Building a Physio Treatment Toolbox... Tips for improving physio treatment skills & knowledge
- Physioing
- Dec 10, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
What is a 'treatment toolbox'?
Depending on where you studied physiotherapy, this may or may not be a familiar term - a quick web search provided mixed results!
If the term is new to you, a physio's treatment toolbox is not really about physical equipment - goniometer anyone? The term relates to our personal skills, knowledge and experience that we utilise when it comes to treatments.
What are the benefits?
Whilst it can be easy to fall into a routine of using a few preferred treatment methods, building a metaphorical toolbox of physio treatment options can provide many benefits...
open up opportunities and career progression
stand out as a job applicant and interviewee
support meeting work-based competencies
add variety to treatment sessions
improve effectiveness and outcomes of physio treatments
easier to personalise treatment plans
able to offer newer or up-to-date treatments
supports personal development
confidence builder
opportunity to develop usable skills outside of work role
Why might we feel less confident about our experience with physiotherapy treatments?
Seeing patients/service users and receiving their feedback and that of our peers, is key to building treatment experience but this takes time and requires suitable opportunities.
Unlike some other areas of physio, gaining treatment experience is one of the areas most limited by time. We can’t hurry a tendinopathy or ACL post-op recovery, or guarantee that the same conditions will arrive in the same week so we can get all our practise in at once!
For newer graduates, there may be requirements to complete a certain amount of time as a qualified physio for entry to post-graduate courses and it takes time to complete post-graduate qualifications whilst balancing work.
On the other hand, for those who are more experienced, there is the requirement to remain current throughout our careers as treatment approaches evolve with updated guidelines and research.
With this in mind, it is understandable that our treatment skills may not feel as strong or varied as some of our other areas of practice.
Where to start – Identifying treatment areas to develop
If you're unsure of where to start, here are a few points to consider when identifying areas of physiotherapy treatment you may want to develop:
Work or career requirement - in your specialism, rotation or practice, are there any skills that you are required to learn for meeting role specific competencies? Or is there a technique regularly used that you’d like to learn, such as cardiac/pulmonary rehab, hydrotherapy, manual therapy or taping?
Interest in a particular area or specialism - do you have an interest or passion in developing a particular treatment style, such as electrotherapy, vestibular rehab, hydrotherapy or massage and manual therapy?
Career changes, rotations and interviews - maybe you have an upcoming rotation such as neuro rehab, paediatrics or women's health that requires specialism specific treatment skills and knowledge? Or perhaps you need to learn about different treatment styles for an upcoming interview or career change?
Gaps in knowledge/experience - is there a treatment technique you're unsure of, feeling anxious about, or routinely asking for support with? Plugging the gaps in your knowledge, turning a weakness into a strength, or just reducing some of the anxiety around a certain area is a confidence builder and great personal development technique.
Confidence building - as noted above, gaining experience in areas we feel weaker can be a confidence builder. If assessing and diagnosing are your strengths, why not round your abilities with further work on treatment?
Feedback - reflecting on any treatment feedback you've received from peers, patients/service users, management etc may help highlight areas you wish to develop.
Diversifying your skill set, complimentary skills and side hustles - many treatment styles such as yoga, Pilates, acupuncture and manual therapy are suitable for a variety of physio specialisms, but are also suitable to run as stand-alone businesses or side hustles. Don’t forget to look into the correct insurances if you’re branching out on your own.
Transferrable skills - sometimes it's easy to narrow our focus to the areas we work in, but some skills and qualities are not only transferrable but also beneficial to most physiotherapy roles. Areas that are particularly beneficial include people skills and leadership, mental health and wellbeing, pain management and working with elderly populations.
Expand core knowledge - maybe it's time to build on your core knowledge, there is a wealth of strength, stretch, balance, cardio, mobility/functional movement and general rehab exercise resources out there. There's also a variety of free and paid subscription sites and apps for exercise prescription and exercise handouts for gaining inspiration to help add to your existing treatment methods.
New research and techniques - whether you're keeping up with students, current guidelines or research, the frequently evolving world of physio is likely to require updates and changes to your treatment skills and techniques over time. Has there been any recent updates in your field or scope of practice?
Hobbies or passion - some physios have hobbies, interests and leisure activities that can be incorporated into physio treatments, such as sports, dance, virtual reality, gaming, therapy animals, crafting, the list goes on. This can be especially relevant when working in rehab, the community and with paediatric and elderly populations.
Treatment methods that inspire, motivate and uplift with an element of fun, or that relate to peoples interests, can be particularly effective and are adaptable to include family, friends and support networks.
Don't be deterred if your workplace does not currently have any suitable projects. Some of the most inspiring physios have introduced projects like these into their workplaces, if pitching an idea to safely incorporate something new is possible, why not give it a try?
When to start – Make a list and prioritise
Once you’ve identified what you’re interested in, it may be helpful to construct a list and prioritise items based on your current needs and circumstances:
Short term: Make a list and prioritise where to start - if you're unsure of where to start, try making a list of treatment areas, skills or qualifications that you're interested in pursuing.
Next spend some time prioritising. Start with your full list and prioritise items which are time critical, such as meeting role competencies, or skills required for an imminent rotation or new job.
Midterm: Get planning - once the time critical items have been accounted for, spend some time finding relevant webinars, courses, resources etc for each item on the list. (See the next section for tips on finding methods and resources). If they are currently affordable for you (time and money wise) these can stay as midterm goals.
Start a calendar of webinars, courses etc that you have signed up for throughout the year, but keep it realistic. If there's too much, stick to the essentials and the rest can be moved onto a longer-term goal list. Completing CPD records and a personal development plan throughout the year, will make it easier to get a sense of how booked up you are.
If your workplace has a training or CPD budget make sure you are prepared with the details of which course/s you're interested in, why they will help develop your practice and how this will benefit your workplace.
Longterm: Future goals - unfortunately not all the courses and qualifications we wish to complete are financially possible at this point in time, or you may require a certain amount of prior experience, or free time before it's logical to pursue them.
Often these goals can make a big difference, such as promotions, becoming more prominent in your organisation or field, starting to work for yourself or making a big career change. Understandably it may take longer working towards them.
Keep these listed as longer term goals, but make sure you're aware of the costs, potential financial gains, payment options and entry requirements. Revisit these goals as part of completing your CPD, appraisals (if relevant) and personal development plans, to review if you're in a position to begin one of these longer-term goals.
How to start – Methods for achieving your goals
Once you're ready to start working on some of your items from your list, the following methods may provide some helpful options:
Physioing directory of physio resources – if you're looking for resources, the Physioing online directory of physiotherapy resources for studying and CPD is split between specialism and treatment styles. There's a variety of recommended providers relevant to physio treatment styles, offering free and paid for resources including apps, online and face-to-face courses, webinars, books, websites, podcasts, guidelines and journals.
The treatment directory has dedicated pages for the following treatment styles:
Work place allowances or budgets – some workplaces provide dedicated CPD time or training budgets. If you’re making a bid for your workplace to fund training, ensure you’re got the necessary information prepared before submission deadlines and can provide a case for why the training benefits your workplace and your role.
In service training – if you’re in an organisation that carries out in service training, why not use your in-service training presentation as an opportunity to learn and present or discuss a new treatment skill or style.
Take advantage of freebies - whilst some qualifications can be costly, many sites and organisations provide free short sessions, online courses and webinars. It's worth having a look at organisations and sites in the areas you’re interested in to see what is available, as they’ll often be advertised there and on their social media channels.
Staying up-to-date - this is where reading up-to-date physio books, magazines and journals can be particularly helpful. However, when you’re pushed for time, social media can be a great source of up-to-date information.
Often physio, medical, sport, health and social organisations, and personalities in your field will feature articles and information of interest in their content and point you in the right direction of where to start directing your research.
Shadowing and volunteering – if you’re looking to gain experience and potentially network in areas that are new to you, look out for shadowing and volunteering opportunities.
Join organisations of interest – there are specialism specific branches of the CSP often providing subject specific knowledge and research with networking and learning opportunities. Many areas of healthcare are supported by charities and research organisations, whilst sport and other activities may have their own accrediting organisations and awarding bodies.
In Conclusion...
Whilst there are many professional and personal benefits to developing a physiotherapy toolbox of your own unique experience, skills and knowledge, it can feel like an overwhelming task.
Hopefully using these top tips will be helpful in getting you on the right track:
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