Visiting a physiotherapist can be an overwhelming experience. Often, your client might have waited a long time before seeking help, hoping their issue will go away by itself. By the time they reach your practice, they have a million things going through their heads.
Chances are, you have physiotherapy clients from all age-ranges with varying degrees of physical ability. And often, you’ll prescribe them a set of exercises to do until their next appointment. During your meeting, you have to describe their issue using terminology they’ll understand, while not avoiding important medical language.
To you, it’s quite simple. To them? Perhaps not.
What Happens After a Physiotherapy Appointment
You might have shown your clients which exercises they should be doing and got them to do each a couple of times to help guide them. Then off they go with an appointment for a month’s time.
What happens next? Your client heads home or to work and the appointment is out of their minds. Later in the day or even the next day, they remember they have physio exercises to do.
Now…was it this angle or that? Was this one against a wall or freestanding? Did I need to tie that resistance band to something solid or can I just hold it? Huh.
Physio appointments can contain an overwhelming amount of information for clients, even though at the time they’re keeping up. When they leave and start to process that information, they may realise that they’re already beginning to forget the finer points.
This is where you can provide extra information to help.
Using Videos to Aid Exercises
If clients forget the exact exercises, they’ll be less likely to follow the plan. They may even perform the exercises with improper form and not get the benefit.
By having a set of video tutorials available on your website or YouTube channel, you can direct clients to the individual videos that outline their exercises.
You don’t need fancy equipment, presenter-level camera confidence or an influencer-esque backdrop. You just need a reasonable quality camera capable of filming and recording sound, a tripod and yourself.
You can edit videos in YouTube directly or use third-party party editing software. As the videos will usually be short and straightforward, the editing won’t be challenging either. Your clients aren’t looking for fancy videos, they just need to know how to do their exercises.
The American physiotherapists Bob and Brad are a great example of how simple and funny videos can help people all over the world follow physio exercises for various conditions. While you might not intend to become a YouTube sensation, giving your clients short videos to follow could well help them stick to the plan you’ve created.
Start by creating a list of common exercises you often find yourself prescribing. Set up your camera and demonstrate the exercise with a simple explanation of what it’s supposed to achieve. Just as you would talk face-to-face with a patient, the presence of a camera doesn’t need to put you off.
Top Tip: If you really hate it, get a colleague to hold the camera, focusing only on the body part doing the exercise and keeping your face out of it!
Upload the video with a clear title and make it easy for your clients to find online. You can group videos together too, such as Videos for Back Pain or Videos for Knee Pain.
Other Types of Useful Video Content for Physiotherapists
How-to videos are immensely popular as they’re often much easier to follow than written instructions. You can produce a range of how-to videos to help your clients live stronger, fitter lives.
Here are a few example ideas:
- How to Use a Resistance Band for Strength Training
- Quick Warm-Ups and Warm-Downs for Runners
- How to Stretch at Your Desk
Videos that prepare your clients for visiting you can also be very well-received. If you offer services like acupuncture or cupping, some clients will never have experienced these forms of therapy before.
Having short videos of the therapies in practice will help clients understand what to expect and alleviate any concerns. Videos like this may also help those on the fence about getting in touch, actually make that call.
Offer Added Help to Your Clients and See Your Business Thrive
It’s easy for us to assume that when we explain something to somebody else, they’ll immediately know and remember what we’re talking about. But attending a physio appointment can be stressful or even intimidating. Letting your clients know that they can double-check their exercises by watching your videos helps take away the pressure.
By producing short, simple video content, you provide massive extra value to your clients. It also gives you more content to post online to attract new clients and show why your practice is a great choice for them.
If you’re looking for high quality equipment for your physiotherapy practice, check out our products. We have our very own resistance bands called SpoBand, which offer greater benefits than thin, latex disposable bands. We also provide cupping sets, acupuncture needles and a wide range of clinic products.
