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Dr Liam West is a Sports and Exercise Physician based in Melbourne, Australia and a fellow of the Australasian College of Sport & Exercise Physicians. In this episode, Liam, Zuzana and I discussed some practical aspects of how physiotherapists can work with sports doctors, what sports doctors want to know in your referral letter and updates, and common conditions where a sports doctor should be involved in patient care. We finish our discussion by focusing on the person rather than the patient and talk about Liam’s approach to integrating biopsychosocial elements in patient care.
In this episode:
0:00 About this episode and welcome Liam – background and interests
13:00 What do physios do that Liam is jealous of?
16:00 How do you build a career in sports medicine or sports physio?
17:30 Describe a typical week for a sports doctor – consulting, surgical assisting, sports game coverage
29:06 Referring people to a sports doctor, what does a sports doctor want to know in a referral or update?
38:53 Should you arrange an MRI or other investigations before you send someone to the sports doctor? Practicalities of rebates and referrals. When should a doctor be involved in managing fractures?
52:30 When should you refer to a GP and when should you refer to a specialist?
54:00 Mental health in sports injury rehab, difficult questions, mental health support for patients and health professionals/students
71:30 Influence of hormones on musculoskeletal health, screening for rheumatological conditions