"Fantastic Physio Experience"

I’ve had joint problems for many years and along the way have had many experiences of feeling dismissed and having my pain minimised because I “look ok” - something which has often led to me feeling physio appointments were a waste of my time previously. Today however I met with Physiotherapist initials SK (who I think is team lead) for an appointment in Ballymena Health and Care Centre and my perception on physiotherapy completely changed.

SK took so much time to listen to my frustrations with grace and compassion, acknowledged my pain and most importantly made me feel heard and my feelings validated. The entire appointment I felt like he acknowledged my prior gym experience and didn’t patronise me by assuming I had no knowledge of exercises, but instead worked to build on what I already knew and really motivated me to get back in the gym by understanding the mechanics behind my pain and what types of exercises might help to improve things for me.

I felt like I was treated like an equal, and I was shown so much respect that clearly evidenced what I would guess is an internal belief that the patient is an expert in their own body and have the right to be involved in their care.

At no point did I feel rushed or uncomfortable and I greatly valued the regular check ins to ask if he was interpreting what I said correctly and giving opportunities for questions. Having worked for the trust previously, I understand how under pressure for time staff can be - so the time taken to offer support did not go unnoticed or unappreciated.

I left feeling incredibly excited and motivated about my health and feeling empowered to do something which can hopefully help with the pain. Most importantly I left feeling so thankful and relieved that I was seen, heard and understood when it came to my pain. This is exactly how patient care should look and feel which is why I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge such a fantastic experience - particularly after having not-so-good experiences - because it takes effort, hard work and dedication to your job to provide something as impactful as this and that’s something which deserves recognition.

Not only is SK so well suited to their career, but they also seem to be the perfect person to be a team lead to guide and direct the vision of others. I only hope that this reaches senior management so that he gets the recognition he rightly deserves.