Hospitals are designed to treat illness and stabilise acute conditions, yet for many older patients, hospital admission can mark the start of a different kind of decline. 

The 2026 APA Victorian Branch Winter Breakfast will turn its attention to a phase of care before the operating theatre – but one that may ultimately shape outcomes. 

Dr Andrea Hams MACP is an APA Titled Research Physiotherapist, a lecturer at Griffith University and a former elite track and field athlete. 

She has a passionate interest in chronic musculoskeletal conditions and treatments with an ‘exercise-based flavour’. 

My interest began as a business owner. Technology improved communication, streamlined operations and supported more consistent care, creating a better experience for both patients and clinicians. 

My work has since focused on developing and evaluating digital health solutions that extend physiotherapy beyond traditional clinic walls. 

Liz Webb is a Melbourne-based physiotherapist who’s always had an interest in cardiorespiratory physiotherapy and currently works at the Alfred Hospital in its outpatient respiratory clinic. 

1. Adolescent ACL rehab needs to reflect growth and development 

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is no longer a problem just for elite adults. 

Population data shows a clear rise in ACL surgery in young people, which is a useful proxy for severe ACL injury in young people.

Burnout in physiotherapy

Ky Wynne’s editorial reveals that burnout in physiotherapy is driving early career attrition and impacting patient care. Ky agreed to answer some questions here.

Your editorial considers burnout in the physiotherapy profession. Burnout is increasingly discussed in physiotherapy – what does it actually look like in day-to-day clinical practice?

May is EDS and HSD Awareness Month. It is a time to raise awareness of the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), including hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD). 

A study looking at different names for neck pain experienced after a motor vehicle crash – commonly referred to as whiplash – has suggested that using different names may result in different patient expectations about recovery and management strategies.