Your First Appointment

At your first consultation, I will take a full medical history, and carry out a physical examination, which I will explain to you beforehand. This will often involve you making some movements so that I can examine areas to feel for tightness in the muscles and stiffness in the joints to identify any problems.

Sometimes, the cause of the problem may be in a different area to the pain; for example, pain in your lower arm may be linked to the nerves in your neck, so I may need to examine your whole body. I may need to undertake other examinations, such as blood pressure or nerve checks, or refer you to your GP for other tests, such as X-rays, MRIs, or blood tests.

Along with the medical history and physical examinations, I will always complete a comprehensive routine examination that checks for more serious diagnoses. I will advise and discuss any further action that might be required with you. Occasionally, I may diagnose an issue that I cannot treat and I may refer you to your GP or another appropriate healthcare professional. As with any health consultation, I will record this confidential information to form part of your health record. Please be assured, it will be stored in accordance with legal requirements for health, ensuring the privacy and security of your health information. I work to each clinic's privacy policy that I am based at.