Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy Service and CMATS (Clinical Musculoskeletal Assessment and Treatments Service)
What the Musculoskeletal (MSK) and CMATS (Clinical Musculoskeletal Assessment and Treatments Service) Physiotherapy services are and offer
Physiotherapy helps to restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. It can also help to reduce your risk of injury or illness in the future. Physiotherapists consider the body as a whole, rather than just focusing on the individual aspects of an injury or illness.
Some of the main approaches used by Physiotherapists include:
- Education and advice: Physiotherapists can give general advice about things that can affect your daily life. This includes aspects such as posture and correct lifting or carrying techniques to help prevent injuries
- Movement, tailored exercise and physical activity advice: Exercises may be recommended to improve your general health and mobility, and to strengthen specific parts of your body
- Manual therapy: Where the Physiotherapist uses their hands to help relieve pain and stiffness, and to encourage better movement of the body.
Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy Service
- The MSK Physiotherapy team help people affected by injury, illness or disability through exercise, education and advice
- Physiotherapy is a science-based profession and treatments are based upon up-to-date research
- The MSK Physiotherapy Service provides treatment for a wide range of MSK conditions. It is often the first option for managing your condition if your symptoms are not improving with self-management.
CMATS (Clinical Musculoskeletal Assessment and Treatment Service)
- The CMATS team is an extension of the MSK Physiotherapy team, where further assessment can be carried out, and options such as imaging (e.g. X-ray / magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)), joint injections, and referral for consultant opinion can be considered.
Locations of the services
The MSK and CMATS Services are based across the following Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) Healthcare Sites:
- Bro Ddyfi Hospital (Machynlleth Hospital)
- Breconshire War Memorial Hospital (Brecon Hospital)
- Bronllys Community Hospital
- Knighton Community Hospital
- Llanidloes War Memorial Hospital
- Llandrindod Wells Memorial Hospital
- Montgomery County Infirmary (Newtown Hospital)
- Victoria Memorial Hospital (Welshpool Hospital)
- Ystradgynlais Community Hospital
Alternatively, telephone or video clinics are available across Powys, via the ‘Attend Anywhere’ software, allowing patients to attend appointments from home or elsewhere. Patients can access digital support to assist with the technology.
Please see the link provided below for information on Attend Anywhere appointments and guidance on how to use this digital approach:
Virtual Clinics with Attend Anywhere - Powys Teaching Health Board (nhs.wales)
Referral criteria advice for healthcare professionals and the public
The MSK and CMATS Physiotherapy Teams see patients with musculoskeletal problems (problems relating to the muscle and skeleton). Anyone under the age of 16 should discuss potential referrals with their GP (General Practitioner) or other Health Practitioner at the GP practice.
Examples of conditions seen in the service include:
- Arthritis or joint pain
- Problems with muscles, ligaments or tendons e.g. tennis elbow or ankle sprains
- Spinal pain involving the neck, mid-back or lower back, and spine-related pain in your arms or legs, including nerve symptoms, e.g. pins and needles or numbness
- Seeing patients after orthopaedic surgery
If you have any of the following symptoms alongside back pain, please attend Accident and Emergency (A&E) immediately:
- Sudden new onset of tingling / numbness (paraesthesia) in the area between your legs (saddle area)
- Sudden new uncontrolled loss of urine and / or faeces
Please expand the following 'Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) - warning signs' section, for further guidance on when to seek immediate help:
Referral methods
You can self-refer into the MSK Physiotherapy Service via the following link:
Online self-referral form for the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy Service
- Powys Teaching Health Board
Alternatively, you can download one of the following digital document versions of the self-referral form. You will then need to complete and submit the downloaded form using the instructions provided within the document.
Paper self-referral forms are also available from local hospitals and some GP practices.
If required, patients’ care can be escalated directly from the MSK Physiotherapy Service to CMATS. You cannot self-refer directly into the CMATS Service.
Referrals to MSK Physiotherapy and CMATS are also received via GPs and other healthcare practitioners, such as First Contact Practitioner (FCP) Physiotherapists.
FCP Physiotherapists are Physiotherapists based in GP surgeries, with an expertise in the assessment and management of MSK conditions. An FCP Physiotherapist can assess, advise, investigate or refer on to the most appropriate treatment service, without the patient needing to see a GP first.
Post-operative patients are also often referred into the MSK Physiotherapy Service after procedures such as knee replacements or surgery to repair a broken bone.
What should you expect before / during / after appointments?
Once a referral has been made to the MSK Physiotherapy or CMATS Service, you will be contacted by letter or phone call, inviting you to book an appointment. You will be offered a choice of either a face-to-face, telephone or virtual appointment.
During your initial assessment, you will be listened to, and encouraged to ask questions and to contribute to decisions regarding your care. A physical assessment may be needed, which means appropriate clothing should be worn, although consent will always be requested before any assessment is carried out.
There are a wide variety of management options in most cases, with some of the most common including:
- Lifestyle changes regarding exercise, diet and social activity
- Education regarding your condition and self-management
- Specific exercise programmes when appropriate
- Sometimes hands-on therapy
After your initial assessment, a plan for further management will be agreed with your Physiotherapist. Sometimes only one appointment is necessary. If ongoing or regular input is agreed, options include follow-up appointments in person or via telephone or video, and / or referral to exercise classes.
Decisions on your care will always be made with your input and agreement. Your GP will be informed of the outcome when you are discharged from the service.
Advice and support resources
Please click on the following sections to expand or collapse them:
Contacting the service
Following your referral, you will be contacted by letter or phone, to invite you to arrange an appointment with the MSK Physiotherapy or CMATS Service.
To arrange initial appointments (after you’ve received this letter or call) you may contact the service via *:
Email: Therapies.Hub.POW@wales.nhs.uk
Or
Phone: 01686 617267
* These details may also be used for queries regarding follow-up appointments or communications specifically for the CMATS service.
Address:
Therapies Hub
Montgomeryshire County Infirmary (Newtown Hospital)
Llanfair Road
Newtown
Powys
SY16 2DW
For any queries regarding follow-up appointments or communications for the MSK Physiotherapy Service you can use the following phone numbers for the appropriate Physiotherapy Department:
- Breconshire War Memorial Hospital, Brecon – Physiotherapy Department: 01874 615716
- Bro Ddyfi Hospital, Machynlleth - Physiotherapy Department: 01654 705221
- Bronllys Community Hospital - Physiotherapy Department: 01874 712455
- Knighton Community Hospital - Physiotherapy Department: 01547 521222
- Llandrindod Wells Memorial Hospital - Physiotherapy Department: 01597 828729
- Llanidloes War Memorial Hospital - Physiotherapy Department: 01686 414205
- Montgomeryshire County Infirmary (Newtown Hospital), Newtown – Physiotherapy Department: 01686 617207
- Victoria Memorial Hospital, Welshpool – Physiotherapy Department: 01938 558930
- Ystradgynlais Community Hospital – Physiotherapy Department: 01639 846442
Meet the team
The MSK and CMATS Physiotherapy Teams include the following roles:
- Professional Head of Physiotherapy: Aled Falvey
- Consultant MSK Physiotherapist: Carwyn Davies
- MSK Team Lead Physiotherapists
- Therapy Administrators
- Physiotherapy Support Workers
- Physiotherapy Students
- Rotational Physiotherapists
- MSK Physiotherapists
- Clinical Specialist Physiotherapists
Patient feedback
We welcome any feedback you might have about your experience with the MSK Physiotherapy or CMATS Services at Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB).
You can access our feedback survey by clicking on the following link. Alternatively, you can scan the associated QR code image below with a smartphone / other device if you wish to complete the survey via a different device. This will take you to the same webpage location as the link.
If we have your mobile telephone number recorded, you will be sent a text message one week after you have been discharged from the MSK Physiotherapy or CMATS Service. The text message will have a link which will take you to the online feedback survey.
Results from the survey will help to shape Physiotherapy services, and ensure those that we support receive patient-focused care.
Patient feedback survey link:
Patient Feedback – Powys Teaching Health Board Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy and CMATS Services
Patient feedback survey QR code image: