. . . to be completely mystified by what just happened?!

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Just had a physio appointment for a suspected sprained Achilles.

Expectation: I would go in, give a history, physio would examine me, move me around a bit, look at my posture/alignment etc., maybe an ultrasound of the area, given some exercises to do and told to come back in a week.

What actually happened:
Laid flat on my back, made to do knee raises and leg lifts while he tapped the soles of my feet, abruptly slapped my calf muscles, poked around my knee with a sharp wooden stick, told to touch the side of my neck with two fingers, and he even occasionally tapped me on the nose.

Yes. TAPPED ME ON THE NOSE.

I left, completely bewildered, with tape along my calf muscle.

I have no idea what just happened. I was so shocked that when he replied "functional neurology" to my question of "er . . . so, what was that?!" I just accepted it, said thank you, smiled and left.

AIBU to think that was an absolute waste of £50?!

@PaulineK32 I'm not sure what rocktape is but I'm guessing it is, if it's the stuff that they put on to support the muscle - I feel like this was the only conventional thing that happened during the whole appointment!

I had an endocrinology issue but was sent to a neurologist to rule out certain other problems. She did similar tests which I remember laughing at so it may well have been genuine. It was testing reflexes etc.

Oh it turns out he is a registered physiotherapist!

I think I might go back, see what happens next 😄

What we put up with! I onc went to an ENT specialist who banged a tuning fork, held it to my head, and asked me where I heard it.
My ears. I said.
Anywhere else? he asked.
umm. No.
He then diagnosed me completely incorrectly with Menieres.

It sounds like the physio was trying to rule out a neurological reason for your sprain. Does it present like a floppy/dropped foot?

I totally agree that you are not unreasonable to be miffed though, they should have explained what they were doing (but I’m a little glad they didn’t, cos it’s really made me laugh, sorry!)

I can’t get the image of you being boinked on the nose out of my head 😂

Not like any physio I’ve had. I saw an osteopath once, very different to others I’ve seen, who lightly touched me and felt more “spiritual”. It was odd but weirdly I felt better after, it did last long but maybe a placebo effect even if I’m a sceptic.

Physios tend to be medical like you expected. I’m seeing a sports trainer type therapist at the moment who sorted an ankle issue recently. It’s really varies by the therapist even in the same discipline.

I saw a neurologist years ago, and I had weird tests too. A tuning fork on my feet and I had to tap my nose.

I have an injury which can cause neurological issues but never had a physio tap me - I’ve seen ten or more. Only neurosurgeons did that.

I can’t get the image of you being boinked on the nose out of my head neither can I 3out and, sorry OP, I can't stop giggling about it it's just so strange.

I’ve had neuro tests done, just things like ‘follow my finger’ and ‘put your finger on the tip of your nose then touch my finger, then touch your nose, repeat’ etc, but they never tapped my nose 😂

Physio or quack? I saw a Chinese chiropractor once (in my defense he had been recommended by a friend as a physio and I didn’t check) who did the nose taping thing to realign some energy bullshit.

I can understand being asked to touch your nose when your eyes are closed - yes it's a legit neurological test. But him touching your nose - that's different.
I've seen a few chiropractors and osteopaths in my time and although some of them were not keen on analgesia, they were all very keen on cold / hot treatments (20 mins cold followed by 20 mins heat - or it could be the other way around..) but physios are usually fine with analgesia. DP's one was positively enthusiastic about it after his knee op.

I suggest you contact the clinic and ask them for clarification as to diagnosis and treatment as I don't think it's worth another £50 of your hard earnt, - unless you're up for a bit of entertainment rather than treatment !

We live in Germany, they are fans of woo here. DH had physio a year or so ago, he broke both his feet and for various reasons the doctors couldn't work out if they were actually broken or just badly bruised for weeks and weeks and there was a wait for an MRI so he got sent for physio. "Ask for manual lymph drainage" said the doctor. DH looked scared. I had to google it to find out it was a type of massage (we were envisaging needles draining fluids and so on). So he booked the physio and had six sessions IIRC.

The first couple were fine but the manual lymph drainage turned out to mean massaging random other parts of his body like his back, neck and thighs in order to "promote blood flow" or something. Was weird. Then for the final session he got this mad sports therapist guy who promised to get him back on his feet in no time and started to do all of these really hard massages on his calves etc. Poor DH was nearly crying. Sports massage guy then insisted that he should push himself, go walking on it every day etc and insisted it was definitely muscular.

When DH finally got his MRI appointment and hobbled into the place to be measured and then into the second office to have the DVD read the doctor was totally horrified "You shouldn't be walking!" he exclaimed. "You have broken your foot in five places!"

They then worked out it was too late to bother doing any kind of repair operation, so now he just has one permanently broken foot and can't run any more.

Is it k-tape he's put on? I'm currently using that for an Achilles strain and all the other bits that are falling apart from old age , it's absolutely brilliant for muscle and joint injuries.

No idea about the nose thOugh, was he a kinesiologist too?

When i was in A&E with stomach pain i was asked to press the second knuckles of both my index fingers together. Too out of it at the time to ask what for, I asked medic friends later but they didn't seem to now either.

Are you sure you didn't just join the masons?

@BertieBotts that's awful! Your poor DH!

Sounds like a neurological exam but not a good one!
By the way, the tuning fork on the forehead is a legitimate hearing test! Doesn't diagnose menieres though...

soulrider I'm guessing they were testing for finger clubbing? Google shramroths window and see if it's what they asked you to do.

Nose-tapping = neurological testing.

I'm guessing they were testing for finger clubbing? Google shramroths window and see if it's what they asked you to do.

It was 2nd and 3rd knuckles together, not fingernails. I think our conclusion was someone who didn't know what they were doing (it was a med student)

I had (NHS) physio for Achilles/ankle problem before Christmas. Consisted of looking at posture, checking mobility of ankle joint ( pushing against his hand, twisting foot from side to side, foot raises etc.) General feel round the foot/ankle. No ultra sound, but exercises and come back in 3 weeks to check progress. I do a fair amount of excercise ( probably overdoing it was my issue) and he was keen to get me back to it. Another appointment then 6 week ankle class.
No nose tapping.
Have to say that I have never had a chiropractic appointment like that either and my chiro encourages analgesia.

Functional is a polite way of saying you are making it up, but may not be making it up consciously. Are you sure he wasn't asking you to touch your nose and then his finger? That would making more sense?

*Oh it turns out he is a registered physiotherapist!

I think I might go back, see what happens next 😄*

Take your own chopstick !