Pressotherapy

Key takeaways

Pressotherapy uses sequential pneumatic compression through an inflatable garment to move lymphatic fluid and reduce swelling.

A good intake form screens for contraindications including DVT, pregnancy, heart conditions, active infection, and malignancy.

Aftercare covering hydration, activity limits, and compression improves results and lowers the risk of side effects.

Record the pressure setting, program, and cycle time in the note so the next session is repeatable.

Practice management software like Pabau digitizes consent, contraindication screening, and automated aftercare follow-up.

A pressotherapy intake and consent form is what makes the treatment safe to sell and safe to document. This template gives your med spa a form that screens for risk before the first session runs. It records what the client understands about the treatment, then sends them home with aftercare they can follow.

What is pressotherapy and why intake documentation matters

Pressotherapy is a non-invasive compression therapy that uses an inflatable garment and a pneumatic pump. Sequential pressure waves move lymphatic fluid, reduce fluid retention, and improve circulation in the legs, arms, or abdomen. Sessions usually run 30 to 45 minutes, weekly, across a course of six to eight weeks.

Intake matters because that fluid shift is unsafe for some clients. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pregnancy, active infection, and cardiac conditions all need screening before the first session.

A completed form protects the client and establishes informed consent. It also leaves a record of your due diligence. That is why med spa software keeps signed forms attached to the client file, not in a paper folder.

How to complete the form at intake

The template covers five steps your team follows at a client’s first visit and at annual renewal. Each one maps to a section of the form.

1. Client details and medical history. Capture name, date of birth, and contact details, then work through a medical history checklist. Ask about lymphatic conditions, vascular problems, past surgeries, and current medications.
2. Contraindication screening. List the absolute contraindications and the relative ones side by side, so nothing rests on memory. Have the client confirm which apply, and collect prescriber clearance where one does.
3. Treatment consent declaration. Explain how pressotherapy works and what it realistically delivers, from swelling reduction to circulation support. Say what it cannot do, since it is neither a weight-loss treatment nor a substitute for supervised lymphedema care.
4. Aftercare instructions. Write in your own protocol. The template asks for one to two liters of water over 24 hours, no strenuous activity that day, and compression garments where you recommend them. A patient discharge form can carry the same wording home with the client.
5. Practitioner and client signatures. Collect both signatures, the date, and the practitioner’s name and qualification. Store the signed form securely, in line with GDPR and HIPAA.

Add one field the generic form builders leave out. Record the pressure setting, the program, and the cycle time you used, along with the garment size.

Pressotherapy devices vary, so those numbers let a colleague repeat the session exactly. Baseline limb measurements belong there too. They turn a vague sense of improvement into a figure you can show the client at week six.

Digital intake forms automate the whole sequence. The client completes the form on a tablet or phone at check-in, and the answers land in the client record. Aftercare instructions then go out by email as soon as the session ends.

Who should use this template

The form suits med spas, aesthetic practices, wellness centers, and spas treating adults. It fits UK practices working to CQC expectations, US practices under HIPAA, and other regulated markets. Physical therapy, sports recovery, and post-surgical rehabilitation practices can use it too.

Wellness centers running pressotherapy alongside sauna, IV drips, or body treatments can reuse the same screening block for each service. Wellness clinic software keeps every signed form in one client file.

If your practice already runs a practice management system like Pabau, import the template as a reusable form. Set it to send itself before the first appointment, so screening happens before the client arrives. Practices offering several device treatments can pair it with the CryoPen consent template, so the wording stays consistent.

Benefits of a structured intake and consent process

Legal and regulatory protection: A signed consent form shows the client made an informed decision, which is what counts if a complaint follows. CQC inspections and US audits expect to see that documentation. In the US, holding it in a HIPAA-compliant system is not optional.

Safety screening: A consistent checklist catches DVT, pregnancy, cardiac conditions, and active infection before the pump is switched on. That prevents harm and lowers your liability exposure.

Workflow efficiency: A form completed at check-in removes manual data entry and shortens the appointment. Your front desk spends less time on paperwork and more time with clients.

Outcome tracking: Keep intake answers and aftercare compliance in one place so you can track client outcomes across a course of sessions. That evidence is what persuades the next client to book six sessions instead of one.

Contraindications and safety screening

Pressotherapy moves lymphatic fluid and increases venous return. Some conditions make that unsafe. Screen every client before you book the first session.

• Absolute contraindications, do not treat: DVT or a history of thromboembolism, pregnancy, active malignancy or chemotherapy, and severe congestive heart failure. Also on the list are recent myocardial infarction, active skin infection, and severe hypertension above 180 mmHg systolic. Pacemakers and other implanted electronic devices rule the treatment out as well.
• Relative contraindications, clearance needed: Diabetes with peripheral neuropathy, uncontrolled hypertension, kidney or liver disease, and current use of blood thinners. Recent surgery usually needs two to four weeks and written sign-off from the surgeon.
• Temporary contraindications: Acute infection or fever, active eczema or dermatitis in the treatment area, and a vaccination in the past 48 hours.

When a client discloses a relative contraindication, ask for written clearance from their physician or specialist. A medical necessity letter is the usual format for it. Store the clearance with the signed consent form, and follow your own data protection rules when you do.

Where the form fits in your practice system

Download the form as a PDF, then load it into your practice management system as a reusable template. Most platforms let you attach it to a service or an appointment type.

In Pabau, the form sits with your other paperless workflows and triggers when a client books pressotherapy. They complete it before arrival, and the answers populate the client record. Check-in gets shorter, and no screening question gets skipped.

Pabau Scribe, our AI scribe, writes the session note for you in seconds. It pulls the intake answers into the same record, so documentation stays complete without extra typing.

Signed consents and aftercare acknowledgments then live in the client’s record, which is what an inspector asks to see. You can produce a year of pressotherapy consents without opening a filing cabinet.

How Pabau connects consent, treatment, and aftercare

The operational question is where the signed form goes next. Often it becomes a PDF in a folder, separate from the appointment, the treatment note, and the invoice. Someone then re-types the same details in three places.

Pabau keeps all of it in one place. The form the client signed, the session it belongs to, and the note the practitioner wrote all sit together. The aftercare email goes out from the same record.

That matters when a regulator asks for every pressotherapy consent from the past year. You filter the client list, not a filing cabinet. Digital forms, consent, and automated follow-up come with every subscription, whatever your user count.

Run consent, screening, and aftercare in one place

Pabau keeps pressotherapy consent forms, contraindication screening, and aftercare follow-up on the same client record. Your team stops chasing paperwork, and the audit trail builds itself.

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Conclusion

Pressotherapy is low-risk for most clients, and careful screening is what keeps it that way. The form is the cheapest safety measure you have, so make it a condition of the first booking rather than a formality at check-in.

The trade-off worth remembering is friction. Paper forms are quick to print and slow to find again, and the second cost lands on the day you need proof. Book a demo to see how Pabau stores pressotherapy consent, screening, and aftercare in one client record.

Continue your research

Need the wider intake workflow? Med spa consultation form covers history-taking and consent for any aesthetic treatment.

Want aftercare to send itself? Patient portal benefits shows how a portal delivers post-treatment instructions and keeps clients engaged.

Treating a client under 18? Consent form for minors covers the extra signatures and the longer retention rules.

Chasing results between sessions? Follow-up form gives you a structure for reviewing progress at each return visit.

Frequently asked questions