As Tradies National Health Month 2025 begins, the APA urges Australia’s tradies to seek the care they need to prevent injuries and treat chronic pain.  

Evidence shows that many of Australia’s existing tradies live in chronic pain, negatively impacting their quality of life, job performance and work longevity, potentially exacerbating Australia’s housing and tradespeople shortages.  

Every three minutes, an older Australian is hospitalised because of a fall.ⁱ Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospital admissions and aged care admissions, costing the healthcare system more than $5 billion annually.ⁱⁱ 

As Australia’s population ages, the burden is only set to grow.  

The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) is calling on the next federal government to act on falls prevention— with evidence-based, cost-effective solutions that the Australian public overwhelming want.

Nine in ten tradies experienced a work-related injury in the past year and one in two say they live with severe pain. The new data released ahead of Tradies National Health Month shows the backbone of Australia’s workforce is suffering as productivity pressures mount.

One in every ten Australian workers are a tradieⁱ, and one in four of them fear they will need to retire early because of stress on their bodies.ⁱⁱ  

May 2024

A year ago today, I was told something I thought was impossible — after three months in a knee brace as part of a research program, my previously fully ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) had healed itself naturally.

I tore my ACL skiing overseas (yes, I became a walking/limping cliche), and once I got home my physio told me about a novel program called the Cross Bracing Protocol.

April 2024

A Drysdale survivor of stroke who made it his mission to walk again in time to farewell his mother has been recognised for his courage.

During this difficult time, John turned his grief into motivation and set himself a goal to walk out of rehabilitation to attend his mother's funeral. To the surprise of doctors and physiotherapists, John achieved this after just only three weeks of rehabilitation.

April 2024

This week's ABC Four Corners episode Pain Factory highlighted that our health system is failing Australians with chronic pain. Patients are receiving costly, ineffective and risky care instead of effective, low-risk treatments for chronic pain.

Anyone who follows sport will know what the dreaded phase 'ACL tear' means.

It was party time for the NRL amid the glittering lights of Sin City, while just days earlier another sin was being laid bare by former star NRL players whose lives had been destroyed by repeated concussions. That sin was the cavalier disregard rugby league, indeed all s ports, showed when an athlete suffered a concussion.

The prolonged effects of sustained concussions are only just beginning to be realised, with former AFL players speaking out on their symptoms and the long-term effects of repeated trauma to the head. Concussion currently accounts for 1 in 8 of the injuries sustained in community Australian rules football¹. It’s the most common injury requiring hospitalisation² from the sport in Australia.