The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy defines Physiotherapy as ‘helping restore the movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability’ (The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, 2011).

I incorporate this definition into a biopsychosocial model (body and injury, what and how we think or feel about it and how our family/social life is) which allows the patient or client to be a person with a life outside of the clinic rather than a pathology lying on a treatment couch.

Although we always want people to recover and be injury free, this is not always possible and managing movement during disease or dysfunction can be equally important if not more so. Physiotherapists see things as diverse as osteoarthritis and Alzheimer’s disease,  Osgood-Shlatter Disease and Obesity. None of these will be ‘cured’ by physiotherapy but some of their symptoms can be alleviated.

My philosophy is to return the patient/client to their optimal function. This can involve being the best they can be under the circumstances or providing an appropriate medium for those able to improve upon their previous condition, fitness or function.

Clients can be seen at any time along their  injury time-line, when time allows them to focus on themselves. A client may be shared with other professionals within a multidisciplinary medical or sports team. This is all discussed within the initial consultation. A course of physiotherapy must be finite.

 My physiotherapy practice includes assessing and managing  neuro-musculoskeletal disorders, movement dysfunction, post-operative orthopaedic rehabilitation, musculoskeletal pain, rehabilitation, sports injuries, and trauma care. The clients I see vary from elite athletes to weekend warriors to those wanting to engage in a more active lifestyle. I was trained in manual therapy and I still retain and use those skills but most consultations revolve around exercise and movement. And there are 4 rudimentary questions I almost always ask…

Can I load it?

How can I load it?

How much can I load it?

How can the client load it?