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2026-05-15 - 2026-05-21 Newer →

CORU authorises physiotherapists to refer for radiological procedures in Ireland, expanding scope of practice.

7 day briefing • 2026-05-08 - 2026-05-14 (3 weeks ago) • frozen

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This week's most impactful development in physiotherapy is the regulatory expansion by CORU, Ireland's health professions regulator, authorising trained physiotherapists to refer patients for radiological procedures. This milestone, covered by multiple sources (S1, S5, S35), is expected to streamline care pathways, reduce waiting times, and enhance interprofessional collaboration. The policy, effective May 2026, requires specific postgraduate training and experience. Concurrently, CORU updated language proficiency requirements for registration, setting a C1 standard (S7, S10, S23).

Several high-quality evidence updates emerged. A systematic review and meta-analysis in JOSPT (S31) concluded that shockwave therapy provides no clinically meaningful benefit for Achilles tendinopathy, advising against routine use. Dr. Alison Grimaldi's masterclass (S15, S32) refuted common myths in gluteal tendinopathy, advocating progressive load management over passive treatments. A qualitative evidence synthesis (S41) highlighted patient perspectives on lower limb tendinopathy, emphasizing psychosocial factors and therapeutic alliance.

In sports medicine, longitudinal studies identified spondylolysis risk factors in youth football (S13) and injury patterns in German professional football via a new registry (S14). A video analysis of youth ringette games in Canada revealed high rates of illegal bodychecking and head contact (S45). Additionally, a study on spinal disorders linked registry data to prognostic factors for high healthcare costs (S114), and an RCT showed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy effectively reduces pain and opioid use after spinal surgery (S115). These findings collectively underscore a week of tangible regulatory change and evidence-based practice updates for musculoskeletal clinicians.

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2026-05-08 - 2026-05-14

30 days

2026-04-15 - 2026-05-14

90 days

2026-02-14 - 2026-05-14

365 days

2025-05-15 - 2026-05-14

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Pillar Signal Heatmap

Pillar 7d Trend
Foot & Ankle Rehabilitation

1 point

Tendinopathy Management

1 point

Myofascial Release & Acupuncture

1 point

Shoulder Rehabilitation

1 point

Hip & Pelvic Girdle

1 point

General MSK & Emerging Research

1 point

Treatment Protocol Formulation

1 point

Intensity is derived from pillar keyword overlap with headline, summary, key signals, and themes for each horizon.

Trend uses last 1 entries in this 7-day timescale (rightmost point is current).

Key Signals

  • - CORU authorises physiotherapists to refer for radiological procedures, expanding scope of practice in Ireland.
  • - Updated language proficiency requirements (C1 standard) for physiotherapist registration in Ireland, effective May 2026.
  • - Systematic review finds shockwave therapy provides no clinically meaningful benefit for Achilles tendinopathy.
  • - Gluteal tendinopathy masterclass refutes myths, emphasises progressive load management over passive interventions.
  • - New qualitative evidence synthesis highlights patient perspectives and psychosocial factors in lower limb tendinopathy.
  • - Spine registry study identifies prognostic factors for high healthcare costs, enabling early targeted resource allocation.
  • - RCT shows Acceptance and Commitment Therapy reduces pain intensity and opioid use after spinal surgery.
  • - Youth ringette video analysis reveals high rates of illegal bodychecking and head contact, with low penalisation.

Top Themes

coru-regulation scope-practice achilles-tendinopathy gluteal-tendinopathy patient-experience spinal-disorders opioid-reduction sports-injury

Key References

  1. Gluteal tendinopathy masterclass: Refuting myths and embracing evidence-based management [gemini_search]

    Authoritative masterclass debunking myths in gluteal tendinopathy and promoting evidence-based load management.

  2. Incidence and risk factors of spondylolysis in youth football: a longitudinal study among male Norwegian players [rss]

    Longitudinal study identifying training load as key risk factor for spondylolysis in youth football players.

  3. Jo Gibson - Shoulder: Steps to Success [gemini_search]

    Evidence-informed shoulder rehabilitation framework from Jo Gibson, clinically relevant.