If you’ve seen the shocking footage this week of a chiropractor manipulating a two-week-old baby’s spine, you might be wondering what therapies are safe and effective for infants and young children.

A recent Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport paper co-authored by Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) members Associate Professor Ilana Ackerman and Dr Joanne Kemp has shown that sports-related knee injuries more than doubled the likelihood of knee replacement surgeries up to 15 years later.

Parents are being urged not to buy baby walkers and exercise jumpers for their babies because of the risk of injury and developmental delays.

Aussie tradies are almost twice as likely to take good care of their tools as their bodies despite having one of the highest injury rates of any occupation according to research by the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) released today to mark the launch of Tradies National Health Month.

The Australian Physiotherapy Association has made several key recommendations to the MBS review to increase access and equity to services, and reduce unnecessary red tape in the healthcare system.

Advice to rest and avoid pain has traditionally been given to people with chronic pain. However, research linking lower back pain in teens with work absenteeism as adults points to the need to tackle pain early, eliminating fear-avoidance behaviour later in life. During National Pain Week (23–29 July) the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) is highlighting the effectiveness of physiotherapy in pain management programs.

“In my early years as a physiotherapist I spent a lot of time beating myself up. Trying so hard to ‘fix’ the pain that my patients presented with I felt that I could never do enough. I was never good enough. My clinical reasoning skills where adequate, I had an eye for movement and extrasensory perception through my fingers. Nevertheless, when I listened to the painful stories that my patients shared I could feel the depth of their suffering and it felt that there was something missing from my skill tool box."

Health professionals are urging an increased focus on strength and wellness among aged care residents, as the Federal Government reviews the way such facilities are funded. A recent Australian study suggests strength and balance exercise program for such residents can significantly decrease the rate of falls

A new research paper from the University of Melbourne released today highlights the very low rate of consumer complaints against physiotherapists. The retrospective analysis of formal complaints against registered chiropractors, osteopaths and physiotherapists in Australia was collated from data accessed between 2011 and 2016.

The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) is once again a proud sponsor of the Pain Revolution in 2018, a 7-day, 770km cycle from Sydney to Albury Wodonga commencing 11 April.