Physiotherapist Position

Tablelands Sports & Spinal Physiotherapy is an established Allied Health Practice in Lithgow, just over the Blue Mountains, NSW and home to many adventure sports.

We are a multidisciplinary team made up of Physios, Exercise Physiologists, Occupational Therapist, Massage Therapist and Dietitian.

Tablelands Physio is known for delivering excellent client outcomes in a professional and friendly environment. The practice has been established for over 15 years and we are continuing to expand due to a growing network of clients, referrers, and an excellent community reputation for providing evidence-based treatment.

With the challenges of COVID-19 we are adapting and changing the way we manage our clients and providing exceptional care to the people of Lithgow and rural areas to help them manage their pain and to achieve their health goals.
We are looking for our next dedicated and experienced Physio to help our practice grow. We will also consider new graduates who are keen to learn.

There is plenty of scope for you to build your ideal client case-load, in fact we encourage you to do just that.
The right Physio for our team:
- Enjoys working with a varied population, from elite sports people to the elderly;
- Has a focus on hands-on, advice and exercise based management;
- Is good at communicating and networking;
- Is always thinking and doing one step ahead;
- Has a high level of empathy and emotional intelligence;
- A keenness to get in and work hard to build your list and promote the practice;
- Would like flexible work hours and a great work-life balance;
- Telehealth experience or keenness to learn;
- Fabulous personality that fits well within a team environment and patients love;
- Current AHPRA (Physiotherapy) registration, professional indemnity insurance ($20mill) and Work Cover approved.

If this sounds like a position you would be interested in and you are ready to dedicate yourself to our team long-term, please do not hesitate to apply by sending your resume and cover letter to [email protected]

We are looking forward to meeting our next fab Physio!

www.physiotherapist-lithgow-a6fd9575079fbeb8
​
6352 3131
[email protected]
www.tablelandsphysio.com.au

Click here to read our story in Lithgow Mercury.

Men’s Health and Exercise

There’s no better time than Men’s Health Week (14-20th June) to focus on some of the ways in which exercise can be used to improve the health and wellbeing of men in our community. Less than half of adult aged men in Australia engage in the minimum recommenced guidelines for exercise and less than ¼ engage in the recommenced levels of strength training, and levels of engagement decrease as men age. 


Physical Activity Guidelines:

• At least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week
• At least 2 strength training sessions per week 

Coronary artery disease (CAD), suicide/self-harm, and chronic back pain are the three leading causes of disability/disease in Australian men. Exercise is a well-known therapy for both CAD and chronic pain, however exercise also has enormous benefits when it comes to mental health which we will focus on here. 

Improvements in mental health resulting from regular exercise are very encouraging given the levels of mental illness in Australian men are so high, particularly in rural and regional areas. These improvements are related to both physiological and psychological changes that occur with exercise.

Most people are aware of exercise related increases in neurotransmitters called endorphins, which relieve pain and stress leading to better mood. Regular exercise also stimulates the growth of new neural connections in the brain which is key for brain health across the lifespan. Group exercise or team sports increase levels of social interaction which is beneficial for mental health, and exercise can also provide a sense of accomplishment when working towards and achieving a goal. 


Another area where exercise can have a major impact is in the workplace.

• Most severe workplace injuries in Australian workers result from body stressing injuries and falls/trips/slips in the workplace, and these are most commonly sustained by males, although the following applies to anybody, particularly those working in physically demanding roles such as those we see in many industries around the Lithgow region. 
• Many people in these roles feel that their work alone is enough exercise for them, and sometimes this may be the case, however in most cases more specific training can vastly improve your physical capacity to complete a specific work role, as well as reducing the mental stress related to work that so many experience.
• Reducing workplace injuries helps reduce the psychological and economic burden on individuals, families and our community resulting from time lost at work due to injury.  

Building towards at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise, and at least two days per week of some form of strength training is a great first line of defence for combating the most common causes of disease and disability in Australian men, and Men’s health week is a great time to start making changes. 

If you are unsure where to start, you can contact an Exercise Physiologist here at Tablelands Physio in Lithgow to receive a comprehensive assessment of your health status, and we can help plan and implement an effective exercise program that will set you up for success. Alternatively, you can drop in or call for some basic advice and guidance to get you started.  


Adam Brogan
Accredited Exercise Physiologist
M.Clin.Ex.Phys, B.Sp.&Ex.Sci. AEP, AES, ESSAM

​
6352 3131
[email protected]
www.tablelandsphysio.com.au

Book Online HERE

Winter is finally upon us, and the forecast of snow has people either excited or dreading it. The one thing that I see with a big change in weather is the reduction in people’s activity levels and the correlation with an increase in their back and neck pain.

People often report it’s due to the cold weather – there is some research to suggest it’s the change in barometric pressure that is related to reported pain, but many times it may be that we have sat at the desk or snuggled up on the lounge to watch an extra episode or 2 on Netflix!! – the combination of an increase in static activity and less exercise is often the real culprit.

So go on, get your winter woollies on and if there is a break in the weather, a quick walk or
even a session of some body-weighted exercises can be good; Think lunges, squats and even maybe some pushups.

•  This, month the Tablelands Team is pulling (or rather pushing) together to undertake 3,318 push-ups to raise awareness for suicide and mental health. If anyone has seen my efforts at push-ups, they would know we need some help. So, if you are keen to help, we would love you on our team. Remember you can do a different exercise like squats or sit to stand exercises or a mixture! 

Follow the link here to join and the code word is “tablelands". We are a little behind so we need to get going!

• The Healthy Hearts walking group is going gangbusters and we have had quite a good roll up for the 30min walk on a Monday and Wednesday. Everyone is welcome to join us - just sign up through the Heart Foundation and meet us at the practice at 12pm. All levels are encouraged to join us.  Sign up here

​
As we continue to grow and service more of the local community, we are again on the lookout for our next fabulous Physiotherapist and other allied health professionals; So if you know of someone who would be great fit for our team send them our way!

Our Tablelands Physio Family are our best source to find awesome people to join us, as you know how we work, our culture and generalised fun and craziness. We thank you in advance for all your help!!. 
Don’t forget if you are having trouble getting out and about to do the things you love and playing your best sport, we have many health professionals from different areas to help you achieve your health goals. 
 
Stay warm and keep moving!

Yours,
​
Sally 
Director, Tablelands Sports & Spinal Physiotherapy  ​

We are back this week with varied hours, but back to normal hours next week.

A lot of people have been a little confused with the Covid-19 restrictions, and where exactly Lithgow falls under these restrictions. 🦠 Where the Blue Mountains is referenced as being The Greater Sydney Area, the Lithgow GA does NOT fall under the Blue Mountains Area 🦠

Stay safe, happy and well over this holiday period 🎉

#tablelandsphysio​ #covidsafe​ #holidays​ #restrictions​ #lithgow​

In true, slightly slow off the mark style, it’s taken me all month to get organised to write this newsletter highlighting October as Mental health month.

The people of Lithgow and the surrounding rural districts have had a lot of ongoing stresses over the past year and I think it’s actually fitting to be writing this today as it’s 1 year since the Gospers Mountain fire started – who would have thought that that one lightning strike in the middle of the scrub would cause so much destruction? Over 2.6 million acres of our beautiful native flora and fauna burnt, heartache and many tears to those who lost their homes and properties, and a huge amount of stress and anxiety to everyone who lived in our region. Many of us are involved in the RFS and so many people donated their time, money and supplies to keep all our crews going and safe.
 
The fires were a stressful time for everyone and coming off 3 years of drought it’s no wonder the people of our area were in a heightened state of anxiety and in many cases depression.
 
In early March I was seeing a lot of people with pain and injuries that occurred during the summer but had not had the capacity to be able to address it previously. Many people were quite upset and had not actually spoken to anyone about their experience during the fires and drought until they came in for a physio appointment. I feel privileged and honoured that people felt they could talk to us and were comfortable to be able to open up about what has been happening in their lives.
 
Then along came COVID…. This was another level…. An unknown, and everyone was watching the situation overseas and seeing all the terrible images on the TV. No wonder people were again becoming anxious when we started to get cases.  The messages we were receiving were confusing and the government and health districts were trying their best to give us the information, but they too were learning as they went.

There were so many uncertainties associated with COVID, none of us were sure of the health impacts, financial impacts and social impacts.
I know many people were really worried about all or at least some of these on themselves, their families and friends.


At Tablelands Physio we have been staying positive and available to our clients to help them through this time and not put anyone at any greater risk. We are truly grateful to all our clients who have been patient with our requests for masks, signing in, embracing the Telehealth options, scheduling dilemmas and incessant cleaning that has for the time being become out new norm.
 
Back to Mental health month….
 
I prefer to call it happiness month, but since I’ve missed most of October maybe we can flick it to November instead.
 
It is well known that the brain has a fight or flight mode. When there are stresses our body and brain go into overdrive to manage the situation, more adrenaline and cortisol is released, and we are often able to cope with quite stressful situations.

Unfortunately, if the stress goes on for a long period of time, we are unable to maintain this heightened level of stress and this causes adverse effects to our physical and mental health.
We get a fatigue and are at risk of developing higher levels of depression and anxiety.
 
As a Physio, I am managing people with pain all day every day and we know as health professionals that if people are in a level of heightened anxiety, depression or have sleep deprivation, their pain levels are increased and their capacity to cope is diminished.  
 
We also know that by trying to manage our stress and anxieties, often by exercise, mindfulness activities, talking to friends or professionals, we can also have a positive impact on managing pain and our mental health. We are fortunate as allied health professionals that we can help you manage your symptoms and have time to listen.

A few tips that I have been trying to undertake this “happiness” month:

• Exercise most days - I either a walk/run, ride a horse or if the weather is wet I often do a quick session of the 7 minute exercise program – (some exercise is always better than none)

 

• Monitor your number of steps- I try and make sure I do a minimum of 10000/day- but start with looking at what you are currently doing and increase this every week by 10-15%

 

• Eat healthier- minimise process foods, reduce added sugar and aim for 5 serves of veggies a day.

 

• Undertake a mindfulness session- these can be quick in the middle of the day or a something to help you sleep- the “smiling mind” app is a good one to start with.

 

• Do more fun things- catch up friends, get out and about in nature, spend quality time with family, laugh!

It is important that you look after your mental wellbeing and happiness- it will help you, manage that annoying injury, allow you to cope with whatever life throws at you and allow you to live a more fulfilled life.
 
If you are worried or not coping we are always about to help as we can, or point you in the right direction. I’ve added a questionnaire to fill out if you would like to see how you are tracking (you’re the only person to get the results). And I’ll include some links if you need more information.

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety-and-depression-checklist-k10
 
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/pages/mental-health-line.aspx
this will put you in touch with the local mental health team if you are worried about yourself or a someone else.
 
https://coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au/?utm_campaign=hp_banner
 
We are always here to support and help you achieve your health goals, get you back doing the things you enjoy and reduce your pain. Check our Facebook or Insta page or ask to join our VIP Facebook group for all our up to date news, tips and advice.
 
 
Stay well, healthy and happy.