The New Grad Physio Podcast

Injuries to the hamstring, groin, calf and quad muscles injuries are so common… And almost as common are re-injuries to these muscle groups! Despite all the evidence and medical developments over the last half century, worryingly, recent evidence actually suggests things are getting worse! It is clear as a profession we are not doing doing a great job managing muscle injuries. So what is going wro...

Do you sometimes second guess yourself and lack confidence giving your patient a diagnosis? If you are not sure what the patients problem is, it is almost impossible for you to plan and prescribe the right treatment techniques and rehab exercises. Beyond the initial assessment, you should only be checking in with a few key markers (both subjective and objective) to see how your patient or athlete...

It’s who you know...not what you know? Right? I used to believe this myself... But it is just not true! Building connections can clearly be very helpful to get your foot in the door in that sports club, private clinic or even secure that dream next NHS rotation (the MSK one!). But it is in no way shape or form the only reason you can't get your foot in the door. Listen to this week's podcast...

It might be that dream first job… Perfect placement… Or even that next promotion that will give you more responsibility, more authority or more pay. Why is it that some people seem to get 'lucky' and get the best opportunities… Whilst this ‘luck’ never seems to happen to you? In this week’s podcast episode you’ll discover why ‘luck’ has nothing to do with it... And learn what you actually nee...

Working with the England Rugby Union team, consulting at the FA, in professional Rugby League and Super League Netball… Or working in the private practice clinic… You might think you need to change how you work within each different environment. But you do not. It is a real test, having to work with different athletes from different sports, elite professionals one day to a weekend warrior the next...

As a new grad you will make mistakes. But a mistake is only a mistake if you do it once. It is not a mistake if you keep making the same error over and over. So if you are continually making the same errors in your assessments… Using treatment techniques that only give quick changes in symptoms but never stick… Or find yourself using the same rehab exercises just because they helped some of your p...

MRI’s are thought as the ‘gold standard’ to make an accurate diagnosis but they might actually cause more problems than solutions! One big thing with any imaging is to remember that a scan gives you an image of anatomy and not function. Any investigation you use is just part of your assessment, in no way shape or form should it replace the tests you do with your patient or athlete in the clinic ro...

There is always a reason why you are not quite able to get the patient results you really want… Or start to climb the career ladder like you were thought you would... And it has nothing to do with experience, or your lack of it. Find out what the real problem is and why you need to stop hiding behind the excuse of a lack of experience so you can start getting the results you want... And the job yo...

So many therapists think that you need to get years of experience to get consistent patient results and start progressing your career. This is one of if not the biggest misconception for new grad physio’s. If it was all about experience then how is it that new grads just a few months or years out of University get the same results, and often better results, than therapists that have 10+ years expe...

Making the decision to clear a patient or athlete for higher level activities like running or a return to sport can seem like a BIG call. It is a big step in the rehab process but only if you haven't done the work beforehand, and your patient has not earned the right to progress to the higher levels of rehab. Get this wrong and your patient will struggle, their symptoms will flare up and you may h...

The ankle is one of the most simple joints in the body and you see injuries at this joint all the time, however… Many therapists often make a hash of their treatments and rehab, even with the most simple of ankle sprains. One of the big issues I see is therapists missing important clues during the assessment. During your assessment you need to gather all the important information from your patient...

What I do now is certainly very different to what I did when I first graduated. The way I structure my patient assessments, plan rehab, talk to patients, the end stage rehab exercises and tests I use… Pretty much everything I do is nothing like what I used to do as a new grad… And certainly nothing like how I was taught at University! 11 years after graduating I have learnt a lot and continue to l...

In this special podcast episode I was joined by top Sports & Exercise Medicine (SEM) Consultant Dr Jon Power. I have a pretty small circle of people that I seek and take advice from and Jon is top of the tree. As a doctor, he has a wealth of experience in so many areas, from the NHS to private practice, football to rugby, he has a skill-set unrivalled, and as well as being an awesome SEM docto...

Truth is you might never be sure you made the right diagnosis. But with a sound assessment structure, ensuring you are safe, and by making a logical and reasoned clinical decision, in the best interests of your patient or athlete, then you will be able make the right call 99.9% of the time…. Giving you the confidence you need to answer difficult patient questions like, 'How long until I'll be back...

Basic skills done brilliantly work 99% of the time. Whether it is your patient assessment, hands-on treatment techniques, the rehab you prescribe... Or your emergency trauma skills... Doing the 99% well, is better than chasing the magic 1%. Students and New Grad's more than most, fall into this trap. Chasing that magic 'trick' or 'hack' to get better results... All while not nailing the basics. Th...

Please do not put yourself, your players or your career at risk by covering sports games by not being qualified, or insured to do so. So many therapists are standing at the side of a pitch, court, track or some other sports venue, covering sports games, when they should not be. This is happening all over, in every sport, and the worst thing… Most therapists do not even know the risks and that they...

You have heard about evidence based practice right? But what about evidence ‘informed’ practice? There is a big difference and this difference is key to getting the best results with the patients or athletes you work with. This topic was the cornerstone of a recent conversation I had with Dr Sarah Whitehead, lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology at Leeds Beckett University and current Head of...

For the first podcast episode of this special MDT series I caught up with top strength and conditioning coach Chris Black. Chris has a wealth of experience, particularly in rugby, most noticeably with the Leeds Rhinos and Yorkshire Carnegie. Having started his career at the Castleford Tigers, he worked his way through the ranks, from the academy to the first team and having reached the top in dome...

Have you ever sent an email asking for a placement or job and got turned down… That's if you even got a reply! Have you submitted your CV and applied for jobs but never heard anything back? It’s so demoralising because you know you could do a good job in the role, but you just need the chance to show this. This is a massive issue… Because as good as you might be, if nobody is going to give you tha...

Think of your career journey like a car journey. You want to get from A to B. A is where you are right now. B is where you want to get to (your dream job). Whatever your career goal, I truly believe you can achieve it, if you are willing to put some work in, and if you follow the right path. The hard work bit takes care itself. If you are willing to dedicate some time and effort in to your learnin...

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know? Right? Wrong! I hear this all the time from both students and new grads as a reason for their inability to get their foot in the door in a private clinic, the NHS and particularly those jobs in sport. ‘’They got that placement because they know the physio there…. Or they only got that job because so and so said something or helped them out…’’ Right place,...

No matter which way you want your career to go or what your dream job is… Making a fast start and ensuring you are heading in the right direction at the beginning of your career is vital. However, most new grads waste the first 3-5 years of their careers, making little progress, largely because they have been told this is ‘normal’ and it is ‘what everyone has to do.’ This is not true! Maybe you ar...

Concussion is a very talked about subject right now, especially in sport. Almost daily there is a story about a current athlete struggling with concussion or ex-athletes suffering long term problems, like dementia and Alzheimer's, that are starting to be linked to previous incidence of concussion. Despite their prevalence, most new grads do not know how to manage a concussion, largely because thes...

The Acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) is a relatively simple joint. It has very little movement… It joins the clavicle or collarbone to the acromion (shoulder)… It has no direct muscles attachments and only two ligaments… Yet ACJ injuries can be tricky to manage. They can cause persistent symptoms and are at high risk of re-injury. They are also often misdiagnosed, usually as glenohumeral joint (GHJ)...

MCL (medial collateral ligament)injuries are very common but there are a lot of misconceptions about how to rehab these injuries. When do you start? Can you do exercises in the brace? What exercises do you do? How do you know when your athlete is ready to start running? How do you know when they are ready to rejoin full training or do contact work? If you want to know the answers to any or all of...