PHYSIOTHERAPY: THE PROFESSION
Back pain frequently responds well to physiotherapy, the treatment by physical methods, as an alternative or adjunct to drugs or surgery. The methods include several different therapies, manipulative procedures, therapeutic movement or exercises, treatment with heat, cold and with electrical equipment. The aim is to help restore the function of the body and rehabilitate the patient: it also includes advice and instruction on posture and daily activities.
The profession-To train to be a physiotherapist in Australia you must complete a four-year course at one of the schools of physiotherapy at university. A student who passes the examinations qualifies for state registration and therefore membership of the Australian Physiotherapy Association. Physiotherapists work in hospitals, in the community, in special schools, in industry and sports, and also in private practice (and may visit a patient in his own home). It is a closed profession, meaning that only registered persons may call themselves a physiotherapist and therefore practice physiotherapy. Contact the Australian Physiotherapy Association in your State for more information.
Physiotherapy is an independent profession and practitioners may accept people for treatment who are not referred by doctors.
There are a large number of physiotherapists in private practice. They may be able to give treatment more quickly than through the public system.
Some health authorities have physiotherapy services. Patients are referred to them, often by the consultant at the out-patient clinic they are attending. In many cases, physiotherapy clinics will accept patients by direct referral from GPs.
The doctor making the referral sends to the physiotherapy clinic the necessary information about the patient and the condition, including X-rays, with suggestions for the aims of the treatment, but often leaving the choice of treatment to the physiotherapist’s discretion. All physiotherapists assess their patients and plan out the treatment program.
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