An outline of an Initial Assessment Athletic Therapy appointment

By: Samantha Ilas CAT(C) 

Is it your initial assessment appointment for Athletic Therapy? or maybe you’ve been interested in seeing a Certified Athletic Therapist but you want a glimpse of what an appointment would be like… Well, look no further, this blog outlines what an initial assessment is like at Insahyu!

What to bring to my appointment?
• shorts for lower body injury
• tank top or short sleeve for upper body injury

What is the difference between an Initial Assessment Appointment vs. Subsequent Appointment?
Initial Assessment Appointment
• first athletic therapy appointment at the clinic and it lasts 60 minutes;
• involves an in-depth patient history, observation, testing, treatment, and personalized home-exercise program

Subsequent / Follow-up Appointments
• appointments after the initial assessment
• shorter in duration, either 30 or 45 minutes
• involves the same components of an initial assessment but patient history and testing is condensed

Outline of Initial Assessment Appointment:
1. Patient Information
• Patient will fill out forms
• AT will ask several questions about patient and their injury / area of pain (patient history)

2. Observation
• change into proper clothing and removal of socks
• a quick scan of the patient’s posture is done from 4 different views
• patient walks back and forth; and walking is observed

3. Testing Various tests are done based on information from patient history Includes:
• Clearing joints above + below the injured/painful area
• Range of Motion
• Special tests
• Functional and Neurological tests (if needed)

4. Palpation
• Areas surrounding the injury and painful area are touched by AT and non-injured side may be palpated for comparison

5. Assessment
• An explanation of what the injury / condition is and the factors that may have caused and/or contributed to injury
• Referral to appropriate practitioner OR for imaging (as needed)

6. Treatment
• An explanation of the treatment and rehab plan for this appointment and going forward will be discussed
•Involves:
• Manual therapy
• Therapeutic modalities
• Exercise prescription
• Bracing and Taping as needed (stay tuned for a blog post with info about these treatment options)
• AT uses a combination of these treatments based on injury/condition, their preference, and additional training from continuing education courses

Hopefully the information above helped paint a picture of what to expect for your initial assessment appointment! If you have any questions or inquiries, do not hesitate to reach out to us by calling the clinic at 204-885-9292 To book an appointment with our Certified AT’s at Insahyu:

• Click on this link: https://insahyu.juvonno.com/plogin.php OR
• Call the clinic at 204-885-9292

Team Insahyu looks forward to seeing you soon!