Rheumatology Physiotherapy UK is a Professional Network of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
The group was originally founded in 2021 as a Rheumatology Clinical Interest Group. As the group evolved and matured an application was made and accepted to become a CSP Professional Network in December 2023, launching in October 2024.
Registered members of Rheumatology Physiotherapy UK are musculoskeletal or rheumatology physiotherapists and therapy support workers who assess/treat people living with rheumatology conditions.
The identification, assessment diagnosis and onwards management of inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions make up a significant proportion of the role of physiotherapists in the UK and across the world.
The purpose of Rheumatology Physiotherapy UK is to allow this community of physiotherapists to link up, share best practice and drive through improvements in patient care. The overall aim is to maintain and advance excellence in rheumatology physiotherapy and to campaign for its role in the UK healthcare environment.
A national network aims to support the job satisfaction, work role and patient outcomes for all of these different ways physiotherapists can help those living with rheumatology diagnoses.
The scope of the group encompasses all physiotherapists who might see patients prior to their diagnosis and respects the crucial role musculoskeletal physiotherapists have in decreasing the delay to diagnosis by screening their general musculoskeletal lists for any signs of a rheumatology condition and referring on where indicated.
Physiotherapists working in first contact roles, both in general practice and in interface clinics, are encouraged to engage with our professional network.
Rehabilitation is also a key part of what we do – evidence base is developing for the anti-inflammatory role of exercise in rheumatology diagnoses – the physiotherapist has a key role in engaging people living with rheumatology diagnoses into appropriate exercise/activity habits as well as being a holistic part of the rheumatology multi-disciplinary team providing real quality of life improvement for the people they care for.