ORTHOPAEDIC, AND NEUROLOGICAL PAIN: A PHYSIOTHERAPY PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Musculoskeletal and neurological pain conditions are among the leading causes of disability worldwide, placing a substantial burden on individuals, healthcare systems, and economies. This chapter examines four highly prevalent pain presentations encountered in clinical physiotherapy practice: low back pain, shoulder pain, osteoarthritis, and neurological pain. Drawing on contemporary clinical practice guidelines and systematic reviews, the chapter outlines the epidemiology, underlying mechanisms, and evidence-based physiotherapy management strategies for each condition, including therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, pain neuroscience education, and neurorehabilitation techniques. Emphasis is placed on the biopsychosocial model of care, active patient participation, and individualized treatment planning as unifying principles across all four conditions. The chapter concludes that physiotherapists occupy a central role in the multidisciplinary management of chronic pain, and that continued integration of evidence-based practice into clinical decision-making is essential to optimizing functional outcomes and quality of life for affected individuals.