The musculoskeletal first contact practitioners are physiotherapists with enhanced advanced skills.
They can help patients with musculoskeletal issues such as back, neck and joint pain by:
- assessing and diagnosing issues
- giving expert advice on how best to manage their conditions
- referring them on to specialist services if necessary
- The practitioner may prescribe a program of exercises, refer for blood tests or imaging investigation, administer steroid injections, or refer a patient to an appropriate secondary health service e.g. rheumatology or orthopaedics.
- Patients with MSK complaints can be booked in to see an musculoskeletal first contact practitioner by a receptionist or clinician.