What is a musculoskeletal disorder?

Musculoskeletal Disorders are injuries and disorders that affect the human body’s movement or musculoskeletal system.

Physiotherapy helps restore movement and function to as near normal as possible when someone is affected by injury, illness or by developmental or other disability.

Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy is a specialized area of physiotherapy treating injuries and conditions which affect the muscles, joints, and soft tissues.

Injuries which can be treated by musculoskeletal physiotherapy can include:

These injuries can require a musculoskeletal physiotherapy assessment and a treatment session to optimize healing and speed the recovery process. Upon assessment the physiotherapist will set goals and develop an appropriate rehabilitation plan. Some of the treatments which the musculoskeletal physiotherapist may use can include:

The most appropriate treatments will be selected upon the clinical judgment and the experience of the Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist on the findings from the initial assessment. Treatments for musculoskeletal injuries aim to:

  • Totally relieve or reduce your pain.

  • Provide you with strategies to best manage your injury or condition.

  • Help you to recover quicker and hasten your return to your normal activities.

  • Improve your flexibility, muscle strength, quality of movement, proprioception and co-ordination.

  • Assist you to achieve exercise or functional goals.

  • Improve your fitness.

  • Help you to prevent future injury recurrences.

  • Prescribe exercises to do at home, work in the gym to enhance your recovery.