What if physiotherapy isn’t what you need?

Many patients mention on arrival that they weren’t sure if they should start with a doctor or a physiotherapist for their [musculoskeletal] pain. You can all assume what my answer is to that but let me explain why.

Physiotherapists are “first line” practitioners. The is a recognition awarded to the profession in acknowledgement of our training and ability to specifically identify when something isn’t within our field and the patient in front of us should be referred elsewhere. General practitioners (GPs) are also “first line” and while trained in countless procedures, these rarely include treatments impacting the neuromusculoskeletal system directly. Doctors therefore typically need to refer all musculoskeletal patients elsewhere, be that for x-rays, to a pharmacy, a physiotherapist, or otherwise. Your appointment with a physiotherapist is therefore more likely to assess and commence with treatment within the same session that if you had started with a GP.

This most certainly doesn’t mean that physios wouldn’t on occasion need to refer for x-rays, to a specialist or to a GP because some conditions will benefit from chemical assistance attained through a script from your GP, on rare occasion that x-ray will be vital depending on the history which lead to your condition, and sometimes (I’m glad to say rarely) the condition masking itself as a musculoskeletal condition has elements to it which need to be investigated through e.g., blood tests before we can even suggest which specialist may be best suited to your case.

GPs play a vital role in assisting us to guide your medical care when the cause of your muscle of joint pain isn’t of musculoskeletal origin but thankfully those are rare (roughly 2% of the population) and physios are trained to identify them early on and refer you to your GP.

Considering how unlikely you are to be within that 2% of the population, my recommendation is to always take your neuro-musculoskeletal concern to a trusted physiotherapist first for assessment and appropriate treatment or referral as indicated.

Your health and physical wellbeing should be a priority deserving of quality care. Make sure to discuss any concerns you may have directly with your preferred physiotherapist, so that you can receive the appropriate guidance for your unique situation.

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