Physio Network

In this episode with Helen Welch we explore some of the complexities in Primary Health Care. We discuss:

• Role of a first contact physio and the types of patients they see
• Expectations of First Contact Physios (FCP’s)
• The importance of managing these patients in a holistic manner
• Burnout and the impact of this on FCP’s 
• How to get involved as a FCP

👉🏻 Learn more about Physio Network’s Research Reviews here - https://physio.network/reviews-welch

Helen Welch is a consultant MSK physiotherapist and First Contact Practitioner (FCP) lead in the West Belfast Federation, where she oversees advanced MSK assessment and management. With extensive postgraduate training, Helen is a non-medical independent prescriber, qualified in joint and soft tissue injections, and a CASE-accredited MSK sonographer skilled in ultrasound-guided interventions. A former Chair of the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (MACP), Helen has played a key role in shaping national MSK practice standards through her leadership in the UK MSK partnership group.

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Our host is @James_Armstrong_Physio from Physio Network

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In this episode with Tom Jesson, we discuss everything about sciatica. We explore:

• Definition of sciatica
• What conditions might masquerade as sciatica
• Diagnostic signs of sciatica

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🎁 For a limited time, you can get his 200+ page e-book on sciatica for FREE when you join Masterclass.

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Tom Jesson is a physiotherapist specialising in lumbar radicular pain, aka sciatica. He has written numerous books, articles and peer-reviewed publications on nerve root pain, and lectured internationally. In his writing, he takes confusing and complicated topics and makes them vivid and clear.

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Our host is @James_Armstrong_Physio from Physio Network

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In this episode with Dr Stacey Hardin, we explore an interesting case study of a 25 year old soccer player who sustained a groin injury during match play. We cover:

• Subjective history
• On-field examination 
• Differential diagnosis within this body area
• Objective history
• Surgical vs conservative management 
• Role of MRI in the management of this injury
• Role of multidisciplinary management

👉🏻 Learn more about Physio Network’s Case Studies here - https://physio.network/casestudy-hardin

Dr Stacey Hardin is a physical therapist and athletic trainer based in the United States. She has worked in elite soccer for over 10 years and currently works as the Director of Medical for Bay FC. In addition to her work in professional soccer, Hardin is actively involved in applied research and education.

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Our host is @James_Armstrong_Physio from Physio Network

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This episode with Craig Purdam is a snippet taken from our Practicals live Q&A sessions. Held monthly, these sessions give Practicals members the chance to ask their pressing questions and get direct answers from our expert presenters. In this episode Craig discusses:

• Medial tibial stress syndrome 
• Rocker bottom shoes 
• Surfaces and distances and their roles in relation to calf injuries
• Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome

👉🏻 Learn more about Physio Network’s Practicals here - physio.network/practicals-purdam

Craig Purdam was the Head of Physical Therapies at the Australian Institute of Sport for 35 years and the Deputy Director of Athlete Services for 3 years. He has worked as a clinician for elite sport for over 40 years and has been a physiotherapist to five Olympic Games (1984-2000) and a longstanding physiotherapist to the Australian National Men’s Basketball team over that period. He has worked with the Australia national track and field, rowing and swimming teams along with AFL football.

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In this episode, we discuss some of the potential challenges and perks of working in elite sport. We explore: 

• Most common injuries seen in combat sports
• Key differences in elite sport vs private practice
• Importance of interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary management
• Use of objective measures in elite sport
• Injury risk prior to competition
• Supplementation in elite sport

👉🏻 Try Masterclass for free for 7 days here now - https://physio.network/podcast-gatt-linden

Dr Ian Gatt is Head of Performance Services & Lead Physiotherapist for GB Boxing. He has over 20 years of clinical experience, having supported athletes on their path to success through several Olympic games. He forms part of Team Anthony Joshua (Boxing Olympic and Professional Double World Champion), delivering injury reduction and management strategies within a multidisciplinary team. Ian is an Upper Limb Injury specialist with the prestigious English Institute of Sport (EIS), and has recently completed a PhD in Wrist Biomechanics at Sheffield Hallam University. 

Dr. Heather Linden serves as the Senior Director of Physical Therapy at the UFC Performance Institute (UFCPI). She oversees the sports medicine departments at both UFCPI locations in Las Vegas, NV, and Shanghai, China. In 2022, Heather received the prestigious “Trainer of the Year” honor at the World MMA Awards. Prior to her role with the UFC, she was part of the Sports Medicine Division at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and also led an outpatient orthopedic clinic in Los Angeles.

If you like the podcast, it would mean the world if you're happy to leave us a rating or a review. It really helps!

Our host is @James_Armstrong_Physio from Physio Network

👏 Become a better physiotherapist with online education from world-leading experts:

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In this episode with Dr Enda King, we discuss a recent paper looking at time to return to sport post ACL reconstruction. We discuss:

• Is there an optimal time to return to sport? 
• How important is time as an indicator post ACL reconstruction? 
• Role of different graft types in timing of return to sport
• Other implicating factors which may contribute to re-injury
• Testing for return to sport

👉🏻 Learn more about Physio Network’s Research Reviews here - https://physio.network/reviews-king

Enda King PhD MSc is a sports physiotherapist, strength and conditioning coach, researcher, and educator who works with elite athletes and teams across various sports. As Head of Performance at the Sports Surgery Clinic in Dublin, he developed and led advanced clinical and research pathways for ACL and Athletic Groin Pain rehabilitation, serving athletes from top global leagues including the Premier League, NFL, NBA, and UFC. He has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters focused on groin pain, ACL recovery, and biomechanics in performance and rehab. King is also a respected international educator and consultant, especially in lower limb injury rehabilitation.

Reference to article -  Kotsifaki R, King E, Bahr R, Whiteley R (2025) Is 9 months the sweet spot for male athletes to return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction? British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 26 February 2025. 

If you like the podcast, it would mean the world if you're happy to leave us a rating or a review. It really helps!

Our host is @James_Armstrong_Physio from Physio Network

👏 Become a better physiotherapist with online education from world-leading experts:

https://www.physio-network.com/

In this episode with Karen McCreesh, we explore shoulder pain and what patients really want. We discuss:

• The mismatch between what patients want and what clinicians think they need
• Role of pain and how to explain this to patients
• Role of group exercise for those not improving with individual exercises

👉🏻 Learn more about Physio Network’s Research Reviews here - https://physio.network/reviews-mcreesh

Prof McCreesh is an experienced musculoskeletal physiotherapy educator, researcher, clinician, and sonographer. She is a Professor in Physiotherapy at the School of Allied Health at the University of Limerick, Ireland. She has an extensive track record in shoulder pain research, with a multitude of peer reviewed publications in leading journals. She has been awarded over €1.7m in research funding and leads a team of 3 PhD and 2 post doctoral researchers within the Health Research Institute at UL.

If you like the podcast, it would mean the world if you're happy to leave us a rating or a review. It really helps!

Our host is @James_Armstrong_Physio from Physio Network

👏 Become a better physiotherapist with online education from world-leading experts:

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In this episode with Charlie Clements we discuss his case study on sciatica that he has recently done for Physio Network. We explore: 

• Key features of sciatica
• Differential diagnosis
• Management strategies 
• Onward referral processes

This episode is closely tied to Charlie’s case study he did with us. With case studies, you can see how top clinicians manage real-world cases and apply their strategies to get better results with your patients.

👉🏻 Watch Charlie’s case study here with our 7-day free trial:
https://physio.network/casestudies-clements

Charlie Clements is a First Contact Physiotherapist for the NHS and based within the United Kingdom. He has a specialist interest towards spinal pathologies and sources of lower limb pain with a passion for delivering evidence-based content across his online platforms. He has published research looking at the influence of foam rolling on ankle injuries alongside previous experience working in professional cricket. 

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Our host is @NoahMandelPhysio from Physio Network

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In this episode, we discuss everything about ACL injuries. We explore: 

• Role of biomechanics of ACL injury
• Are current ACL injury prevention programs effective? 
• Use of Functional MRI in ACL rehabilitation
• What are the long-term consequences of ACL reconstruction? 
• Injury risk post ACL reconstruction

Want to learn more about ACL Injury incidence and prevention? Matthew Bourne and Tyler Collings recently did a brilliant Masterclass with us called “Mastering ACL Injury: From Incidence to Injury Prevention” where they go into further depth on this topic. 

👉🏻 You can watch their class now with our 7-day free trial -https://physio.network/masterclass-bournecollings

Dr Tyler Collings is an early career researcher at Griffith University, Gold Coast and a member of the Australian Centre for Precision Health and Technology (PRECISE). His research focuses on lower limb injury prevention and rehabilitation using neuromusculoskeletal biomechanics and field-based human movement technology. 

Dr Matthew Bourne is an Associate Professor and research leader in the Australian Centre for Precision Health and Technology at Griffith University. As recipient of research fellowships from Advance Queensland and MTPConnect, A/Prof Bourne and his team partner with industry to develop and apply next-generation, clinic-friendly technologies to identify athletes at risk of injury and inform the design of personalised, evidence-based prevention strategies.

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Our host is @Sarahyule from Physio Network

👏 Become a better physiotherapist with online education from world-leading experts:

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In this episode with Thomas Dekkers we discuss the evidence for exercise in low back pain. We discuss:

• Is exercise an evidence based treatment for back pain?
• Which type of exercise is best? 
• Limitations of research in back pain
• Importance of education in this population
• How to improve our exercise prescription
• Individualised programs for rehabilitation

👉🏻 Learn more about Physio Network’s Research Reviews here - https://physio.network/reviews-dekkers

Thomas is a Physiotherapist, researcher, and educator with almost 20 years experience in the field of musculoskeletal and sports medicine. Currently he works as a Specialist spinal Physiotherapist as part of the Neurosurgery team at Cork University Hospital in Ireland and he also consults in private practice on patients with complex spinal pain. In addition to his clinical work he is currently completing a PhD at Technological University Dublin investigating the rehabilitation of athletes with back pain and has numerous peer-reviewed publications. He is also a passionate educator and teaches his course, 'The Rehabilitation of Back Pain’.  internationally. 

If you like the podcast, it would mean the world if you're happy to leave us a rating or a review. It really helps!

Our host is @James_Armstrong_Physio from Physio Network

👏 Become a better physiotherapist with online education from world-leading experts:

https://www.physio-network.com/