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What We Do and Why

MACP Mission Statement     

Leading and advancing standards in musculoskeletal education, research and clinical practice.

MACP Vision

To lead, unify and advance excellence in global musculoskeletal health.

The Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (MACP) is a membership organisation of over 1200 physiotherapists who have reached an international recognized standard of excellence in msk physiotherapy at advanced practice level.  It is also known for leading and advancing standards in musculoskeletal education, research and clinical practice. We welcome members at all levels of their MSK career and have a new Affiliate member category for qualified physiotherapists with an interest in MSK.

The MACP is the UK member organisation of IFOMPT which has 22 Member Organisations and 16 Registered Interest Groups and is a recognised subgroup of the World Confederation of Physical Therapy. It works collaboratively with numerous healthcare stakeholders to achieve the MACP strategy and drive the organisation’s vision forward.

The MACP works to support physiotherapists managing individuals with musculoskeletal complaints and conditions in a range of settings (NHS, private practice, sport etc). Our members promote good musculoskeletal health and offer specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapy practice across the UK, with many working as first contact practitioners given their skills and expertise.

The burden of musculoskeletal complaints, including low back and neck pain, is considerable and a leading cause of disability. In the UK alone:

  • Musculoskeletal conditions accounted  for £4.7 billion of NHS programme spending in 2013/14, the third largest for the 3rd largest area.
  • 30.8m working days were lost in 2016 due to musculoskeletal problems.
  • Conditions such as back pain account for around 40% of all sickness absence in the NHS and cost around £400 million per year.

Register of members with advanced musculoskeletal physiotherapy skills

  • There are more than 1200 advanced musculoskeletal physiotherapists in the MACP.
  • We check eligibility including qualifications before they can join the MACP. 

Find a Physio

Standards of education for advanced musculoskeletal physiotherapy

  • We operationalise internationally agreed standards of education in our specialist field (IFOMPT).  We support the development of these standards and offer guidance to those wishing to develop or re-validate an approved route to membership e.g. University.

IFOMPT Standards 

Education and training

  • We make sure our members have access to the education and training they need to deliver high-quality musculoskeletal physiotherapy care throughout their careers. We do this by operationalising internationally agreed standards of education and offer a range of training courses, workshops, lectures each year across the UK. 
  • We offer a range of educational and research awards and bursaries for members 
  • We actively promote evidence-based resources including clinical guidelines, research reports, peer review journals to our members to support their professional development and optimise patient care

Courses Funding

Musculoskeletal alliance

  • We work closely with professional bodies (Chartered Society of Physiotherapy) and networks [ARMA, Arthritis Uk] to support the advancement of musculoskeletal science and practice in the UK