What To Expect When Expecting an Appointment with Method?

Whether you are trying a new salon, going to a doctor’s office for the first time, or shopping at a grocery store across town, your experience can vary widely from place to place, and thePhysical Therapy world is no exception. While the differences from one clinic to the next may not equate to “better or worse”, they will generate different experiences and perhaps, variable outcomes. We want our clients to choose our clinic based on our specific expertise, our mission, our approach, and our commitment to creating customized treatment plans for success. Read on to learn more about what you can expect from us!

What should I expect at my first appointment?

At your Initial Evaluation, regardless of why you are coming to us, we obtain a detailed snapshot of who you are: your current complaint(s), your history, your goals, and probably a whole lot more than you ever thought we would want to know! Everything–e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. is connected…or at least it could be!

We respect your privacy and honor your story, so we encourage you to share any pertinent information that you are comfortable sharing, but we will never press you to indulge beyond your level of comfort.

If you are seeing us for an orthopedic condition, the next step of the evaluation process typically consists of various tests and measures determined appropriate by your therapist. If you are coming to us for a pelvic floor condition (ie urinary/bowel issues, pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, post-partum care, etc.) your therapist may suggest a pelvic floor assessment at this time (more on that in just a moment). Just as we honor your story and your privacy, we respect your decision to move forward with that or not, which is a conversation we invite you to have with us!

If you are coming in for individual or couples’ sexual counseling, we will keep it to verbal discussion, goal setting and formulating an action plan.

We vow to meet you where you are at–every day–without expectation or pressure. In fact, we celebrate autonomy and saying “no” when the time is right! You are in control, we are here to help.

What should I expect at follow up appointments and what should I wear?

Dress comfortably! Depending on your customized treatment plan, your therapist may request that you wear specific footwear or clothing. Each session is one-on-one and will be curated specifically for you and your goals. Depending on what you are being seen for, home exercise programs and recommendations will vary from session to session and person to person. We value the impact that manual therapy has on recovery and healing, so in addition to exercise and education, you will likely receive a fair amount of “hands-on” therapy throughout your care.

About this “Pelvic Floor Assessment”...What should I expect and why?

Before getting too anxious, remember that we will never make you do anything you are not in agreement with. You are in control. That said, if you are coming to us for a condition that we feel may be related to pelvic floor dysfunction (more about that here: link Blog on Pelvic Floor), we may recommend a pelvic floor assessment. Imagine coming in for shoulder pain and not having your shoulder examined–it would be pretty difficult to get an accurate idea of what’s going on and to create a customized treatment plan!

We are all specifically trained and highly experienced in the assessment of all pelvises! Generally speaking, the pelvic floor assessment entails both an external and internal exam. For those assigned female at birth, we typically assess the vulva and vagina (similar to a GYN visit, without the speculum) for tissue integrity, pain, muscle function including range of motion,strength, endurance, and coordination. For those assigned male at birth (and sometimes for females depending on your complaint/comfort level), we perform the internal pelvic floor assessment with a digital rectal exam.

We will discuss this in detail during your initial appointment, where questions/concerns are welcome! The goal with any assessment is to gather information so that we can formulate a customized treatment plan that is specific, effective and efficient. Although pain provocation may be necessary for assessment purposes, our intention is to keep the exam and subsequent treatments as comfortable as possible!

We encourage ongoing and open dialogue throughout your care, will always do our best to honor your comfort level, and will always obtain consent. Come have a chat with us…we will figure the rest out together!

Should I expect to exercise during my appointment or at home?

Hopefully a little bit of both! We try to establish a home exercise program early on and progress/modify it as appropriate. When adding a new exercise to your program, we will typically review them during your session to ensure they are tolerated and appropriate. Because your time and energy is valuable, we try to maximize your sessions as much as possible. This may mean that we expect you to do exercises at home so that we can utilize your treatment time for interventions you are unable to access/perform at home. This is something that will be discussed with your therapist based on your customized treatment plan. We will do our best to meet you where you are at, and provide you with a practical but effective home exercise program.

Should I expect to see the same therapist every visit?

You may notice a common theme here–YOU are in control of your care plan, so if that is something that is important to you, then by all means, let us know and we will make it happen!

All of our therapists have overlapping yet diverse training and areas of expertise, so we makeevery effort to schedule you with a therapist that will suit your specific needs. Your evaluating therapist typically remains who you will be working with, however, one of the perks of working alongside other talented therapists is having access to them for questions/concerns or for sharing. So, if your primary therapist believes, for any reason, that you would benefit from working with another therapist, that is a discussion the two of you can have as necessary.

Should I expect Method to be like other Physical Therapy clinics?

We are not like most clinicians. At Method, we take our time to truly listen to you so we can figure out what is happening in your body – creating a customized treatment plan devoted to helping you reach your goals. One benefit of cash-pay practices is that insurance does not dictate the pace, approach, or plan. This is why we are able to offer effective, efficient, customized treatment plans considering your goals, your time and budget, your body, and your success. We are committed to offering all of our clients our full attention, curiosity, and motivation throughout their care. We do our best to help you navigate whatever journey–big or small, simple or complex–you are on. We love what we do and are constantly continuing to grow in our field so that we can provide the best one-on-one care you can find!

If you are interested in making an appointment or have any questions, please email us at info@methodptnm.com.