Patient Experience

Dr Thompson is committed to offer you an outstanding experience throughout your journey as a patient. He has friendly, efficient and experienced secretaries who will help guide you through the journey.

initial consultation

You will normally book in for an initial consultation with Dr Thompson, at a suitable time and location for you. The initial consultation typically lasts 30-40 minutes.

The initial consultation will involve a conversation with Dr Thompson where you will provide important details about your problem to help guide his assessment. He will explore the issue and gather any additional information he feels could be helpful.

Mature Male Patient In Consultation With Doctor In Office

Physical examination

Dr Thompson will usually then perform a thorough physical examination guided by the presentation and initial conversation. The examination is likely to focus on a specific body part, however, he also considers the whole body and any biomechanical deficits that may have an impact. For example, poor foot positioning and mechanics can have an impact on knee pain.

Based on the findings from the history and examination Dr Thompson will usually have a good idea of the possible diagnosis. He may choose to utilise certain investigations to confirm or refute a diagnosis.

Ongoing Management

Dr Thompson will formulate an ongoing management plan with regular reviews over an appropriate time frame depending on your issue.

This may involve providing you with a combination of initial exercises, lifestyle modifications and medications. Ensuring you get the highest standard of care often involves working alongside other allied health professionals as part of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT). The MDT can involve physiotherapists, podiatrists, osteopaths, strength & conditioning coaches, soft tissue therapists, dieticians/nutritionists, radiologists, surgeons, psychologists and neurologists to name just a few.

Dr Thompson will then act as your ‘case manager’ or focal point of contact, co-ordinating your care and ensuring you get a high quality joined up service.

Physiotherapist helping patient to do exercise on fitness ball in physio room.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of scans or tests might I need?

Depending on the suspected diagnosis there are a variety of different types of tests that may be required.

Diagnostic ultrasound can be used as a very useful tool to provide an immediate diagnosis and often assess the severity of an injury. This is particularly useful in tendon injuries but can also be used in muscle, joint and bone problems. All of the clinic rooms are outfitted with high quality ultrasound machines, and Dr Thompson has expert training (i.e. PGCert in Diagnostic MSK Ultrasound) in their use for instantaneous diagnosis of sporting injuries.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is another common imaging modality utilised in the Sport & Exercise Medicine Clinic. This is a very safe scan which gives detailed information about the soft tissues and bones without exposing an individual to any radiation. You may be sent for an MRI scan at one of the very high quality facilities with whom we work.
Dr Thompson also has easy access to an extensive range of other investigative tools, such as Computed Tomography (CT) scans, nerve conduction studies, blood tests and any other investigation which may be deemed appropriate in your case.

What other treatments are available?

As well as being a very effective tool for rapid diagnosis, ultrasound can also be used to aid treatment for certain types of injury. Dr Thompson offers diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound in all of his clinics. He is committed to using the least invasive treatment options available whenever possible, however on some occasions, other interventions – such as joint injections – can be required. Whenever possible Dr Thompson uses ultrasound for accurate guidance when performing these injections in order to make them as safe as they can be.