Ramsay Health Plus - Outpatient Therapies and Classes

After an initial examination to assess your needs, your Physiotherapist will work with you to create a personalised treatment plan. A qualified Physiotherapist is an expert in assessing someone’s ability to move and function effectively. They use scientific evidence to guide the examination and treatment of people with a wide range of conditions affecting muscles, joints, balance, coordination, the nervous system and your heart and lungs.

Physiotherapy treatment may include:

• Strengthening and injury prevention exercises
• Balance and coordination training
• Stretches
• Manual therapy (includes joint and soft tissue mobilisation)
• Dry needling
• Education
• Ergonomic advice
• Return to sport/activity planning and task practice

Often, a combination of the above techniques will be required to help you achieve your goals. Your Physiotherapist will continue to re-assess you throughout your treatment program, upgrading you along the way.

Physiotherapy Services available:

• Women's Health Physiotherapy
• Men’s Health Physiotherapy
• Musculo-skeletal assessment and treatment
• Neurological assessment and treatment
• Vestibular Physiotherapy
• Chronic Pain
• Recovery from injury or surgery
• Aquatic Physiotherapy

Our Physio Exercise Classes may help you recover from injury, increase strength and improve your balance and flexibility in a safe and supported environment. Our classes combine pilates-inspired exercises with the extensive knowledge of the Physiotherapist leading the class.

Physio Exercise Classes are best suited for people who would like to:

• Manage low back pain
• Return to activity post joint surgery
• Improve core muscle control and posture
• Improve whole-body strength, flexibility and balance
• Improve bone mineral density

Warm water exercises can help strengthen muscles and improve balance and flexibility. Hydrotherapy provides a comfortable and supportive environment for the treatment of many conditions where stretching, strengthening and functional retraining is required.

Hydrotherapy has been shown to be beneficial for people living with the following conditions:

• Arthritis
• Back and neck pain
• Joint pain
• Following orthopaedic surgery including joint replacements and spinal surgery
• Neurological conditions like Multiple Sclerosis
• Women’s Health conditions including for Prenatal women

Mt Wilga’s hydrotherapy pool is maintained at a therapeutic temperature of 32-34 degrees celsius. The pool is accessible for people of all abilities with hoist access, change room facilities and is supervised at all times for safety.

During your initial session, your Physiotherapist will outline a number of stretching, strengthening, core stability and balance exercises that best suit you. Together, you and your treating therapist will determine if your goals are best achieved by attending individual sessions, group sessions or classes.

Accredited Exercise Physiologists (EPs) are university qualified allied health professionals. They plan and deliver safe and effective exercise programs for people with chronic medical conditions or after an accident, injury or surgery and for people who have a disability.

Exercise Physiology may help improve your:

• Strength
• Cardiovascular fitness and endurance
• Balance and mobility
• Weight loss and management
• Core stability
• Functional ability with daily tasks

Exercise Physiology Services available:

• Supervised gym sessions
• Chronic Disease Management sessions
• Strength and Balance group sessions
• Parkinsons exercise groups

Accredited Lymphoedema Therapists at Ramsay Health Plus work with individuals to reduce their lymphoedema symptoms and in the long term provide people with education and skills to help manage their lymphoedema in their daily life. Outpatient services may be accessed for ongoing maintenance, routine follow-up care, or be utilised for a series of complex lymphoedema management sessions. Ongoing care is important to ensure lymphoedema symptoms are well controlled. Therapy may include:

• Review and prescription of garments
• Provide lymphatic massage and review your self-massage techniques
• Exercise prescription
• Provide further education where appropriate on skin hygiene to prevent infection
• And where appropriate recommendation for outpatient follow-up with dietetics for further advice regarding nutrition and weight management, occupational therapy or psychology for education on stress management, relaxation and energy conservation.

People who have a chronic medical condition, including lymphoedema and have complex care needs may be eligible for Medicare rebates for certain allied health services on referral from their GP. Please speak to you GP about a GP Management Plan.

Our Speech Pathologists can assess, diagnose and treat communication and swallowing impairments that arise from neurological, physical or functional causes. You may self-refer to our clinic or your doctor may refer you. Common reasons for referral to Speech Pathology may include:

• Stroke
• Traumatic/Acquired brain injury
• Neurodegenerative disease
• Head & neck surgery
• Dementia and/or cognitive changes
• Ageing and age-related changes
• Chronic cough
• Long Covid-19

You may be referred or seek Speech Pathology services if you have one or more of the following issues:

• Difficulty chewing and swallowing food and/or fluids
• Coughing or choking when eating and/or drinking
• Impaired movement and/or sensation of the face, lips, tongue
• Slurred or hard to understand speech
• Changes to your voice quality, characteristics and/or volume
• Difficulty understanding spoken/written language
• Difficulty expressing thoughts, ideas and concepts with spoken/written language
• Impairments with attention, memory and thinking skills that are impacting your participation in social, personal and/or work settings

Speech Pathology services include thorough assessment, goal setting and evidence-based intervention which aim to promote your independence, safety and quality of life.

An Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD) has the skills to provide nutrition and dietary advice. They treat people from a diverse range of medical conditions including;

• Lymphoedema
• Disordered eating
• Weight management
• Cancer
• Chronic wounds
• Malnutrition
• Metabolic disorders such as Diabetes
• Gastrointestinal diseases
• Heart disease
• Strokes and other neurological conditions.

Dietitians are trained to assess a person’s nutritional needs and provide the most-up-to-date evidence-based nutrition advice to assist in reaching individual health goals.

Psychologists work with people to develop strategies to cope with a broad range of problems including:

• Adjustment to illness or injury
• Stress
• Grief and loss
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Acute and chronic pain
• Sleep difficulties / insomnia

Psychologists use a range of approaches such as:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) explores the way thinking affects emotions and behaviour
• Mindfulness –develops self-awareness in terms of thinking, emotions, bodily feelings and environment
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – helps to recognise emotional challenges and ways to manage these

Pain can be both short-term and longer-term in nature. Physiotherapists are experts in diagnosing the source of mechanical pain and providing effective treatments to reduce it. Our team are also highly experienced in providing treatment and advice regarding the management of chronic pain.

Our practice offers a comprehensive pain management service. Our deep understanding of the many factors affecting pain allows us to take broad approach to its management. We offer the following interventions to help manage back and neck pain:

• Assessment and treatment of biomechanical abnormalities contributing to spinal pain
• Manual therapies (joint and soft tissue mobilisation)
• Dry needling to release muscle spasm and trigger points
• Graded exercise programs
• Relaxation techniques
• Clinical Pilates
• Postural education
• Workplace ergonomic education

Sometimes pain management requires more than the interventions above. Mt Wilga’s Pain Management Day Program is designed to address the complex needs of people with chronic pain.

Ramsay Health Plus Mt Wilga has agreements in place with many Commonwealth Support at Home Program providers to offer Allied Health services under your funding package. We can offer these services onsite or in your home.

If you would like to explore this option, please contact your Support at Home Provider and let them know that you are interested in utilising Ramsay Health Plus Mt Wilga’s Allied Health services under your Support at Home Package funding.

You can ask them to contact us by emailing Scott Appleton, our Outpatient Therapy Manager, at appletons@ramsayhealth.com.au to arrange an agreement providing these services to you. Once an agreement is finalised you can make a booking into the chosen therapy and we will arrange all the billing through your Support at Home Provider.

People who have a chronic medical condition and complex care needs may be eligible for Medicare rebates for certain allied health services on referral from their GP.

Chronic Condition Management Plans are for patients with chronic or terminal medical conditions that are likely to be present for six months or longer. Your Management Plan may include referral to one or more allied health professionals.

Please speak to your GP about a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan.

Falls prevention involves reducing the risk of injuries in older adults through targeted physical exercise and education.

At Ramsay Health Plus Mt Wilga, following a Physiotherapist or Exercise Physiologist assessment, you will be referred to an appropriate exercise session either in a group environment such as our Stand Strong Class, or in a 1:1 or paired appointment environment to ensure that your individual goals and needs are met.

Parkinsons Disease is a progressive, long-term neurological disorder that affects motor control, balance and mood.

At Ramsay Health Plus Mt Wilga, we offer ongoing exercise sessions under a Physiotherapist or Exercise Physiologist to help maintain and improve your mobility, strength and joint range of motion.

We also offer communication groups or 1:1 therapy sessions to focus on swallowing, both run by our specialised Speech Pathologist.

Mt Wilga also offers an admitted Day Program for Parkinsons Management. The Parkinsons Management Day Program is designed to address the complex needs of a person with Parkinsons Disease through a multidisciplinary approach.

Our driving assessment team consists of qualified and experienced Occupational Therapists who have completed RMS NSW recognised postgraduate studies in Driver Assessment and Training.

To proceed with a driving assessment you will require a Learners permit or valid Drivers License, a letter from your doctor and a NSW Fitness to Drive Assessment form.

The assessment involves an off road assessment and may involve physical, visual and cognitive screening followed by an on road assessment in an adapted vehicle.

Following the assessment feedback on the outcome and recommendations will be provided to you. A written summary will be provided to RMS NSW and your GP.

We will work closely with experienced local driving instructors to co-ordinate any training or lessons that may be required following your assessment. The OT may prescribe any vehicle modifications required.

 Driving Assessment and Training with an Occupational Therapist Driving Assessor