For professionals

Services for Worker’s Compensation include:

• Pain education
• Aquatic therapy
• Gym based exercise

The active approach to recovery developed out of a desire to provide physiotherapist supervised gym or pool- based exercise program for people with sub-acute or chronic injuries; or following surgery.

Referral for assessment and medical clearance on-line form.

Clients suitable for the Body@Work approach:

• Pain associated with injury > 6weeks
• Recent surgery with limitations beyond the acute healing phase.
• Non-use or disuse due to pain or fear of pain
• Abnormal movement patterns (e.g. compensating, avoiding movement altogether)
• Deconditioning due to weakness and  muscle wastage
• Depressive symptoms due to changes in lifestyle, work, financial and relationship dynamics.

The Body@Work goal

The goal at Body@Work physiotherapy is not about reducing pain, since this is outside of our control.

Rather, it is about improving the level of function.  This is achieved by:

• Healthy environment: a non-threatening exercise where clients mix with healthy minded people.
• An active approach: theclient is drawn away from being a passive treatment recipient.
• Independence  with the prescribed program is encouraged for long term maintenance and prevention
• Management of exacerbations – fear avoidance beliefs are challenged and pain no longer dictates behaviour.
• Return to work/upgrade duties/increase working tolerances as functionality improves

The Body@Work approach

Pain education

Body@Work physiotherapy has established a reputation for excellence in pain education – a 1 hour session using biopsychosocial principles.  This session can be a stand-alone session for clients attending another provider, or is conducted as the first session of the Body@Work program.

Graded exposure to activity

• Realistic outcome goals are established
• Supervised exercise 2-3x/week with a  transition to independent attendance over a 6 week period
• Appropriate transitioning from aquatic to land based exercise.

The Body@Work difference

• All assessments and gym sessions are conducted one-on-one with a physiotherapist
• The significance of MRI, CT and X-ray findings are understood and accounted for
• Post-surgical protocols can be managed and progressed
• Excellence in education
• Use of public health facilities (rather than in-room clinics) to facilitate a sense of rejoining the healthy community.