A physiotherapist will be a key member of your team of healthcare professionals who can help you to resume or maintain an active and independent life both at home and/or work. Physiotherapists can advise you on exercise, posture and ways to relieve pain. 

Physiotherapists are also experts in assessing movement and can show you how to protect your joints. They use a range of different treatments which include the following: 

• Improving general health-related fitness and encouraging regular exercise.
• Providing instructions on a range of strategies to reduce pain and stress on joints whilst carrying out everyday activities.
• Providing instructions on specific exercises aimed at enhancing joint flexibility, muscle strength, balance, and also address any other movement or function-based issues that have been identified as having an impact on your daily life. 
• Facilitating activities of daily living such as washing, using the toilet and bathroom, dressing, cooking, eating, working, and leisure-related pursuits. 
• Providing information and advice on short-term pain relief provided by electrophysical interventions (e.g. TENS, Laser Therapy or wax baths for hand therapy). 
• Hydrotherapy. 

Healthify He Puna Waiora offers a very useful resources page on their website called 'Physiotherapist'. In addition to providing some key points about physiotherapists, this webpage also notes that some physiotherapists are more specialised and have training in specific areas to help their clients. Conditions relating to arthritis are one such area, as are strains and sprains, incontinence, and fractures or broken bones. 

Other sections on this page include what a physiotherapist is able to help you with, the types of places they work, and what kind of training they are likely to have had. 

You can find a physiotherapist near you via the website of Physiotherapy New Zealand.