Our main focus during the first appointment is the diagnosis, which will enable us to treat the real cause of pain and not just the symptoms. This is done by taking detailed medical history notes, performing of a thorough physical examination of the patient, aided by the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound, and processing of all findings. After the diagnosis, we propose our treatment plan for addressing the problem.
Medical history
During the process of taking notes on your medical history, you will be asked questions about where your problem is, when it began and under what circumstances, characteristics such as the intensity and duration of the problem, from what it is affected and how it affects your activities and your life, and what have you done so far to deal with it to include: other therapies, medications, surgery, and lifestyle changes. You will also be asked questions about your general medical history related to coexisting diseases and illnesses, surgeries or accidents starting from your birth. If you bring along your tests (X-rays, CT, MRI, Blood tests etc) they will be studied and recorded in your medical records. Also, if you are taking medication for any problem it will be recorded as well.
Clinical examination and musculoskeletal ultrasound
Next, follows clinical examination which includes palpation, pressure at various points of the body, and other diagnostic tests. Furthermore, musculoskeletal ultrasound is performed at the problem locations or any other location that may be related to the problem, in order to identify possible damage, injuries, degenerative lesions, etc.
Diagnosis and treatment plan development
Having at our disposal data from your medical history and the findings from the clinical examination and musculoskeletal ultrasound we will be able to diagnose the cause of the problem. Diagnosis is followed by the establishment of the treatment plan, which will be the basis for the subsequent course of your therapy and allows you as a patient to have full awareness of what is to come next. Among others the treatment plan includes: the type of the proposed treatments, the indicative number of treatments for any different damaged location, the frequency of the treatments, the expected results and the corresponding cost of each treatment. In case you have been diagnosed for more than one damaged location, we prioritize them according to their severity to you and the order in which they will be addressed.
Please note that the special characteristics of each patient, and the individual’s needs are taken into account during the development of a fully personalized treatment plan. Factors taken into consideration, but not limited to, are: character, body type, health status, mobility and distance of residence (for people living outside Athens).
Finally, the development of the treatment plan is a dynamic process that takes into account the progress of the patient. In this regard, it may be modified by the physician during the course of the treatments in order to optimize the final result.