APA | Pain

Pain

Graphic image of a man looking into a cracked mirror.

INMOTION 03 Oct, 2022

A good look at mental health and self-care

Bronwen Otto explores the prevention and management of mental health disorders in the workplace, while Ellen Lake discusses the role of self-care in physiotherapy.

Mental health at work

Mental health is defined as ‘a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community’ (World Health Organization 2022a).

Discover more

A woman huddles in a corner looking sad with someone reaching out a hand to her.

INMOTION 03 Oct, 2022

Physiotherapy and post-traumatic stress disorder

Ruth Lira, Richard Modderman, Albert Tseng and Ellen Lake from the APA Mental Health national group present five discussion points on how physiotherapists can support people with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Discover more

Man in a blue T-shirt clutches his back as if it hurts.

INMOTION 03 Oct, 2022

Trial gets back to finding support

A randomised controlled trial to help reduce the burden of low back pain is now underway and needs your help. Research assistant Carlos Mesa Castrillón discusses the Get Back to Healthy study and the need for participants and input from physiotherapists.

Low back pain (LBP) is now recognised as an ongoing condition that for many is likely to shift and change over their lifetime.

Many of those treated for LBP in primary care will have low to moderate-intensity pain that fluctuates and continues for the long term.

Discover more

A physiotherapists manipulates a person's elbow joint

INMOTION 03 Oct, 2022

Managing neural tissue in musculoskeletal pain

A two-day course presented by Jayce Gilbert FACP explores the role of neural tissue in some musculoskeletal presentations and its implications for diagnosis and management.

Tell us about the course. How are musculoskeletal presentations with neural tissue involvement managed?

Such presentations respond differently to physical assessment than might be expected with soft tissue or joint problems.

Discover more

White pills spill from a medicine bottle on to a bench top.

INMOTION 03 Oct, 2022

Change has been an easy pill to swallow

A select team of advanced scope physiotherapists at Perth’s Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital’s emergency department have begun administering paracetamol and ibuprofen to patients following a successful three-month audit period. Here, those who advocated for the change discuss the implications for the profession.

Discover more

A man sitting in an armchair leans forward clutching his knee as if in pain.

INMOTION 01 Sep, 2022

World Physiotherapy Day looks at osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and the focus of this year’s World Physiotherapy Day as we celebrate how much physiotherapists can help.

World Physiotherapy Day is held each year on 8 September to recognise the work that physiotherapists do for their patients and communities.

The day was founded in 1996 by the international World Physiotherapy organisation, with the aim of fostering unity and solidarity among practitioners globally.

Discover more

Artistic image of a foot walking away from the viewer, with an area of the heel in yellow to signal foot pain.

INMOTION 01 Sep, 2022

Making sense of plantar heel pain

RESEARCH FOCUS A recently completed study on chronic plantar heel pain has revealed that the causes are far from straightforward.

Chronic plantar heel pain (CPHP) is the most common reason why people with musculoskeletal foot pain consult a healthcare practitioner and it encompasses a range of conditions, including plantar fasciitis.

The clinical causes underlying CPHP, however, are not well understood.

Discover more

A man lifting a male child in the air and up to a basketball hoop on a pole.

INMOTION 01 Sep, 2022

Keeping sports physio in the family

Greg Craig is a recently retired sports physiotherapist who has worked extensively with a number of state and national sports teams. His son Jordan ‘Jordy’ Craig is also a sports physiotherapist. The two of them set up a practice together on the Sunshine Coast soon after Jordy graduated from university. Here, they discuss their shared experiences.

Tell me a little about yourself as a physiotherapist.

Greg: 'I’m a specialist sports physiotherapist and I’ve been involved in sports physiotherapy for quite a few years.

Discover more

A woman wearing a shirt rubs her shoulder as if it hurts.

INMOTION 22 Aug, 2022

Treating the shoulder and the individual

Jeremy Lewis’s course reframes musculoskeletal healthcare, embracing a biopsychosocial approach to the shoulder and to patients throughout the community.

What drew you to focus on shoulder pathology?

There’s a line in a John Lennon song that quotes ‘Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans’.

My original plan was to research foot biomechanics and their impact locally and throughout the kinetic chain.

Discover more

A mouth shouting the words Physio Pitchfest 2022

INMOTION 18 Aug, 2022

These physios are pitch perfect

The Physiotherapy Research Foundation’s innovation competition PitchFest, held online in April, drew on a pool of six finalists to award two prizes: the Judges’ Award and the People’s Choice Award. Here, the winners talk about their ideas.

Streamlining the falls review process

SummaRise: Intelligent Falls Management System is an app developed by Perth-based physiotherapist Daniel Hug APAM to assist aged care staff with assessing and managing falls. It was recently awarded the PitchFest Judges’ Award worth $15,000.

Discover more