Especially if you're suffering from chronic pain or a serious long-term injury, it can be hard to bring yourself to trust a new healthcare professional. With something like physiotherapy, you're really putting your comfort into a stranger's hands - but naturally, that additional stress is not going to help your condition. In the efforts of reducing these concerns and to prove exactly how experienced the person you're trusting is, here's a rundown of the kinds of qualifications that physiotherapy requires, and what they involve.
University Degree
This is not the kind of career that can be undertaken by just anybody after a few weeks' training. Physios must go through either a four-year Bachelor's degree - or five years if they are studying for a double degree. That's a lot of focused training under the supervision of teachers and professionals - both theoretical and practical. If your physiotherapist specialises in a particular area, they will also have committed to even further training on top of that. The person you're trusting is not just going through the motions of a well-practiced, pre-set routine. They understand the parts of the body they're working on, which techniques to use and why, and how those techniques actually work.
Hands-On Training
In most physiotherapy courses, having practical - and supervised - clinical experience is a mandatory part of the course. As such, you're highly unlikely to be in inexperienced hands - even if you choose a therapist that has only just qualified.
Legal Requirements
All physiotherapists in the country are required to be registered with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia. Registry with the board mandates a high level of service, safety, insurance and personal conduct that ensure your safety and wellbeing. The rules also require that registered members have conducted a minimum of 450 hours' therapy work in the three years before they register, and at least 150 hours per year. Equally, they must be able to prove they are continuing to develop and expand their skills in line with recent discoveries and updates in the field. This ensures that therapists are up-to-date and well-practiced with modern techniques and ideas.
In other words - there is practically zero risk of encountering an unprofessional physiotherapist who is not deserving of your trust. You can attend your sessions with confidence, knowing that you're going to receive high-quality care from a well-regulated, well-practiced expert. All you need to do is stick to your therapy and you'll see exactly the kind of results that you and your therapist are expecting.