Why We Treat People, Not Scans

As musculoskeletal physiotherapists we may need to order imaging to exclude fractures, neurological issues or serious pathology.

 

However, most of these conditions account for less than 5% of musculoskeletal presentations.

 

I often see patients who’ve had medical imaging and the first thing they say is “I have a tear, a bulge, a twisted or shifted or tilted something”.

 

This may be the case, but is it relevant? We need to take your history and perform a thorough examination and consider your scan results to make this decision.

Remember, we are complex ecosystems. There’s continuous interaction between our musculoskeletal, neurological and psychological systems.

 

When we sit down with a patient to discuss their injury or pain presentation ALL parts of the ecosystem must be considered.

 

Why?

1. Pain does not always indicate what’s going on with your tissues.

2. We can be damaged and have no pain e.g. meniscus tears in the knee.

3. We can have pain but no damage e.g. waking up with acute neck pain.

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It’s therefore important to treat YOU the patient and in doing so, consider if the imaging is relevant to your current injury or pain presentation.

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At Eastside Physio + Co, we are committed to delivering the best care to the locals of Surrey Hills and its neighbouring areas. Our skilled and experienced surrey hills physiotherapists​ are dedicated to supporting the well-being of our clients, who come from a variety of nearby suburbs, including Ashwood, Ashburton, Auburn, Balwyn, Blackburn, Box Hill, Burwood, Camberwell, Canterbury, Doncaster and Hawthorn.