FIRST CONTACT PHYSIOTHERAPISTS
First Contact Physiotherapists can help patients who suffer from what are known as Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.
MSK conditions can affect your joints, bones and muscles and sometimes associated tissues such as your nerves. They can range from minor injuries to long-term conditions and include new problems like back pain and knee sprains as well as more complex issues such as nerve pain and poor mobility.
Over 20 million people in the UK, almost one third of the population, have a MSK condition.
Our First Contact Physiotherapists are musculoskeletal practitioners with enhanced assessment skills.
They are experts in:
- Assessing and diagnosing issues with joints, pain and mobility
- Giving advice on how best to manage conditions, including lifestyle advice and exercises
- Deciding which patients need to be referred for a course physiotherapy or referral to local leisure centres to work on fitness
- Instigating investigations where required such as Xrays, MRI scans and blood tests, whilst avoiding unnecessary tests. Organising pain relief medications and injections for pain relief.
- Referring onto specialist services such as orthopaedics or neurosurgery, if this is needed.
First Contact Physiotherapist see patients aged 18 and over with the following conditions:
- Soft tissue injuries, sprains, strains or sports injuries.
- Minor Trauma (Falls/Sports injuries).
- Postural Pain/Problem.
- Arthritis – any joint.
- Problems with muscles, ligaments, tendons or bone, eg tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, ankle sprains.
- Spinal pain including lower back pain, mid-back pain and neck pain.
- Spinal-related pain in arms or legs, including nerve symptoms, eg pins
- and needles or numbness.
- Changes to walking.
- Acute flare-up of a long-term musculoskeletal condition.
If you suffer from any of the above, we recommend you book an appointment with the First Contact Physiotherapist. If you book an initial appointment with the GP, the likelihood is that you may well be referred to the First Contact Physiotherapists, so timely treatment could have been delayed.
Please note that if you are already receiving ongoing care from a GP, another physiotherapist, osteopath, chiropractor or sports therapist you should not book directly with the First Contact Physiotherapist.
Appointments with our first contact physiotherapist can be booked at reception without seeing a GP first.