Hands-on healthcare asks a lot of people. You may be partially undressed, lying down, being touched by someone you've just met, in a room with the door closed. For many that's unremarkable. For plenty of others it is genuinely difficult.
People avoid or discontinue care for reasons that have nothing to do with the treatment itself — and that's a clinical problem, not just a customer service one.
Who this affects
- Survivors of trauma or assault, for whom touch and enclosed spaces can be activating
- People in larger bodies who have experienced dismissive or weight-focused treatment elsewhere
- LGBTQ+ patients, particularly trans and non-binary people, who may have had their identity handled poorly
- People from cultural or religious backgrounds with specific expectations around modesty and same-gender care
- Disabled patients, where physical access and transfer assistance are practical prerequisites
- Anyone who simply finds the situation uncomfortable and hasn't felt able to say so
What good practice looks like
Explain before you touch. What you're about to do, where, and why — every time, not just the first visit.
Ask, and mean it. "Is this okay?" only works if declining is genuinely easy. Making clear that no is an acceptable answer costs nothing.
Treat consent as ongoing. Agreement at the start of an appointment isn't blanket permission for everything that follows. It can be withdrawn at any point, including mid-treatment.
Offer choices. Undress only as much as needed. Keep draping generous. Many techniques work perfectly well through clothing.
Use the names and pronouns people give you, and fix mistakes briefly rather than making the patient manage your discomfort.
Make the room work. Somewhere private to change, accessible equipment, and clear information about what to expect before arrival.
Don't comment on bodies unnecessarily. If weight is clinically relevant, discuss it respectfully and with consent. If it isn't, leave it.
Why it changes outcomes
A patient who feels uneasy will guard, tense, and under-report discomfort — which directly degrades the quality of both assessment and treatment. They're also less likely to complete a course of care, and outcomes in musculoskeletal conditions depend heavily on follow-through.
Comfort isn't separate from the clinical work. It's a condition of it.
Our commitment
You're welcome to bring a support person, to ask what a technique involves before agreeing to it, to decline anything, and to change your mind partway through. None of that will affect the care you receive.
If there's something that would make treatment easier for you, tell us when booking — see our accessibility commitment for more.