Dr Liam West – How Physios and Sports Doctors Can Work Together Effectively

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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

79:00 The most important skills for a physiotherapist -  problem solving and active listening. Learn from other health professionals, be curious and vulnerable enough to admit when you are wrong

87:00 Final tips for career development

Thanks, Liam for a great conversation. Read more about Liam here: https://alphingtonsportsmed.com.au/profile/dr-liam-west/

Follow Liam on X: https://x.com/liam_west?lang=en

Read Liam’s chapters in the Brukner and Khan textbook (students I’m looking at you, read books!): https://csm.mhmedical.com/book.aspx?bookid=1970

Liam talked about the Tame the Beast website: https://www.tamethebeast.org/about

We also discussed the SCREENDEM checklist for screening for rheumatological problems: https://rheumatology.physio/mini-blog-screendem/

Physio Foundations Podcast Summaries: You can find articles based on Physio Foundations podcast episodes at www.Perraton.Physio or on the Perraton Physio LinkedIn page.

Follow @PerratonPhysio on YouTube, Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and Linked In.

This is a discussion aimed at health professionals and health professional students. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.

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