Focus on back pain

Published Jun 29 2018

Merri Health senior musculoskeletal physiotherapist, Yashwant Rathi, presented at a recent General Practitioner (GP) education session aimed at strengthening confidence and skills in assessing and managing acute and chronic low back pain.

While back pain is the most widespread musculoskeletal condition and a leading cause of disability around the world, many GPs lack the confidence to provide treatment and advice to sufferers of back pain.

‘Taking the pain out of low back pain’ discussed non-surgical and non-pharmacological management of back pain and recognised the role of allied health professionals. Yashwant Rathi presented on physical examination for low back pain, aimed at helping GPs understand and interpret assessment findings including neurological and provocation examination.

As part of his talk, he led an interactive workshop on ‘4-minute back examination’ providing the opportunity to practice and structure a quick, efficient and comprehensive low back pain physical examination.

Each session was designed to provide interactive plenaries and practical workshops steered by subject matter experts. ‘Taking the pain out of low back pain’ was hosted by the North Western Melbourne PHN, in collaboration with Royal Melbourne Hospital and Merri Health.

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