What are Physio Group Programme’s (PGP’s)?

PGP’s are small group sessions of 4-5 people that are led by physio. All of these sessions are individualised so you will be working on exercises that are relevant for you as part of a programme that has been specifically designed for you.

Benefits of PGP’s

  • Improved spinal mobility
  • Improved core strength
  • Improved strength and flexibility
  • Muscle re-education to reduce pain and improve function
  • Improved balance
  • Reduced falls risk
  • Whole body rehabilitation
  • Improved bone density
  • Recovery from injury
  • General health and wellbeing
  • Weight management
  • Prenatal strengthening and body preparation
  • Postnatal recovery
  • Pelvic Floor Strengthening
  • Breathing Reeducation and pain reduction

PGP’s or group physio exercise classes help you learn to use correct muscle activation strategies and good joint control while you exercise. This helps you get stronger and more flexible while you recover from injury or while you try and push yourself to reach your fitness goals. PGP’s aim to improve your strength, flexibility, and control so you can use your body for more! They can be tailored to suit people of all ages and physical capacities ranging from elite athletes looking to improve their performance and recover from injury to your elderly population who are trying to maintain their independence, function and bone density.

We use often use PGP’s to help people recover from back pain and other injuries because it enables us to teach you how to use the right muscles and how to get your joints moving properly so you don’t have repeated issues. Often people have pain or dysfunction because they’re not moving well. This could be due to weakness, poor flexibility or even one muscle group being much more dominant than the others.

PGP’s can be done on a mat where you learn to control your own body weight while working on your core strength, or with larger equipment such as reformers. Equipment PGP’s allows you to work against extra load in a wide variety of positions and ranges of motion that can be adjusted to optimise your sporting performance

 

Recent Health Fund Changes

Recently there have been some highly publicised changes to health fund rebates with classes. From April 2019 our classes will be known as Physio Group Programmes (PGP’s). In order to claim participants must have an annual PGP Assessment and participate in small, physio led classes with individualised programmes that include functional exercises e.g. breathwork, pelvic floor retraining, squats, balance work etc.

We offer individual, group and equipment PGP’s led by a qualified physiotherapist. We also offer Mums & Bubs sessions for postnatal women who want to bring their babies along.

In all classes a physio will supervise your execution of each exercise and provide feedback and assistance as you need it. You will be working on your own programme and you may be asked to periodically fill in questionaires by your instructor to help you meet the requirements of your health fund for claiming.

To learn more about the different types of classes you could participate in click here. To learn more about claiming for online classes during COVID click here.

For class times please contact reception on 9416 4410.

Before your first class

It is a requirement that you have an PGP Assessment with a physiotherapist before entering a class.

During this assessment, we will discuss any relevant medical or injury history with you and discuss what your goals are. You will have a postural and physical assessment to assess for any alignment issues, and we use Real-Time Ultrasound to ensure you can achieve a proper core activation. Your physio will then run you through a few exercise basics so you know what to expect in a session.

When we do a Real Time Ultrasound scan we look at your bladder and we look at the way you use your stomach muscles. To do this most effectively it is helpful if your bladder is not empty. You don’t need to have a full bladder – there simply needs to be some urine in the bladder so try to avoid going to the toilet when you arrive at the clinic.

To join a PGP while pregnant you must provide a letter from your doctor providing clearance for your participation. If you are entering a postnatal class within the first 3 months of delivery you also will be required to provide a letter from your doctor to say you are medically well enough to participate. This letter can come from your GP or Obstetrician/Gynaecologist.

Please note: Having a PGP Assessment prior to entering a class is a safety standard of our company. Occasionally our physios may feel that someone is not quite ready for a class setting, or that it would not be safe for them to participate for some reason.  If this is the case our physios will explain to you why we feel that you might not be ready yet to join a class, or why we feel like it might not be the best path for you. We will always try to help you develop strategies to go forward so that you can be ready for PGP sessions in the near future or so that you can manage your issue safely another way. Our primary concern is your safety and we want to ensure you get the best possible results from PGP’s. The physio must clear you before you can enter a class. 

Patients with gynaecological conditions may require a Women’s Health assessment to ensure their safe participation.
Patients with prolapses or pain disorders (like pain during intercourse) are strongly encouraged to have a Women’s Health assessment before entering a class.

For information about class structure, class passes, pricing and cancelation policy please click here.

Initial Assessment

Anyone wanting to participate in PGP’s must complete a PGP assessment. This includes:

  • Injury and medical assessment
  • Physical assessment
  • Real Time Ultrasound assessment for core strength and muscle recruitment coordination analysis
  • Goal setting

Patients with gynaecological issues (including incontinence and painful intercourse) are recommended to have a Women’s Health assessment before entering a PGP.

Before entering any class our physio must clear you, in other words, the physio needs to confirm that it is safe for you to do PGP’s/group exercise sessions and that you a ready to participate in a group setting. For more information click here.

PGP’s – Mat

All sessions are 55 minutes in duration and are individualised and limited to 5 participants.

Mums & Bubs is a specific postnatal session. You are welcome to bring your child to our Mums & Bubs classes if you like.

Bookings are required for all PGP’s or private sessions.

10 class passes can be purchased for the price of nine classes – in other words you get one class for free! Passes are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase.

Online class passes are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase. For more information please see out TeleHealth services pages.

PGP’s – Equipment

All classes are 55 minutes in duration and are individualised with a maximum of four participants. These sessions include use of large equipment such as reformers.

Bookings are required for all classes or private sessions.

10 class passes can be purchased for the price of nine classes – in other words you get one class for free! Passes are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase.

Class Passes

5 and 10 class passes are available for mat and for equipment PGP’s. Please note they are NOT transferable – in other words – you cannot buy a 10 class mat pass and then switch it to equipment. Class passes are valid for 3 months for a 5 pass and 6 months for a 10 pass from the date of purchase and are non-refundable.

You do not have to buy class passes or commit to a set ‘term’ of PGP’s. You are welcome to come casually and pay as you go. Classes run continuously year round depending on the availability of the therapists. When a therapist is on leave we will always try to keep the class schedule the same, however, this is not always possible. Classes do not run on public holidays as we are not open and we generally finish classes for the year the week before the Holiday/New Year period. PGP’s usually then restart the second week of January depending on the calendar and demand.

Online class passes are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase. For more information please see out TeleHealth services pages.