Neurodiversity information for parents and young people
After your physio appointment
We have explained your diagnosis to you and given you treatment and advice. The following information about pain and activity should help you to manage your exercises and recovery.
Pain
As you recover, you may continue to feel some pain. Use the traffic light system to know if you should continue with your exercises or an activity.
How much pain do you have, on a scale of 0 to 10?
0 means no pain, 10 is the worst pain
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More than 7 out of 10 | STOP Stop what you are doing. |
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4 to 6 out of 10 |
CAUTION |
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Less than 3 out of 10 |
GO If you do have mild pain during an exercise or activity, it should settle within 2 hours of stopping. If an activity brings on pain which lasts for a long time, you may be doing too much. Try to do less and see if your pain is better managed. |
Remember, this is just a guide.
It is very normal (and actually a good thing) if your muscles feel sore or tired during or after your exercises. This means you are working hard, and your body will improve.
Load
Pain or injury is often caused by your body being overloaded. This means it is not strong enough for the work it is having to do.
The stronger you are, the more your body can manage before you get pain or injury.
The exercises your physiotherapist has given you are designed to help get you stronger. So, your exercises must be challenging. If they are easy, you will not get stronger.
Pacing
It is often very easy to get stuck in a ‘boom and bust cycle’.
This is when your activity levels go up and down because of your pain. When you have a good day and your pain is low, you will do more activity. This spike in activity can increase your pain again. This may cause you to rest and avoid activity until the pain settles. Once the pain improves, your activity levels spike again, and the cycle repeats.
So, pace yourself. Spread out your activities into small manageable amounts and manage your load. This is to avoid the cycle of pain and flare-ups.
Consider walking as an example. You may find that you are able to walk for 10 minutes with no consequences, but 15 minutes of walking increases your pain. So, aim to go for a 10-minute walk most days. Do not walk for longer than this to avoid flare-ups. This will help you get into a pattern of regular exercise without boom-and-bust. After a few weeks of consistently doing this, your body will be stronger. Then you can try to increase your regular walk (for example, 12 to 15 minutes most days). After another few weeks, you can increase it again and hopefully continue with this pattern.
By doing this, you can get into a routine. Being consistent is the only way to improve. Your body needs regular and consistent exercise for at least 6 weeks before your muscles start to grow and you become stronger.
Your muscles get weaker much faster than they get stronger. Being stuck in a boom-and-bust cycle means you are regularly losing strength. You will not be able to consistently exercise so you will not see the long-term changes and benefits.
Working out the best routine for you is not always easy and may take some time. If necessary, ask your physio for advice.
Managing pain
Even with the best pacing and physio advice, it is still possible to have a flare-up (a significant increase in your pain).
If you do have a flare-up, the best thing to do is try to settle it back down as quickly as you can.
- Avoid everything that causes the pain or makes it worse.
- Discuss with a pharmacist what over-the-counter pain relief you can take.
- Try a cold or hot pack on the affected area. Both can relieve pain, but see what works for you. (Never apply cold or hot packs directly to bare skin.)
Follow-up
We do not expect you to need another physio appointment. However, we will keep the option for an appointment open in case you need it.
This is called Patient Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU).
If you need to, you can call and book another appointment with your physio any time until _______________________________________________.
If you do not contact us by this date, your referral will be closed and you will need a new referral to be seen again.
We recommend you book another appointment if:
- your symptoms have not improved after 8 weeks or more of following all your physio’s advice
- your symptoms get worse and do not settle back down within 2 weeks.
If things are improving slowly but you still have some pain, we advise you to wait before contacting us. Your symptoms will probably continue to improve.
If you are not sure if you should book another appointment or not, call us and ask for a telephone appointment. This will allow you to speak with your physio and see what they recommend.
Extra help
- We recommend you download the 'getUbetter' app. This app is developed by physiotherapists to help improve your pain. It gives you personal exercise plans and advice. It can also be used to further develop your exercise program and treatment.
- Ask your physiotherapist if you want more information on your specific condition.
Contact information
Teddington Memorial Hospital
Musculoskeletal (MSK) Central Booking Office
Telephone: