Northside Physio News

An exciting month on the calendar for Northside Physio as we turned 1 on the 4th of August! It’s hard to believe we have been open for a whole year. Since opening, we’ve made it through five of the six Victorian lockdowns, added two physiotherapists, two receptionists, a dietician and remedial massage therapist to the team. We’ve had to jump through multiple hurdles along the way but there is no way our team could have thrived without the ongoing support from the Northside community. 

Our mission statement “Physio and Pilates for your health journey” has really sung true in the last year. We believe health is a journey, and not all the paths are sunshine and rainbows. With the pandemic creating havoc throughout the country, we have been blessed for the ability to remain open to continue your care. 

We love seeing your smiling faces through the door, waves from the street whilst walking by, and the sense of community for allowing us to be here. We look forward to continuing our journey and yours together.

Winter is well and truly in full swing and we are feeling the cold here at Northside Physio. The days are darker, the motivation isn’t quite there and the weather makes you want to stay in bed with a blanket and the heater on. Despite it being cool, it is important to continue moving everyday to keep yourself warm. Here’s our top 3 exercises to keep you moving in the cooler months:

1. Sit to stand 

Have your arms across your chest or outstretched, stand in front of a sturdy chair/seat and squat back as if you are going to sit on the chair, stand back up, and repeat. Aim for 10-20.

2. Calf Raises 

A great exercise to get the blood circulating through your leg! leaning against your kitchen bench, keeping your toes on the floor, lift your heels up and down. Aim for 15-20.

3. Thoracic Book Openers 

Laying on your side with knees tucked up, arms straight out in front, swing the top arm over to the opposite side of your body and rotating through your ribcage, head and neck. It should feel as though you’re opening like a book. Aim for 10 each side.

Don’t forget about those heat packs too! Not only do they keep you nice and warm, but they help relieve those achy joints – especially in the mornings!

We are excited to announce that we have a new Physio joining us at Northside – Hayley! 

She graduated from Bond University with her Doctor of Physiotherapy and is our third physio to join the team. She brings a wealth of musculoskeletal and sporting experience being a sports trainer at her local AFL club and more recently working at North Melbourne AFL and VFL teams.

Hayley prides herself on being a hands on therapist and utilises both her manual skills and exercise prescription skills to treat both the symptoms and the underlying cause. Hayley values patient centred care and achieves this through taking a thorough history and physical assessment. Hayley likes to educate and guide patients through their rehabilitation journey, empowering them to understand their pathology and return them back to doing the things they love.

Hayley has a strong passion for musculoskeletal physiotherapy with a keen interest in lower limb sporting and soft tissue injuries. When she’s not at work Hayley enjoys wakeboarding, waterskiing, going to the gym and walking her dog Chopper.

Hayley will be in the clinic 5 days a week, including Saturdays. You can book online or give us a call!

If you have not been in this month, you will soon realise we have had some upgrades! We have added a new reformer to the rehabilitation area. This will allow more flexibility for 1:1 clinical exercise sessions whilst group classes are running. One to one sessions with your physiotherapist are important to promote correct technique, rehabilitation goals and tailor your program for when you move into a group class.

Our front entranceway also had a makeover – it is now safer and smoother for everyone. Fabian the concreter worked hard to complete the task in one day. Good job!

We are excited to introduce our new addition to the admin team – Ahleya! She is our second receptionist and aims to be a bubbly warm face when you walk in. She has moved from Central Coast NSW to study animation at RMIT. Ahleya has had four years’ experience in administration at her family physiotherapy practice in NSW.

Ahleya is very new to Melbourne and is enjoying her time exploring and discovering this great city. If you see her in the office, she would appreciate suggestions on places to go and things to see. She enjoys doing yoga, attempting new art and a mad foodie. She is excited to meet the Northside community, and we aim to make her transition to Melbourne life great! 

Northside Physio is excited to announce we are now providing a Bikefit Service! A Bikefit from Northside Physio is a 90 minute consultation with a physiotherapist involving a in-depth assessment of you and your bike. Everybody is different so a great Bikefit takes into consideration your size, shape, strengths and goals to get the best fit for you. A professional Bikefit is key to managing a cycling pain and injuries; preventing future issues; improving comfort; and optimising efficiency.

A Physio Bikefit will allow you to get the most out of your cycling by making you safe and comfortable on your bike. For more information have a look at our services “BikeFit” page here: northsidephysio.com.au/bikefit/ or contact the clinic for more details.

On February 4th Northside Physio has officially had its doors open for 6 months! 2020 was a tough year for all Victorians, and to persevere through and nourish Northside Physio has been a wild, tough and exciting ride. 

Starting with a solo practitioner, and now with a whole host of health professionals including a second physiotherapist, dietitian and remedial massage, Northside Physio 2021 feels like the only way is up! 

We couldn’t have started or survived without the ongoing support of our local community. The residents of Thornbury and surrounds have supported us and made our team grow. 

Looking towards the next 6 months we look forward to increasing our services including physio bike fits, women’s health, education evenings, community engagement and the return of the Richmond Tigers.

Peta is the owner and principal therapist of Northcote Massage.  Working for 35 years in allied health, Peta has specialised in massage for the past 10 years.

Peta has a Diploma in Remedial Massage, Certificate IV in Massage Therapy, advanced training in pregnancy and post-natal massage and is a member of Massage and Myotherapy Australia.

A long time local to the Northcote and Thornbury area, Peta has been affiliated with the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre since 2012 and is now proud to bring Northcote Massage to Northside Physio.

A self-proclaimed anatomy nerd, Peta will skilfully manipulate muscles and other soft tissues using techniques that also engage the nervous system to give you a calm and comfortable experience.  

Whether you have spent long hours at the computer; sports training; caring for babies and young children; are recovering from injury or surgery; managing chronic pain; require additional support for complex conditions; or are otherwise adjusting to life challenges – Peta’s caring and thorough approach will help to deal with the aches and pains that we too often ignore.  

Massage is well-known for the physical relief it provides, it can also have beneficial effects for people experiencing stress, anxiety and depression.  Peta works with people of all ages and interests and brings the knowledge and experience of a long career to every client.

As Peta says “Massage is such a brilliant way to work with people – body, mind, the lot…  When we work on tight muscles, pain and stiffness we understand that there is an effect on the whole person.”

To book an appointment with Peta Phone or Text 0408 514 157. We look forward to sharing our space with Northcote Massage and continuing the health of our local community.

Happy Holidays From Northside Physio! The team celebrated their 1^st Christmas together at local brewpub Tallboy & Moose in Preston. The extended team of Northcote Massage and Active Health Dietetics joined us to celebrate. 

The superb and satisfying food went very well with some tasty, tasty beers. To get into the holiday spirit we played the traditional Danish gift-giving game ‘Pakkeleg’ which is a combination of silly gifts, dice, cold-blooded robbery and frenzied mania. 

With the easing of restrictions and what looks like a great summer ahead, the team at Northside Physio wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! 

Northside Physio will be closed from Thursday, 24/12/2020 and reopening on Monday, 04/01/2021.

In the easing of restrictions and Melbourne lockdown we had the pleasure to welcome Matt Hopgood to the Northside Physio team.

Matt is an experienced physiotherapist passionate about finding lasting solutions to persistent problems. He treats all musculoskeletal conditions but has a special interest in overuse and repetitive strain injuries including running and cycling injuries; postural back and neck pain; and shoulder conditions. With nearly 7 years experience working with clients to achieve great outcomes, Matt will help you understand the nature of your problem and develop an individualised plan to reach your goals.

Matt will be doing face to face consultations as well as Clinical Pilates from Tuesdays to Saturdays. We look forward to the Northside Physio and Thornbury community meeting him!