Pain is the focus of this issue of InMotion magazine and it brings views from an impressive range of experts in pain management and includes a history of the APA Pain group.

My pain expertise is as a patient who has experienced healthcare in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. My unscientific conclusion is that physiotherapists are often the key to understanding how pain affects patients holistically.

Joel Dunstan was in a position many physiotherapists have been before. Physiotherapy faces a high attrition rate at five to 10 years of clinical practice—and Joel was almost included among those leaving the profession.

Physiotherapy in Australia is more than 100 years old and, over the course of our history, Australian physiotherapists have been global leaders of the profession. This leadership can be seen in our research output, critical thinking, educational theories and practice development—all of which have been outstanding.

Why was this study necessary?

On the advice of a friend, Bernadette Petzel moved from Sydney to Darwin to begin working for the Australian Defence Force. Despite saying she’d only commit to six months at the Top End, it was the start of a dedicated career with the military. Melissa Mitchell reports.

Wayne Rodgers will present ‘Shoulders: simplifying the complex’, a course which aims to provide attendees with a systematic and comprehensive approach to managing a wide range of shoulder dysfunctions.

What can participants expect from the course?

Giving all Australians access to good-quality primary healthcare should form the cornerstone of the nation’s health agenda, the leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Richard Di Natale, believes. But healthcare is the one topic largely being ignored by the major parties heading into this year’s Federal Election, the Senator says.

Addressing a meeting of the National Advisory Council (NAC) at the APA office in Melbourne in late February, the Senator welcomed the invitation to speak and discuss what he considers to be the most pressing healthcare concerns ahead of the poll.

Accurate and clear health records are essential for continuing high- value care of patients and clients. The Physiotherapy Board of Australia (the Board) is reminding physiotherapists about their regulatory obligations to keep good clinical records because concerns can be raised if record keeping falls below par.