Physiotherapy with Ascenti

Physiotherapy is a recognised medical profession that can help you to elevate your health by restoring movement and function to the body if you are affected by injury, illness, disability or pain.

We uphold the highest standards of safety and take our responsibilities as a healthcare provider seriously, which is why we are a trusted partner to 14 NHS integrated care boards (ICBs) nationwide.

You will get more from your treatment with us if you are able to think about your issue and what you want to get out of your physiotherapy session beforehand. 

If you have had a problem for a long time, it can be easy to forget when things started and how the pain may have changed over time. Below are some questions that you are likely to be asked by your physiotherapist:

• What do you want to get out of the treatment session?
• Where are you experiencing any pain?
• When did the problem first start?
• Is there anything that could have triggered it?
• When is the problem at its best and at its worst?

With your consent, you may be asked to remove or move clothing so that they can easily access and treat the area concerned. For this reason, it is better to wear loose and comfortable clothing that can be easily taken off or moved. 

For example, if you are attending for a problem with your legs, you may wish to bring a pair of shorts. For assessment of your neck or arms, a strappy or sleeveless top may be useful.

If for religious or personal reasons you are not happy to undress, please inform your physiotherapist who will be able to adapt the treatment if necessary.

Your physiotherapist will ask you to tell them as much as you can about your issue. They will need to assess you and look at the area of your body causing your problems, so you should be prepared to remove some clothing if necessary.

Your physiotherapist will explain what your issue or injury is likely to be and the ways that we can help to treat the problem. There may be some time for treatment at the end of the session, but this will depend on your condition. 

In rare cases we may find that we are unable to treat people and that they need to be referred to a specialist. For example, if you have a broken bone or need surgery. 

Your appointments will last up to 30 minutes, including time for discussion, treatment, taking notes and answering any questions you may have.

The type of treatment you receive will vary depending on your own personal circumstances, injury or condition. Learn more about treatment with us. 

If your treatment includes manual therapy techniques your physiotherapist will provide you with advice about managing any post-therapeutic effects, which may include avoiding any strenuous activity and applying ice to the area.

If you need to check, cancel or re-schedule an appointment please call us on 0330 678 0851. 

Ascenti’s virtual physiotherapy service is when you have a consultation with one of our physiotherapists using video call or telephone instead of meeting with them in a clinic. 

Before you are booked in for a virtual physiotherapy appointment with Ascenti we will ask you important questions about your symptoms. This is usually in the form of an online physio symptom checking tool and helps us to make sure that virtual physiotherapy is right for you. 

As soon as you book an appointment with us you will be able to download and use our patient app, an important tool where your physiotherapist will prescribe you with exercises and advice to follow after your appointment. 

Virtual physiotherapy is an alternative to a face-to-face in-clinic appointment that can save you time and offer great results, or what we would call ‘strong treatment outcomes’. 

Research shows that the right management of injuries and conditions early on helps people to recover faster and stops problems from becoming bigger in the future. 

Unfortunately, people often put off seeing a physiotherapist because it can be hard to take time out to visit a clinic in the day or challenging to travel if you are suffering with pain or mobility issues. 

Virtual physiotherapy is an amazing solution to this. It can connect you with a trained physiotherapist at the touch of a button and from the comfort of your home, work or wherever you need to be. 

The Ascenti Physio app, which forms part of the Ascenti virtual physiotherapy service, also helps you and your physio to track your progress and how you are getting on after your appointment. 
 

Yes. Ascenti physiotherapists deliver our virtual physiotherapy service. 

These physiotherapists are the same highly trained clinicians who deliver our in-clinic services and see patients in person. They are not temps, trainees or people that we contract the work out to like a call centre. 

Ascenti physiotherapists are qualified medical professionals who receive a minimum of 100 hours of protected training and development time annually and are registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC). 

Ascenti’s virtual physiotherapy service is very similar to a first time face-to-face physiotherapy appointment with us in clinic. The physical assessment is modified but we still ask you to show us how well you can move and may ask you to perform certain tests or tasks while we watch. 

It is a fully qualified and professionally trained Ascenti physiotherapist talking with you and running through the same set of assessment questions that they would ask in clinic. 

If anything the assessment questions are actually more detailed to account for the virtual setting. 

Ascenti’s virtual physiotherapy service is safe and effective. 

It is a fully qualified and professionally trained Ascenti physiotherapist talking with you and running through the same set of assessment questions that they would ask you in clinic. 

This assessment will rule out any serious underlying cause or what we call a serious pathology, and flag any issues that need to be investigated in the same way as a face-to-face appointment would. 

Our virtual physiotherapy service is subject to the same high levels of safety and quality testing as all of our services and systems - learn more about governance and quality at Ascenti. 

The main element of any first physiotherapy appointment, whether in clinic face to face or over video or telephone, is an assessment of the condition or injury. 

This assessment typically includes questions about your problem and your physiotherapist asking you to perform certain movements. 

Your virtual physiotherapy appointment will include all of these same elements and will likely be structured like the below:

• Hello and introduction. 
• If you provided information to us before your appointment then your physio may check some details with you. 
• They will talk with you to learn more about your condition, symptoms and lifestyle. 
• They may ask you to perform certain movements on the video call so that they can assess your function. 
• Your physio will provide you with advice about how to treat and manage your condition. This will include access to our patient app, where your physio will set you up with an account that includes exercise videos and treatment advice personalised to you. 
• Depending on if it is needed, you may be booked in for a follow up virtual physiotherapy appointment or face to face appointment in clinic. 
   

To get the most from your virtual physiotherapy appointment with us we recommend that you follow five simple steps:

1) Carefully read the guidance that we send you by email confirming your appointment and share any additional information that we need from you before-hand.  

2) Find a location that offers you privacy for your virtual physiotherapy appointment. You may need to perform movements or share personal information. 

3) Make sure you are in a location where the physio will be able to see and hear you clearly. 

4) Get your phone or laptop set up beforehand and make sure you have good signal and battery. 

5) If you have any problems or need to cancel your appointment please give us as much warning as possible by contacting us.