Musculoskeletal physiotherapists’ use of psychological interventions: a systematic review of therapists’ perceptions and practice
Open accessAbstract
Background Research has demonstrated that incorporating psychological interventions within physiotherapy practice has numerous potential benefits. Despite this physiotherapists have reported feeling inadequately trained to confidently use such interventions in their day-to-day practice.Objective To systematically review musculoskeletal physiotherapists' perceptions regarding the use of psychological interventions within physiotherapy practice.Data sources Eligible studies were identified through a rigorous search of AMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsychINFO from January 2002 until August 2013.Study eligibility criteria Full text qualitative, quantitative and mixed methodology studies published in English language investigating musculoskeletal physiotherapists' perceptions regarding their use of psychological interventions within physiotherapy practice.Study synthesis and appraisal Included studies were appraised for risk of bias using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist. Meta-analysis was not possible due to study heterogeneity.Results Six studies, all with a low risk of bias, met the inclusion criteria. These studies highlighted that physiotherapists appreciate the importance of using psychological interventions within their practice, but report inadequate understanding and consequent underutilisation of these interventions.Limitations These results should be noted with some degree of caution due to various limitations associated with the included studies and with this review, including the use of a qualitative appraisal tool for mixed methodology/quantitative studies.Conclusion These findings suggest that musculoskeletal physiotherapists are aware of the potential benefits of incorporating psychological interventions within their practice but feel insufficiently trained to optimise their use of such interventions; hence highlighting a need for further research in this area and a review of physiotherapist training.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Allied health care professionals are aware of the benefits of incorporating psychological interventions within their practice but feel insufficiently trained to optimize their use of such interventions.
“Although allied health care professionals (HCPs) are aware of the benefits of incorporating psychological interventions within their practice, they feel insufficiently trained to optimize their use of such interventions [91].”
From Development and usability testing of a web-based and therapist-assisted coping skills program for managing psychosocial problems in individuals with hand and upper limb injuries: Mixed methods study (2020) · cites this paper as [91]
The Conclusion (p. 4) says musculoskeletal physiotherapists recognise the potential benefits of psychological interventions but feel insufficiently trained to use them effectively. The citing sentence extends that finding to allied health care professionals generally, a broader group than the review studied. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredClinicians have a solid foundation in collecting relevant anatomic and physiologic data, but lack training in evidenced-based psychosocial profiles.
“Clinicians have a solid foundation in collecting relevant anatomic and physiologic data, but lack training in evidenced-based psychosocial profiles (Alexanders et al., 2015;Beneciuk et al., 2021;Driver et al., 2017;Sanders et al., 2013).”
From Beyond yellow flags: The Big‐Five personality traits and psychologically informed musculoskeletal rehabilitation. (2023) · cites this paper as Alexanders et al., 2015
The Abstract (p. 3) reports that musculoskeletal physiotherapists felt inadequately trained to use psychological interventions, and Implications for practice (p. 15) describes a paucity of such training. The paper does not establish that clinicians have a solid foundation in collecting anatomic and physiologic data, or specifically that they lack training in evidence-based psychosocial profiles. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: the PRISMA statement
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & for the PRISMA Group (2009) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.b2535 · Cited by 83,823 · see citing works
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009) · Journal of Clinical Epidemiology · doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2009.06.005 · Cited by 19,575 · see citing works
Nicholas, M. K., Linton, S. J., Watson, P. J., & Main, C. J. (2011) · Physical Therapy · doi:10.2522/ptj.20100224 · Cited by 690 · see citing works
Frequency of Anxiety after Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies
Burton, C. A. C., Murray, J., Holmes, J., Astin, F., Greenwood, D., & Knapp, P. (2013) · International Journal of Stroke · doi:10.1111/j.1747-4949.2012.00906.x · Cited by 427 · see citing works
Hannes, K., Lockwood, C. S., & Pearson, A. (2010) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732310378656 · Cited by 417 · see citing works
Cupal, D. D., & Brewer, B. W. (2001) · Rehabilitation Psychology · doi:10.1037/0090-5550.46.1.28 · Cited by 300 · see citing works
Application of systematic review methods to qualitative research: practical issues
Jones, M. L. (2004) · Journal of Advanced Nursing · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2004.03196.x · Cited by 247 · see citing works
Tjong, V. K., Murnaghan, M. L., Nyhof-Young, J. M., & Ogilvie‐Harris, D. J. (2013) · The American Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1177/0363546513508762 · Cited by 174 · see citing works
Effectiveness of psychological intervention following sport injury
Schwab Reese, L. M., Pittsinger, R., & Yang, J. (2012) · Journal of Sport and Health Science · doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2012.06.003 · Cited by 131 · cited 2× · see citing works
“One area of psychology of particular importance to physiotherapists is the use of psychological interventions such as relaxation, imagery, positive self-talk and goal setting, as all these techniques are used by physiotherapists in clinical practice (2), (10).”
BackgroundReview: Psychological responses to injury in competitive sport: a critical review
Walker, N., Thatcher, J., & Lavallee, D. E. (2007) · The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health · doi:10.1177/1466424007079494 · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Identifying and applying psychological theory to setting and achieving rehabilitation goals
Scobbie, L., Wyke, S., & Dixon, D. L. (2009) · Clinical Rehabilitation · doi:10.1177/0269215509102981 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Playford, E. D., Dawson, L., Limbert, V., et al. (2000) · Clinical Rehabilitation · doi:10.1191/0269215500cr343oa · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Emotional Effects of Sports Injuries: Implications for Physiotherapists
Pearson, L., & Jones, G. (1992) · Physiotherapy · doi:10.1016/s0031-9406(10)61642-2 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Brunner, E., De Herdt, A., Minguet, P., Baldew, S.-S., & Probst, M. (2013) · Disability and Rehabilitation · doi:10.3109/09638288.2012.683848 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Scobbie, L., McLean, D., Dixon, D. L., Duncan, E., & Wyke, S. (2013) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/1472-6963-13-190 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Hemmings, B., & Povey, L. (2002) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsm.36.1.61 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Arvinen‐Barrow, M., Penny, G. N., Hemmings, B., & Corr, S. (2009) · Psychology of sport and exercise · doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2009.05.004 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Physiotherapists’ perceptions of sport psychology intervention in professional soccer
Heaney, C. (2006) · International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology · doi:10.1080/1612197x.2006.9671785 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Mirza, S. K., Deyo, R. A., Heagerty, P. J., Turner, J. A., Martin, B. I., & Comstock, B. A. (2013) · The Spine Journal · doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2013.05.047 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Preoperative psychological distress and functional outcome after knee replacement
Paulsen, M. G., Dowsey, M. M., Castle, D. J., & Choong, P. (2011) · ANZ Journal of Surgery · doi:10.1111/j.1445-2197.2010.05634.x · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Inside the Clinic: Health Professionals’ Role in Their Clients’ Psychological Rehabilitation
Tracey, J. (2008) · Journal of Sport Rehabilitation · doi:10.1123/jsr.17.4.413 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Jevon, S. M., & Johnston, L. H. (2003) · Physical Therapy in Sport · doi:10.1016/s1466-853x(03)00034-8 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Neuro-linguistic programming and application in treatment of phobias
Karunaratne, M. (2010) · Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2010.02.003 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Heaney, C., Green, A. J. K., Rostron, C. L., & Walker, N. (2012) · Journal of Physical Therapy Education · doi:10.1097/00001416-201207000-00007 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Ford, I. W., & Gordon, S. (1997) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1097/00005768-199711000-00026 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Schoeb, V. (2009) · Manual Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.math.2009.02.004 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Lafferty, M., KENYON, R. L., & Wright, C. J. (2008) · Research in Sports Medicine · doi:10.1080/15438620802523378 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Improving Goal Setting and Goal Attainment in Patients with Chronic Noncancer Pain
Filoramo, M. A. (2007) · Pain Management Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pmn.2007.03.005 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Dufour, S. P., Graham, S., Friesen, J., Rosenblat, M. A., Rous, C., & Richardson, J. A. (2014) · Physiotherapy Theory and Practice · doi:10.3109/09593985.2014.930769 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Harland, N. J., & Lavallee, D. E. (2003) · Physiotherapy · doi:10.1016/s0031-9406(05)60043-0 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
(2000) · Time to knit · doi:10.1016/j.yort.2014.02.012 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Psychology in the Physiotherapy Curriculum: A Survey
Baddeley, H., & Bithell, C. (1989) · Physiotherapy · doi:10.1016/s0031-9406(10)62928-8 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Farouk, A., Abd, A., & Elaziz (2010) · Cited by 6 · see citing works
THE IMPACT OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY EDUCATION ON THE PRACTICE OF PHYSIOTHERAPISTS
Heaney, C. (2013) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-093073.21 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- [6]Health Df. The NHS Knowledge Skills Framework and the development review process. In: NHS, editor. 2004. p. 23.
- [9]Heaney C, Alison G, Rostron C, Walker N. A qualitative and quantatitive investigation of the psychology content of UK physiotherapy education. Jounal of Physical Therapy Education. 2012;26(3):1-27.
- Disability and Rehabilitation. 2013;35(1):1-10.
- [22]Arvinen-Barrow M, Penny G, Hemmings B, Corr S. UK chartered physiotherapists' personal experiences in using psychological interventions with injured athletes: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 2010 1//;11(1):58-66.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Functional genomic hypothesis generation and experimentation by a robot scientist
King, R. D., Whelan, K. E., Jones, F. M., Reiser, P. G. K., Bryant, C. H., Muggleton, S. H., Kell, D. B., & Oliver, S. G. (2004) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature02236 · Cited by 662 · see citing works
Holopainen, R., Simpson, P., Piirainen, A., Karppinen, J., Schütze, R., Smith, A., O'Sullivan, P., & Kent, P. (2020) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001809 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
“Furthermore, physiotherapists frequently lack confidence in this approach and do not feel adequately trained to deliver these interventions.(1,18,64) Driver et al.”
BackgroundWillett, M., Duda, J., Fenton, S., Gautrey, C., Greig, C., & Rushton, A. (2019) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219482 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Psychological interventions for adults with asthma
Yorke, J., Fleming, S. L., & Shuldham, C. (2006) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd002982.pub3 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Godfrey, E., Wileman, V., Galea Holmes, M., McCracken, L. M., Norton, S., Moss-Morris, R., Noonan, S., Barcellona, M., & Critchley, D. (2020) · The Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2019.05.012 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Wilson, S., Chaloner, N., Osborn, M., & Gauntlett-Gilbert, J. (2017) · Physiotherapy · doi:10.1016/j.physio.2015.11.005 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Jesus, T. S., & Silva, I. L. (2016) · Clinical Rehabilitation · doi:10.1177/0269215515585133 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Beneciuk, J. M., George, S. Z., Greco, C. M., Schneider, M. J., Wegener, S. T., Saper, R. B., & Delitto, A. (2019) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-019-3350-3 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Overmeer, T., Peterson, G., Landén Ludvigsson, M., & Peolsson, A. (2016) · Medicine · doi:10.1097/md.0000000000004430 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Understanding and managing pelvic girdle pain from a person-centred biopsychosocial perspective
Beales, D., Slater, H., Palsson, T., & O'Sullivan, P. (2020) · Musculoskeletal Science and Practice · doi:10.1016/j.msksp.2020.102152 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Nintendo and Telos: Will You Ever Reach the End?
Buse, P. (1996) · Cultural Critique · doi:10.2307/1354616 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Srikesavan, C. S., Williamson, E., Eldridge, L., Heine, P., Adams, J., Cranston, T., & Lamb, S. E. (2017) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.8424 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Williams, M. K., Waite, L., Van Wyngaarden, J. J., Meyer, A. R., & Koppenhaver, S. L. (2023) · Musculoskeletal Care · doi:10.1002/msc.1797 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Babatunde, F. O., MacDermid, J., Grewal, R., Macedo, L., & Szekeres, M. (2020) · JMIR Human Factors · doi:10.2196/17088 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
- Authors
- Alexanders, J., Anderson, A., & Henderson, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Hull (GB)
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Alexanders, Jenny
- Venue
- Physiotherapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-06
- Volume
- 101
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 95-102
- ISSN
- 0031-9406 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2047897075
- Cited by
- 389
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 4.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.tees.ac.uk
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- Locations
- Physiotherapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Teesside University Research Portal (Teesside University) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- TeesRep (Teesside University) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Research Repository (University of Gloucestershire) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Musculoskeletal Disorders and Rehabilitation
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Medical Practices and Rehabilitation
- Keywords
- psychological intervention, musculoskeletal physiotherapy, physiotherapists' perceptions, training needs, therapist training
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Musculoskeletal Diseases, Outpatients, Perception, Psychotherapy, Physical Therapy Modalities
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
