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Exercise physiology is used to treat 9 out of the 10 most common chronic conditions in Australia
- Mental and behavioural conditions (26.1%)
- Back problems – pain, injury, degeneration (15.7%)
- Arthritis (14.5%)
- Asthma (10.8%)
- Diabetes (5.3%)
- Heart/ stroke/ vascular diseases (5.2%)
- Osteoporosis (3.4%)
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (2.5%)
- Cancer (1.8%)
FAQs
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You need or want highly individualised exercise that takes into account your health, physical limitations or abilities, your risk of illness or injury, your age, your stage of life, and your own likes and dislikes. You may also need – or simply want – a professional who can understand and communicate with the rest of your healthcare providers. Your Best Performance also has the advantage of understanding how to structure training for a vast variety of sports, activities, job tasks and everyday activities.
For each of these, the most beneficial exercise or combinations of exercise will vary. These variations include the type of exercise, the specific exercise, the intensity of that exercise, its duration, and even the timing and frequency of the exercise. EPs are trained to know what is appropriate for you and understand how exercise might interact with your condition and its other modes of treatment (e.g. medications, radiation, surgery, etc.).
EPs and physiotherapists are complementary allied health professionals in Australia, often working within the same practice. They have the same levels of training and professional accountability, and their roles frequently overlap.
Generally, physiotherapists focus on acute care — such as immediately after injury or surgery — using hands-on treatment (e.g. mobilisation, massage) to reduce pain and restore early movement. EPs typically manage longer-term rehabilitation and chronic conditions, with a strong emphasis on progressive, structured exercise to rebuild strength, function and overall fitness. EPs are also exercise scientists, so they train people for specific activities, e.g. for sport, work, daily life.
While physiotherapists may specialise in areas such as respiratory or cardiac care, EPs tend to work across a broader range of chronic diseases and are particularly focused on exercise-based management over the longer term.
A personal trainer often has just weeks of formal training in order to be able to write and supervise exercise programs for healthy, low risk people who are training for general health benefits or recreational sports and activities. Others have an Exercise Science degree, but the restriction to healthy people still applies. An EP has an advanced degree or Masters degree that includes exercise and sports science. They can train healthy populations, but also train people with chronic illness or injuries, those needing rehabilitation from surgery, illness or injury, and those at high risk of chronic disease or injury/ re-injury. EPs are part of the healthcare system, so they can help coordinate your overall healthcare treatment and report to your other healthcare providers. They also provide counselling and education to understand your own body better and to help achieve changes in behaviour and lifestyle factors (e.g. nutrition).
Yes! This is an exciting and relatively new area of exercise science, and EPs are well-informed. There are a whole range of lifestyle and psychological factors in addition to exercise strategies that can help you manage pain and other symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, and also set you up for a healthier future.
We can provide education and training that will help reduce the incidence of injury and improve the overall health of workers. We can assess the tasks involved in job roles to develop appropriate screening tools, and of course, we provide rehabilitation through the NSW Workers Compensation Scheme, advising employers on the best and most efficient recovery through work options.
We start with a detailed breakdown of the components required for the task at hand, then assess your current health and skill status in relation to these. This could mean developing the necessary resilience or endurance for long performance times. There may be skills, strength or power that you need to develop for a role. Also, in entertainment, if you’re not performing at your best, people can tell, so if you are managing an illness or injury, we will help develop strategies to accommodate it (a ‘workaround’) and avoid unnecessary aggravation. We also use exercise to assist breath control for singers, musicians and actors.
EPs can help make your body more resilient to injury, address any imbalances (e.g. in strength, mobility) that may cause injury or inefficiency, and guide you to the most appropriate type, volume and load of train appropriate to your age and health profile.
Definitely. The EP scope of practice includes mental health, as an abundance of research now supports the use of exercise therapy for depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, stress, and more. Mental health is a key area of interest at Your Best Performance, particularly in relation to depression and anxiety. We understand that a key part of using exercise for mental health is communication with the client in order to tailor therapy that best works for the individual, and encourages self-regulation.
Most people appreciate the benefits of rehabilitation treatments post-surgery, but getting stronger and fitter pre-surgery speeds up recovery and improves long-term outcomes for everything from joint replacement to cardiac surgery, and more.
All Australian private health insurance bodies recognise exercise physiology, but you will need to see if it is covered under your specific policy. Check how much it covers, and how it is covered – rebates may be pooled with other ‘Extras’ services, in which case you will need to see if it worth claiming. Medicare provides rebates for limited sessions when referred by a GP under the GP Chronic Condition Management Plan. This provides rebates for up to 5 visits in a calendar year for people a GP determines have had or are likely to continue having a chronic condition for 6 months or more.
Your Best Performance provides in-home therapy, when the home environment is safe and suitable. Other EP services usually limit this to the least mobile clients. However, we encourage this for all clients with a suitable space and within reasonable travel distance, for their privacy, discretion or convenience.
Yes! Early mornings are not for everyone (def not me). We take bookings up to 8pm weekdays.
No. An EP’s scope of practice includes preventative health – using exercise in a way that helps reduce the risk of injury, reduces the incidence or severity of chronic illness, and helps mental wellbeing. Early intervention will always lead to better long-term results.
No-one is sure exactly what life coach does. However, an EP does take a more holistic view of a client’s health, which includes assessing lifestyle factors – such as nutrition, sleep, social support, and whether other health issues are being addressed by the relevant professionals. EPs also help clients address issues they might have with motivation or other factors affecting their real or perceived ability to exercise.
An EP can write exercise programs and supervise your training. However, if you have developed a relationship with your PT, an EP can conduct your testing (to measure progress and set safe parameters on your exercise) and write a program, which can then be followed under the supervision of a PT.
