Referral On
This resource must not be forgotten. In our eyes a good physiotherapist is one who knows when NOT to treat. For instance, if after careful examination and assessment we think that a client requires a cortisone (steroid) injection, an MRI scan or a surgical opinion, that is the time for referral. Again, if we suspect a client has a torn knee cartilage, for which physiotherapy can do nothing at all, referral is the obvious answer. In this kind of situation we let the client know at once what our findings are so that suitable decisions and/or arrangements may be made for the necessary further expert opinions to be sought. What we do not do is embark upon a programme of what we would know only too well to be useless physiotherapy treatment. This means that clients will not waste their entire private medical allowance on pointless intervention when what they really need is either a surgical opinion or in other cases perhaps a referral to a podiatrist or a chronic pain specialist.
Good practitioners know both their strong and their weak points. One of the best weapons in their armoury, however, is their ready access to an address book full of names of the specialists on whom they can call when needing help or advice.