Physio is the first-choice treatment for many injuries including back and neck pain, sports injuries, knee and shoulder pain, arthritis and headaches. The team at Central Performance are experienced in managing all of these conditions, plus our specialist Surry Hills Running Centre is widely recognised as one of the leading running physio clinics in Sydney. We focus on accurate diagnosis of injuries, fast relief from pain, and then our real area of expertise is preventing your injury from coming back. We achieve this by identifying the underlying cause of your problem, and then fixing this via targeted strength and mobility exercises to bullet-proof you as you return to sport, exercise, and your normal daily activities.
What Is Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy uses a combination of manual therapy (hands-on treatment) and exercise to help clients recover from injury, return to their sport and lifestyle activities, and then minimise the chance of their injury coming back. All physiotherapists are registered healthcare practitioners in Australia. You can claim private health fund rebates for physio if you have “extras cover” that includes physiotherapy treatment – check with your fund for details. At Central Performance all of our physios are fully registered with all health funds, and we have the HICAPS system for on-the-spot health fund rebates.
What Type Of Injuries Do Physiotherapists Treat?
Physiotherapists diagnose and treat a broad range of conditions. At Central Performance, as well as working with a large population of runners through our running centre, we work with a lot of clients with injuries including;
- back pain
- neck pain
- headaches
- sports injuries
- knee pain
- shoulder pain
- arthritis
- posture/desk pain
- overuse injuries
Why Choose Central Performance For Your Physio Treatment?
Central Performance provides a complete pain-to-performance model of health and fitness to our clients. This means that we have the team and facilities to manage your full recovery journey from acute injury, through the rehab process and on to performance-based strength and conditioning or ongoing exercise. This sets us apart from standard physiotherapy clinics, where the focus is usually just on initial injury management and rehab to relieve your pain, but then you have to go somewhere else to complete your strength and fitness training. You can read more about our physiotherapy service here.
In every session your physio works one-on-one with you for the entire session, so you get all of the time and attention you need to recover as quickly as possible. Your treatment is guided by the latest research and uses a combination of hands-on techniques (manual therapy) and personalised exercise. We have access to a full range of on-site gym and Pilates equipment, plus specialised techniques such as blood flow restriction training. We don’t use machines because extensive research shows that they don’t provide significant lasting benefits.
Our multi-disciplinary team of physios, exercise physiologists, clinical Pilates instructors, running coaches and strength trainers, plus our onsite gym and Pilates studio, means that we have everything you need all at one convenient location. And once you are recovered from your injury our personal training, running coaching and clinical Pilates programs can help you become faster, fitter and stronger than ever. Find out more about our health and fitness philosophy.
Unique ELEVATE Performance Pathway
Our unique ELEVATE performance pathway maps out your recovery journey, from initial injury diagnosis and pain relief through the rehab stage and into exercise for improved performance. It helps you understand what’s going on, what are your current treatment priorities, and what are your next steps. It is a three-step process;
Relieve: in the first stage we focus on accurate diagnosis and getting you fast pain relief so you can start moving again
Restore: this critical stage is where we dig deeper into why your injury happened in the first place, how to fully get rid of it, and how to prevent it coming back in the future
Elevate: this is fun part, where you work through a personalised exercise program to make you stronger, fitter and faster than you were before your injury. This means you perform better in your chosen sport or exercise, and it also means you have less risk of injury in the future.
Specialty Physio Treatment
Our team at Central Performance provides effective evidence-based care for a wide range of conditions. We also have several areas of special expertise and experience, especially for runners, back and neck pain, and headache sufferers.
Physio for Running Injuries
Our Surry Hills Running Centre is one of the most highly regarded running facilities in Sydney. We provide a comprehensive range of specialist running services including physio for running injuries, running assessments, running coaching, and strength and conditioning programs for runners. Our team love working with runners of all abilities, from recreational to elite, to help them get the most out of their running by improving their performance and staying free from injury. We have extensive experience working with athletes at the elite level (Olympic, state, national and international), and our invitation-only senior and junior squads are selected to compete nationally and internationally on a regular basis.
Sports Physio
As well as our specialist running services, our physios also work extensively with recreational and serious athletes to provide sports physiotherapy. This includes injury assessment and diagnosis, screening to see why some injuries keep coming back, return-to-play programs, and strength and conditioning programs to improve performance and prevent injuries.
Physio for Back Pain
Back pain is one of the most common problems that we treat at Central Performance. It can be due to desk work and poor posture, or related to sport and exercise. Our physios are the first step in diagnosing the cause and providing pain relief, then our specialist back pain program focuses on personalised exercise to get you back to your full activity and exercise and prevent your pain from coming back in the future. Many clients also go into our Clinical Pilates program to increase their core stability, back strength, movement control and flexibility.
Physio for Neck Pain and Headaches
Neck pain and headaches are another particular area of expertise among the Central Performance team. Being located near Sydney CBD means that we see lots of office workers, and sustained desk work and sitting looking at a screen is a common cause of both neck pain and headaches. Neck pain responds very well to manual therapy and targeted exercise, and for headache sufferers we can assess your neck to see if it is partly or fully responsible for causing your headaches, and provide effective treatment for fast relief as well as long-term management.
What Happens In Your First Physiotherapy Consult?
The focus of your initial physio assessment is to clarify your diagnosis and begin your treatment to start relieving your pain as quickly as possible. The steps we guide you through in your first session include;
- Taking a full history of your current pain or injury, as well as discussing any past injuries that may be relevant
- Perform a thorough physical assessment to determine your diagnosis
- We then explain your injury using models and pictures to ensure you have a thorough understanding of the condition and the best way to manage it
- Establish your goals to ensure we are focusing on what really matters to you
- Begin your treatment using a combination of hands-on techniques and personalised exercise
- Teach you a home exercise program that will allow you to keep working on improving after the session
- Give you advice as to what you should and shouldn’t do, e.g. modifying your exercise or sport, or adjusting your lifestyle activities to help your recovery
- If you need an x-ray, scan or a specialist review, your physio will arrange for this and discuss this with you in detail
Hands-On Treatment – Manual Therapy
Your early treatment will involve hands-on treatment to reduce your pain and increase your range of motion. All of our physios have extensive post-qualification training in manual therapy techniques that are evidence-based and proven to be effective. They include joint mobilisations, massage therapy, other soft tissue treatments (trigger point releases, myofascial releases…), and other techniques such as manipulation and “mobilisations with movement” (Mulligan concept).
Targeted Exercise Programs
Research shows that exercise is a critical part of your recovery process. We begin guiding you through a home exercise program right from your first appointment, allowing you to keep making progress between your sessions and taking an active part in your recovery journey. As you progress, exercise becomes the main focus of your treatment, and gradually builds into a functional exercise program that improves your movement patterns while building strength and flexibility. Research shows that this is very important because it helps resolve any niggling pains from your current injury, plus it significantly reduces your risk of injury or pain in the future. You can read more about strength training to reduce injuries in our blog on the subject.
Physio For Injury Prevention
At Central Performance once we get you feeling good we want to keep you feeling good. So as your injury resolves we focus on fully fixing the underlying cause of your problem and rebuilding your full strength, flexibility and stability. This focuses on progressive exercise programming and can be done by your physio or often involves transitioning to our exercise physiology team. There is extensive research proving that, for most injuries or pain, increasing your strength is very protective against future problems.
Strength and mobility exercises are important building blocks for achieving good quality movement. Whether this is just for doing normal daily activities, lifting the kids in and out of the car or running around the footy field with them, keeping up your recreational exercise or sport activity, or for athletes pushing their body to the limit to perform at their best, having a professionally prescribed exercise program is vital. It lets you train in an effective, structured and safe way in order to achieve maximal long-term performance improvements and minimise your risk of injury.
Physiotherapy Combined With Exercise Works Best
Part of our health and fitness philosophy at Central Performance is that our clients see the right person at the right time every step of the way. This approach is backed by research, which confirms that as your injury improves, adding targeted exercise for strength and mobility is vital. To achieve this we have a full team of physios, exercise physiologists, Pilates instructors, running coaches, strength trainers and massage therapists all working together in one great facility. This means that as you improve and the focus of your rehab changes, you always see a professional who is an expert in the things that you need.
To achieve this seamless progression on your path from pain to performance we really focus on communication and teamwork. At every step there is formal and informal communication between your treatment providers, meaning that everyone always knows exactly what you need. For example if your back pain has improved with physio and you are ready to start on our back pain program or clinical Pilates course, your physio will give a full handover to your exercise physiologist or Pilates physio so they know all about you before you even have your first session.
Easy Access From Surry Hills And Sydney CBD
Central Performance Physio Surry Hills – Three Minutes from Central Station
Central Performance is located in the heart of Surry Hills, just 3 minutes walk from Central Station. The light rail goes right outside (use either Surry Hills or Central Chalmers Street stops), and buses on Elizabeth Street are just around the corner. We are open from 6.30am – 7pm and you can book online, so scheduling appointments is easy. For more information or to book a session click below or call us on 9280 2322.
Frequently Asked Questions
Finding the right physio in Sydney who can provide the treatment your require can be confusing. There are lots of choices, so here are answers to a few common questions.
Is a referral from a GP required to book a physiotherapy appointment?
No, you do not need a doctors referral to see a physiotherapist. You can just book an appointment by calling the clinic on 9280 2322 or booking online.
Is physiotherapy covered by private health funds?
Yes, physio is covered by all private health funds under the “extras” cover. For your convenience we provide the HICAPS system for on-the-spot health fund rebates. Your rebate and eligibility depends on your level of cover – please check with your fund for details.
How much does physio cost?
To find current prices call us on 9280 2322 or book online. Private health fund rebates are available.
Is Pilates covered by health funds?
Clinical Pilates sessions that are provided by a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist are covered by private health funds (subject to your level of cover – check with your health fund). All clinical Pilates sessions at Central Performance are with a physio or exercise physiologist so you are able to claim health fund rebates. However, group fitness, including group Pilates classes, are not covered by any health funds.
