to think I should have been given a woman?

[Deliainthemaking]

I have physio for my joints and went to a new clinic to start a newcourse of physio. was told to bring shorts and expecting to go to like a hall its all behind curtains like on a ward? but a bit more space and a little bed.

I was told to get dressed into my shorts by the nurse and told to wait for my physio instructor, expecting a woman ..in came this beefy bloke looked like MR motivator bless him

I was a bit in my shorts and fat legs

but I thought meh, physio not usually intrusive...wrong!

I had to lie down on bed usual stuff like feeling knees, but stretching my legs inwards he had to push down on back of my legs and his head was pretty close to erm...a certain area. Pushing my legs as far over my head as I could get them

I had to touch my toes , and had to keep touching the back of my legs to see tonage / hamstring stuff
I just felt self concious, seemed like a nice bloke but would it have been more appropriate for a woman to be doing this?

Or am I BU

You know YABU. He is a physio doing his job.

I know it will be seen as unreasonable but I kind of know what you mean. I went for a weekend spa and the therapist turned out to be a man, and the room he took me to was at the other end of the building, a makeshift room for the overspill.

He asked if I was comfortable with a man, for a full body massage and I said, 'truthfully, no, I won't relax the same, let's cancel this.' He was fine, said it happens all the time, and he wished the staff would tell customers at the point of booking they may have a male therapist.

Would it stop you going back op?

I think YABU to have expected a woman simply because YOU are female. He is no doubt a highly trained professional just doing his job.

However, YANBU to ask if there is any availability of female physios in future as you are more comfortable with a female, just like you could ask for a female doctor or any other health professional. But you run the risk that there might not be a female one available or that they might refuse your request.

In the end, if he does the job well does his gender matter?

Oh I have a male sports therapist and he is BRILLIANT despite having to put his elbows in my arse! (dodgy running injuries) initially, I was a bit but now am totally converted. He's a genius!

I am sure that he was professional and didn't find you in the least bit attractive. You seem to be suggesting that it was sexually inappropriate and that he in some way was getting a thrill from it- trust me he wasn't.

YAB a bit U. He is a professional doing the job he is trained to do.

YABU

if you are that worried/concerned/inhibited about a trained male giving you your treatment, you should have specifically requested a woman

he's not bothered about looking at your bits or copping a feel, he's sorting your your problems

Gottakeepchanging I didnt suggest that at all I clearly said it was more my issue

To him im just another pair of joints but in health care that can be invasive It would have been nicer to have a woman, I never said at any point he was doing anything wrong put that the organisation was a bit

some people have misunderstood the point I was making

Sorry to agree with the others but YABU - he's doing his job.

I wouldn't be bothered by a male physio I didn't know. An acquaintance is an osteopath though, and I would never go to him, although I've been told he's very good, because knowing him slightly would make it weird if he had to something like stick his elbows in my arse.

I think some people think I'm calling him a lech

YANBU

There was a case at a fancy spa a year or two ago - think it may have been that one near Melton Mowbray - where a masseur (spelling?) was prosecuted and found guilty for assaulting several female clients during the treatment. So it can happen. I am sure the vast majority are professional, though.

But I know what you mean Delia, its your personal preference, and like you, to me it woudl just feel a bit wrong. Because like it or not, the only time a woman usually gets that intimate with a man is when they're having sex!

On a related note, I always wonder why some male doctors choose to become gynaecologists. I mean, what's that all about, I could imagine some of them having dodgy motivation there, and it being some kind of power trip for them.

at Nadia... maybe it interests them as a field of medicine? Do you think paediatricians are paedophiles?

OP I think if this is the NHS, then YABU. They have limited resources and you should go with what you're given as long as they are treating you right. It's not the same as having an intimate examination: you had shorts on.

If you are going private, then whatever floats your boat.

YABU - I don't think you should have been given a woman. If this is something that bothers you, then you should have asked for a woman. You are the one who is being odd about this, so you should be the one to go out of your way to make an issue of it. The physio service doesn't have to go round guessing that you might have hang-ups about a man doing it.

Would you feel the same about having a male doctor when dealing with more intimate problems which may require examinations?

Nadia: On a related note, I always wonder why some male doctors choose to become gynaecologists. I mean, what's that all about, I could imagine some of them having dodgy motivation there, and it being some kind of power trip for them.

This was kind of what I was alluding too. Wpould a male gynae bother you?

Clearly it is an issue for NadiaWadia for some reason. I would never assume a male gynae was in it for the kicks Can't imagine it is very titillating tbh looking so intimately at female internal body parts.

yeah, nadia, coz if you are a bit of a perv, the easiest way to get your kciks is medical school ,then qualifiying as a consultant in your chosen field

I think YABU but I understand.

On a personal note I had years of pain and got past round the system and I ended up with a male physio and he was the best thing that happened. After being given injections for years I was expecting him to suggest the same but he said no. He was there to cure me and the injections just mask the problems.

He was fantastic!!

What about male midwives Nadia? Paedos? or just a man wanting to cop a feel?

"but stretching my legs inwards he had to push down on back of my legs and his head was pretty close to erm...a certain area."

a female therapist's head would have been just as close.

YABU he was doing his job.

YABU, they have enough things to worry about when scheduling appointments without having to think about unreasonable women feeling a little uncomfortable just because they have to wear shorts and get into some unflattering positions.

If you have an issue, it's up to you to ask for a woman, and maybe wait until one became available if it matters that much to you.

What are they supposed to do, make sure they employ the men and women based on the male and female patients they tend to treat? Or employ more women even though there may be men more qualified for the job?

I would say YABU, but having had physio as a teen for a leg injury and reading in the press a few years ago that he was struck off for indecent assault on patients, I understand your worries. Dont be fooled by someone being a position of authority and being a consultant, as this one one of the top consultant surgeons in the NW of England :(.

I had a knee injury, albeit a very serious one, due to an accident, and had to have two operations, and years of physio. Every appointment with him was with my mother present thankfully, but he always made me feel uncomfortable even then.