of an exercise that will suit you best at that given point in time. Please email physio@emthomsonyoga.com if symptoms change or have a reaction to the exercises and Em will respond within 24-48hours.

What do I do if there are changes to my symptoms or I have concerns/questions between my physiotherapy appointments?

You are always welcome to email physio@emthomsonyoga.com for any concerns/questions you have in between sessions. However, Em may take 24-48hours to respond, so if change in symptoms is sudden, severe, or troubling please contact 111 or your GP for emergency medical advice.

Last Updated: 18th August 2026