COMMON PAIN CONDITIONS IN PHYSIOTHERAPY PRACTICE: LOW BACK PAIN, NECK PAIN, SHOULDER PAIN, OSTEOARTHRITIS, AND NEUROLOGICAL AND POST-STROKE PAIN

Abstract

Pain remains the most frequent reason patients present to physiotherapy services, with low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, osteoarthritis, and neurological or post-stroke pain accounting for a substantial share of musculoskeletal and neurological caseloads. Although these conditions differ in origin, pathophysiology, and prognosis, contemporary physiotherapy management converges on shared principles: active, exercise-based rehabilitation as first-line care; patient education and reassurance; and judicious, time-limited use of adjunctive modalities such as manual therapy, electrotherapy, and needling techniques. Low back and neck pain are addressed largely through guideline-based exercise and graded activity; shoulder pain, particularly rotator cuff-related shoulder pain, responds well to progressive loading; osteoarthritis management centers on exercise, weight management, and self-efficacy; and neurological or post-stroke pain, including central post-stroke pain and hemiplegic shoulder pain, requires a distinct, mechanism-informed approach combining positioning, graded motor input, and interdisciplinary care. This chapter reviews the clinical presentation and evidence-based physiotherapy management of these five common pain conditions and highlights the shared and condition-specific principles that guide contemporary, patient-centered rehabilitation practice.