By Andrew Lay, Physiotherapist
What can a physio diagnose?
Physiotherapists are experts at diagnosing, managing and helping to prevent problems and injuries relating to the joints, muscles, bones, nerves, tendons and ligaments of the body.
Issues to these structures will often cause any combination of pain, stiffness, numbness, reduced ability to move normally and reduced ability to perform physical activities.
All of this may mean that one is unable to carry out their daily tasks, hobbies and sport normally.
Can a physio diagnose lower back pain?
Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons for why people seek physiotherapists for their expert opinion. The spine can be thought of like a stack of Lego blocks (bones in the shape of cubes) with strawberry jam donuts sitting in between each block (discs).
The bones, discs, joints and muscles can all be potential sources or contributors of lower back pain.
Physiotherapists can diagnose lower back pain with a thorough discussion of the pain and physical testing of the lower back and related parts of the body in order to determine the contributing reasons to one’s lower back pain.
With this information, Physiotherapists can then determine the best treatments to help manage the injury. The types of physiotherapy treatment may include a combination of exercise management (stretches and strengthening), load management strategies and physical treatment strategies such as massage.
Treatment of lower back pain may be different for different people depending on the physical testing and symptoms.
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Can a physio diagnose hip pain?
The hip area is one of the most complicated areas of the body to diagnose accurately.
When we have clients who have failed to get better trying other things, it is often because the cause of the hip pain hasn’t been diagnosed accurately, which will typically mean the issue hasn’t been managed well either.
Research shows that many different structures can be responsible for hip and groin pain including (but not limited to) the hip joint, the lower back joints and discs, the muscles around the hip, the tendons around the hip and any of the bones in this area of the body.
Given this, it can be easily understood why accurate diagnosis of the hip is important. Depending on the diagnosis, the types of physiotherapy treatment may include exercise management and hands-on treatment strategies such as massage and dry needling.
Shockwave therapy can be effective treatment for a specific tendon injury that is a common cause of pain in the outside of the hip.
Can a physio diagnose shoulder pain?
Like the hip area, shoulder pain can be relatively complicated as neck issues and nerve related issues can also cause referred pain to the shoulder area. For some specific issues there may also be pain going down the arm.
The rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder are also commonly injured especially with weights training, racquet sports like tennis and throwing sports like cricket.
Management of rotator cuff related issues, neck related issues and nerve related issues are all different and physiotherapists have the ability to determine the cause of shoulder pain between these types of problems.
Physiotherapists can also diagnose frozen shoulder and may consider ultrasound or MRI to assist this.
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Can a physio diagnose knee pain?
Knee pain is a common reason people seek physiotherapy management. Both acute injuries that have occurred in a fall or accident and chronic injuries which have occurred over time are very common.
Physiotherapists are able to diagnose and manage knee issues due to meniscus injuries, kneecap issues, ligament injuries such as the ACL and MCL and tendon issues such as Osgood Schlatters Syndrome.
Occasionally X-ray or MRI may be recommended to help confirm certain injuries. The types of physiotherapy management may include strengthening of the quadriceps, hamstrings, hip and calf, and potentially hands-on treatment and taping techniques to help manage pain with walking and normal daily activities.
Physiotherapists can also diagnose knee pain that is referred from the lower back.
Can a physio diagnose ankle pain?
The ligaments of the ankle are probably the most commonly injured ligaments of the whole body.
Physiotherapists can diagnose ankle sprains and “rolled ankles” usually without the need for scans unless a bone fracture or syndesmosis injury is suspected.
The types of physiotherapy management includes taping, calf strengthening, ankle mobility exercises and balance retraining.
Physiotherapists are also familiar with diagnosing and managing Achilles tendon pain which can also affect ankle function during jumping and hopping.
Can a physio diagnose elbow pain?
Elbow pain is commonly tendon related, such as tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow, or referred from the shoulder or neck.
Physiotherapists can diagnose these often without the need for any scans. On the other hand, elbow injuries sustained during combat sports like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and high speed contact sports such as football and rugby often require scans to check for potential ligament injuries and bone fractures.
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Should I see a physio, osteo OR CHIRO? WHY CHOOSE PHYSIOTHERAPy IN MELBOURNE?
Physiotherapists are experts at diagnosing and managing physical issues all over the body. It is important that diagnosis is accurate as many injuries can give referred pain to other parts of the body, and it is common for physiotherapists to see clients who aren’t getting better because their problem has been misdiagnosed previously.
Even when there is no referred pain, joint, tendon, muscle, ligament and bone injuries are all different and the appropriate types of physiotherapy treatment will also be different.
Though occasionally scans can be useful to assist diagnosing physical injuries, thorough discussion and physical testing is often all that is needed to form accurate diagnosis and help create a good management plan to help overcome the injury.
Physiotherapists have guidelines, whereby continued learning and training are maintained throughout their career to ensure that they are keeping up their knowledge of research up to date, in order to continue providing accurate diagnosis and treatment of physical injuries, with different types of physiotherapy.
The scientific and medical knowledge on which physiotherapy is based is the same knowledge that forms the basis of modern Medicine, and typically physiotherapy will share the same subjects as medical students during university training.
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LEARN How OUR MELBOURNE SPORTS PHYSIO TEAM can help you?
At Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy our goal is to get you moving pain free as soon as possible.
But, we also want you to actually move better and live a healthier, more active and fulfilling life!
If your sports, fitness training or work has been wearing your body down, book in with one of our expert massage therapists so we can help you reduce your pain or stiffness.
If you are showing some signs of this condition or simply want help prevent this from happening in the future then book in with one of our highly experienced Remedial Massage Therapists today!
You can make an appointment by calling or booking online.