25 Mar 2019

Spring 2019 - The physiotherapy toolbox

Physiotherapists should always consider the "whole person" in their assessment and treatment plans for their patients. This edition of In Touch covers some of the issues that may not be traditionally seen as physiotherapy-related but which can be important factors in achieving the patient's goals, and some where critical thinking and technology can be applied to obtain the best outcomes, all of which come under the label of essential items in the physiotherapy toolbox.

The role of the gut microbiome in musculoskeletal rehabilitation

It is generally accepted that adequate nutrition may assist in musculoskeletal recovery. Recent discoveries on the importance of gut microbes in human health have highlighted how the interaction between the gut microbiome and a person's diet affects bones and muscle.

Sameer Gohir & Ana M Valdes

Red flags in the management of people with low back pain

Red flags have become an essential and integral component of the clinical examination, but are they currently used in the most effective way with regard to decision-making for potential serious pathology in the spine? Are red flags now just a screening tick-list to reassure clinicians?

Chris Mercer

Dr Sue Greenhalgh

Laura Finucane

The evolving role of the musculoskeletal physiotherapist in the management and rehabilitation of patients living with cancer

As cancer survival rates improve there is much that physios can do to help those living with cancer to return to as full and healthy a life as possible. We can help them to return to work, sport and other activities that add quality to their lives

Dominique Royle

Theory-based behaviour change and communication skills for physiotherapists to support client self-management

Physiotherapists play a positive role in supporting their clients to engage in evidence-based behaviour change and self-management. Here we look at the author's own research into the use and development of self-determination theory in communication skills to support behaviour change in people with low back pain and osteoarthritis

Deirdre A Hurley

Perturbation-based balance training in falls prevention and sports injury rehabilitation

The rehabilitation of both injured athletes and elderly fallers relies on the ability to make appropriate postural changes in response to unexpected perturbations. While this is usually acheived manually, a pilot study into the technology available reveals how instrumental balance training can be delivered in a clinical setting

Helen van Uem & Jon Graham

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