Searching for and finding the right physio for your needs online can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. You could spend hours searching through Google for the right sports physio, musculoskeletal physiotherapist; even narrowing down your search to Northern Beaches physios is likely to give yourself an extra headache! So how do you find the best physio for your condition? Like many other health professions, physiotherapists have a vast array of areas of expertise. All practitioners have to be highly educated and officially registered to practice with the governing body, adhering to strict standards of service. Working out which physiotherapist can treat your specific condition requires more than simply typing in to Google. Luckily there are a number of hints and tricks to finding the right local physio for your needs, by following these tips below you will go a long way to finding that special someone.
Check for what areas the physiotherapist specialises in
Physiotherapists cover a huge range of areas of practice and not all physios are experts in the type of pain or condition you are suffering from. You wouldn’t go to a podiatrist to get an eye test, so why visit a physio who doesn’t specialise in the area of pain you are experiencing? For example, when it comes to musculoskeletal physiotherapy, did you know that only 5% of practicing physiotherapists attain the rank of “Titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist”? The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) defines a Titled Physio as “highly qualified physiotherapists with expert knowledge and skills. They undergo a rigorous selection process to ensure that they achieve and maintain exceptional standards of clinical experience and knowledge. The APA Title serves as a professional mark of distinction.” For issues like Back and neck pain, Nerve pain (especially sciatica, carpal tunnel), Chronic injuries, Arthritis/osteoarthritis and other aging related pain, postural dysfunctions including scoliosis, kyphosis (hunched back) and flat feet – don’t sell yourself short by visiting a physio not ranked in that top 5%.
Ask your doctor for their advice
Many Northern Beaches doctors work hand in hand with highly trained physiotherapists to treat long term and immediate physical pain for their patients. They are some of the best people to give advice on who to see in the local area with the skills and specialisation to help you recover faster.
Phone a friend
There aren’t many better ways to finding the right physio than getting a referral from a friend. Getting confirmation from a friend on the skills of a physio will give you much more insight than Googling away aimlessly for hours. They’ll be able to give you firsthand knowledge of their expertise, bedside manner and obviously on whether or not they were able to help their own issues.
Check on the Australian Physiotherapy Association
Not checking to see whether a physiotherapist is registered with the Australian Physiotherapy Association is like playing Russian roulette with your musculoskeletal system. If they aren’t registered on there, you might as well go and see Doctor Nick from the Simpsons.
Consult Facebook and have a look at relevant groups on social media
It’s become increasingly common today for Facebook groups related to sports and health and fitness to share stories about their injuries and post reviews of their tips and experiences with various sports or injury related professionals. If you’re uncertain, put a post up along the lines of “Does anybody know an awesome physio that specialises in lower back pain in Dee Why” and you’re bound to get a few bites. Always check and verify their advice with other methods though!
Consult Doctor Google
Once you’ve narrowed your search scope down, it is important to check Google reviews and other community reviewed websites to check what the word on the street about the physio is. Keep in mind again, Google reviews aren’t the be all and end all, but they do play an important part in finding a reputable and skilled physio for your needs.
Ask for a referral from your local sporting club
If you play in a team or individual sport, it is likely that your club has knowledge of physiotherapists that are reputable and skilled in specific areas of the body. Sporting clubs don’t just recommend any old physio either, because they are made up of trained and skilled individuals themselves, the last thing they’d be doing is recommending a physio with a Kelloggs Cornflakes degree.
Finding the right Dee Why physio can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to start. By following those tips and verifying claims and data between a number of different sources and referral points, you are much more likely to find a physio who is capable of looking after your pain or injury in the most professional and up to date way possible
