Careers & training in physiotherapy Knowledge Base
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Are you thinking about becoming a physiotherapist?

Considering a career in physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is a very worthwhile and rewarding career, it requires hard work and dedication both when training and throughout your career. It is very important that you know what the career involves and that it will suit you before applying to train.

Physiotherapists are specialists in movement, we look after all aspects of a person’s health affected by problems with movement. Most people know that physiotherapists work in sport treating people after injuries and provide exercises and massage therapy but our training and work once qualified involves a lot more than this.

Both during training and when newly qualified, physiotherapists will work in a number of the following areas:

physiotherapy spine demonstration

Areas of physiotherapy

Respiratory Physiotherapy

Respiratory physiotherapists work in hospitals (including the intensive care unit), doctors’ surgeries and in the community: treating people with a variety of breathing problems. They perform assessments of breathing pattern, listening to the sounds a person makes when breathing using a stethoscope and look at X-rays. Then use positioning, manual techniques and exercises to help people to overcome chest infections, recover from surgery and to cope with lung diseases.

All Physiotherapists who work in the NHS hospitals after qualification will be required to treat respiratory patients at night and over the weekends. They receive specialist training and work on a rota basis to ensure that the hospital has 24 hour cover to treat the most unwell patients.

Neurological Physiotherapy

When people suffer from Strokes, head injuries and other problems with their nervous systems they often lose the ability to move and function as well as before they became unwell. Where possible Physiotherapists use their skills and knowledge to help people to regain movement and work alongside other healthcare professionals to find ways to overcome disabilities that remain.

Orthopaedic or Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy

This area of Physiotherapy involves treating problems or injuries to the muscles, bones, joints and nerves. This can involve working in hospitals seeing people in accident and emergency after a trip or fall, getting them moving after a joint replacement operation or surgery to stabilise broken bones. The majority of Physiotherapists in this area work in clinics either in the NHS or privately and will treat a wide variety of conditions including neck and back pain, sports injuries such as ankle sprains, whiplash injuries or arthritis.

Women’s Health Physiotherapy

In women’s health, Physiotherapists help with problems associated with pregnancy and after giving birth, such as pelvic girdle pain, and abdominal muscle separation (diastasis recti). They also help with incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse issues.

Care of the elderly

As people age, they can be affected by a number of problems including mobility issues, fractures after falls, breathing problems, brain injuries or other neurological conditions. These conditions may be complex and take longer to recover from in older people due to other potential health problems. One specialist area in care of the elderly is assessing the risk and cause of falls, with a view to providing rehabilitation to prevent future falls.

Paediatric Physiotherapy

Physiotherapists who work with children have to have specialist knowledge of how the body changes and grows through childhood and how children learn to move and develop skills. This knowledge is used to identify abnormalities in development and address the areas that can be improved with Physiotherapy. They treat children with conditions that maybe present from birth such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy or hypermobility and acquired problems such as sporting injuries or broken bones.

Sport Physiotherapy

From local clubs to premiership football clubs and Olympic teams, Physiotherapists play a vital role in ensuring athletes are performing to their best. As well as helping athletes to recover from injuries, Physiotherapists work to prevent injuries by ensuring athletes have good posture, cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength and flexibility. This specialism of Physiotherapy is likely to involve more early mornings, evening and weekend work and time spent outside in all weathers.

What attributes and skills are needed to be a good physiotherapist?

Good Physiotherapists have a wealth of skills, many of which are taught and developed during training. However, due to the work involved and the responsibility of looking after patients who are sometimes very unwell, certain personality traits and attributes will help Physiotherapists to excel in their career. Being compassionate is essential to being a healthcare professional and for most Physiotherapists wanting to care for people, is the main reason for their career choice.

Sports Massage physiotherapy

Physiotherapists are autonomous practitioners and therefore need to be responsible, reliable and motivated to provide a high standard of care. Each patient is different and so Physiotherapists need to be adaptable, able to think on their feet and problem solve to ensure that people receive the best possible care.

One of the most important skills in Physiotherapy is communication, the ability to listen, understand a patient’s needs and adapt communication styles accordingly. Team working skills are also essential as Physiotherapists need to work alongside other healthcare professional in order to provide holistic care for patients.

Physiotherapists need to continue to study throughout their careers, to ensure they are up to date with the latest clinical research. This involves proactively attending courses, supervision with more senior clinicians and reading medical journals.

Working in healthcare involves interacting with people from many different races, religions and backgrounds. Healthcare professional must have the capacity to treat everyone equally and ensure they remain non-judgemental at all times.

How to apply to become a Physiotherapist.

If you wish to become a Chartered Physiotherapist all applicants must hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiotherapy. Additional information about which universities offer these courses and their entry requirements can be found on The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website.

Further information about a career in Physiotherapy can be found on The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) website.

If you are interested in joining our Physiotherapy team, please view our current vacancies.

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G B ★★★★★ I went to Marple Physio during pregnancy as I was having problems with pelvic girdle pain and hypermobility. Before I started, I was struggling to walk up stairs without being in a lot of pain, had disturbed sleep from it and was dreading things getting worse in my final few months of pregnancy.Over my sessions Nicky gave me exercises that were manageable and safe, but still felt like they were making a big difference to my pain and also building up my strength. Pretty quickly I found my pain easing up and by my final session at 36 weeks, I felt in so much better shape than when I first started!I’d recommend Nicky to anyone needing support, but especially when pregnant. She was very approachable and really listened to what I needed and what I felt I could do as my pregnancy progressed.Amy W. ★★★★★ Brilliant service. Helped me so much with my low back pain. Saw a couple of other people at other clinics before working with Liz and she was hands down the best!Rose-Marie W. ★★★★★ I saw Nicky for pain in my c section scar which was affecting me on a daily basis. She was great at coming up with different treatments (exercises, physical manipulation and a cream) which have improved the pain I was experiencing.Helen Q. ★★★★★ Liz and colleagues have been treating my son for many years and are fantastic with him. Although his condition will never change keeping him free from discomfort and moving the muscles he can’t use are invaluable to his quality of life. We can’t thank and praise them enough not only for their knowledge but for their care, commitment and respect shown to us allSte W. ★★★★★ I went to Marple Physiotherapy with what I assumed was a sore neck, but it turned out to be my shoulder. After many sleepless nights in agony I went to see Liz, who after two visits got me back to normal. Everything from what she did in the practice to the exercises see gave me to do at home is geared up to promote a speedy recovery and her knowledge is incredible.Can’t recommend them enough.Andreea D. ★★★★★ Excellent input from Liz during my recovery after rather complex knee ligament injury. She provided step-by-step guidance with regards to specific exercises for every stage of the recovery alongside therapeutical ultrasound and massage. Highly recommendedEmily R. ★★★★★ From the get go, I have been really impressed with my treatment at Marple Physio and would recommend it to anyone with back troubles. The initial consultation was so thorough, I left feeling positive that I could improve my chronic pain. I really appreciated that Liz was able to explain the reasoning behind my long term back troubles (over compensation and shortened muscles etc.) She has given me a proactive treatment plan that I never got previously from other establishments and I have seen an improvement in my condition after only a few sessions.Simon T. ★★★★★ A massive thank you to Liz for getting me to the start line of the Manchester Marathon! Picking up an injury half way through training I feared the worst for the big day, but a swift treatment cycle had me back up and running in a couple of weeks. I had plantar fasciitis which I have heard keep people out for months on end so such a huge thank you for the wonderful care provided to help me back to my feet.Adam F. ★★★★★ I self-referred to Liz after an episode of chopping firewood resulted in a bad case of tennis elbow with constant pain and a complete absence of strength in my right arm. The combination of physical therapy over a course of weeks, combined with effective exercises for home, has all but cured it, in a surprisingly short time. In the process of treating my arm, Liz also diagnosed some of my long term back problems and set me on a course to strengthen the right muscles to counter those issues. Great experience and would wholly recommend.js_loader

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