What is an Exercise Physiologist?
An Exercise Physiologist is a University trained allied health professional who specialises in exercise and physical activity methods to benefit a broad range of clients and health conditions. An Exercise Physiologist can help many types of clients, from a person who is quite healthy and would like to improve in their health and fitness, right through to a person experiencing serious long term medical conditions. The amount of training required to become a qualified Exercise Physiologist is extensive and sets the standard in the health and fitness field.
When should I see an Exercise Physiologist?
It is highly recommended that you see an Exercise Physiologist for any of the following reasons:
- ✓If you have experienced a muscular / joint injury thathas settled sufficiently and requires mostly exercises in order to improve further (If you have experienced an injury which is quite severe or acute, it is best to see a Physiotherapist or similar practitioner first until the injury has settled and hands-on treatment is no longer required).
- ✓ If you are experiencing ongoing niggling pain or tightness that is not improving (such as tendonitis or back pain).
- ✓ If you are having difficulties with exercise training technique due to pain, tightness or other issues.
- ✓ If you wish to improve your core strength and stability
- ✓ If you are having difficulty with your balance or coordination
- ✓ If you wish to improve in your health and fitness or losing weight but need assistance
- ✓ If you have been diagnosed with a medical condition and have been advised to undertake exercise by your GP (including Diabetes, Heart Disease, Respiratory Disease, Osteoporosis, Hypertension, Obesity, mental health issues, Cancer, Arthritis and any other chronic health condition).
- ✓ If you wish to improve your performance in a chosen sport or physical activity
- ✓ If you are experiencing difficulties with walking, running or movements required to perform daily tasks
What to expect during your Exercise Physiology appointment…
Visiting an Exercise Physiologist for the first time usually involves an assessment of your health circumstances (including medical ailments) and discussion of the desired goal of treatment. Depending on your circumstances, the Exercise Physiologist will conduct a range of tests or measurements to further evaluate the issue and establish a benchmark for the training sessions to follow.
Once a plan has been established, the Exercise Physiologist will prescribe a range of exercises that will lead them towards their treatment goal. These subsequent sessions are usually 30 minutes in duration and can be conducted in the clinic, in a local gym, at a local pool, at home or outdoors depending on your needs. An Exercise Physiologist is highly skilled at working with clients of all fitness levels and assisting them improve in their health.
What is the difference between and Exercise Physiologist & a Physiotherapist?
An Exercise Physiologist and a Physiotherapist are related in terms of the some of the training that they undertake at University and do tend to work closely together. The main difference between the two is that an Exercise Physiologist mainly helps their clients by prescribing exercise, while a Physiotherapist mainly helps clients through hands-on treatment (although there is a cross-over in skills between the two).
“If exercise could be purchased in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.” – Robert H. Butler
In order to prevent disease and maintain good health, our bodies need to move!
Compared to our ancestors, our modern lifestyles have radically reduced the amount of physical activity required to maintain our lives (due to the invention of cars, TV’s, etc.). Inadequate physical activity is shown to be a crucial factor leading to the development of many diseases. As a result, our nation faces growing health problems including a variety of chronic diseases and health complications such as: obesity, heart problems, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, depression and anxiety, arthritis and osteoporosis.
The good news is that regular exercise performed at a moderate intensity and duration, significantly reduces the chance of developing chronic health disease and greatly improves quality of life.
Benefits
Conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, mental health problems, cancer, arthritis, pulmonary disease, plus many more, can all benefit under the support of an Exercise Physiologist. Other benefits may include:
- ✓Assistance in positive lifestyle change
- ✓Control ofdiabetes
- ✓Rehabilitation after a cardiac event
- ✓Improvement inrecovery post cancer treatment
- ✓Injury rehabilitation
An Exercise Physiologist can also provide training in safe manual handling, lifestyle education to enable people to manage health conditions, musculoskeletal assessments plus more.
We accept referrals from GP’s for Veterans & Medicare eligible programs under the Chronic Disease Management Program.
Health Fund benefits are also available, dependent on your level of Extras cover.