Professional Physiotherapy in Sydney
The Therapy Max team has decades of experience in Sydney physiotherapy treatments for people of all ages. Our treatments help with sports injuries, strains, sprains, nerve pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, and many other health conditions. Read more about our expert physiotherapists below and contact us with any questions or to schedule an appointment.
Jane Hodgson
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist
Rehabilitation Pilates Instructor
M Hlth Sc (Manipulative Physiotherapy)
B App Sc (Physiotherapy)
Jane is a Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist with extensive training in assessment and management all types of injuries. Her over 30 years’ experience extends from hospital-based acute rehabilitation, “on field” sports injury management and extensive private practice work. Since joining the Therapy Max team in 2002, she has developed special interests in chronic or complex injuries & disability, multi-trauma, spinal & referred pain, ankle and shoulder injuries, as well and children’s pain & injuries.
Combining up-to-date exercise rehabilitation in the form of hydrotherapy, pilates and gym programs, as well as strong manual therapy treatment techniques, Jane achieves outstanding results.
Jane works closely with Medical Specialists, GPs, Allied Health Practitioners and Therapists, Jane strives for faster, more effective rehabilitation.
She has practiced pilates for many years before undertaking instructor training with APPI & Polestar Pilates Equipment & Mat Rehabilitation Series in 2007. Jane maintains her own fitness through pilates, gym, softball, swimming & mountain biking. She has an understanding of many other sports through previous participation in soccer, basketball, netball, volleyball, & tennis, hiking, kayaking, canyoning & indoor rock climbing.
Trained with Polestar & APPI Plates, Jane instructs in our Fit Backs Equipment sessions and our PPT integrating Pilates inspired exercise with current & fun exercise.
Ashley Steinlauf
Physiotherapist
Rehabilitation Pilates Instructor
M Phty
B ASc (Health & Environment)
Ashley is a multi-skilled physio, passionate about helping people recover & build capacity through supportive guidance. She sees success with significant trauma, disabilities and chronic pain as well our sporty weekend warriors.
She has a tool bag of strategies to regain movement, strength & functional capacity. For exercise progression she loves strength & conditioning in a gym, but also has an amazing knowledge of pilates exercise. Teaching our mat & equipment classes and the newer Physio personal training classes, Ashley’s exercise prescription is 2nd to none.
Ashley also has an interest in women’s health and ensures women can feel comfortable talking about and managing these issues. She is also skilled in the use of uses real time ultrasound assessments.
Ashley remains very active through gym, salsa & dance, distance running, hiking & climbing.
Ashley speaks fluent Japanese, French and some Italian.
Nick Bloom
Practice Manager
Chartered Accountant
Nick is our likable and very knowledgeable front line worker, who can answer any questions you have.
Physiotherapy Students
Physiotherapy Students are our casual receptionists and therapy support staff. These staff are bright and capable, supporting out patients in many areas. They are trained by Therapy Max physios.
Our support worker physio students can also be hired on a per hour basis as a support worker within the centre. There is a 1 hr minimum for assistance which may include as required help with transport & mobilising to /from the facilities, assist with in pool therapy & dressing. NDIS clients are most likely to benefit from this service.
We Treat
Kids & Teens
- Growing pains
- Sports injuries
- Hypermobility & dis-ordination
Women’s Health
Sprains & Strains
- Muscle imbalance
- Ligament injury
- Tendinopathy
- Dislocations & subluxations
- Overuse or RSI
- Bursitis
- Cramps
Spine & Nerve Pain
- Neck & back
- Scoliosis
- Pins & needles or numbness
- Sciatica & nerve compression
- Whiplash
- Headache
- Dizziness & vertigo
- Spine tumours post-surgery
Frozen Shoulder
Balance Disorders
Arthritis
Autoimmune Conditions
Trauma Injury
- Amputation
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Multi-trauma
Neuro-degenerative conditions
- Dementia
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Muscular Dystrophies
Acquired neurological Disorders
- Stroke
- Stress related cognitive decline
Chronic Pain
Pre + Post Surgical Rehab
Posture and stiffness
Osteoporosis
Deconditioning
- Significant injury or illness
- Chemotherapy steroid myopathy
- Self neglect
Women’s Health
What Is Women’s Health Physio?
Women’s Health Physiotherapists treat pelvic pain, prolapse, and bladder and bowel dysfunction. These issues can arise as a result of weak or tight pelvic floor muscles. As such, addressing pelvic concerns involves thorough assessment of pelvic floor muscle function followed by treatment including pelvic floor muscle training, advice on management and modifications, provision of assistive equipment, or advice on relaxation techniques as needed. Women’s Health physiotherapy can be particularly helpful during and after pregnancy, and post-menopause.
The pelvic floor is a sling of muscles that sits at the base of your pelvis. It supports the bladder, uterus and rectum and assists proper function of those organs. There are two layers to these muscles:
- The superficial layers, which squeeze the entrance of the vagina and anus. These are important for sexual function and they also assist with gas and faecal control.
- The deeper layers, which contribute to continence control and increased sexual awareness. They are also important for providing pelvic organ support and can help to prevent prolapse.
Both of these layers of muscles are under voluntary control and can be trained like any other muscle.
Have a Women’s Health Physio Assessment if You Have Symptoms Of:
- Involuntary loss of urine on effort or exertion – exercising, sneezing, coughing
- Feeling a sudden urge to empty your bladder, with or without associated urinary leakage
- Frequently voiding of your bladder – more than 5-7 times a day
- Loss of urine during sleep
- Involuntary loss of urine with no conscious awareness or feelings of urgency
- Feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder after voiding
- Pressure or discomfort that seems associated to the bladder
- The feeling of a lump or bulge in the vaginal area
- A sense of heaviness or dragging in the vaginal area
- Difficulty with or a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bowels
- Pain or reduced sensation with sexual intercourse
- Ongoing low back or pelvic pain, particularly if associated with one or more of the above symptoms
Things that may put you at risk of pelvic health problems include:
- Bladder and bowel problems as a child
- Endometriosis or painful periods
- Pregnancy
- Vaginal delivery
- Caesarean birth
- Gynaecological surgery
- Bowel issues: chronic constipation or chronic diarrhoea
- Excess weight gain
- Working out hard in the gym – especially doing heavy weight training
- High impact sports over your lifetime
- Having chronic low back pain, sacro-iliac joint or hip pain
- Menopause
- Chronic cough
- Hay fever, sneezing regularly and violently
What can I expect at a Women’s Health physio consultation?
Assessment and treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction will be dependent on your presenting condition and symptoms. Generally, initial assessment will involve a detailed history, assessment of your abdominal muscles and lumbar spine, and assessment of your pelvic floor muscles.
While the questions and topics covered may be sensitive, they are important in understanding your symptoms and their effects on your daily life in order to prescribe the most appropriate treatment.
Our Women’s Health physiotherapist may use a real time ultrasound machine to assess for abdominal and pelvic floor muscle function.
Additionally, your physiotherapist may offer an internal examination to be completed if you are comfortable. This involves manual palpation to determine signs of prolapse, areas of sensitivity, as well as pelvic floor muscle strength, control, and resting tone.
At the end of your consultation, you can expect a summary of the assessment findings followed by the development of an appropriate plan for treatment.
Assessments
Assessment and treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction will be dependent on your presenting condition and symptoms. Generally, initial assessment will involve a detailed history, assessment of your abdominal muscles and lumbar spine, and assessment of your pelvic floor muscles.
While the questions and topics covered may be sensitive, they are important in understanding your symptoms and their effects on your daily life in order to prescribe the most appropriate treatment.
Our Women’s Health physiotherapist may use a real time ultrasound machine to assess for abdominal and pelvic floor muscle function.
Additionally, your physiotherapist may offer an internal examination to be completed if you are comfortable. This involves manual palpation to determine signs of prolapse, areas of sensitivity, as well as pelvic floor muscle strength, control, and resting tone.
At the end of your consultation, you can expect a summary of the assessment findings followed by the development of an appropriate plan for treatment.
Evidence-Based Treatment
Treatment is guided by current research & extensive clinical experience of your physiotherapist
Manual Therapy
“hands-on” skills include muscle massage and fascial release, Maitland mobilisation & manipulation of joints, Mckenzie exercise, Mulligan techniques & Traction. These are undertaken on a treatment bed in supine, prone or side lying and sometimes even sitting or standing.
‘Hands on’ Physiotherapy treatments becoming a lost skill in the Physiotherapy profession unfortunately. However Therapy Max Physiotherapists believe it a vital component to complete rehabilitation, which is often that one that provides the most immediate pain relief!
Massage
Massage utilises sensitive therapist hands to release the muscular imbalances. Our Physios & remedial massage therapist provide a unique approach of stretching a muscle whilst releasing it, giveing added comfort during the massage and a more effective result. Combining Swedish, Shiatsu & deep tissue styles, with hot packs as needed.
Sports Massage For:
- Focus on specific muscle groups
- increased muscle flexibility and lactic acid removal
- injury prevention when training intensely
- Triathletes, swimmers, footballers, runners, and endurance athletes
- Increased training periods and following competition.
Remedial Massage For:
- cramping, tight or painful muscles.
- Assisting rehabilitation
Pregnancy Massage for:
- Wonderful relief through those amazing but challenging 9 months.
- Pain relief caused by postural changes postural changes.
- We position women depending on their tummy size either in side-lying or on their tummy using a supportive pregnancy massage cushion.
Therapy Max provides optimal rehabilitation exercise choices. See our specific web pages for more info on aquatic physiotherapy or hydrotherapy, pilates, gym and outdoor exercise. Fit Backs classes are a cost effective approach as well.
Exercise programs are an important part of rehabilitation. Pain, swelling and injury can cause inhibition of normal muscle activation, resulting in weakness, even when an injury has “healed”. This results in incomplete recovery, leading to ongoing or re-occurring pain or instability.
Exercise can include stretches, muscle activation, motor control, strengthening and endurance building. Research has demonstrated that exercise is essential for the long term results in rehabilitation. Our skilled physiotherapists have the skills to progress & regress exercise to assist your function and capacity at home, sport & work.
Video analysis is used for:
- Pre & post treatment comparisons.
- Biomechanical movement pattern analysis of a function that is difficult to identify.
- Walking gait analysis
- Running analysis are typical videos undertaken during an assessment that can be played back.in slow motion.
- Sports performance to identify instability, timing or strength deficits.
- Recording of abnormal reflexes, to identify progress in recovery, especially where large time lags occur for rehabilitation.
Real Time Ultrasound
Our Physios can use Real time ultrasound (RTU) to assess and then facilitate recovery of muscle function especially in the core & pelvic floor. RTU is used to identify the problem accurately, so that retraining can be effective. Back pain, women’s health issues and bladder problems can benefit from examination & treatment with RTU.
Education & Advice
Education, discussions & planning help professionals understand client’s complex condition & circumstances, their needs and choices. Consultation helps all parties understand practical ways of managing pain, improving strength & fitness and reducing fatigue. Sessions may involve discussion regarding sleep, movement, exercise, diet, use of ice, pacing, energy conservation strategies for fatigue and self-management strategies to prevent and provide relief of chronic pain.
Orthotic Fitting
Many children & adults benefit from orthotics to assist injury rehab or prevention. Lots of circumstances lead a physio to suggest the trial or fitting or orthotics, which can be undertaken quickly within a treatment session. Amongst the brands we use are Vasily & Trio. We choose to fit foam and heat mouldable varieties for added foot comfort, compliance to wear and their lower expense. Alternatives to orthotics can be a a small heel raise, metatarsal dome and arch taping. These days, the variety of orthotic sizes & shapes make then usable in most shoes.
Taping
Taping with rigid sports tape or stretchable kinesio-tape to protect joints, aid proprioception & muscle biofeedback. This is a regular part of many physiotherapy treatments.
Traction
Spine Traction is the applying of a pulling force to gap joints that are stiff & painful or compressing nerves. Traction a beneficial treatment to specific spinal problems especially if undertaken alongside unloaded exercise.
Therapy Max Physios utilise the buoyancy properties of water to apply traction-simulated exercise in the hydrotherapy sessions. We also use our hands in manual therapy sessions to apply traction. In our equipment pilates session, we utilise the tension from springs to apply traction during targeted exercise when this type of treatment is required.
Clients benefit from spine traction when:
- Inflammation & stiffness significantly restrict joint movement eg in arthritis, spondylosis, spondylolistheses or the site of osteophyte changes.
- Strong pain inhibits normal muscle activation around the spine.
- nerve pain and neurological weakness symptoms occur.
Our Telehealth consultations are available with all physiotherapists. For physio consultations, 1-1 exercise sessions and for online classes. Consultations can be by phone or via a secure video link, from our Cliniko booking. Get remote access to physiotherapy support from your desktop, phone or tablet.
Home Visits:
We offer home visits within a 10 radius of our main room, taking in Sydney’s city, eastern suburbs, in inner west and lower north shore suburbs. If you are unable to leave home but are keen to eventually undertake hydrotherapy , or one of our in-house programs well will help you get there. Being house bound can be a struggle. We can help you set goals and to build capacity to get out and about again.
Parks:
Therapy Max provide off site exercise sessions in local parks like Cook + Phillip Park, Wentworth Park and Pirrama Park. If you have a preferred outdoor exercise venue, just let us know. Outdoor exercise is a COVID-safe alternative and an option chosen by many clients through the Covid Pandemic which has continued to be popular.
Gunyama:
Gunyama Aquatic and Recreation Centre is another venue for hydrotherapy, gym sessions and outdoor exercise. For those living close to Zetland, this alternative venue is an options for you. Booking for Gunyama can be made by phoning the clinic please on (02) 9356 3877. Gunyama Park https://gunyamapark.com.au/ is new facility opened by the City Of Sydney.
Sports coverage:
Therapy Max has a strong history of sports coverage to local sports teams and schools. If you wish to have sports coverage at your corporate event, school or sports association, please speak to the practice manager.
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Make Your Next Physiotherapy Appointment at Therapy Max in Sydney, Call 02 9356 3877 Today.