Physiotherapy Assessment of Patients Referred to Orthopaedic Surgeon

Does Orthopaedic Manual Therapy Assessment of Patients Referred to Orthopaedic Surgeon Bring Any Changes to Referral Routines, Patient Satisfaction and Health-related Variables?

Many patients with musculoskeletal pain in primary healthcare are referred to orthopaedic surgeon, however, a relatively low percentage of these patients are considered suitable for orthopaedic intervention.

Physiotherapists are suitable for musculoskeletal assessments and are used as such in many countries i.e. Advanced Practice Physiotherapists or Extended Scope Physiotherapists, however, this is not an existing model of care in Sweden. To be able to consider this model for implementation in Sweden it is necessary to evaluate it from a healthcare as well as from a patient perspective.

The study is a randomised controlled trial. Overall aim is to evaluate if a orthopaedic manual therapy assessment (physiotherapy) assessment of patients referred to orthopaedic surgeon bring any changes to referral routines, patient satisfaction and health-related variables when compared to standard practice.

The study is a randomised controlled trial. Overall aim is to evaluate if a orthopaedic manual therapy assessment (physiotherapy) assessment of patients referred to orthopaedic surgeon bring any changes to referral routines, patient satisfaction and health-related variables when compared to standard practice. Patients were randomised to either physiotherapy assessment or standard practice (orthopaedic surgeon assessment).

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients referred for orthopaedic surgeon with sub acute (four weeks to three months) or chronic (>three months) musculoskeletal pain who had the ability to understand written and spoken Swedish.

Exclusion Criteria:

• diagnosed hallux valgus, ganglion or trigger finger.