How I work · Physio + Medicine
Physiotherapy and rehabilitation medicine: one team
I see patients inside physiotherapy clinics. That is not a figure of speech: it is how my practice is set up. The physiotherapists who treat my patients are, in many cases, my colleagues at the clinic, and the coordination between their work and mine follows a protocol, not improvisation.
The idea in one sentence
Physiotherapists and rehabilitation physicians bring different expertise to the same recovery process.
The physiotherapist assesses and treats function and movement. I bring the medical assessment, the tests and the medical treatments when they are needed. Each professional decides within their own field and, when we work in coordination, you keep a single recovery process.
Four situations where a medical assessment can complement physiotherapy
A recovery can stall for many reasons, and not all of them are medical. But there are specific situations where a medical assessment can add information or treatments that help the physiotherapy work. Four frequent examples — not the only ones:
When it's not clear what is keeping the problem going
- Sometimes the value of the consultation is not a procedure: it is reviewing your history, examining you and interpreting the tests you already have
- It may end in a change of plan, a specific test… or in confirming that the process is on track and just needs time
- Leaving with a more precise diagnosis already changes the physiotherapy work
The tissue won't give any more
- Frozen shoulder (capsulitis): the retracted capsule limits movement no matter how hard you work
- Calcific tendinitis: the calcium deposit keeps the pain going
- Hydrodilatation or ultrasound-guided barbotage can help here; afterwards, your physiotherapist works to keep and extend what was gained
The joint is «full»
- With an effusion, the pressure inside the joint inhibits the muscles: no matter how hard you try, they don't respond
- First it is drained (ultrasound-guided aspiration), then it is activated
- Without that pressure, muscle activation work makes sense again
Certain nerve entrapments
- Carpal tunnel and other entrapments: an irritated nerve can turn exercise into pain
- In selected cases, ultrasound-guided hydrodissection can be considered — it frees the plane the nerve glides through
- Afterwards, your physiotherapist's neural mobilisation work faces less of a brake
Weeks into physiotherapy and something isn't moving forward?
Check availability →And after a medical treatment — what happens to your sessions?
It is the question I hear most often, and there is no single answer: the plan depends on the technique, the area treated and your case. This is how I organise it in my practice:
Early movement and physiotherapy
In some procedures, such as hydrodilatation, physiotherapy can be part of the plan from very early on, when indicated, to build on the improvement achieved.
Adjusting the load for a while
Other procedures, such as a corticosteroid injection or a nerve block, call for reducing the load or activity for a short period before returning to your routine.
The specific plan — what to resume and when — I give you at the consultation, for you to fit in with your physiotherapist; when we work in coordination, we both know the plan.
When does adding a medical assessment make sense?
Three typical situations where the medical view adds to the process:
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A hard knock with swelling
Before working on the area, it helps to know what is inside: in-consultation ultrasound answers that in the same visit.
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Pain that keeps you awake or locks you up
When pain is in charge, it needs to come down first so you can work. That is a situation where medical treatment opens the door to physiotherapy — it does not replace it.
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Sessions behind you and still not improving
Before repeating the process, look for the reason it stalled: review the diagnosis, examine, and decide whether a piece is missing.
Are you a physiotherapist, or do you run a clinic?
This is how I work with physiotherapy teams
- Medical assessment with ultrasound at the consultation itself, without taking the patient out of your clinic.
- A written diagnosis for the team: which structure, what was done and which line of work makes sense.
- A written return-to-work plan after each treatment, individualised by technique, area and case.
- The patient remains yours: my job is to contribute the diagnosis and the medical treatment when it is needed.
Would you like us to assess your case as a team?
Bring what you have — reports, scans, what your physiotherapist has told you — and in one consultation we decide the next step. And if everything was on the right track, I will tell you that too.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to leave my physiotherapist to see you?
No — quite the opposite. My practice is set up to work with your physiotherapist, not instead of them. I see patients inside physiotherapy clinics, and if you come from another clinic or on your own, you take the assessment home in writing to share with whoever treats you. There is no need to change professionals.
What does my recovery gain from a doctor and a physiotherapist working together?
Information and time. A physiotherapist works better knowing exactly which structure is affected and what was done at the medical consultation; and a doctor decides better knowing how you have responded to physiotherapy. When both work with the same information, steps are not repeated and the plan is adjusted sooner.
After a medical treatment, when do I go back to my physio sessions?
The plan is individual: it depends on the technique, the area treated and your case. After some procedures, physiotherapy can continue from very early on, when indicated; others require reducing the load or activity for a short period. I give you the plan at the consultation so you can fit it in with your physiotherapist; when we work in coordination, we both know the plan.
I'm a physiotherapist — how can I refer a patient or propose working together?
Write to me through the contact page. I work with physiotherapy clinics in and around Málaga: medical assessment with in-consultation ultrasound, a written diagnosis for the team, and a clear return-to-work plan after each type of treatment.