Physiotherapy

PHYSIOTHERAPY

What is physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy focuses on how your body moves and functions, and how this affects the things you do each day. Physiotherapists assess movement, strength, balance and mobility, and then use exercise, rehabilitation, movement practice, treatment and education to address difficulties and build or maintain physical abilities.

At Back to Basics, we provide personalised physiotherapy for children, adults and older adults across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. We work with you on the activities that matter to you, at home, in the community or at our Home Base in Burwood East, with telehealth where appropriate. Support is tailored to your assessed needs and agreed goals.

Conditions and recovery needs we support

At Back to Basics, our physiotherapists support children, adults and older adults with a range of conditions affecting movement, mobility and everyday activities. We tailor support to each person’s goals, abilities and circumstances.

Neurological conditions

• Stroke
• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Acquired brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Cerebral palsy

Muscle, joint and bone conditions

• Osteoarthritis and other forms of arthritis
• Back and neck pain
• Shoulder, hip and knee conditions
• Muscle and tendon injuries
• Osteoporosis
• Recovery following fractures

Dizziness and balance conditions

• Vestibular disorders
• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)

Children’s movement and development

• Developmental delay affecting movement
• Developmental coordination disorder
• Movement, strength and coordination difficulties associated with autism and other developmental conditions

Age-related conditions

• Frailty
• Age-related loss of muscle strength
• Mobility and physical-function difficulties associated with dementia

Recovery after surgery, injury or illness

• Rehabilitation following hip or knee replacement and other orthopaedic surgery
• Recovery from injuries affecting movement and mobility
• Deconditioning following illness, a hospital stay or prolonged inactivity

You don’t need a confirmed diagnosis to contact us. Tell us what’s been difficult, and we’ll help you work out whether physiotherapy is a suitable next step.

How we support you

• Walking and everyday mobility
• Falls risk and balance
• Neurological rehabilitation
• Safe transfers and manual handling
• Rehabilitation after injury or surgery
• Pain and stiffness management
• Movement skills and coordination
• Strength and endurance

We consider each referral individually. Contact our team to discuss your goals, location and support needs.

Support where it’s needed
We work with you on the mobility and everyday tasks that support living in your preferred home. Practising in familiar surroundings helps us tailor recommendations to your routines, environment and support needs.

Appointments are available at home (including supported accommodation and aged care residences), at school, work or suitable community locations, and at our Home Base in Burwood East. Telehealth is also available where appropriate. We’ll discuss the best setting for your needs and current availability.

Working with your care team
Physiotherapy works alongside occupational therapy, speech pathology, positive behaviour support, osteopathy, social work, developmental education and allied health assistant services at Back to Basics. With your consent, we share relevant information and coordinate goals and recommendations.

For example, your physiotherapist and an occupational therapist can coordinate mobility and transfer practice, manual-handling guidance and recommendations for the home environment. Where suitable, an allied health assistant helps you practise an agreed program under physiotherapist supervision and review.

You can access physiotherapy on its own. We’re happy to work with your chosen external providers, including other physiotherapists, GPs and aged care teams.

What to expect

Before your appointment, we send a physiotherapy pre-appointment questionnaire. You can provide relevant reports, restrictions and current exercise or transfer plans through the questionnaire. Ask our team if you need help completing it.

At your initial assessment, we discuss your concerns, relevant health history, daily activities and goals, assess the areas relevant to you and explain our findings. Together, we agree on a plan, including appointment frequency and review timing. We explain proposed assessment and treatment and check your consent, you can ask questions, request adjustments or decline any part of the appointment.

Ongoing sessions follow your plan, with practical activities between visits where relevant. We review progress and adjust the approach as your needs or goals change.

Funding and fees

We welcome NDIS, aged care, Medicare, TAC, WorkSafe and private referrals. Our team explains fees, travel and other charges, and any referral or funding approval requirements before you proceed. Contact us to discuss the pathway relevant to you.

More information

Download our Physiotherapy Fact Sheet for more information about the service, what to expect and how to prepare for appointments.

Ready to take the next step

You, a family member or a referrer can contact Back to Basics to discuss physiotherapy. Tell us what you would like help with and your preferred appointment location.