Alongside the physical symptoms of persistent pain, there often come years of frustration, fear of movement, conflicting advice, unsuccessful treatments and a growing loss of confidence in the body. For physiotherapists, helping people navigate that complexity can be one of the most challenging – and rewarding – areas of clinical practice.

When the Spinal Virtual Clinic run out of Royal Adelaide Hospital in South Australia first opened, it managed a handful of patients annually. Fast-forward a decade and the clinic now oversees more than 1000 patients each year, with physiotherapy at the forefront.

RESEARCH FOCUS Cuevas Medek Exercises are an increasingly popular paediatric therapy for children with disability but a recent review has shown that little evidence exists to support their use.

Professor Trevor Russell explores ethics, clinical risk and consent in digital physiotherapy practice.

As digital technologies continue to develop and their use becomes more widespread in healthcare, the ability of physiotherapists to adapt for the future is paramount. Here, based on their popular session at APASC25 in Adelaide last October, Mark Merolli, Leo Ng and Trevor Russell offer insights into the power and potential of digital health technology in clinical practice.

Dr Joshua Heerey explores the major considerations for physiotherapists when diagnosing and treating femoroacetabular impingement syndrome.

Two research projects on knee osteoarthritis, in partnership with the APA, were recently awarded Medical Research Future Fund grants.

Catch up on some of the latest research from the April issue of the Journal of Physiotherapy.

Physiotherapy careers often run in families but rarely across three generations working in different eras of the profession. For Jill Morrison, her daughter Shan Morrison and grandson Xander Clausen, physiotherapy is not just a career path – it is a shared language that has evolved across six decades of healthcare.

Emma Holly and Caroline Callister discuss why advanced scar therapy is an essential upskilling area for physiotherapists, showcasing specialised courses that combine targeted manual techniques, clinical reasoning and patient empowerment to optimise recovery after injury, surgery and childbirth.