If your physiotherapist "puts you right every month", are they actually doing right by you

Picture the scene: You're a keen runner, you take part in lots of races, you get tight calves and hamstrings after every race. Your physiotherapist sees you, does some painful stuff with his elbow, but you tell yourself "it's gotta be doing me good if it hurts". Your pain is gone, until the next race and the same problem reoccurs, and so on and so on. Another scenario: You've been unfortunate to be in a car accident and you've had some kind of whiplash type injury. Your neck is really stiff and sore. You go to your physiotherapist and "it's the worst type of whiplash they have seen" and you will probably need "12 sessions of massage, or some gadget placed on your neck for 20 minutes over the next 2-3 weeks".

It sounds like you have a really good physiotherapist there, who is spending lots of time making sure you get yourself better. Or is this the case?

Ask yourself the question:Who is really gaining by having their legs massaged every month or who is actually gaining by having intensive numbers of treatment for a whiplash? Answer: The physiotherapist! Surely most of you are asking the yourselves: "But you're a physiotherapist, what are you trying to say about yourselves?". Answer: We know that this is not the best way to help people get better.

We know that from research and best practice evidence, empowering people to empower themselves has been shown the best way to help people self-manage. And ultimately, we all have trained as Physiotherapists to help people get better. We have an ethical and professional obligation to do this. How do we strive to achieve this? We ask the question: Why are your calves and hamstrings tightening up after every race? or How can we best help you recover from your whiplash?"

Sure, we know that massage and joint mobilisations have their place as part of a treatment program however, what we also know is, that this should not be the entirety of your treatment, as these types of treatment do only give temporary relief. There is more than sufficient evidence in the modern literature to support that strengthening exercises are the most effective way to either prevent or recover from conditions.

What's also more beneficial for people, is helping them have a better understanding of what pain is and what it is telling us.

By giving people a better understanding of what their pain is perhaps telling them, can have much more benefit for the client, as it can help provide reassurance, removes any doubt from assuming what the problem may be and encourages return to normal activity sooner rather than later. In short, self-management and advice is a crucial aspect of physiotherapy. Make sure your physiotherapist is giving you this as much as anything else.