Consultation forms are used commonly in settings where information about an individual needs to be gathered such as at an Osteopath, Physiotherapist or a Massage therapist.
The initial part of a consultation form is a patient’s personal details; full name, address, phone numbers, emergency contacts etc. This information will be gathered onto our client base so that if the patient was to return it would make accessing their details a lot quicker, easier and would save time.
At You Massage Therapy we tailor every treatment to the individual, so during the consultation we find out what the patient is looking for, whether they would like a relaxing treatment, whether they have a medical condition or whether they have a particular injury that needs to be addressed. This in turn will help the therapist decide which treatment would be best if not already known. For example if someone had pulled a muscle or needs to correct their posture a Sports or Deep tissue massage would be more beneficial to ease the pain and if someone would like to relax due to stress then maybe a holistic massage or Indian head massage may be more beneficial.
A large part of the consultation form is to discuss if there are any medical or health concerns as there are some contraindications to massage with certain medical conditions such as blood/heart conditions, pregnancy, infections, cancer, medication and allergies. In some cases this does not mean that the patient cannot be treated but the therapist will need to be made aware in case of emergency and to apply the correct techniques. Whereas in other cases a patient should not be treated unless a qualified health professional has agreed treatment would not be detrimental. It is also beneficial to the therapist to have an understanding of any past injur
ies, accidents or past medical conditions that may have affected the muscular or skeletal system such as herniated discs, broken bones, torn muscles/ligaments or whiplash. This will help the therapist to identify problem areas that may be causing pain or restriction and help them un
derstand in alteration in a patient’s structure such as lordosis or an over pronated foot. If there is some pain being felt, how bad is it on a scale of 1 to 10 and what does it feel like?
It will be beneficial to know some lifestyle questions as well such as any exercise routines, working patterns, diet and water consumption and sleeping patterns as all of these can affect our structure.
The main aim of a consultation is to gather as much information as possible about a patient in a small amount of time to help the therapist as much as they can in what the patient is looking for in their treatment and in helping to set up a treatment plan for the patient to try and make a difference to the particular issue in question.
Throughout the month of April 2013 we are offering ALL our NEW CLIENTS a FREE CONSULTATION, so why not take this opportunity to book your first appointment with us and have a FREE chat.