Exercise Physiology | Spectrum Healthcare

Exercise Physiology

Spectrum Healthcare’s exercise physiologists advocate that exercise is essential for fitness, health and rehabilitation. It is also an important component in preventing and managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis or back pain.

Exercise Physiology

What is an Exercise Physiologist?

Exercise Physiologists (EPs) are allied health professionals who prescribe comprehensive exercise programs to assist people who are recovering from injuries or dealing with chronic conditions. They have extensive knowledge of the human body and are experts at programming effective exercise programs to ensure long-term recovery from your injuries.

Monique Fallico

Monique Fallico

EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST

Monique is a dedicated and passionate Accredited Exercise Physiologist committed to empowering individuals to enhance their health and wellbeing through exercise. With a strong clinical focus on chronic disease management, Monique employs a client-centred, evidence-based approach to provide personalised exercise interventions.

NDIS Provider

REGISTERED NDIS PROVIDER

Patients have access to NDIS exercise physiology services here at Spectrum Healthcare.

What do we do?

Our exercise physiologists are highly qualified in developing clinical exercise programs to improve overall health and well-being. They can also help to develop behavioural modification programs, allowing patients to establish new and healthy habits within their life.

How can our exercise physiologists help you?

By providing effective services tailored specifically to you, Spectrum Healthcare’s exercise physiologists can assist with:

  • Education on general health and well-being, conditions, injuries and how to best manage these conditions and injuries
  • Conduct assessments to establish current capacities, health, and fitness and identify any areas for improvement
  • Prescribe individualised exercise programs to treat conditions and improve health and capacity while avoiding further complications
  • Identify other areas of concern and refer to other allied health professionals when necessary
  • Provide rebates for Exercise Physiology by private health funds
  • Provide Team Care Arrangement services with a referral from GP Treat clients claiming through NDIS and DVA.

Musculoskeletal injury management and prevention

After identifying key areas requiring rehabilitation, our team will help design an injury management and prevention program that not only ensures the best outcomes according to current best practices but a program that suits your unique lifestyle and personality.

Post-surgical rehabilitation

Common post-operation patients seen under an Exercise Physiologists care at 4D Health and Performance include:

  • Hip replacement
  • Knee replacement
  • Shoulder replacement
  • ACL operation

  Chronic Disease Care

Our Exercise Physiologists provide individualised assessment, exercise advice, prescription, behavioural change counselling and support for people with chronic and/or complex disease(s). We believe people of any age can improve their exercise habits and receive benefits.

Metabolic diseases such as obesity, hyperlipidaemia, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovarian syndrome, type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes disrupt the ability of the body to perform critical functions involving the metabolism of nutrients.

Customised evidence-based exercise programs designed and delivered by our Exercise Physiology team can help with:

  • Risk factor reduction for various metabolic conditions
  • Management of a range or combination (Metabolic Syndrome) of existing medical conditions

  Chronic and acute pain

Pain has been proven to be reduced through exercise treatment. Our Exercise Physiologists can help identify and differentiate between the subcategories of pain – neurological; musculoskeletal; acute; chronic; delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMs).

Our team will help you gain a better understanding of the movements and conditions that are potentially contributing to and causing your pain. Our Exercise Physiologists will help educate you on how and why you are feeling pain, and how to ensure/reassure the body is not under present or future harm. Our Exercise Physiologists are qualified to empower individuals to independently manage flare-ups of pain, prevent further tissue damage, and address concerns related to results from medical imaging/scans.

We aim to increase your confidence and ability to participate in regular physical activity, whilst improving sleep, mental health, diet and knowledge/understanding of pain.

  Neurological

Engagement in physical activity and movement is highly recommended to manage and rehab neurological health conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Cerebral Palsy to prevent further loss of function and capacity.

Neurological conditions present differently in everyone and may affect multiple physical and physiological functions. Our Exercise Physiologists provide individualised exercise programs aimed to recover muscle strength, coordination, and fitness to enable you to get back to doing what you want and need to do and help improve your quality of life.

Walking training has a positive effect on gait function and walking capacity in patients with Parkinson’s disease and Cerebral Palsy. The Alter-G Anti-Gravity treadmill enables supported walking by reducing the impact of gravitational forces and body weight. Patients can benefit from programs that include the use of the Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill which is customised to meet their needs depending on the stage and presentation of their condition.

  Mental health

Exercise physiologists play an important role to assist people with mental health conditions: depression, stress, and anxiety.

  • Exercise can improve mood in people with diagnosed depression or depressive thoughts associated with chronic diseases (such as chronic pain)
  • Exercise assists with managing fatigue and loss of fitness from inactivity.
  • Exercise alongside other modifiable factors in life, counteracts weight gain which is one of the key side effects of medication that can negatively impact metabolic health.