Physiotherapy: What To Do
Assessment and treatment of movement problems, largely through exercise and education.
Last revised
In much of England you can refer yourself without seeing a GP first, which most people do not know.
Key takeaways
- Self-referral: available to NHS musculoskeletal physiotherapy in many areas
- Main treatment: graded exercise and education
- Most useful single change: Check whether you can self-refer locally; it is often faster.
- Commonest mistake: Expecting passive treatment alone to resolve the problem.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
Do
- Check whether you can self-refer locally; it is often faster
- Do the home exercise programme, which is where the effect comes from
- Ask what the exercises are for and how to progress them
- Say early if something is not working so it can be changed
Do not
- Expecting passive treatment alone to resolve the problem
- Stopping exercises as soon as pain settles
- Assuming you need a GP referral first
The figures behind the list
Each item above follows from these, published in the guidance named at the foot of the page.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Self-referral | available to NHS musculoskeletal physiotherapy in many areas |
| Main treatment | graded exercise and education |
| Manual therapy | recommended only as part of a package including exercise |
| Adherence | the main determinant of outcome |
Where to go next
- Physiotherapy: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Understanding Physiotherapy: A Plain-English Explainer
- Physiotherapy — the reference entry
- Low Back Pain: What Published Guidance Supports
- What the Guidance Really Says About Sciatica
When to get help
Seek emergency care rather than physiotherapy for numbness around the genitals or back passage, bladder or bowel changes, or weakness in both legs. See a GP urgently for pain with fever, unexplained weight loss, a history of cancer, or progressive limb weakness.
Where this comes from
- NICE — Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s
- Chartered Society of Physiotherapy — self-referral
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.