You do not need to see a GP prior to seeing a physiotherapist, as both physiotherapists and osteopaths are primary healthcare practitioners. If your condition relates to an insurance or DVA claim, it is advisable to have a GP or specialist referral.

Physiotherapy and Osteopathy treatments at Movehappy Healthcare take thirty minutes. We only see one client at a time, in a private room. Both initial and subsequent consultations take half an hour. We run well to time so please ensure that you arrive for your appointment a fraction early. For initial appointments it is best to arrive ten minutes early to fill out any appropriate paperwork.

In your initial Movehappy consultation, your practitioner will take a history, review any images that you might have, and then conduct a physical examination.

The physical examination involves palpation (touch), movement, and observation, to allow the therapist to arrive at a diagnosis.

An action plan will then be formulated in conjunction with the patient to work out the best way forward for treatment. If the therapist feels that more imaging or referral onto a specialist is required then that will be discussed with you. Otherwise, with your consent, treatment will commence and, where appropriate, exercises will be given. Each patient will leave their first consultation with a working diagnosis and prognosis, including a time frame of how long the condition should take to settle, and how many appointments should be required.

Physiotherapists and Osteopaths are able to order some imaging to assist in diagnosis. Movehappy practitioners can order x-rays, MRIs and ultrasounds, but not CT scans or Bone Scans (due to their high level of radiation).

The only imaging that Physiotherapists and Osteopaths can order for which the patient will receive a Medicare rebate are x-rays of the spine and hips. For all other imaging, the patient will NOT receive a Medicare rebate.

With this in mind, however, often patients will opt for physiotherapy-referred imaging, as the time and cost involved in obtaining a GP or specialist referral often negates any cost saving made in obtaining said referral.

Your therapist will be sure to explain this to you in the event of ordering any imaging.

Physiotherapists at Movehappy treat a number of conditions and have a very wide scope of practice.
Our emphasis of practice is the creation, maintenance and promotion of optimal musculoskeletal health.

We treat not only pain, but also provide advice on posture, ergonomic and bike set ups, strengthening programs, and in some cases, nutrition and lifestyle advice. We also provide pre season screenings
for sporting teams and pre employment screenings for some corporations including the Australian
Federal Police.

Things for which a physiotherapist should always be seen include acute sporting injuries such as “sprained” joints and “strained” muscles. It is imperative to get injures such as these assessed and appropriately treated to ensure that correct bracing is applied in the case of joint injuries, and appropriate time off and strengthening is followed for muscle injuries.

Movehappy Physiotherapists also treat

• spinal pain
• headaches, jaw pain
• “growing” pains in children
• pregnancy and post pregnancy pain including continence training and assessment and
  quantification of rectus diastasis separation
• overuse injuries and tendonopathic conditions (“tennis elbow”, “trochanteric bursitis”,
  “Achilles tendonitis” and “plantar fasciitis”
• continence training post prostatectomy.

If in you are at all in doubt about whether a Movehappy Healthcare Physiotherapist can help you,
simply call our receptionists on 6231 1155 or 6162 0855 and ask. Alternatively send your query
by email to mail@movehappy.com.au

Your practitioner will need to have access to the area of pain. Therefore, it is best if you can wear shorts (and a sports bra in the case of women). We have gowns and shorts on site should you not have appropriate attire. You will not need to disrobe to your underwear.

Some manual treatment techniques can be uncomfortable, however treatment should not ever be severely painful. If you find that any particular technique or modality is too uncomfortable your practitioner will always be able to find an alternative technique. Be sure to tell your therapist if this is a concern that you might have.

Some people experience mild soreness for a day or two after treatment, similar to that felt after mild exercise. If this soreness persists or increases significantly, call your practitioner to discuss your concerns.

The number of times that you will need to attend for treatment depends on what your condition is. Your therapist will give you an outline at the end of your first session to explain to you how many times they think that you would need to attend, and when your condition will be reviewed.

Movehappy Healthcare therapists treat insurance patients. If you have an insurance claim, it is best to have a GP or specialist referral. It is also important that you have contacted your insurer to ensure that your claim HAS been accepted (verbal confirmation is insufficient).

We require payment at the time of service as Movehappy Healthcare does not directly invoice insurance companies for your treatment. Third-party patients will need to forward their paid invoice to their insurer for a rebate. We also charge our listed fees for all insurance patients, so it is important that you understand what costs your insurer will cover, as you might be left with a gap.

Movehappy Healthcare has HICAPs HICAPs on site which means that if you have health insurance you can process your claim on the spot, meaning that you only have to pay the gap.

Movehappy Healthcare therapists cannot refer directly to specialists such as orthopaedic surgeons, neurologists or rheumatologists. We do, however have a good network of excellent specialists in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne and will liaise with your GP to ensure that you are referred to an appropriate specialist.

Physiotherapists and Osteopaths are both primary contact practitioners who have completed University level qualifications; four years for Physiotherapists and five years for Osteopaths.

Both Physiotherapists and Osteopaths treat musculoskeletal disorders. Both treat peripheral joints (for example shoulders and knees) as well as spinal joints. Osteopaths can manipulate (“crack”) cervical spines (necks). Only the Senior Physiotherapists who have done an additional Masters degree on top of their Bachelor can do this.

At Movehappy there is a lot of crossover between the skill set of our Osteopaths and Physiotherapists, and as such you can see either practitioner in almost any case. As a general rule however, our Physiotherapists manage more of the acute orthopaedic trauma and postoperative conditions and our Osteopaths manage children below the age of four.

Osteopathy is a form of manual therapy which use a variety of hands on treatment techniques to help restore movement, reduce pain and improve function of the body. Osteopathic techniques may include soft tissue treatment, stretching, muscle energy technique, cranial therapy and joint manipulation.

Osteopathic treatment is based on the principles of osteopathy:

The body is a unit
Although our body is made up of many different parts, the function of any one of these components relies on the function of all of the others. This means that your injury/condition and its impact on you will be considered in the context of the impact it may be having on your whole body.

The body has its own self-healing and self-regulating mechanisms
For a person with optimum health, their body has the ability to look after itself: it can fight disease and cope with injuries and pain. If your body can’t look after itself, in the case of body pain, the osteopath’s aim is to assist your body to recover from, or cope with, the injury or condition which is causing pain. We do this by using manual treatment which aims to remove any restrictions or obstacles to the healing process. This allows your body to work as well as it can and promotes recovery from injury.

Structure and function are inter-related
This means that a change in the structure of a joint or body part (through injury or pathology like arthritis) will cause a change in the way that the body part will function, and vice versa – that is, if the function of a joint is altered via poor posture for example, it may lead to a change in the structure through wear and tear.

Where possible, an osteopath seeks to remove any restriction or impairment in the body structures (muscles, joints or connective tissues) to allow optimal function to occur. In the case of permanent changes to the body’s structure through injury or pathology, osteopathy aims to promote the very best function that is available.

Osteopaths at Movehappy Healthcare treat a number of conditions and have a very wide scope of practice. Our emphasis of practice is the creation, maintenance and promotion of optimal musculoskeletal health.

Movehappy Osteopaths treat a range of conditions, including

• headaches, neck, jaw and face pain
• spinal and pelvic pain
• pregnant women, to assist with pain during their pregnancy, birth preparation and post pregnancy, including breast feeding problems
• babies with birth trauma, and related problems, including reflux, colic, feeding problems
• restoring optimum function post- major surgery
• overuse injuries and tendonopathic conditions (“tennis elbow”, “trochanteric bursitis”,
  “Achilles tendonitis” and “plantar fasciitis”.

If in you are at all in doubt about whether a Movehappy Healthcare Osteopath can help you, simply call our receptionists on 6231 1155 or 6162 0855 and ask. Alternatively send your query by email to mail@movehappy.com.au

AEP’s are university qualified allied health professionals who specialize in the delivery of exercise and lifestyle programs for people at high-risk of developing, or with existing chronic and complex medical conditions and injuries.

If you’re looking for or need assistance to prevent, treat and manage your injuries and/or chronic Conditions. Then having a session with a Movehappy exercise physiologist is the right call.

Our Exercise physiologist can help with:

• Chronic disease management – osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, PTSD, Cancer, Obesity, Asthma, Diabetes and more
• Chronic and acute musculoskeletal conditions and injuries
• Cardiopulmonary conditions
• Pre and Post-surgery rehabilitation, including joint replacement rehabilitation
• Chronic Pain, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Falls Prevention
• Work related injuries and rehabilitation programs
• Hydrotherapy
• Sport specific strength and conditioning programs including biomechanics, fitness testing, strength and power development, speed and agility, flexibility, skill and technique.

If you are at all in doubt about whether a Movehappy Healthcare Exercise Physiologist can help you, simply call our receptionists on 6231 1155 or 6162 0855 and ask. Alternatively send your query by email to reception@movehappy.com.au.

Principal Practitioner: Melissa Berg

• Initial : $150
• Standard: $135

Senior Osteopath: Laura Frank

• Initial: $135
• Standard: $125

Senior Practitioners: Ryan Cunningham, Ben Martin, Cameron Smith, Hannah Martin, Hamish van Der Hoek, Landon Kasparek , Lucy Taylor

• Initial: $130
• Standard: $120

Practitioner: Josh Silk-jones

• Initial: $120
• Standard: $125

Exercise Physiology Practitioner: Braydon Smith

• Initial: $115
• Standard: $105

Accredited Exercise Physiologists are allied health professionals; therefore they have a Medicare Provider Number.

Movehappy Healthcare has the facility HiCaps which means if you have Private Health the claim can be done directly from our premises.