Questions patients ask

No. Physiotherapy is a first-contact profession in South Africa, so you can book directly without seeing a doctor first. Many patients do arrive with a referral, particularly after surgery, and that is helpful because it comes with the surgeon’s protocol — but it is not a requirement.

Most medical aids cover physiotherapy, though how much and from which part of your benefits varies a great deal between plans. Rikki will confirm exactly how billing works for your plan when you book — the simplest thing is to ask before your first appointment, by phone or WhatsApp, so there are no surprises.

It is worth checking with your medical aid what physiotherapy benefit you have left for the year, particularly late in the year.

Mostly talking, at first. Rikki will take a proper history — what you do all day, how you sleep, when it started, what makes it better and worse. Then a physical assessment: movement, joints, muscle strength and length, and a neurological screen if the symptoms call for one.

You will usually be treated in the same session, and you will leave knowing what Rikki thinks is wrong, in plain language, and roughly how long it should take.

Allow around 45 minutes for a first appointment, which includes the full assessment. Follow-up sessions are usually shorter. Chest physiotherapy and home visits vary, and Rikki will tell you what to expect when you book.

It depends entirely on what is wrong. An acutely locked neck often eases substantially within two or three sessions. Long-standing back pain that has been building for years takes longer, and depends partly on what you do between appointments. Post-operative rehabilitation follows the surgeon’s protocol and is usually measured in months rather than weeks.

You will get an honest estimate at the first appointment. This is not a practice that books you an open-ended course of treatment.

Yes, across Parktown North, Parkhurst, Westcliff, Victory Park, Craighall Park, Rosebank, Linden, Greenside and Emmarentia. They are most often used by post-operative patients before they are cleared to drive, older patients, and children needing chest physiotherapy.

Send a WhatsApp with your suburb and what you need, and Rikki will confirm what is possible and what it costs before anything is booked. There is more on the home visits page.

Something you can move in, and that allows access to the area being treated — shorts for a knee or hip, a vest or strappy top for a shoulder or neck. If you have had scans, reports or a surgeon’s protocol, bring them or photograph them on your phone. If you are being treated for a running injury, bring the shoes you actually run in.

Yes. Sports injuries in school-age children and teenagers are a regular part of the week — hockey, rugby, netball and athletics in particular. Rikki also treats babies and small children needing chest physiotherapy for bronchiolitis or a heavy chest, which is often better done at home.

Chest work is rarely something that can wait, so please phone rather than booking online or emailing. Rikki will fit you in as soon as she can, at the rooms or at your home. If you are unwell enough to be uncertain, see a doctor first — chest physiotherapy works alongside medical treatment, not instead of it.

Yes, and it is the fastest way. Online booking runs through the practice booking system and is open around the clock, so you can book the appointment at eleven at night when the pain is keeping you awake rather than waiting for the practice to open.

Let Rikki know as early as you reasonably can, by phone or WhatsApp. Appointments are one-on-one, so a slot given up in good time can usually go to someone waiting.

No. Sessions are one-on-one and built from your assessment, because precision matters far more than repetitions and technique cannot be corrected in a room of ten. Rikki is both the physiotherapist and a certified Pilates instructor, so the programme is designed by the person who knows your injury. There is more on the Clinical Pilates page.