Knee Pain: From Your Symptoms to the Next Step
Does your knee hurt on stairs, after a run, when kneeling or when getting up from a chair? Those details matter. “Knee pain” describes the problem you feel; it does not tell you whether the cause is an injury, arthritis or another condition. A useful next step starts with what happened and what your knee […]
Hip Pain: When to Seek Help and What to Ask
Hip pain may show up while walking, climbing stairs, lying on your side or getting out of a car. You might feel it at the side of the hip, in the groin or towards the buttock. That makes it tempting to diagnose the problem from a diagram. The position is useful information, but it is […]
Shoulder Pain: Understanding the Next Step
A painful shoulder can make getting dressed, reaching a shelf or sleeping on your side difficult. Search results may call it bursitis, impingement, a rotator cuff problem or frozen shoulder. Those names are not interchangeable, and the task that hurts does not establish a diagnosis. When to get medical help first Call 000 for shoulder […]
Ankle Pain: Injury Checks and Return to Activity
An ankle that hurts after a twist raises a different question from one that repeatedly feels unreliable on uneven ground. You may need an injury checked, help with a return to activity, or an explanation for pain that started without an obvious event. Before choosing stretches, taping or new shoes, work out which next step […]
Medicare and Physiotherapy: Referrals, Rebates and Booking
You have a referral, a Medicare card and a physiotherapy appointment in mind. It is reasonable to want one clear answer before you book: what will you actually pay? The answer depends on the referral, your eligibility, services already used and the clinic’s fee. A Medicare rebate and a free clinic offer are different arrangements. […]