Here at Acle we have Tom our first contact musculoskeletal practitioner (MSK). Our MSK’s aim to provide diagnosis, education, and necessary exercise to enable patients to manage their condition from a one-off session with an experienced clinician.
First contact musculoskeletal practitioner use their knowledge of how the body works and how it is affected by conditions of the musculoskeletal system (soft tissue, joints, and bones) to devise treatment plans appropriate to each individual’s patient’s condition and management.
There are key differences in MSK versus traditional physiotherapy. This service is about very much placing experienced musculoskeletal physiotherapists with additional skills like the ability to refer for imaging, secondary care opinion (e.g. orthopaedics or rheumatology) or injection therapies – in general practice to be able to quickly assess and help patients manage their musculoskeletal conditions from the first contact instead of needing to see a clinician to then being referred to the appropriate service.
Benefits to patients are:
- Opportunities to gain lifestyle/physical activity advice.
- Quick access to expert physiotherapy assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and advice.
- Prevention of short-term problems becoming long-term conditions.
- Improved patient experience.
- A shorter pathway, so patients have fewer appointments to attend.