Private physios, paying for MRI scans & torn shoulder problems

Nine_Lives

For some reason my threads on my shoulder problem are being deleted so i'll try keep this thread pretty general so it hopefully stays open.

I went to my GP after about 6 weeks of shoulder pain who said i'd torn something in my shoulder & referred me to physio, who i saw today.

The physio ran an assessment on me getting me to perform various motions. She said i was a bit of a mystery as 1 motion would flare up the pain, so she'd follow it with another motion she expected to hurt, yet it really didn't.

This continued for some time & she's now referred me to the main hospital physio dept. I've to call in 2-3 weeks for an appt as the list is long (strange system i think. Why can't i just call today for an appointment in x-weeks?!).

She said the pain had characteristics of a labrum tear & rotator cuff tear, but there wasn't 1 set thing that jumped out at her as "this is it".


I'm an impatient person & i want to get moving, so would consider going private.

Question is, 1) how do you go about seeing a physio privately (i've only ever gone through my GP - so the NHS) and 2) do they work weekends (or after 5:30pm) or do they generally not do that?

Final question is getting an MRI scan done privately - how do you go about this? We have an MRI scanner in our city, but i last had it on the NHS.
I've a feeling i'm going to be going round in circles, so i'm happy to pay (depending) to find out what really is wrong with my shoulder. I just don't know how to go about it.

sweaty_betty

K_P83 wrote: »

Question is, 1) how do you go about seeing a physio privately (i've only ever gone through my GP - so the NHS) and 2) do they work weekends (or after 5:30pm) or do they generally not do that?

Final question is getting an MRI scan done privately - how do you go about this? We have an MRI scanner in our city, but i last had it on the NHS.
I've a feeling i'm going to be going round in circles, so i'm happy to pay (depending) to find out what really is wrong with my shoulder. I just don't know how to go about it.

I'm sorry you're in pain - I've been in a similar situation and it can be rough going.

In my experience, it's very easy to see a private physio - you either look one up in the yellow pages or (preferably) get a personal reccommedation. They may ask if you've seen your GP about your injury, but as you have and you're going private because it's taking too long on the NHS, even if they ask for a referral note you should be OK. My GP actually referred me to a good private physio when it was going to take forever to be seen by the NHS. As an aside, my private treatment was much effective than the NHS treatment, but that's not to say it will be like that for everyone. In terms of hours, some physios will do "after hours" and some won't, you'll just need to ask when you're choosing one.

In terms of an MRI, in my experience you will need your GP to refer you, even if you go private. If you can convince them to do this (and I would hope you can from the sounds of it) then you need to find either a private hospital that does MRIs or get in touch with the private dept of the local hospital who do MRIs to get one sorted. I found there were quite a few private MRI scan places in my area that I'd never heard of before!

I think it'll cost anywhere from £300-600 for a private MRI. Once it's done they'll send a report back to your GP, who may then refer you on to a specialist.

Good luck and hope you get it sorted.

kittieviolet

If you are looking for a private physio, MCSP after their name denotes that they are registered with the Chartered society of physiotherapy, an MSc denotes that they have had further post grad study and MACP denotes a particular specialty in musculoskeletal disorders

lostinrates

For a private mri you need to find a private hospital with mri scanner, get a referral from a private consultant ( who may also see you nhs and refer privately). I did this with a different issue that required mri just a few weeks ago. Getting the referral was the most complex part. I was referred by an nhs/ private consultant i had not seen but whose junior doctor had seen me nhs, then saw the consultant nhs again( access to equipment required was not available privately).

Nine_Lives

Cheers guys.

Sounds like i'll have a bit of a challenge for the MRI scan then. Still, i'll have a look at seeking out a private physio as the system here seems really strange.

On the topic of which - have you encountered a similar system? It just seems a bit of a poor do to me to have to call in 2-3 weeks to find out if they have an appointment for me. I'm sure that their book is only fully booked so far, so why not stick me in on the next available slot. Hmm.

pmduk

You may find that appointments made too far in advance are often not attended by patients. Perhaps they've decided to limit advance appts to avoid this.

scrappie_2

As someone else has said, you can usually refer yourself to a private physio just by calling the practice. But personal recomendation is always helpful if you can get it.

On the subject of MRI, my previous experience has been that GP referals for MRI are usually not accepted. It tends to be a consultant lead service - but this may well not be the case in your area. I suggest you call the local MRI centres and ask about their specific rules of referal. It may be that you need to go back to your GP and ask for a private referal to an orthopaedic surgeon (who should then be able to request an MRI if needed).

I hope you get sorted soon.

sweaty_betty

K_P83 wrote: »

On the topic of which - have you encountered a similar system? It just seems a bit of a poor do to me to have to call in 2-3 weeks to find out if they have an appointment for me. I'm sure that their book is only fully booked so far, so why not stick me in on the next available slot. Hmm.

I was referred for NHS physio in January, I was told that they had a long waiting list. I eventually got a letter through in May telling me that they had space for me now and I should ring and make an appointment. By that point my private physio had sorted me out!

Back to MRIs - I've had 2 now, one on the NHS and one private, both were requested by the GP, then the decision to refer me to a specialist (or not) was made on the basis of the scan results. So as another user says, might be worth seeing how things work around you - but definitely try to push for a scan/referral with your GP if you can.

Nine_Lives

Thanks for the feedback.

I've fired off an email to one: http://www.thelancasterphysiotherapyclinic.co.uk/

As it seems to be just about the only one in the area really. Another one is some distance away.

Briefly outlined my problem, told them i've been assessed by a physio at the docs surgery, the waiting game problem as well as my hours of work concern (since my work kick up a fuss when you have appointments & the earliest i finish is 5:30pm).

Fingers crossed there'll be a positive response.

~Chameleon~

You might want to look for a sports physio and one who has ultrasound scanning facilities. In my opinion, they are much better and get faster results than NHS physios. Maybe have a look at http://www.hestbankphysiotherapy.co.uk/

Racheldevon

Private physios are easy to get appointments with - though quality varies hugely despite letters after the name. go by recommendation or look at staff profiles on their website and try to see someone with a specialism in shoulder injuries. For example at the one I go to there are clear profiles with the experience of staff listed. Generally many places offer either early morning/after work or sometimes Saturday morning sessions. Surely though your health is more important, and if not, perhaps you can negotiate a shorter lunch break or to make your hours up

I've had no issue int he past with getting the private physio to write a brief letter to my GP outlining the findings of their assessment, and recommendation (eg MRI) - sometimes this has been offered by my GP on the NHS, and sometimes i've gone privately.