Hello! I’m a student from Ireland and wanted to know if NOT being a very sporty/ athletic person would be a hindrance in this course? Is there a lot of practical elements? Thank you!

Hi Sheldon,

In short, no. The physical elements of the job are lifting a leg or an arm during an evaluation, so it really depends on the size of your patient! In general we work on our feet for most of the day, so it's more active than an office job, but less physically demanding than being a joiner, for example.

However, physiotherapy is a healthcare profession i.e. we look after people's health when it is not optimal. Whilst a lot of the patients we see will not go on a vigorous exercise program, a lot of the treatment or prevention that we provide includes an exercise of some description (e.g. improving strength, balance or coordination, or stretching). Long term treatment usually involves the continual upkeep of a program and I think it would be difficult to get somebody on board with that kind of thing if you don't see the benefits of keeping physically active yourself.

Hope that helps,

Sam