Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Rehabilitation Services
The Fife Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Service provides traditional musculoskeletal outpatient physiotherapy and rehabilitation for patients, either as a first line intervention, or after orthopaedic surgery e.g. after knee ligament reconstruction or knee replacement surgery. The Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Service works closely with the Orthopaedic Service. Musculoskeletal physiotherapy rehabilitation is increasingly the option of choice for many patients with musculoskeletal/orthopaedic conditions.
Musculoskeletal and orthopaedic conditions comprise more than one hundred and fifty conditions that affect the locomotor system of individuals. These conditions range from those that arise suddenly and are short-lived, such as fractures, sprains and strains, to lifelong conditions associated with ongoing functioning limitations and disability.
Musculoskeletal conditions are typically characterised by pain and limitations in mobility, dexterity and overall level of functioning with poor health reducing people’s ability to work. Poor musculoskeletal health, as reflected in reduced physical capability (grip strength, walking speed, chair rising, and standing balance times) has been related to increased mortality. Suboptimal musculoskeletal functioning is also a key component of frailty development, especially with an aging population, although frailty in itself is not age specific.
Where you can attend adult MSK physiotherapy
You can access the NHS Fife Health & Social Care Adult MSK Physiotherapy Service at 11 locations across Fife. NHS Fife Physiotherapy is a Fife wide service and we will strive to offer you an appointment at a site nearest to your home. Below is list of sites where the Adult MSK Physiotherapy service provide appointments.
Where to attend Fife Adult MSK Physiotherapy appointmentsAny new referral received for you, either from your General Practice or the Orthopaedic Service, is triaged at a Central Booking Office at the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, and an appointment will be arranged at an appropriate site for your condition and location.
The Service also provides some Advanced Practice Physiotherapy (APP) Orthopaedic Outpatient Clinics at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy and Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline. The adult and paediatric APP Orthopaedic Clinics (extended scope) include spinal, shoulder, knee and hand subspecialties. These are run by experienced physiotherapists who have undertaken specialist training in orthopaedic and musculoskeletal conditions.
In addition, some General Practices have access to Advanced Practice First Contact Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists locally, which do not provide traditional first line musculoskeletal physiotherapy, but clinically assess, provide self-management advice, investigate, prescribe and refer on to other Services, if necessary, often in place of General Practitioners (GPs). This helps the GPs to manage other non-related musculoskeletal/orthopaedic conditions.