Q. Can Physio help with my shoulder injury?

A. The shoulder is one of the most complex joints in the human body. It has many tendons, ligaments and varied muscles that all need to work in an ordered fashion to create movement and generate load. Within the Sutherland Shire, it is a very common injury. Depending on the diagnosis of the shoulder injury Physio can make a huge difference. Our goal is not simply to reduce your pain but to fix the injury so that you can continue to use you shoulder as usual. In some circumstances surgery may be required, however, we can help you choose the right surgeon locally within the Sutherland Shire or whoever may be the best in Sydney and assist you with your Physiotherapy rehabilitation after your shoulder surgery.

Q. Can Physio Help With My Ankle Injury?

A. Ankle injuries are very common in runners and sports like soccer or football which we regularly see in the Sutherland area. Frequently patients will tell us that they feel as though they have “weak ankles” in some ways this is true. There are muscles that help control the foot and in so stabilise the ankle joint during movement and these muscles can deteriorate with multiple ankle injuries, making subsequent injuries more prevalent. Fortunately, this can be fixed. You don’t have to live with weak ankles anymore.

The most common ankle injury is an inversion injury commonly called a rolled ankle. Usually resulting in pain and swelling around the outside of the ankle. This is due to the ligaments tearing. As Physiotherapists, we utilise state of the art equipment to reduce your swelling as soon as possible, restore your full range of motion and restrengthen your ankle to limit future injury and get you back out running again.

Q. Can Physio Help With My Knee Arthritis?

A. Knee arthritis is caused by excessive wear, generally on the inside of the knee joint. Common causes are running with poor biomechanics and poor footwear. What many patients with knee pain from arthritis don’t realise is that equally as there is breakdown of the tissue within the knee joint it is also excessive production of bone around the edge of the joint called osteophytes. These osteophytes can hit each other creating pain and inflammation while running and exercising.

Physiotherapy can help by equipping you with an appropriate strength and conditioning program to help support the injured knee. Cycling and quadriceps strengthening is supported by research findings as some of the best options to help reduce the symptoms associated with knee arthritis. We can also educate you on possible factors that could be leading to your knee pain such as foot biomechanics that can be corrected through suitable footwear and orthotics.

Q. I Have Knee Arthritis. Do I Need To Stop Running?

A. This is a complex question without an easy answer. Knee arthritis doesn’t mean you need to stop running, but it does mean we may need to adjust parameters associated with your running. These include surface, running shoe type, total running load through the week and selected courses/trails. Lastly, we need to look at predisposing factors related to your running which will comprise of biomechanics and assessment of insufficient strength in key areas related to you running.

Aevum Physiotherapists will help you understand this better. However, if you have significant wear or grade III arthritis it could be ill-advised.

We have a dedicated room to assess your running technique. This room has 6 infrared motion cameras in the ceiling that pick up your movement. This data is then analysed by our program which turns it into a real-time 3D image that we can pan around and measure all angles to assess your running technique with incredible accuracy.

We also work with many running coaches both locally within the Sutherland Shire and also across Sydney and can guide you to a coach that will help you further if required.

Q. Can Physio Help With My Back Pain?

A. Back pain is one of the most common presentations to a Physio clinic and our clinics in Helensburgh and the Sutherland Shire are no different. Because we treat back pain so frequently, we are very good at it. The most important initial thing is to get our diagnosis correct. The back is an anatomically complex area with many structures that can be causing your back pain, as Physiotherapists, we need to find out the true cause.

To do this we will physically assess you and test each structure with clinically proven tests to isolate the cause. It can often help to also refer you for appropriate scans such as MRI, CT or X-ray to help confirm this diagnosis which your Physiotherapist at Aevum will do.

Once we have our correct diagnosis, we need to formulate an appropriate evidence-based program to fix the back injury. Our goal as Physiotherapists treating low back pain is to reduce your pain while restoring your function back to normal. Once we have done this, we want you to be strong so one of our Physio’s will structure an appropriate program for you to follow to limit future episodes and also limit you needing to come back again. We want to fix your back pain the first time.

Q. Physiotherapy and the NDIS in the Sutherland Shire.

A. We are the leading provider of therapy services under the NDIS within the Sutherland Shire. This is because we have an experienced team coupled with excellent equipment within our facilities at both Kirrawee and Helensburgh to help our participants of the NDIS reach their goals. We are a multidisciplinary clinic, meaning in-house we have Physio, Exercise Physiology, Speech Pathology, Podiatry, Psychology and a dietitian providing services out of our clinics.

An Exercise Physiologist can work with you or your child to help build strength, co-ordination, balance and endurance for everyday activities as well as helping you to participate in the things you enjoy like gardening, work or even a sport or hobby. We are guided by your specific needs and the therapy program we provide is tailored to your specific goals.

The NDIS is a scheme based around helping you participate within the community, workforce, school or sport to your greatest ability and that is exactly what we do at Aevum. We offer a free “Discovery session” to all NDIS participants who would like to meet our staff and see our facilities and equipment prior to commencing with us.

We can also help prepare a detailed report for your next NDIS planning meetings to help your get the best result and care that you need. We are one of the very few registered NDIS providers in the Sutherland Shire. We have created a therapy program that provides for you if you are managed through the NDIS or are plan managed or self-managed.

Q. Do you provide therapy for kids with Down Syndrome under the NDIS in the Sutherland Shire and Sydney area?

A. Yes, we do. We have a dedicated kids’ space with all the necessary equipment we need to provide the highest care we can. Each of our beautiful participants with Down syndrome have unique needs. With our kids, they require the skills necessary to help them at school and also to help them keep up with their peers when participating in team sports, which is an excellent form of social interaction for our kids that helps them develop the tools they need as they get older.

Often with our younger kids, they have difficulty with uneven surfaces and walking for prolonged periods and keeping up with their family and friends.

Part of our therapy program includes progressive challenges to their walking endurance as well as negotiating more difficult terrain through fun obstacle courses specifically designed by their Physio or Exercise Physiologist therapist at Aevum. We also incorporate a strengthening program to endorse achieving the age appropriate milestones despite often having lower muscle tone.

Q. Do you provide therapy for adults with Down syndrome under the NDIS in the Sutherland Shire and Sydney area?

A. To assist many adults with maintaining and achieving further independence in the Sutherland Shire, they need to be strong. Individuals with Down syndrome will frequently have characteristic low muscle tone. This makes general tasks much harder and often leads to significant weakness and early fatigue - which can impair their ability for independence. We aim to fix this with a specific strengthening program as part of each individual’s physiotherapy at Aevum.

Weight gain and its subsequent health implications are also an area we can help with. At Aevum we have many options at our disposal so that we can find the modality of cardiovascular exercise that best suits the individual. We will often also couple this with a home-based exercise program that can be completed individually or with the help of a care worker or family member.

Although there are characteristic things that we can work with, each individual has unique goals and desires of what they want to be able to do and achieve. Our therapy program will reflect these so that as a team we can work together towards increasing capacity for these unique things.

Q. Autism and the NDIS can the Physiotherapists and Exercise Physiologists at Aevum help?

A. 1 in 70 Australians are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. As you may know, the word spectrum reflects the wide range of differences that kids and adults on the spectrum experience and the extent to which they may be affected. No two people on the autism spectrum are alike, and all have unique strengths and interests and our therapy programs aim to reflect these.

There is a strong link between focus and concentration with an individual’s gross motor skills. Part of what our Physio’s and Exercise Physiologist will aim to do is to challenge these gross motor skills in a fun way. Helping to improve focus and concentration which in turn will help you participate and engage more with the community. But as mentioned each individual with Autism has different needs. Some may want help to find and maintain gainful employment. Others may want to be able to join a sports team or simply keep up with their peers at school. Our Physio’s and Exercise Physiologists can help.

We have several spaces in our facilities to use based on the needs of the individual. We can do therapy in a quiet space or in areas with other individuals going through rehabilitation to provide interaction, we will accommodate for your needs.

Q. Can Aevum Help My Child With a Disability Under The NDIS?

A. Our facilities are wonderfully equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and our Sutherland Shire facility has a large dedicated kids space. We have participants from all over Sydney that work with our team to help them achieve their unique goals. As part of our program, we offer a free “Discovery session” which is an opportunity for you to come in and meet the team as well as see the amazing facility we have.

We are the largest NDIS therapy provider in South Sydney and we are registered with the NDIS meaning if are NDIS, plan or self-managed we can assist you. The NDIS can often be a difficult scheme to manage, but we can help you with this as we have been a part of the scheme since its commencement and know the ins and outs. We can also provide you with a thorough report when it comes time for your plan meeting to help you get the best possible outcome in order to achieve your goals.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us and one of our team can assist in answering any of your questions.

Q. Can Physio or Exercise Physiology help with multiple sclerosis MS on the NDIS in the Sutherland Shire?

A. We already have a number of participants from over Sydney trusting us with their therapy programs towards achieving their NDIS plan goals. MS has many characteristic features that our therapists can assist with. We want to make sure you maintain your strength and stamina as much as possible in order to maintain your independence. Our facility is equipped with wheelchair accessible equipment including a state-of-the-art anti-gravity treadmill that can enable you to continue walking by reducing your body weight as much as needed.

We also utilise a Med 4 Elite cold therapy unit. Often during exercise adults thermoregulation can become an issue. This leads to reduced motor control and early fatigue. To get around this the Med 4 Elite unit has a wearable vest attached to the unit so that we can rapidly cool or heat your core temperature down before, during or after the session.

Exercise is a huge part of managing MS and we will tailor a therapy program between all the varied health professionals we have within the team at Aevum Physiotherapy to make sure you are incredibly well looked after.

Q. Can Physio or Exercise Physiology help with Cerebral Palsy (CP) on the NDIS in the Sutherland Shire?

A. Cerebral Palsy is a movement disorder and movement is our bread and butter. It's what we know best. Our Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology team can assist you within the NDIS scheme to achieve your goals. We will need to sit down with you and find out specifically what you want to achieve. We will then devise a progressive program to help you best achieve these goals.

Our facilities are equipped with the best equipment to enable us to provide the best care possible. The facility is accessible with easy parking at the rear of the building. We work with many kids post surgery or Botox to help increase their strength and function in order to participate fully at school and within the community as they get older.

Each participant with Cerebral Palsy is unique and their needs specific to their goals and also ambitions. At Aevum Physiotherapy it’s our job to form a strategy with you to help achieve each specific goal. These goals should add to your life and equip you to achieve and do everything you want to be able to in life. For some it’s participating in a loved sport, for others, it is improved mobility to help getting around school/university and employment.

You can call us anytime and one of our team will get back to you to discuss your needs, alternatively, you can book in for a free “discovery session”. This gives you the opportunity to meet some of the team and see our excellent facilities at your disposal.

Q. Back injury and Physiotherapy. What do I need to do to stop it from happening again?

A. We are a little more unique in our approach with back injuries. Because our Sutherland Shire clinics have fully equipped gyms as part of the facility, our initial focus is to reduce your pain and restore your function. But this is the easy part, once we have done this we want you to be strong, stronger than before ideally. We do this by providing a home based exercise program and also introducing you to our Exercise Physiologists, their role is to make you strong and as much as possible help prevent further back issues in the future.

Back pain can be caused by many different causes. We’ll get to the source of the problem which may include MRI scans or x-rays and then formulate a strategy to get you back on your feet as soon as possible. We don’t believe in “maintenance treatment” we want to fix you once and do it right the first time while equipping you with strategies to make sure your back stays strong and able to keep up with the demands you place on it.

Q. Physio after shoulder surgery. When should I start and what do you need to do?

A. The initial answer is each of the local surgeons in sydney and the Sutherland Shire or Illawarra regions have different protocols to follow and also the time to start physio may vary depending on what they do and what they see when they do the surgery.

Most surgeons prefer you to start the week after the surgery. This gives your body time to settle a little and the pain levels to reduce further post surgery before commencing physio. Some surgeons, on the other hand want you to start physio after your shoulder surgery as soon as possible. The surgeon will let you know during your pre surgery meeting.

Most surgeons will also provide you with a gentle initial home exercise program. This program will be aimed at gently starting to encourage movement in your shoulder after surgery and also start getting the muscles activating again. They should be largely pain free and if you have any questions when you start them please give us a call straight away.

Once you commence physio our goals initially are to reduce your pain and restore your range of motion back in the shoulder. This needs to be done gently but progressively so we can help you recover quickly and with an excellent result post surgery. As your range starts to improve the focus will shift to rebuilding the muscles around your shoulder and arm, once we commence this your confidence in the shoulder starts to return as you see what your shoulder can do without causing you any pain. Your physiotherapist will work with you to progress your rehabilitation and provide a home based exercise program that will augment what you are achieving in the clinic.

We see patients from all the surgeons in Sydney and the Sutherland Shire and Illawarra regions literally every week, so we would have worked closely with your surgeon in the past. If you haven’t had surgery yet but are anticipating it, we can also help you choose the best. Because we see patients post operatively all the time we get an excellent idea of which patients recover faster and have the best long term results.

We are always here at your request if you need to know anything or have any concerns about your recovery after your shoulder surgery, please feel free to contact the team at Aevum physiotherapy at either of our locations in the Sutherland shire or Illawarra region anytime.

Q. Can Physio Help Knee Arthritis?

A. One of the most common questions we get asked and the answer is yes. Following an evidence based approach suffering from knee pain due to osteoarthritis doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Your physio team at Aevum Health will help guide you with how to best approach and improve your knee pain. We will tell you what you need to avoid, if anything, and what has been shown to have the best effect on knee pain due to osteoarthritis. We can also help guide your decision to undertake or avoid surgery where possible.

One of the most important facets of improving knee function with osteoarthritis is knee or quadriceps strengthening, however, this isn’t as simple as doing squats and lunges in the gym. It needs to be much more targeted and strategic to avoid further injury and get the most out of the rehabilitation process.

We want to get the swelling and inflammation under control, start a gentle and appropriate yet progressive strengthening program for all the applicable muscles, discuss footwear and orthotics if indicated and restore your range of motion back in the knee. Additional to this we will provide you with a home based exercise program to continue to maintain your knee the best you can with our help.

Q. Searching For The Right Physio NDIS Provider In The Sutherland Shire?

A. When looking for an NDIS service provider in the Sutherland shire you need to consider the experience of the team providing the service and their familiarity within the disability sector and also the facilities and equipment. The team at Aevum Physiotherapy provide home visits under the NDIS, however, this service is limited to what can be achieved in the home. Our preference is in clinic care, we have invested in some of the best state of the art equipment and technology that helps our participants achieve more and our clinical team provided the highest level of care. Our facilities, technology and experience are what make Aevum the leading provider of NDIS clinical services in the Sutherland Shire.

We invite any participants seeking someone to help them achieve their NDIS plan goals to come in for a free discovery session with one of our clinical team. This session allows you to see our facility and meet our team.

Home visit NDIS services are often limited to stretching, the use of exercise bands for strengthening and movement/task practice. While in some circumstances this is sufficient and the ideal option, in other circumstances it is grossly insufficient and simply unable to provide the best possible care, which is what we aim to do. We will be happy to talk through whatever your requirements are and do our utmost together as a team. We take outcome measures that are linked to your specific goals. This helps us gauge your progress and make the necessary adjustments needed over the course of your therapy plan with us.

Q. What Is A Physiotherapy NDIS Report?

A. A NDIS Physio report is a comprehensive report put together in line with your NDIS plan goals, stipulating an evidence based approach to a therapy program that will help you strategically and progressively achieve your NDIS goals. This will help you or your NDIS plan manager guide the recommendations put forward at your next NDIS plan review, in order to endorse the best possible outcome for you. The reports are incredibly important as they help get the most out of your NDIS review meeting which relates to the rest of the year and the therapy options the NDIS will support for you.

If you need a Physiotherapy NDIS report written please contact our clinics to come in for a free NDIS discovery session to discuss how we can help you get the most out of your NDIS plan.

If you have any other questions please contact us and one of our team can assist.