Is Physiotherapy free on a Medicare card? What about with health insurance?

Capital Physiotherapy clinic provides bulk billing for our clients at some of our clinics (please call the individual clinics for more information). In some of our clinics, we no longer provide bulk billing, but you may still use your Care Plan to subsidise part of your visit (there will be a gap payment). 

Please note that we do take Medicare bulk billing if you have a very specific doctor’s referral letter called the EPC letter (Enhanced Primary Care Program). Please ask your GP if you meet certain criteria before you are eligible for an EPC and Medicare services. Unfortunately, only your GP (not us) knows your eligibility or is able to provide you with that letter. If you are qualified, you will have up to 5 free visits/year to a physio.

Before you come to your EPC Physiotherapy appointment, please bring along your:

-EPC referral letter (that is written for Capital Physiotherapy)

-A physical copy of your debit card (for the rebate to go into your debit card)

-Your Medicare card


Is Physiotherapy covered by health insurance?

When it comes to physiotherapy insurance, Australia has various options depending on your circumstances. In short, most basic health insurance won’t always cover physiotherapy. Instead, you’ll get benefits like private hospital cover and ambulance insurance.

However, if you choose an insurance policy that has extras cover, it will most likely include physiotherapy appointments. Each policy has waiting periods and limits, but you’ll often be able to see a physiotherapist for consultations, follow-ups, treatment plans and rehabilitation if you’re covered by private health extras.

Should I take out health cover for Physiotherapy?
Statistics have shown that one in seven Australians will need physiotherapy at least once in their lifetime. Since physiotherapy is based on evidence-based science, most health insurance extras policies cover physiotherapy and many Australians find their physio treatments to be incredibly beneficial. People who undergo physiotherapy treatment will have higher than >80% of recovery compared to people who do not engage a physiotherapist for rehab. Physiotherapy addresses many health concerns, from physical therapy to health conditions to rehabilitation.

Although physiotherapy has a high success rate, it can be a long process. Taking out health cover for physiotherapy is a good idea because you won’t be seeing a physiotherapist just once. You’ll usually need multiple visits to your physiotherapist to complete a treatment plan.

Private health cover with extras will help you pay for regular physiotherapy treatments so that you can improve your quality of life over time. This includes covering the cost of initial consultations, follow-up appointments and long-term treatment plans up to the limits of your policy.

Hence, taking our private health extra cover is therefore advisable before you have the injuries. Given the percentage of people needing extra cover services, it is an overall advisable approach to have yourself covered incase of future needs.

Waiting Periods for Physio Covered by Insurance

Most private health extras (and health insurance policies in general) require waiting periods before you can use your benefits. Each individual company and policy sets its own waiting periods before you can see a physiotherapist and claim benefits. However, in general, the wait time is about two months before you can make a claim for your physio invoice.

Once you serve the waiting period and either maintain the same level of cover or increase your cover, you may be able to switch policies without waiting again. Be on the lookout for special promotions from health funds because you’ll often see offers for extras cover with no waiting periods to attract new customers.

Do I have to pay for Physio if the doctor has referred?

Yes, even with a GP referral, you’ll likely still need to pay for some of your physiotherapy appointment.

With a referral, you may not have to pay as much as you would without one, but generally, you’ll need to pay some out-of-pocket expenses for your physio treatment, unless you received your treatment as a hospital inpatient, in which case these may be covered by Medicare.

With private health insurance extras cover, you can swipe your insurance card at your physiotherapy clinic to pay only the remaining balance, or you will pay for the appointment out-of-pocket (sometimes referred to as a ‘gap’) expenses and submit a claim to your health insurer to get reimbursed for either a percentage of the cost or a fixed rate.

It’s also important to remember that many health insurers place a time limit for extras claims, which means you shouldn’t wait too long to submit your claim. It’s best to do so as soon as possible after your appointment.

Tip: Always keep your receipts to ensure you are getting the benefits of your private health cover.


Have any more questions? Feel free to email us at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au and one of our team would be happy to discuss how we can help you!

Why do I feel worse after my physiotherapy appointment?

Following on from our previous blogpost, Can physio make you worse before it gets better?, we’ve got some more details on the healing process of physiotherapy.

Communication with your physiotherapist is essential to your recovery

Sometimes, patients fail to inform their physiotherapists about the pain they feel after a treatment session. Staying quiet about this pain can lead to worsening discomfort and even additional injury.

Instead, you should feel comfortable communicating with your physio whenever you have a question or concern about your recovery. If you are experiencing pain, you may be doing an exercise wrong, need a different exercise, or require some other change to your regimen.

Your physiotherapist is there to help you to evaluate the pain you are feeling and find solutions that help you heal. If you do not feel comfortable telling your PT about discomfort after your sessions, you should find another therapist. The professional you choose should be someone who is compassionate, attentive, and easy to talk to, no matter what questions you have about your recovery.

Know what to do if you experience pain after therapy

If you do experience pain, limited range of motion, or other problems after your physiotherapy session, you should know what to do in order to address your concerns and ensure that you remain on the path to health.

The first step is to stop whatever is making your pain worse. This may mean suspending a specific exercise, for example.

The next step is to communicate with your physio. Expressing your concerns allows your therapist to identify the problem and take steps to change it so you can continue healing, but without pain.

Here at Capital Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists are here to help you lead a healthier and pain free lifestyle. We are experts in helping you to fix your issues as well as all the discomfort that comes with it!

Our physiotherapist will be able to give you a full assessment and create an individual advice/ treatment plan that is tailored for your particular needs.


For any physiotherapy related concerns, drop us an email info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au or make an appointment through our booking system! 

Can physiotherapy make you feel worse before it gets better?

While many patients perceive physical therapy as a process that increases pain (with physical therapists sometimes referred to jokingly as “torturing” patients), the reality is that a physiotherapist’s purpose is to reduce pain, not increase it.

While it is true that you may experience discomfort as you engage with a tailored treatment program, the program is designed to heal and strengthen your body. Over time, a physiotherapy regimen that works should result in less pain, and greater functionality.

You can attend your therapy sessions with confidence, knowing you and your physio have the same goal – to set you on the path to better health and a more fulfilling life by reducing the pain you currently experience.

One of the biggest distinctions that physiotherapists draw when dealing with your experience of pain after therapy is that between discomfort and actual pain. Discomfort and soreness are to be expected, because physical therapy, in order to work, you must train your body. This is the same principle that applies when building strength through exercising or working out. The muscles must experience a certain amount of stress, which can lead to irritation and soreness. It’s also where the proverb “no pain, no gain” comes from!

This stress encourages the muscle to heal and strengthen, and so this soreness can be considered “good pain.” This is the same type of beneficial discomfort you might experience after a good workout or a new physical activity.

As a result, patients should embrace any soreness after their physical therapy session as a sign that their regimen is working.

We will continue this in Why do I feel worse after my physiotherapy appointment?


Have any more questions?

Please contact us here or email us on info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au if you have any questions or would like to talk about your specific condition. One of our team would be happy to assist you.

What can I expect at my first Physiotherapy appointment?

This is a very good and common question asked. 

At Capital Physiotherapy, our philosophy is always around a high client contact, high client care model. Our standard appointment length is 60 minutes, letting you spend every minute of the appointment one-on-one with the physio. These longer one-on-one sessions allow us to more accurately diagnose your issues and allow us to treat your condition effectively and efficiently. We have strong emphasis on proper diagnosis and also medical referral where it’s appropriate.

In your initial consultation, our physiotherapists will incorporate:

  • A thorough assessment of your condition
  • Give you a detailed diagnosis
  • Explain their recommended treatment
  • Prescribe appropriate therapies and home exercises
  • Estimated prognosis timeframe for recovery

Have any more questions? Feel free to email us at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au and one of our team would be happy to discuss how we can help you!

What conditions can be treated by Physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is a profession dedicated to the treatment and management of muscle, joint and nerve disorders, aiming to restore normal function that may have been compromised through injury, ageing, disease or environmental factors.

At Capital Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists are highly trained in movement analysis. We are experts in assessing and treating sports injuries, work related injuries, motor vehicle injuries and general physical injuries/discomfort. Physiotherapists also play a critical role in rehabilitation following more serious injuries, especially after surgery.


Your initial consultation at Capital Physiotherapy is one hour long. This allows your physiotherapists to provide you with:

  • A thorough assessment of your condition
  • Give you a detailed diagnosis
  • Explain their recommended treatment
  • Prescribe appropriate therapies and home exercises

So what conditions can a physiotherapist treat?

Physiotherapy is a viable treatment option for a number of physical conditions, including:

  • Neck pain and stiffness including whiplash and wry neck
  • Headaches
  • Back pain including disc injuries and pinched nerves, Sciatica
  • Dance & sports injuries, assessment & conditioning
  • Pre & post-natal conditions
  • Workplace injuries
  • Pre and Post-operative rehabilitation
  • Conditions such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders.

What if I’ve got something different I need help with?

Please contact us here or email us on info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au if you have any questions or would like to talk about your specific condition. One of our team would be happy to assist you.

Should I see a Chiropractor or a Physiotherapist?

Physiotherapy (also known as physical therapy) and Chiropractic care share a similar space in the treatment and management of pain and stiffness in your body. Both are practised by licensed professionals with years of education in the sciences, but their approaches can be slightly different.


Physical Therapy/PhysiotherapyChiropractic Care
Pain-free movement is one of the key primary goals.Pain relief and alignment of the spine are key primary goals.
Focuses on how the body moves and functions as a whole.Focuses mostly on issues related to back pain, neck pain, joint pain in the arms or legs, and headaches.
Physiotherapists help you perform stretches and exercises, as well as performing some manipulations for certain conditions, to improve your mobility.Chiropractors perform manipulations and adjustments to help your body heal itself.
Physiotherapists work in just about any healthcare environment, as well as your home.Chiropractors usually need specialised spaces and equipment to perform adjustments and manipulations.

Which therapy should you choose? 

So, what’s the best way to determine which type of therapy is right for you? That really depends on the type of condition you have and your specific needs.

Sometimes, depending on your condition, you may even want to use both Physio and chiropractic care to help relieve pain and improve your quality of life.


Have any more questions? Feel free to email us at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au and one of our team would be happy to discuss how we can help you!

Shin Splints Pain Treatment – INSTANT RELIEF!

Is your shin hurting while you are walking? Running or playing sports? In today’s blog post, I’m going to explain to you why you are having shin pain and what you can do about it.

Shin pain also known commonly as shin splint. Shin splints are caused by repetitive stress on the shin-bone and the connective tissues that attach your muscles to the bone.

Shin Splint generally happened:

 

  • to new runners as your body is not used to the stress you are putting on your leg muscles
  • also, commonly happens to runners who are returning from a break from running, and generally happens when they increase their mileage too quickly

Signs & Symptoms:

 

  • shin splints include an aching, throbbing or tenderness along the inside of the shin (although it can also radiate to the outside) about halfway down or all along the shin, from the ankle to the knee
  • pain of shin splints is most severe at the start of the run, but often goes away during a run once the muscles are loosened up
  • at first, the pain might stop when you stop exercising. Eventually, however, the pain can be continuous and might progress to a stress reaction or stress fracture

In this blog, I’m going to share with you some tips and exercises on what you can start doing today to help fix this problem.

Keeping in mind, these exercises are of general nature and do not take your injuries/history into considerations. In order to fully rehab your discomfort you will still need to continue to progress to harder and more functional strengthening exercises that are specifically tailored for you,  in order to feel pain free while working.

Here at Capital Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists are the experts in helping you to fix your issues as well as all the discomfort that comes with it!

We can help you lead a healthier and pain-free lifestyle.

Our physiotherapist will be able to give a full assessment on you and come out with individualised advice/ treatment plan that is tailored for your particular needs.

At Capital Physiotherapy, your initial appointment is 40-60minutes long. This allows our physios to be thorough in their assessment, as well as giving them enough time to give you treatment on the same consultation!

For any physiotherapy related concerns drop us an email info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au or make an appointment through our booking system!  

 

 

Additional Information:

We also provide Telehealth Consultation for your safety and convenience during this pandemic.


Running With Flat Feet Pain

Are you suffering from feet and ankle pain?

Do you struggle to run with your flat feet?

In this blog post, I’m going to share with you some tips and strategies that will help you manage your discomfort while running with flat feet issues!

Flat feet don’t necessarily stop you from running. But they can cause you some trouble if you’re not careful.

A lot of people who run, and run very successfully, have flat feet. Yet we do know that people with flat feet have a greater chance of getting injured than people with normal-arched feet.

Your arches are supposed to act like a natural shock absorber. They are supposed to flex and roll slightly at impact, to spread your weight over a larger area and a longer period of time. This reduces strain and stress on muscles, bones, and joints.

For starters, you may not be getting enough shock absorption, especially if the flat foot is fairly rigid. This means the impact forces can’t dissipate properly, and more stress gets transferred to bones and muscles over the feet and legs.

Second, runners with flat feet are much more likely than other runners to over pronate

In other words, instead of rolling inward just a little when transferring weight—which is normal and healthy—the foot rolls inward a lot.

Since pain is a result of over-pronation, and not directly from flat feet, some flat-footed runners do not experience any problems even though they have flat feet, simply because they do not over-pronate.

Hence, in this video above, I will show you some tips and strategies to reduce and control the amount of pronation, hence will hopefully reduce your discomfort while you are running.

 

Keeping in mind, these tips/advice are of general nature and do not take your injuries/history into considerations. If you are experiencing any pain or would like an individualised tailored program to help improve your running, I highly recommend you speak to any one of your physiotherapists to guide you through your running journey.

Here at Capital Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists are the experts in helping you to fix your issues as well as all the discomfort that comes with it!

We can help you lead a healthier and pain-free lifestyle.

Our physiotherapist will be able to give a full assessment on you and come out with individualised advice/ treatment plan that is tailored for your particular needs.

At Capital Physiotherapy, your initial appointment is 40-60minutes long. This allows our physios to be thorough in their assessment, as well as giving them enough time to give you treatment on the same consultation!

For any physiotherapy related concerns drop us an email info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au or make an appointment through our booking system!  

Our Physiotherapy Clinics in Melbourne

 

 

Additional Information:

We also provide Telehealth Consultation for your safety and convenience during this pandemic.


Best Knee Stability Exercises

Today we will talk about all things knee joint stabilisation!

  • The stability of the knee joint is dependent upon static and dynamic factors.
  • The static stabiliser includes passive structures such as the knee joint capsule and the various ligaments and other associated structures such as the
    • Menisci
    • ligaments which all act as static stabilisers include the medial collateral ligament, the lateral collateral ligament, the ACL, PCL,
    • The iliotibial band is also considered a static stabiliser in spite of its muscular connections.
  • The dynamic stabilisers of the knee are all the muscles and their aponeuroses, including:
    • Quadriceps
    • Pes Anserinus
    • Popliteus
    • Hamstrings

Because of the static factors it’s not something we can physically make it stronger, if you ever had ACL, PCL, meniscus or any other passive knee structure injuries my advice as the physio is to then make sure it’s vital for you to build up your dynamic factors and make them as strong as possible to help manage your injuries to the best of your abilities.

I am going to show you some strengthening and stability exercises to improve just that!

Keeping in mind these exercises are of general nature and do not take your injuries/history into considerations. In order to fully rehab your discomfort you will still need to continue to progress to harder and more functional strengthening exercises that are specifically tailored for you, in order to feel pain free while working.

Here at Capital Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists are the experts in helping you to fix your issues as well as all the discomfort that comes with it!

We can help you lead a healthier and pain free lifestyle.

Our physiotherapist will be able to give a full assessment on you and come out with individualised advice/ treatment plan that is tailored for your particular needs.

At Capital Physiotherapy, your initial appointment is 40-60minutes long. This allows our physios to be thorough in their assessment, as well as giving them enough time to give you treatment on the same consultation!

For any physiotherapy related concerns drop us an email info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au or make an appointment through our booking system!  

 

Additional Information:

We also provide Telehealth Consultation for your safety and convenience during this pandemic.


Fix Your Bad Back Posture With These Exercises

Do you always have a spine that looks like this no matter what you do, can’t seem to fix your bad posture? You know you are hunching and hear people talking about bad posture all the time but can’t seem to fix it? Well today in this blog post, I’m going to share with you some tips and exercises to help with this issue and also explain to you why good posture is Not good for you!

If you have scoliosis you will probably find that out quite early in your life either by a GP or nurse or any health professional that you come across as it will be very obvious that your shoulder or hip doesn’t align, and it’s hard to miss.

What I find mostly left undiagnosed are people who are suffering from mild to moderate Scheuermann’s disease or Scheuermann’s kyphosis,

  • Back pain.
  • Tight hamstrings.
  • Rigid curvature of the spine (kyphosis).
  • Loss of flexibility.
  • Slouching, or posture that gets worse over time.

Roughly 4 to 8 percent of people have it, and it occurs in males twice as often as in females. It normally runs in the family. I normally pick it up when people are lying on the treatment table facing down, if it’s a postural habit the back will be flat, if your spine is inborn with slight curvature, it will still be showing when you are lying down.

A good deal of healthcare professionals may tell you about your posture and how you need to change them. But there is no way you can change your spine to straight when they are not born straight to begin with!

So good posture for you is not an option, and you shouldn’t force yourself into the so-called “good posture” as it might just load up some other area of your spine which will lead to more issues.

Because of the nature of your spine

  • you will always have a high tendency to have spinal related problems such as neck, shoulder  and back pain.
  • you will always have certain muscle groups to be tighter and weaker,
  • you are more likely to prefer certain positions to offload the tension, which would lead to the progression of this problem

It’s not all bad. Today I’m going to share with you some exercises that will not correct the curvature of your spine but to help prevent this problem from getting worse.

These series of videos that I’m starting to make are targeting these postural muscles groups.

To help improve your conditioning workout routine, rehab and to improve your stability of your joints while you continue to enjoy the sports that you love or just to enjoy a more pain free living.

Keeping in mind, these tips and advice are of general nature and do not take your injuries/history into considerations. If you are experiencing any pain or would like an individualised tailored program to help improve your running, I highly recommend you speak to any one of your physiotherapists to guide you through your running journey.

Here at Capital Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists are the experts in helping you to fix your issues as well as all the discomfort that comes with it!

We can help you lead a healthier and pain free lifestyle.

Our physiotherapist will be able to give a full assessment on you and come out with individualised advice/ treatment plan that is tailored for your particular needs.

At Capital Physiotherapy, your initial appointment is 40-60minutes long. This allows our physios to be thorough in their assessment, as well as giving them enough time to give you treatment on the same consultation!

For any physiotherapy related concerns drop us an email info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au or make an appointment through our booking system!  

 

Additional Information:

We also provide Telehealth Consultation for your safety and convenience during this pandemic.