Physiotherapy has been a ‘protected’ title since May 2005 and so it is essential to only use physiotherapists who are both chartered and registered with the HealthCare Profession. Before this time any member of the public could provide physiotherapy treatment with no prior training or knowledge but thankfully this has been all but abolished with the new regulations.
Is my Physiotherapist registered?
Physiotherapists are trained in broad spectrum of physical conditions associated with differing bodily systems. These are inclusive of but not exhausted by neuromuscular (brain and nervous system), musculoskeletal, (soft tissues, joints and bones) cardiovascular and respiratory (heart and lungs). Many therapists will spend their junior years rotating through these elements and specialise later on. Therapists who tend to deal with spinal problems will come under the speciality headings of neuromuscular and/or musculoskeletal. Irrelevant of whether they are private or NHS based, their rehabilitation techniques should be equivocal, with strict guidelines from the governing bodies ensuring this. For a formal definition of Physiotherapy by their governing body, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Click Here .
Physiotherapists will often work autonomously as part of a bigger team either within the hospital setting, or in independent clinics. You may seek them out directly or you may be referred to them by another Health Care Professional or Doctor. It is worth noting that most health insurance providers need a doctoral referral before your claim will be validated. Physiotherapists will often work in a methodical and reflective manner in an attempt to identify the contributing factors towards your complaint rather than simply trying to treat the subsequent symptoms. There should always be, where possible and appropriate, a bias towards empowering you the patient to help yourself rather than be passively reliant upon professionals. There may be some inter therapist variation when it comes to actual treatment due to the wide number of causes in spinal pain, and the number of therapeutic approaches available. You must be confident and happy in your therapists abilities however as it will be very much a team effort. There are several databases from which you can search for a Chartered Physiotherapist but for those in private practice try our find a professional feature to the left. For clinics regularly used by Nick, look in the Useful links section.
