When you tell a physiotherapist “my knee hurts”, you are describing where you feel the problem. Where it starts can be somewhere else: a stiff ankle, a weak hip, a back that has stopped rotating. TOP MAP, short for The Ordinary Physio Movement Analysis Protocol, is the assessment we run before any treatment begins. It exists so the plan is built on what we measure and observe, not on the label that came with your prescription.
Why we use a protocol instead of winging it
In a busy clinic the pull is always towards treating first and thinking later. A protocol takes that pull away. Every patient gets the same core questions and measurements, so we can repeat them in week three and week six and show you what changed, instead of telling you that you look better.
What happens in a TOP MAP assessment
- We start with your story. When it began, what makes it worse, what eases it, what your work and weekends look like, what scans you have had and what medicines you take. This is also where we screen for anything that should not be treated in a physiotherapy clinic and needs a doctor first.
- You stand in front of a gridded backdrop and we photograph you from the front, side and back. We look at how your head, shoulders, pelvis, knees and feet line up. The grid gives us a fixed reference, so a later set of photos can be compared directly with the first.
- We watch you move. Squatting, stepping up, balancing on one leg, reaching overhead, getting out of a chair, walking. Pain often changes how you move long before it changes how you stand.
- We test by hand. Joint range with a goniometer, strength in the key muscle groups, muscle length and, where your symptoms call for it, reflexes and sensation.
- We add tests that match your goal. A runner gets hopping and landing tasks. Someone recovering from a knee replacement gets a timed sit-to-stand and a stair test. An older adult gets balance and walking-speed tests.
From findings to a plan
Once the tests are done we put them together into a working explanation of why you hurt, in plain language. Front-of-knee pain is a good example. When someone with it does a single-leg squat, the knee often drifts inward while the hip on that side drops. That points towards hip strength and control as part of the problem, so the plan includes the hip and not just the knee.
You leave the first visit with a short written plan: the first two or three goals, how often we suggest seeing you, the home exercises to start, and when we will repeat the key tests. Plan for around 45 to 60 minutes for the first visit.
What TOP MAP cannot do
It does not replace an X-ray or MRI when one is needed. Posture photos show alignment, not the cause of pain, and plenty of people with uneven shoulders or a tilted pelvis have no pain at all. We treat the photos as one input among several. If the assessment turns up something that needs a scan or a specialist opinion, we will say so and not carry on treating regardless.
Who benefits most
Anyone whose pain has lasted more than a couple of weeks, people recovering from surgery, athletes returning to sport, desk workers with recurring neck or back pain, and older adults worried about balance. If your problem is new, mild and clearly tied to one event, you may need less than this. We will tell you.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. It is a structured clinical assessment: a measured posture grid with photographs, movement screening and hands-on testing. There is no radiation and no scanner involved.
No. Bring any reports you already have, but most muscle and joint problems can be assessed without imaging. We will tell you if a scan would change the plan.
We repeat the key measurements at set points, usually every few weeks or at the end of a package, so you can see change on paper and not only feel it.
Book a first assessment
Message us on WhatsApp or call +91 87508 81002.
The clinic is on the ground floor at Gu-03, Gali Number 6, Sector 104, Noida 201301, near Mithaas Restaurant, with parking and a female physiotherapist available on request.
Related reading: What to expect at your first physiotherapy consultation · Back pain physiotherapy in Noida · Posture correction in Noida · Our services
Areas we serve from Sector 104: Sector 100, Sector 101, Sector 102, Sector 105, Sector 107, Sector 108, Sector 82, Sector 93, Hajipur.
This article is general information, not a diagnosis.
