When going to a physiotherapy appointment it helps to wear loose/stretchy clothing, or clothing that makes it easier to access the area being treated. If you would prefer not to expose the area, it helps if your clothes are at least stretchy, so the therapist can at least see how your joints are moving to help with their diagnosis and treatment.
Whether you are seeing a Doctor or a physiotherapist they will often want to inspect the area that they are treating. The reasons for this is it gives them a much better idea of what they are treating, so they can decide if you need scans or other tests or what treatments my or may not be acceptable. Seeing the area can help your physiotherapist check for swelling, redness, bruising, skin changes or movement limitations. This can guide the assessment and help decide what treatment is appropriate. As you can understand the tests and treatments for a suspected infected knee would be vastly different from a sprain or arthritis.
They can also visualise for swelling, which again can be associated with inflammation, or can be from another underlying condition.
Exposing the area being assessed or treated can help your physiotherapist do a more accurate assessment. It allows them to see how the area moves, check for swelling or skin changes, and feel how the joints or muscles are responding during movement.
However, your comfort always matters. Some areas are easier to expose than others. A knee or elbow may feel straightforward, while low back, hip, gluteal, hamstring or pelvic areas can feel much more private. If you feel uncomfortable, anxious or would prefer not to expose an area, please tell your physiotherapist.
A good example is pelvic floor physiotherapy. An internal pelvic floor assessment can provide valuable clinical information, but it is only done with your informed consent. It is also not always required, especially at the first appointment. Even when an assessment would be clinically useful, your physiotherapist can work around your comfort level and start in other ways.
This may make the assessment a little less direct, but it is still important that you feel safe, respected and in control of what happens during your appointment. Your physiotherapist will explain what they are doing, check your consent, and adapt the appointment where needed.
To get the most out of your assessment, it helps if we can actually see and move the area we're treating. Here's a quick guide depending on what's bringing you in.
| Area being assessed | What to wear |
|---|---|
| Neck or shoulder | A singlet, loose T-shirt or top that exposes the shoulder |
| Lower back | A loose top, with shorts, leggings or flexible pants |
| Hip | Shorts or flexible leggings |
| Knee | Shorts are ideal |
| Ankle or foot | Shorts or pants that roll up easily, plus the shoes you wear most often |
| Running injury | Bring your running shoes |
| Pelvic floor | Comfortable clothing that's easy to change in and out of |