Before-Your-Appointment Checklist

The first five minutes of any consultation is history-taking. Arriving with these answers ready makes them count.

• When did it start, and what were you doing?Sudden with an injury, or creeping on over weeks? This single fact steers the whole assessment.
• Point to it: exactly where does it hurt?One fingertip spot, a spreading area, or pain that travels down a limb are three different stories.
• What reliably makes it worse?Stairs, first steps in the morning, lying on it at night, sitting long? Write down two or three.
• What makes it better?Rest, movement, heat, medication you have tried and how well it worked.
• Is it getting better, worse or staying the same?The trend over weeks matters more than how it feels today.
• What has it stopped you doing?Do not skip this oneWork, sport, sleep, carrying shopping, playing with children: this is how doctors measure impact, and it decides treatment urgency.

• A list of every medication and supplement you takeDo not skip this oneInclude doses if you can; a photo of the boxes works.
• Any previous X-rays, scans or reports, even old onesComparison with old imaging is often more useful than a new scan.
• Notes on past injuries or operations on the same limb or your spine
• Your other diagnoses (diabetes, osteoporosis, gout, heart disease)They change both the likely causes and the safe treatment options.
• For leg, knee or foot problems: the shoes you wear mostWear patterns tell a story your description cannot.
• Clothes that let the area be examined easilyShorts for a knee, a vest top for a shoulder.

You are allowed to ask questions. These five earn their place in any orthopedic consultation.

• What do you think is going on, and what else could it be?
• Do I need a scan, and what would it change?Many problems are treated the same way with or without imaging; it is fair to ask.
• What are ALL my options, including doing nothing for now?Do not skip this oneMost musculoskeletal problems have a non-surgical path worth understanding first.
• What can I do myself: exercises, load changes, weight, footwear?
• What should make me come back sooner?Ask for the specific warning signs for YOUR condition and write them down.

• Repeat the plan back in your own wordsThe single best way to catch a misunderstanding while it is still cheap.
• Know the next step: review date, referral, or dischargeDo not skip this one
• If given exercises: do one repetition in front of themThirty seconds of correction now beats six weeks done wrong.
• Ask what this means for work, sport or driving, if relevant